Blackburn North

An assessment of population growth drivers in Blackburn North reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

The estimated population of Blackburn North is around 7,782 as of Feb 2026. This reflects a 155 person increase since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 7,627 people. The change was inferred from AreaSearch's resident population estimate of 7,696 in Jun 2024, using latest ERP data release by ABS, and an additional 17 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 2,871 persons per square kilometer, placing Blackburn North in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration contributed approximately 96.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch's projections for Blackburn North are based on ABS/Geoscience Australia data released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered, AreaSearch uses Vic State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023, adjusted using weighted aggregation method to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Blackburn North is expected to grow by 855 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting a gain of 9.9% over the 17-year period.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Blackburn North according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Based on AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers, Blackburn North has seen approximately seven new homes approved annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, around 37 homes were approved, with two more approved so far in FY26. On average, 4.1 people have moved to the area for each dwelling built during this period, indicating that demand significantly outpaces supply, which typically puts upward pressure on prices and increases competition among buyers.

New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $781,000, suggesting developers focus on the premium market with high-end developments. In FY26, commercial approvals totaling $9.5 million have been registered, indicating balanced commercial development activity compared to previous years. When measured against Greater Melbourne, Blackburn North has significantly less development activity, with 89.0% below the regional average per person. This constrained new construction typically reinforces demand and pricing for existing dwellings. However, building activity has accelerated in recent years. Nationally, this activity is also lower than the national average, reflecting market maturity and possible development constraints. New building activity shows a composition of 33.0% detached dwellings and 67.0% townhouses or apartments.

This focus on higher-density living creates more affordable entry points and suits downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers, marking a significant departure from existing housing patterns, which are currently 83.0% houses. Blackburn North has an established population density of around 667 people per approval. Population forecasts indicate that Blackburn North will gain approximately 769 residents by 2041, based on the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate. Should current construction levels persist, housing supply could lag behind population growth, likely intensifying buyer competition and underpinning price growth in the area.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch identified six projects likely to affect this region. Notable ones are Blackburn Activity Centre, Blackburn Square, Eastland Shopping Centre Stage 6 Development, and The Pines Retirement Living. Below is a list of the most relevant projects.

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

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Blackburn North has seen below average employment performance when compared to national benchmarks

Blackburn North has a highly educated workforce with professional services being well-represented. The unemployment rate in December 2025 was 4.4%, which is below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%. Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 3.0%.

Residents' participation in the workforce was 73.3%, slightly higher than Greater Melbourne's 71.3%. A notable 37.9% of residents worked from home, potentially influenced by Covid-19 lockdowns. Key industries for employment include health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and retail trade.

However, construction is under-represented compared to Greater Melbourne. Between December 2024 and December 2025, employment increased by 3.0% while the labour force grew by 2.8%, leading to a decrease in unemployment of 0.2 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 indicate that Blackburn North's employment should increase by 7.0% over five years and 14.4% over ten years, based on industry-specific projections applied to the local employment mix.

Income levels align closely with national averages, indicating typical economic conditions for Australian communities according to AreaSearch analysis

Blackburn North's median income among taxpayers was $49,958 in financial year 2023, according to AreaSearch data. This is higher than the national average of $57,688 for Greater Melbourne. The suburb's average income stood at $72,534 compared to Greater Melbourne's figure of $75,164. By September 2025, based on an 8.25% increase from the Wage Price Index since financial year 2023, median income is estimated at approximately $54,080 and average income at $78,518 in Blackburn North. The 2021 Census shows household, family and personal incomes in Blackburn North are around the 59th percentile nationally. Income distribution indicates that 29.1% of residents (2,264 individuals) earn between $1,500 to $2,999 weekly, mirroring the surrounding region's 32.8%. Notably, 31.2% earn above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 15.4% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 67th percentile nationally. The suburb's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

Blackburn North is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Blackburn North's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 83.3% houses and 16.8% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Melbourne metro's 67.9% houses and 32.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Blackburn North was at 38.9%, with mortgaged dwellings at 39.4% and rented ones at 21.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,400, higher than Melbourne metro's $2,000. Median weekly rent was recorded at $431, compared to Melbourne metro's $390. Nationally, Blackburn North's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents substantially above the national figure of $375.

Blackburn North has a typical household mix, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 75.4% of all households, including 42.5% couples with children, 22.1% couples without children, and 9.9% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 24.6%, with lone person households at 20.8% and group households making up 3.6% of the total. The median household size is 2.8 people, larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

Blackburn North demonstrates exceptional educational outcomes, ranking among the top 5% of areas nationally based on AreaSearch's comprehensive analysis of qualification and performance metrics

Blackburn North has a notably higher educational attainment than national averages. As of 2016, 42.4% of its residents aged 15 and above held university qualifications, surpassing Australia's 30.4% and Victoria's 33.4%. This high level of educational attainment is largely driven by bachelor degrees (27.7%), postgraduate qualifications (10.7%), and graduate diplomas (4.0%). Vocational pathways are also prevalent, with 24.0% of those aged 15 and above holding advanced diplomas (11.7%) or certificates (12.3%).

Educational participation is high in the area, with 31.3% of residents currently enrolled in formal education as of 2016. This includes 10.8% in primary education, 8.4% in secondary education, and 6.3% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Blackburn North has 41 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 11 different routes, together offering 2,210 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically living just 169 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outwards, primarily by car (84%), followed by train (7%) and bus (6%). On average, there are 1.4 vehicles per dwelling. According to the 2021 Census, 37.9% of residents work from home, which may be influenced by COVID-19 conditions.

Service frequency across all routes averages 315 trips per day, equating to about 53 weekly trips per individual stop.

Blackburn North's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

AreaSearch's assessment found Blackburn North had strong health metrics, with low mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence across both young and old age cohorts.

Approximately 4,317 people (55%) had private health cover, which was very high compared to Greater Melbourne. The most common medical conditions were asthma (6.9% of residents) and mental health issues (6.4%), while 73.4% reported no medical ailments, slightly higher than the Greater Melbourne average of 72.6%. Working-age residents had low chronic condition prevalence. Blackburn North had a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over (17.2%, or 1,338 people) compared to Greater Melbourne (15.1%). Despite this, health outcomes among seniors were above average, broadly in line with national rankings for the general population.

Blackburn North is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Blackburn North has high cultural diversity, with 36.6% of its population born overseas and 39.3% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Blackburn North, comprising 45.2% of people, as reported on 01-Jul-2021. Buddhism is slightly overrepresented compared to Greater Melbourne, with 4.1% versus 4.2%.

The top three ancestry groups are English at 19.1%, Chinese at 18.5% (higher than the regional average of 6.5%), and Australian at 18.4%. Notably, Greek is overrepresented at 3.7% compared to the regional figure of 2.7%, Sri Lankan at 0.6% versus 0.8%, and Vietnamese at 1.5% versus 1.9%.

Blackburn North's population aligns closely with national norms in age terms

The median age in Blackburn North is 39 years, which is higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 years and very close to the national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Blackburn North has a notably over-represented cohort of 45-54 year-olds (14.0% locally) and an under-represented group of 25-34 year-olds (10.5%). Post-2021 Census data shows the 15 to 24 age group grew from 12.2% to 14.3%, while the 65 to 74 cohort increased from 6.9% to 8.0%. Conversely, the 5 to 14 cohort declined from 14.5% to 12.8%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Blackburn North. The 45 to 54 group is expected to grow by 15%, reaching 1,256 people from 1,089. Demographic aging continues as residents aged 65 and older represent 51% of anticipated growth. Meanwhile, the 0 to 4 and 35 to 44 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.