Perth is the fastest growing city in Australia, dramatically outstripping other capitals according to a local think tank that has mapped the biggest contemporary changes in our identity.
Its landmark report released on Thursday also found that we're getting smarter and earning more money but, our home ownership level has declined.
The report, "Perth as a Spatially Transforming City", was released by the Committee for Perth, an independent body that boasts a who's who membership of corporate Perth, including BHP, Rio Tinto, Chevron, Wesfarmers, Woodside and more.
The report examined the last 20 years as one of the greatest periods of change in Perth's history.
Committee for Perth CEO, Marion Fulker, said that that the period from 1991-2011 was the beginning of the end for Perth as a small city.
"Perth's population grew at 2.3 per cent annually during that time. The national average was only 1.5 per cent," she said.
"If the trend continued, it would fundamentally change our racial, culture and religious make-up."
Wanneroo topped the growth trend with a 40.3 per cent increase.
In 1991, 37.2 per cent of homes were fully owned. Two decades later the figure had fallen to 28.1 per cent.
"There are now, actually, more people with mortgages but fewer who have been able to pay them off," Ms Fulker said.
She said the figures also raised the issue of housing affordability and the need for more housing options across Perth.
Brainpower was up, with the report finding that more than 40 per cent of WA's overseas-born population of 591,000 had a Bachelor degree or higher.
Best-paid residents lived in Cottesloe, Peppermint Grove, Perth and Fremantle while the lowest-paid lived in Mandurah.
Ms Fulker said that the Committee for Perth's mission was to share information that it believed had the potential to influence government policy development in the metropolitan area.
