Bentleigh East

Population growth drivers in Bentleigh East are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Based on ABS population updates and AreaSearch validation, Bentleigh East's population is estimated at 32,378 as of May 2026. This shows an increase of 2,219 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 30,159. The change reflects AreaSearch's estimate of 32,280 residents following examination of ABS ERP data release in June 2025 and validation of 358 new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 3,593 persons per square kilometer, placing Bentleigh East in the upper quartile nationally according to AreaSearch assessments. Over the past decade, Bentleigh East has shown resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 1.4%, outpacing its SA3 area. Overseas migration contributed approximately 79.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area as released in 2024, using the base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023 with adjustments made employing a method of weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Considering projected demographic shifts, Bentleigh East is expected to have above median population growth nationally, expanding by 6,888 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting an increase of 21.0% in total over the 16 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions Bentleigh East among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide

Based on AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers allocated from statistical area data, Bentleigh East averaged approximately 230 new dwelling approvals per year over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 1,150 homes. As of FY-26198 approvals have been recorded. Assuming an average of 1.5 new residents per year per dwelling constructed between FY-21 and FY-25, supply and demand appear balanced, creating stable market conditions. New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $708,000, indicating a focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties.

In FY-26, $75.9 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, reflecting high levels of local commercial activity. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Bentleigh East has slightly more development, 17.0% above the regional average per person over the past five years, maintaining good buyer choice while supporting existing property values. New building activity shows 26.0% detached dwellings and 74.0% attached dwellings, with a skew towards compact living that offers affordable entry pathways and attracts downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. This represents a considerable change from the current housing mix of 69.0% houses, reflecting reduced availability of development sites and shifting lifestyle demands and affordability requirements. With approximately 165 people per dwelling approval, Bentleigh East exhibits characteristics of a growth area.

According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, the population is forecasted to grow by 6,790 residents through to 2041. Building activity appears to be keeping pace with these growth projections, though buyers may face increased competition as the population expands.

Bentleigh East has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 20% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified a total of 30 projects likely to impact the area. Key projects include East Village, Westfield Southland Ongoing Upgrades, 1 Victor Road Retirement Village, and Mackie Road Reserve Upgrade. The following list details those most relevant.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

The employment landscape in Bentleigh East shows performance that lags behind national averages across key labour market indicators

Bentleigh East has a highly educated workforce with professional services having strong representation. The unemployment rate is 4.4%. As of December 2025, there are 17,415 residents employed with an unemployment rate of 4.4%, which is 0.4% lower than Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%.

Workforce participation is similar to Greater Melbourne's at 69.9%. According to Census responses, 41.1% of residents work from home. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and retail trade. The area has a particular employment specialization in professional & technical services with an employment share of 1.2 times the regional level.

Transport, postal & warehousing has limited presence at 3.6% compared to the regional level of 5.2%. Over the year ending December 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.3%, while employment declined by 1.0%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.7 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne experienced employment growth of 2.4% and labour force growth of 2.8%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 estimate a 6.9% increase in local employment over five years and a 14.0% increase over ten years based on industry-specific projections applied to Bentleigh East's employment mix.

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

Bentleigh East suburb's income level is extremely high nationally according to latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year ended June 2023. Bentleigh East's median income among taxpayers was $60,445 and average income stood at $81,097, compared to Greater Melbourne's figures of $57,688 and $75,164 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 9.62% since financial year ended June 2023, current estimates would be approximately $66,260 (median) and $88,899 (average) as of March 2026. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Bentleigh East, between the 71st and 79th percentiles nationally. Income analysis shows predominant cohort spans 28.6% of locals (9,260 people) in $1,500 - 2,999 income category, reflecting patterns seen regionally where 32.8% similarly occupy this range. Higher earners represent substantial presence with 35.9% exceeding $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 16.0% of income, yet strong earnings place disposable income at the 78th percentile. Area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Bentleigh East displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Bentleigh East's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 69.2% houses and 30.8% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Melbourne metro's 67.9% houses and 32.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Bentleigh East stood at 35.4%, with mortgaged dwellings at 40.1% and rented ones at 24.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,500, higher than Melbourne metro's average of $2,000. Median weekly rent in Bentleigh East was $500, compared to Melbourne metro's $390. Nationally, Bentleigh East's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,500 compared to the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Bentleigh East features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 77.2% of all households, including 42.2% couples with children, 22.2% couples without children, and 11.6% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 22.8%, with lone person households at 20.6% and group households making up 2.2%. The median household size is 2.7 people, larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

Educational achievement in Bentleigh East places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

Educational attainment in Bentleigh East is notably higher than national averages. As of the latest data, 41.8% of residents aged 15 and above possess university qualifications, compared to Australia's 30.4%. This educational advantage is evident across various levels: Bachelor degrees are held by 27.1%, postgraduate qualifications by 10.9%, and graduate diplomas by 3.8%. Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 25.6% of residents aged 15 and above holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (11.3%) and certificates (14.3%).

Educational participation is high, with 30.9% currently enrolled in formal education, comprising 10.8% in primary, 9.0% in secondary, and 5.6% in tertiary education.

Transport servicing is moderate compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility

Bentleigh East has 145 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 15 different routes that together facilitate 2,632 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents on average located 173 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outward due to Bentleigh East being primarily residential. Cars remain the dominant mode of transport at 86%, while trains account for 7%. On average, there are 1.4 vehicles per dwelling.

According to the 2021 Census, a high 41.1% of residents work from home, which may be due to COVID-19 conditions. Service frequency averages 376 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 18 weekly trips per individual stop. The accompanying map displays the 100 nearest stops to the location's centrepoint.

Bentleigh East's residents are extremely healthy with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Bentleigh East. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence were low, particularly among younger cohorts.

Private health cover was exceptionally high at approximately 59% of the total population (19,044 people), compared to 56.7% across Greater Melbourne. The most common medical conditions were asthma and mental health issues, impacting 6.4 and 6.3% of residents respectively. 74.9% of residents declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 72.6% across Greater Melbourne. Working-age residents had low chronic condition prevalence. The area had 16.5% of residents aged 65 and over (5,342 people), higher than the 15.0% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors were above average but ranked lower nationally than the broader population.

Bentleigh East was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Bentleigh East has a high level of cultural diversity, with 36.3% of its population born overseas and 35.0% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Bentleigh East, making up 43.9% of people. However, Judaism is notably overrepresented at 10.1%, compared to the Greater Melbourne average of 1.0%.

The top three ancestry groups are Australian (18.0%), English (17.7%), and Other (13.2%). Some ethnic groups have notable divergences from regional averages: Russian (2.4% vs 0.4%), Polish (1.8% vs 0.8%), and Greek (7.0% vs 2.7%).

Bentleigh East's population is slightly older than the national pattern

Bentleigh East has a median age of 40, which is slightly higher than Greater Melbourne's figure of 37 and Australia's national average of 38 years. The 45-54 age cohort is notably over-represented in Bentleigh East at 15.3%, compared to the Greater Melbourne average, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 9.9%. Between 2021 and present, the 15-24 age group has increased from 11.6% to 13.4% of the population. Conversely, the 5-14 age cohort has declined from 14.7% to 13.6%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests Bentleigh East's age profile will change significantly. The 45-54 age cohort is projected to expand by 1,500 people (30%), growing from 4,953 to 6,454.