Scarborough (WA)
WAScarborough (WA) is a growing suburb in WA with 17,605 residents.
- SAL code
- 51330
- SA2
- 505021092
- Population
- 17,605
- LGA
- Stirling
Scarborough (WA), WA had 17,605 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 14.3% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 36. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,167 a month. Around 58.4% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 39.4%. Most dwellings are townhouses or semi-detached homes, making up 47.7% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 13 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Scarborough (WA), WA at a glance
Scarborough is Perth's flagship beachside suburb, ~14 km north-west of the CBD in the City of Stirling. Post-war beach cottages and walk-up flats sit alongside an increasingly dense apartment strip along the foreshore, with the renewed esplanade now the suburb's centre of gravity. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
Scarborough is built around the beach. The renewed foreshore — amphitheatre, heated pool, skate park, weekly Sunset Markets — is genuinely the social hub, and the dining + bar strip along the Esplanade carries it through the cooler months. Housing splits between original 1950s-70s cottages on the inland streets and a thickening band of apartments and townhouses closer to the coast. There's no train station in the suburb itself, but the free Surf CAT bus runs from Stirling Station to the beach every ~10 minutes at peak; Glendalough Station is the other rail option. Karrinyup Shopping Centre (post-redevelopment) is ~5 minutes by car. Local schools include Scarborough Primary and St John's Primary; Churchlands SHS and Carine SHS sit in the broader catchment for high school choice. In short: a true coastal-lifestyle suburb where the beach + esplanade do most of the lifting, with apartment stock making the entry price more flexible than the headline house median suggests.
For investors
Scarborough is a lifestyle-premium market with deep transaction volume. REIWA puts the median house at $1,415,000 and median unit $780,000 (12 months to March 2026, updated 21 April 2026). Median rent ~ $1,000/wk houses, $750/wk units → ~3.6% gross yield houses, ~4.9% units (Your Investment Property May 2026). Days-on-market 12 (houses) / 10 (units), with ~243 house + ~320 unit sales in 12 months — one of the deeper coastal markets in Perth metro.
Strengths
- Strong recent capital growth on houses (~+15-18% YoY across REIWA / YIP, March 2026 data) on a sustained beachside premium.
- Deep market — ~563 combined sales in the past 12 months means easy entry and exit even on stratified stock.
- Genuine dual-stock suburb: ~$780K unit median sits well below the ~$1.4M house median, opening lower-cap-rate cashflow plays alongside capital-growth houses.
- Tight days-on-market (~10-12) signals buyer competition is still firm at March 2026 levels.
Trade-offs
- House yields are thin (~3.6% gross, YIP May 2026) — a capital-growth and lifestyle play, not cashflow.
- Apartment supply along the foreshore strip is structurally elastic; new towers and the 273 West Coast Highway hotel/redevelopment EOI signal more density to come, which can cap unit growth.
- Coastal exposure — sand nourishment programs at neighbouring Mettams Pool (March 2026) flag the ongoing erosion-management cost local councils are absorbing.
- Entry price is high in absolute terms — a $1.4M house median is well above Perth's metro median, narrowing the buyer pool on resale.
What's coming
The Stephenson Avenue Extension Phase 2 (Main Roads WA) finishes mid-2026, opening a new grade-separated Mitchell Freeway interchange and a direct Cedric Street ↔ Scarborough Beach Road link — a material commute upgrade. The City of Stirling's 'Feels Like Scarborough' program continues, with ~200 trees planned for winter 2026 planting and the West Coast Highway hotel ground-lease redevelopment progressing through EOI.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: Perth's most complete beach-lifestyle suburb, with apartments offering an accessible entry. For investors: a capital-growth + liquidity play on houses, or a yield-friendlier unit market with supply pressure to watch.
Population
?17,605
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+14.3%
3yr: +11.3% · 10yr: +24.3%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,107/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
36
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?9/10
SA2 · least disadvantaged
Unemployment
?1.9%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
2
2 primary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?6
3 long day, 2 OSHC, 1 family
Parks & green space
?13
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?61
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?329
Stirling · Feb 2026
Median Weekly Rent
Based on rental bond lodgements recorded by the state government.
Median House Sale Price
state Valuer-General sale price data not yet loaded for WA
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from WA police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Scarborough (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Scarborough (WA) suburb alone is ~17,605 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 12,868 to 20,490 over 24 years, averaging 2.0% per year.
Schools
2 in suburbSector
1 public · 1 private
Type
2 primary
Total enrolment
498
Avg per school
249
Government school catchment
Catchment data is not yet available for WA.
Source when available: WA Department of Education — Public School Local-Intake Areas.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 1.5%Mostly townhouses (47.7%), mixed tenure (58.4% own or mortgage), built for families (49% are 3 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
WA 27%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
This suburb falls outside every bushfire polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: WA DFES Bush Fire Prone Areas and DWER Floodplain Mapping.
Flood risk
Flood data is not yet available for WA.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: WA DFES Bush Fire Prone Areas and DWER Floodplain Mapping.
Planning zones
Planning-zone data is not yet available for WA.
Source when available: Landgate / WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage.