Suburb report · WA 6148
Shelley
Prepared by the property strategists at Chase Wealth Australia
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Population
5,162
Shelley suburb profile
Who lives in Shelley
Shelley sits 9km from the Perth CBD, inside the inner ring of the capital. Shelley has 5,162 residents, close to the 4,682 of a typical Western Australian suburb. Among the 270 suburbs within 40km of the Perth CBD, it ranks 161 by population. Residents are older than the state norm, with a median age of 42 against 39. Against the 270 suburbs within 40km of the Perth CBD, it is older than 190 and younger than 57. That is in line with the average of 42.4 across the other 2 suburbs of the Riverton-Shelley-Rossmoyne statistical area.
Income and home ownership
Households here earn a median $130,100 a year, more than 80% of Western Australian suburbs. That is 9.6% above the average of $118,754 across the other 2 suburbs of the Riverton-Shelley-Rossmoyne statistical area. On household income it ranks 68 of 270 suburbs within 40km of the Perth CBD. 75.1% of households own their home and 24.9% rent, close to the 75.2% ownership of a typical Western Australian suburb. 148 of the 270 suburbs within 40km of the Perth CBD have a higher ownership share. Across the other 2 suburbs of the Riverton-Shelley-Rossmoyne statistical area the ownership share is 77.5%, 2.4 points higher than in Shelley.
Household mix
The 2021 Census counted 1,701 occupied private dwellings in Shelley, a mid-sized stock for Western Australia. Families with children are the largest household type at 51%, ahead of couples without children at 27.9% and people living alone at 19.4%. Of the 270 suburbs within 40km of the Perth CBD, 82 have a higher share of families with children and 187 a lower one. The 51% share of families with children runs above most of Western Australia, at the 75th percentile. The 27.9% share of couples without children is typical for Western Australia. In the other 2 suburbs of the Riverton-Shelley-Rossmoyne statistical area, families with children make up 54.8% of households, against 51% here.
Housing supply
Approvals eased to 79 in the year to June 2025 across the Riverton-Shelley-Rossmoyne statistical area, below its 2020 to 2024 average of 104 a year. Supply figures here are for the Riverton-Shelley-Rossmoyne statistical area, home to 16,102 residents in 2025, which takes in Shelley and neighbouring suburbs. At 4.9 per 1,000 residents of that area, the pipeline sits mid-range for Western Australia, above 55% of areas. The busiest year for approvals since 2020 was 2021, with 152, and the quietest was 2020, with 77.
Population trend
The population of the Riverton-Shelley-Rossmoyne statistical area grew 9.3% from 2020 to 2025, against 12.3% for Western Australia as a whole. The median Western Australian statistical area grew 9.7% over the same 5 years, 0.4 points faster than this one. That rate is faster than 49% of Western Australian statistical areas. Growth was strongest in the year to 2023 (2.7%) and weakest in the year to 2022 (0.2%).
Against its neighbours
Of the nearby suburbs listed below, Ferndale differs most on the median household income: $88,100 there against $130,100 in Shelley. Rossmoyne is the closest match on the share of families with children, at 50.6% against 51%. At 1km, Riverton counts 6,543 residents against 5,162 in Shelley.
Location
Demographics
ABS Data by Region to 2025, on ABS Census 2021 suburb baselineHousehold Mix Census 2021
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Reading this report
Every figure in the Shelley data table is dated at its source. Supply and population change cover the Riverton-Shelley-Rossmoyne statistical area, whose boundary differs from Shelley's, and our guide to reading a suburb report explains how our buyers agents weigh them.
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This report is market intelligence prepared by Chase Wealth Australia for general information only. Figures are statistical estimates for the suburb, not valuations of any individual property, and do not constitute financial or credit advice. Consider your circumstances and seek professional advice before acting. Demographic figures are sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census 2021 (licensed CC BY 4.0) where available.