Chirnside Park

Chirnside Park lies within the top quartile of areas nationally for population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of recent, and medium to long-term trends

As of Nov 2025, the estimated population of Chirnside Park is around 12,581, reflecting a growth of 6.8% since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 11,779. This increase was inferred from AreaSearch's validation of new addresses and examination of ABS ERP data released in June 2024, leading to an estimated resident population of 12,506. The population density is approximately 566 persons per square kilometer. Chirnside Park's growth since the 2021 Census exceeded its SA3 area (3.3%) and SA4 region, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Natural growth contributed about 40% of overall population gains during recent periods, with other factors like overseas migration also being positive contributors. AreaSearch is using ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections adjusted to SA2 levels for areas not covered by ABS data.

Population growth projections indicate an above median increase for the suburb, with an expected expansion of 2,629 persons by 2041, reflecting a total gain of 20.3% over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions Chirnside Park among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers in Chirnside Park shows around 104 dwellings receiving development approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25, approximately 524 homes were approved, with a further six approved so far in FY-26. On average, about two people moved to the area for each dwelling built over these five years. However, this has moderated to 1.1 people per dwelling over the past two financial years.

New properties are constructed at an average expected construction cost value of $446,000. This year alone, $60.9 million in commercial approvals have been registered, indicating high levels of local commercial activity compared to Greater Melbourne, where Chirnside Park has 119.0% more building activity per person. New development consists predominantly of attached dwellings (84.0%), offering affordable entry pathways and attracting downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. This represents a shift from the area's existing housing composition, which is currently 98.0% houses. The location has approximately 64 people per dwelling approval, suggesting an expanding market. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, Chirnside Park is expected to grow by 2,554 residents through to 2041.

Based on current development patterns, new housing supply should readily meet demand, offering good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Chirnside Park 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 has identified 22 projects that may affect this region. Notable ones include the Chirnside Park Structure Plan, Brushy Creek Recycled Water Project, Proposed Cave Hill Railway Station, and Chirnside Park Shopping Centre Refresh. The following list details those most likely to be relevant.

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

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Employment conditions in Chirnside Park demonstrate strong performance, ranking among the top 35% of areas assessed nationally

Chirnside Park has a skilled workforce with notable representation in the construction sector. Its unemployment rate was 2.6% in June 2025, lower than Greater Melbourne's 4.6%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 1.3%. There are 6,836 residents currently employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.1%, and workforce participation at 66.8%. Key industries include construction, health care & social assistance, and retail trade. Construction is particularly specialized, employing 1.5 times the regional level.

However, professional & technical services employ only 7.2% of local workers, below Greater Melbourne's 10.1%. Employment opportunities locally appear limited based on Census data comparison. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 1.3%, while the labour force grew by 0.7%, reducing unemployment by 0.6 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne saw employment rise by 3.5% and unemployment increase by 0.5%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 project a 6.6% growth over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Chirnside Park's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.4% over five years and 13.3% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

Income analysis reveals strong economic positioning, with the area outperforming 60% of locations assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Chirnside Park's median income among taxpayers was $54,426 in financial year 2022, according to ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch. The average income stood at $67,718 during the same period. These figures compare to Greater Melbourne's median income of $54,892 and average income of $73,761. Based on a 12.16% growth in wages since financial year 2022, estimated incomes for September 2025 would be approximately $61,044 (median) and $75,953 (average). According to the 2021 Census, incomes in Chirnside Park cluster around the 65th percentile nationally. The income bracket of $1,500 - 2,999 dominates with 34.6% of residents, comprising 4,353 people. This aligns with the regional trend where this cohort represents 32.8%. Housing accounts for 14.7% of income. Residents rank within the 73rd percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

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

Chirnside Park's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 98.0% houses and 2.0% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Melbourne metro's 93.8% houses and 6.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in Chirnside Park stood at 37.0%, aligning with Melbourne metro's figure, with mortgaged dwellings at 47.9% and rented dwellings at 15.1%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,167, exceeding the Melbourne metro average of $1,950. Median weekly rent in Chirnside Park was $443, higher than Melbourne metro's $380. Nationally, Chirnside Park's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,167 compared to Australia's average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 80.7% of all households, including 40.7% couples with children, 28.1% couples without children, and 11.2% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 19.3%, with lone person households at 17.5% and group households comprising 1.7% of the total. The median household size is 2.8 people, larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.7.

Chirnside Park shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

The area's university qualification rate is 25.0%, significantly lower than Greater Melbourne's average of 37.0%. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are the most common (17.1%), followed by postgraduate qualifications (4.8%) and graduate diplomas (3.1%). Vocational credentials are prominent, with 37.4% of residents aged 15+ holding them - advanced diplomas at 12.5% and certificates at 24.9%.

Educational participation is high, with 28.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education: primary (9.6%), secondary (7.6%), and tertiary (4.4%). The area has Chirnside Park Primary School and Oxley Christian College serving 1,227 students combined. It demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions with an ICSEA score of 1070. There is one primary and one K-12 school in the educational mix. School places per 100 residents are lower than the regional average (9.8 vs 15.5), indicating some students may attend schools in neighboring areas.

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

Chirnside Park has 39 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are serviced by 26 different routes that together facilitate 5000 weekly passenger trips. The overall accessibility to these stops is rated as moderate, with residents typically located 469 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 714 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 128 weekly trips per individual stop.

Chirnside Park's residents are healthier than average in comparison to broader Australia with prevalence of common health conditions quite low across both younger and older age cohorts

Health data shows relatively positive outcomes for Chirnside Park residents.

The prevalence of common health conditions is quite low across both younger and older age cohorts. Private health cover rate is fairly high at approximately 54% of the total population (~6,743 people). The most common medical conditions are asthma and mental health issues, affecting 8.1 and 8.0% of residents respectively. 69.6% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 66.9% across Greater Melbourne. 18.1% of residents are aged 65 and over (2,277 people), which is lower than the 19.4% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Chirnside Park was found to be above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Chirnside Park had a cultural diversity level above average, with 22.2% of its population born overseas and 14.4% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Chirnside Park, comprising 47.4% of the population. Judaism, however, showed notable overrepresentation at 0.1%, compared to the region's average of 0.1%.

For ancestry, the top three groups were English (29.1%), Australian (26.6%), and Irish (7.1%). Dutch (2.6%) was notably overrepresented in Chirnside Park versus the regional average of 3.2%, as were Italian (5.3% vs 3.4%) and Sri Lankan (0.4% vs 0.3%).

Chirnside Park's population aligns closely with national norms in age terms

The median age in Chirnside Park is 38 years, close to Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and equivalent to Australia's median of 38. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Chirnside Park has a higher proportion of residents aged 75-84 (6.9%) but fewer residents aged 25-34 (10.4%). Between the 2021 Census and the latest data, the population aged 15-24 increased from 12.0% to 13.4%, while those aged 35-44 rose from 13.8% to 15.2%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 25-34 decreased from 13.0% to 10.4%. By 2041, Chirnside Park's age composition is expected to change significantly. The 45-54 age group is projected to grow by 44%, reaching 2,226 people from 1,547. Meanwhile, the 0-4 age group is expected to decrease by 25 residents.