Plympton, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Plympton is an inner south-western suburb of Adelaide, in the City of West Torrens, straddling the busy routes of Marion Road, Cross Road and Anzac Highway. Its name is believed to have been chosen by Henry Mooringe Boswarva for a private subdivision he laid out here, recalling his home town in Devon, England; it was accepted as the official name of the suburb in 1944. A post office had served the district since 1856. In the late nineteenth century a coursing track for dog racing was established in the area, and the grounds later took the name Birkalla, after a nearby railway station. Traces of the former Holdfast Bay railway line can still be followed along Plympton's West Side cycleway. The suburb lent its name to the song 'Plympton High', recorded in 1993 by John Schumann of the band Redgum.
More advantaged than the national average
Plympton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 62% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1007, 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.
Plympton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,459
- Median age
- 34
- Median weekly household income
- $1,598
- SEIFA score
- 1007
- Coordinates
- -34.9608, 138.5545
Plympton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Plympton 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 39%, 45% of homes are rented, and 42% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 697 | 13% |
| Youth (15–24) | 766 | 14% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,150 | 39% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,114 | 20% |
| Seniors (65+) | 730 | 13% |
Share of the 5,457 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 558 | 24% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 679 | 29% |
| Rented | 1,062 | 45% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,208 | 51% |
| Townhouses & semis | 549 | 23% |
| Flats & apartments | 587 | 25% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,359 occupied private dwellings in Plympton.
- Median weekly rent
- $300
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,662
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,038
- Median weekly personal income
- $843
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,218 (42%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 2,135 (40%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 46 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 3,372 (73%)
- Labour-force participation
- 72.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.7%
- Employed full-time
- 1,847
- Employed part-time
- 1,271
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 Plympton
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Plympton is January (average daytime high around 27.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 14°C). The area receives roughly 711 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.9°C | 17.5°C | 29 mm |
| Feb | 26.5°C | 17°C | 29 mm |
| Mar | 24.7°C | 16°C | 20 mm |
| Apr | 21.4°C | 14°C | 51 mm |
| May | 17.3°C | 11.7°C | 86 mm |
| Jun | 14.8°C | 9.6°C | 100 mm |
| Jul | 14°C | 8.9°C | 104 mm |
| Aug | 14.7°C | 8.8°C | 95 mm |
| Sep | 17.2°C | 10.2°C | 62 mm |
| Oct | 20.5°C | 11.9°C | 52 mm |
| Nov | 22.7°C | 13.6°C | 52 mm |
| Dec | 25.6°C | 15.6°C | 31 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Plympton
Where is Plympton?
Plympton is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Plympton?
At the 2021 Census, Plympton had a population of about 5,459.
Is Plympton an advantaged area?
Plympton has an ABS SEIFA score of 1007, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 62 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 62% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Plympton?
Plympton has average daytime highs of about 20.6°C and overnight lows of about 12.9°C, with roughly 711 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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