ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Forrestfield is a well-established middle-ring suburb of Perth, Australia, with a population of approximately 13,181, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 14 km from the Perth CBD, Forrestfield is a middle ring area in Western Australia. The median household income is $83,928 per year.
Moderate income levels in Forrestfield indicate steady rental demand from working households. Close CBD access strengthens tenant appeal and resale value.
Official Australia Post postcode for Forrestfield. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.
Australia Post Postcode Finder →Usual resident population at the most recent census.
Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.
Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.
Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.
Estimated 3 schools within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Forrestfield on My School →Estimated 5 parks and green spaces near this suburb.
Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.
Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.
With 13,181 residents, Forrestfield is one of Western Australia's more populous suburbs — roughly 2.4× the state median of 5,605 — giving it a deep buyer and tenant pool that typically supports higher transaction volumes and shorter average days on market. Household income of $83,928/year is 16% below the Western Australia median of $99,736, typically translating into lower entry prices and a tenant base more sensitive to rent increases. Rent of $350/week (88% coverage of the $1,733/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $216/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. 14 km from Perth places Forrestfield in the middle commuter belt, close enough for daily trips by car or rail but at a materially lower price point than inner suburbs.
This suburb suits long-term investors looking for a balance of rental yield and capital growth. Schools and transport underpin family demand. Local rents consume roughly 22% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How Forrestfield stacks up against the median of all Western Australia suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Forrestfield sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Forrestfield | WA median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 13,181 | 5,605 | +135% |
| Median household income | $83,928/yr | $99,736/yr | -16% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $350 | $350 | 0% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,733 | $1,902 | -9% |
| Distance to CBD | 14 km | 20 km | -30% |
| Separate houses | 83% | 79% | +4pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Forrestfield — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Moderate buy-and-hold potential: Forrestfield's 13,181-person market and $83,928 median household income work for investors who are selective on street location and property quality rather than counting on a suburb-wide rerating.
Strong rental coverage: $350/week (~$1,517/month) covers 88% of the $1,733/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $216/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.
With 83% houses in a 13,181-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.
Run the numbers on a Forrestfield property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Forrestfield are modest for 2026 — incomes 16% below the WA median of $99,736 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~88% of the typical mortgage ($1,517/month rent vs $1,733/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 67/100 places Forrestfield in the upper-middle tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is balanced heading into the second half of 2026.
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Forrestfield scores 67/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a good rating. That score is driven by a population of 13,181, median household income of $83,928/year and median weekly rent of $350. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.
The main demand drivers in Forrestfield are proximity to Perth (14 km), a median household income of $83,928/year, a dwelling mix that is 83% separate houses, roughly 3 schools and 5 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.
Forrestfield has a usual resident population of approximately 13,181, compared with a Western Australia suburb median of 5,605 — placing it in the upper half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.
Forrestfield sits 14 km straight-line from the Perth CBD. This is comfortable commuter territory, with reasonable rail and road access to the city.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $350 in Forrestfield, equating to approximately $18,200/year in gross rental income (state median $350/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.
The median monthly mortgage repayment in Forrestfield is $1,733, or approximately $20,796/year (vs $1,902/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.
A median weekly rent of $350 works out to $1,517/month, covering 88% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,733/month. That leaves a $216/month shortfall (around $2,592/year before tax benefits), so a typical owner-occupier-priced property here is negatively geared. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.
The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,733 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($83,928 vs $99,736 state median), the broader Western Australia market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.
Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.