Mount Barker (SA), SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Mount Barker is a fast-growing town in the Adelaide Hills, about 33 kilometres south-east of Adelaide and named after the peak beside it. That hill honours Captain Collet Barker, who surveyed the area in 1831; the township was laid out in 1839 and farming took hold through the 1840s. The surrounding ranges are the country of the Peramangk people, and the mountain's summit holds particular significance in the region's Aboriginal heritage. Once a quiet farming centre — and the place where the agricultural value of subterranean clover was first recognised — Mount Barker is now among the fastest-growing parts of the state. Heritage steam trains still run on the SteamRanger line, and the Ukaria Cultural Centre draws audiences for chamber music.
Around the national middle
Mount Barker (SA) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 51% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 988, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Is Mount Barker (SA) a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Below the national middle on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Mount Barker (SA) from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
51/100Around the national middle
Around the national middle — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (51/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
32/100Less affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $350 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 32% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Mount Barker (SA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 18,330
- Median age
- 36
- Median weekly household income
- $1,624
- SEIFA score
- 988
- Local government area
- Mount Barker
- Coordinates
- -35.0818, 138.8652
Map of Mount Barker (SA)
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Mount Barker (SA)
What it costs to live in Mount Barker (SA) and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $350
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,603
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 66%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 29%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Mount Barker (SA) demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Mount Barker (SA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Mount Barker (SA) using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 29% and 18% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 3,637 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,291 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 5,229 | 29% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 4,013 | 22% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,157 | 17% |
Share of the 18,327 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,644 | 23% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,998 | 43% |
| Rented | 2,063 | 29% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 6,412 | 91% |
| Townhouses & semis | 546 | 8% |
| Flats & apartments | 35 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 7,032 occupied private dwellings in Mount Barker (SA).
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,038
- Median weekly personal income
- $815
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 3,097 (18%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,305 (7%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 292 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 8,229 (59%)
- Labour-force participation
- 65.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.7%
- Employed full-time
- 5,368
- Employed part-time
- 3,343
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Mount Barker (SA)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Mount Barker (SA) is January (average daytime high around 29.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 14.4°C). The area receives roughly 732 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.7°C | 17°C | 34 mm |
| Feb | 28.2°C | 16.4°C | 32 mm |
| Mar | 26°C | 15.4°C | 23 mm |
| Apr | 22.1°C | 13.5°C | 54 mm |
| May | 17.7°C | 11.2°C | 83 mm |
| Jun | 15.1°C | 9.3°C | 91 mm |
| Jul | 14.4°C | 8.5°C | 102 mm |
| Aug | 15.3°C | 8.4°C | 91 mm |
| Sep | 18°C | 9.7°C | 69 mm |
| Oct | 21.9°C | 11.5°C | 59 mm |
| Nov | 24.1°C | 13°C | 57 mm |
| Dec | 27.3°C | 15°C | 37 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Mount Barker (SA)
Is Mount Barker (SA) a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Mount Barker (SA) rates 45/100 overall (Below the national middle on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Mount Barker (SA)?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Mount Barker (SA) was $350, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,603. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Mount Barker (SA)?
Mount Barker (SA) is a suburb of South Australia, Australia, in the Mount Barker local government area.
What is the population of Mount Barker (SA)?
At the 2021 Census, Mount Barker (SA) had a population of about 18,330.
Is Mount Barker (SA) an advantaged area?
Mount Barker (SA) has an ABS SEIFA score of 988, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 51 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 51% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Mount Barker (SA)?
Mount Barker (SA) has average daytime highs of about 21.7°C and overnight lows of about 12.4°C, with roughly 732 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Mount Barker (SA)?
Mount Barker (SA) is one of the most populous suburbs in South Australia — the 4th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 18,330 usual residents).
Where Mount Barker (SA) ranks
Mount Barker (SA) appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
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