Urban Centre · Area profile
Houghton
3 km²
An affluent and aging community, Houghton (L) stands out for its high typical incomes and large family homes. The typical resident is 50, making the area far older than the national average. This is a wealthy pocket of the Adelaide Hills where most people own their own detached houses and have higher qualifications than usual. It is a stable, quiet place where few people move in or out, and very few rent.
Explore Houghton by topic
The area has aged significantly, with the typical resident now 50 and seniors making up 20.2% of the population. Meanwhile, the proportion of children under 15 has fallen to 14.5%, which is well below the national figure.
About 18.2% of residents were born overseas, a figure much higher than in most similar areas, though still well below the South Australian and national averages. English and Australian are the most common ancestries.
English is the primary language for 94.1% of the community. Only 3.1% of people use another language at home, which is far below the state and national figures.
Nearly half the population (46.6%) reports having no religion, a figure that has risen 16 points since 2011 and is well above the national average.
The community is well qualified, with 23.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is much higher than in most similar areas and is consistent with the high typical incomes seen here.
Incomes are very high, with typical weekly household earnings of $2,356, which is far above the state figure. About 37.9% of households earn $3,000 or more a week, among the highest for this level.
Residents are generally healthy, with only 2.7% needing help with daily activities, a figure well below the state and national averages.
Volunteering is common here, with 23.5% of people helping out, which is much higher than in most similar areas. Unpaid care for children and housework is also more common than usual.
Homes are larger than average, with 2.8 people per household. Very few people live alone (10.9%), and one-parent families are among the lowest at this level.
Every home in the area is a separate house, and 97.7% have three or more bedrooms. Renting is very rare at 3.4%, as 43.7% of homes are owned outright.
Car use is essential, as every single home has at least one motor vehicle. About 12.3% of the workforce now works from home, an increase since 2011.
The population is very stable, with only 22.1% of people moving in the last five years, which is far below the national average.
Working or looking for work is more common here than in most similar areas, at 69.1%. The unemployment rate is low at 2.9%, below both state and national figures.
The area is heavily car-dependent with a walkability score of 1.4, far below the state average. Almost no one lives within a 15-minute walk of a school, health service, or grocery store.