South Australia · Suburb Profile

Penola SA — Suburb Profile

Population, median income, rent prices, housing costs and demographics for Penola, South Australia. ABS Census 2021.

The population of Penola SA is 1,622 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Penola is $804 per week ($41,808 per year). Median rent in Penola is $198 per week ($858 per month). Penola has a median age of 47 years, older than the national median of 38. Penola has a population density of 6.4 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Penola is England. The most common religion is No Religion (49% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is Mandarin. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Penola is $1,050.

There were 6 recorded offences in Penola in 2025-26, a rate of 4 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was theft (3 offences).

Penola Map

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Penola Population

residents (Census 2021)

Penola Median Income & Rent

💰

Median Income

$804/wk

$41,808 per year

#3564 of 14,663

🏠

Median Rent

$198/wk

$858 per month

#7719 of 14,663

👤

Median Age

47years

9 years older than national median

🏡

Mortgage

$1,050/mo

Avg household size: 2.2 · 0.7 per bedroom

Penola Demographics

Gender Split

Male 50.5% (820) Female 49.5% (804)

Population Density

6.4

people per km²

1,622 people · 252.4 km²

Households

2.2

Avg household size

0.7

Persons per bedroom

$1,865

Family income/wk

Penola Age Distribution

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80-84

85+

♂ Male ♀ Female

Source: ABS Census 2021 — Suburb & Locality (SAL)

Penola Housing Tenure

🏠

Owned outright

55.2% 257 dwellings

🏦

Owned with mortgage

44.8% 209 dwellings

Source: ABS Census 2021 — Suburb & Locality (SAL)

Penola Country of Birth

Australia

97.1%

England

1.4%

India

0.7%

China

0.4%

Germany

0.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G09 — Country of Birth by SAL

Penola Religion

No Religion

49.0%

Catholic

17.8%

Anglican

10.6%

Not stated

8.9%

Christinty Prsbytrin Refrmd

5.7%

Uniting Church

4.6%

Lutheran

2.6%

Buddhism

0.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Penola Education Level

Year 12 or equivalent

50.6%

Year 11 or equivalent

23.0%

Year 10 or equivalent

21.1%

Year 9 or equivalent

5.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G16 — Highest Year of School by SAL

Penola Languages Spoken at Home

Mandarin

30.3%

IAL Nepali

15.2%

IAL Punjabi

12.1%

SAL Oth

12.1%

SAL Tot

12.1%

Italian

9.1%

Other

9.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G13 — Language Spoken at Home by SAL

Penola Employment

💼

Employed full-time

41.9% 502 people

⏰

Employed part-time

22.1% 265 people

🔍

Unemployed

1.6% 19 people

🏠

Not in labour force

34.4% 412 people

Source: ABS Census 2021 G46 — Labour Force Status by SAL

Penola Qualifications

Certificate III/IV

42.6%

Bachelor Degree

25.8%

Advanced Diploma/Diploma

19.0%

Graduate Diploma/Certificate

5.0%

Postgraduate Degree

4.3%

Certificate I/II

3.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G49 — Non-School Qualification by SAL

Penola Occupation

Professionals

23.0%

Managers

20.9%

Labourers

13.5%

Technicians & Trade Workers

12.5%

Community & Personal Service

11.6%

Clerical & Administrative

8.8%

Sales Workers

6.0%

Machinery Operators & Drivers

3.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G51 — Industry of Employment by Occupation

Penola Field of Study

Management & Commerce

16.5%

Agriculture & Environment

13.6%

Education

12.7%

Engineering

12.5%

Health

10.2%

Society & Culture

10.0%

Natural & Physical Sciences

8.7%

Food, Hospitality & Personal Services

8.2%

Architecture & Building

4.7%

Creative Arts

2.0%

Information Technology

0.9%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G51 — Field of Study by SAL

Penola Dwelling Types

Separate house

93.0%

Semi-detached (1 storey)

7.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Penola Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk

2.2%

$1-$149/wk

0.7%

$150-$299/wk

0.9%

$300-$399/wk

2.7%

$400-$499/wk

7.2%

$500-$649/wk

7.2%

$650-$799/wk

6.2%

$800-$999/wk

8.6%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

8.8%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

11.2%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

5.3%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

5.8%

$2,000-$2,499/wk

12.9%

$2,500-$2,999/wk

5.3%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

4.5%

$3,500-$3,999/wk

3.3%

$4,000+/wk

7.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Penola Marital Status

💍

Married

50.4% 673

↔️

Separated

3.7% 50

📋

Divorced

10.8% 144

🕊️

Widowed

6.1% 81

👤

Never married

29.0% 388

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Penola Ancestry

Australian

36.0%

English

31.2%

Scottish

10.9%

Irish

7.6%

German

5.6%

Other

3.1%

Dutch

1.5%

Italian

1.2%

Aboriginal Australianralian

1.0%

Chinese

0.8%

Filipino

0.5%

Indian

0.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Penola School & University Attendance

Primary — Government

36.3%

Primary — Catholic

21.1%

Secondary — Government

12.3%

Vocational Education

8.5%

Pre-school

8.1%

Secondary — Catholic

6.3%

Secondary — Other Non-Govt

6.0%

Primary — Other Non-Govt

1.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G15 — Type of Educational Institution by SAL

Penola Need for Assistance

♿

Needs assistance

5.8% 177

✅

No need for assistance

94.2% 2,882

Source: ABS Census 2021 G18 — Core Activity Need for Assistance by SAL

Penola Volunteering

🤝

Volunteer

29.4% 365

—

Not a volunteer

70.6% 878

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Penola Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo

1.6%

$300-$449/mo

2.1%

$450-$599/mo

6.3%

$600-$799/mo

14.3%

$800-$999/mo

24.9%

$1,000-$1,399/mo

24.9%

$1,400-$1,799/mo

14.8%

$1,800-$2,399/mo

9.5%

$3,000-$3,999/mo

1.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Penola How People Get to Work

Car (driver)

77.3%

Did not go to work

9.4%

Car (passenger)

5.9%

Walked only

4.6%

Truck

1.6%

Other

0.7%

Bus

0.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G62 — Method of Travel to Work by SAL

Penola Car Ownership

0 vehicles

1.9%

1 vehicle

36.3%

2 vehicles

40.5%

3 vehicles

13.5%

4+ vehicles

7.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G34 — Motor Vehicles per Dwelling by SAL

Penola Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom

2.7%

2 bedrooms

14.2%

3 bedrooms

58.7%

4 bedrooms

21.0%

5 bedrooms

3.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G41 — Number of Bedrooms by SAL

Penola Population Mobility

10.4%

moved in the last year

37.1%

moved in the last 5 years

2.3%

unemployment rate (Census)

62.9%

labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Penola Indigenous Population

1.0%

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander

Indigenous residents

3,028

Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Penola Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health

129

Asthma

Arthritis

Diabetes

Heart disease

Lung condition

Cancer

Stroke

Kidney disease

Dementia

Source: ABS Census 2021 G19 — Long-term Health Conditions by SAL

Penola Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk

7.5%

$1-$149/wk

3.8%

$150-$299/wk

4.3%

$300-$399/wk

4.8%

$400-$499/wk

4.5%

$500-$649/wk

4.1%

$650-$799/wk

10.6%

$800-$999/wk

13.2%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

14.8%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

10.4%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

7.6%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

5.3%

$2,000-$2,999/wk

5.5%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

0.7%

$3,500+/wk

3.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Penola Family Structure

Couple — children under 15

40.9%

Couple — no children

36.1%

Couple — no children under 15

12.6%

One parent — children under 15

6.9%

One parent — no children under 15

3.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Penola Military Service

🏅

Previously served

2.4% 30

👤

Never served

97.6% 1,225

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Penola Unpaid Carers

🤲

Provided unpaid assistance

11.5% 143

—

Did not provide

88.5% 1,105

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Penola Children Ever Born

No children

23.9%

1 child

12.5%

2 children

34.1%

3 children

21.9%

4 children

7.1%

5+ children

0.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G28 — Children Ever Born by SAL

Penola When Migrants Arrived

1951–1960

1961–1970

1971–1980

1981–1990

1991–2000

2001–2010

2011–2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Source: ABS Census 2021 G10 — Year of Arrival by SAL

Penola Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours

19.9%

5–14 hours

30.6%

15–29 hours

16.4%

30+ hours

10.1%

Did not do domestic work

23.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G24 — Unpaid Domestic Work by SAL

Penola Household Size

1 person

33.4%

2 persons

36.7%

3 persons

12.3%

4 persons

11.6%

5 persons

5.2%

6+ persons

0.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Penola Where Residents Moved From

Same address

1,337

Moved — same area (SA2)

Moved from SA

Moved from VIC

Moved from QLD

Moved from NSW

Moved from overseas

Source: ABS Census 2021 G44 — Address 1 Year Ago by SAL

Penola Family Blending

Intact family — no other children

93.3%

Step family — no other children

3.4%

Blended family — no other children

3.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Penola Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-26 — 6 total

Theft

Break & Enter

Offence trend by year:

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Source: SA Government Open Data — data.sa.gov.au

Penola Rent Prices & Affordability

14%

of income

Affordable

Household Income $1,369/wk

Median Rent $198/wk

Rent-to-Income 14.5%

Rent is under 25% of household income — generally considered affordable.

If you earn X in Penola

Your weekly income

≈ $5,932/month

Median rent $198/wk

Left after rent $1,171/wk

Rent share 14.5%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Keith

Income: $746/wk Rent: $180/wk Save: $18/wk

Risdon Park South

Income: $713/wk Rent: $185/wk Save: $13/wk

Penola vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in SA

Compton

Pop: 812 Income: $913/wk Rent: $230/wk

Hillier

Pop: 814 Income: $512/wk Rent: $255/wk

Eudunda

Pop: 815 Income: $493/wk Rent: $200/wk

Yahl

Pop: 817 Income: $790/wk Rent: $225/wk

Teringie

Pop: 831 Income: $978/wk Rent: $340/wk

Gumeracha

Pop: 847 Income: $746/wk Rent: $286/wk

Compare Penola

Penola vs Compton →Penola vs Hillier →Penola vs Eudunda →Penola vs Yahl →

Frequently Asked Questions About Penola

What is the population of Penola SA?

The population of Penola SA is 1,622 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 6.4 people per km².Penola is ranked #3,296 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Penola?

The median personal income in Penola SA is $804 per week, or $41,808 per year.The median household income is $1,369 per week.Family income is $1,865 per week.Penola is ranked #3,564 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Penola?

Median rent in Penola SA is $198 per week ($858 per month).Rent represents 14.5% of household income, which is considered affordable.Penola ranks #7,719 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Penola?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Penola SA is $1,050. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Penola?

The median age in Penola SA is 47 years.This is older than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Penola a good suburb to live in?

Penola is a suburb in South Australia with a population of 1,622.The median income is $804/wk, which is above the SA average of $763/wk.Rent affordability is rated as affordable (14.5% of household income). See the full suburb profile above for detailed statistics.

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Data: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021. SA2 area: 41137. All dollar figures in AUD.