Adelaide Officials and Economists Point to Steady Growth in City GRP and Jobs

The City of Adelaide recorded a gross regional product of $23.95 billion in 2023, up 5.7 percent from the year before, according to data compiled by economy.id and cited on citycompass.com.au. Local analysts at the Adelaide Economic Development Agency noted the increase aligns with broader state trends in domestic spending.

These results matter now because the City of Adelaide central business district alone accounts for 18 percent of South Australia’s total economy. With 12,558 businesses operating in the district and 62 percent classified as microbusinesses, any sustained expansion affects thousands of small operators and the 169,940 jobs recorded across the local government area in 2023.

Health care leads employment

Health Care and Social Assistance stands as the largest industry by employment inside the City of Adelaide boundaries. The same data set shows the resident population sits at 27,901 people, a figure drawn from Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated resident population counts for 2023.

Economists tracking the figures at economy.id have highlighted that this employment concentration provides stability even as other sectors fluctuate. The City of Adelaide workforce reached roughly 170,000 positions in 2022-23, with unemployment recorded at 4.5 percent and a participation rate near 78 percent.

Consumer spending and next steps

Workers in the City of Adelaide and North Adelaide spent about $2.5 billion locally each year, with March 2025 consumer expenditure hitting a record $371 million, up 5 percent on the prior year. Officials at the Adelaide Economic Development Agency say continued tracking of these monthly totals will help guide infrastructure and workforce planning decisions in the year ahead.