In the 2021 census, Salisbury East had a population of 9,273. Its median age was 40, lower than 41 for all South Australia, but higher than 38 for all Australia[2] and 39 for Greater Adelaide.[3] 49% of the population were male and 51% were female.[2] 40% reported being of English ancestry and 30.3% being of Australian ancestry; the next most common backgrounds were Scottish (7%), German (6.1%), and Irish (6.1%). Around three-quarters only spoke English at home, but a number of languages were better-represented in Salisbury East than the general South Australian population; these were Hazaragi (2.3% vs 0.4%), Hakha Chin (1.3% vs 0.1%), and Dari (1.2% vs 0.2%). Arabic and Italian were the other two most spoken non-English languages.[2]
10.5% of the population of Salisbury East reported holding a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 22.7% of South Australians and 26.3% of Australians. 12.9% and 10.5% reported having left school in year 10 or 11 respectively, above the average for South Australia (9.4% and 8.7%) and Australia (10% and 4.6%). Nearly one in ten had less than a year 10 education. 53.5% of Salisbury East residents reported being in the labour force, while 42.4% were not, compared to 60% and 35.5% for South Australia. The unemployment rate was 7.8%, compared to 5.4% for the state and 5.1% for the country. Amongst employed residents, the most common reported employment categories were "technicians and trade workers" (16.3%), "clerical and administrative workers" (14.8%), and "labourers" (14.4%). 11.8% were employed as "professionals", against 21.5% of South Australians and 24% of Australians. The median weekly individual and household incomes respectively were AU$599 and AU$1,163, while the equivalents for all South Australians were AU$734 and AU$1,455.[2]
40.4% of Salisbury East residents reported having no religious affiliation, while 6.1% did not answer the question. Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Islam were the main reported religions, at 14.2%, 8.3%, and 6.5% respectively. Salisbury East had a proportionately larger Muslim population than South Australia (2.3%) or Australia (3.5%).[2]
