East Bendigo

Population growth drivers in East Bendigo are above average based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

As of Nov 2025, the estimated population for the East Bendigo statistical area (Lv2) is around 2,387. This reflects a growth of 141 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 2,246. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimate of resident population at 2,347 following examination of ABS' latest ERP data release (June 2024) and an additional 80 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 233 persons per square kilometer. The East Bendigo's 6.3% growth positions it within 1.6 percentage points of the SA4 region (7.9%). Overseas migration was primarily responsible for this population growth.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023, adjusting them employing weighted aggregation methods to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for the years 2032 to 2041. Future population trends project an above median growth for locations outside capital cities, with East Bendigo expected to grow by 528 persons to 2041, reflecting a total increase of 17.2% over the 17-year period.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within East Bendigo when compared nationally

AreaSearch analysis indicates East Bendigo had around 29 new homes approved annually over the past five financial years, totalling approximately 146 homes. As of FY-26, nine approvals have been recorded. On average, 0.3 new residents arrived per year for each new home between FY-21 and FY-25. This suggests new construction is meeting or exceeding demand, providing buyers with more options and potentially driving population growth above current expectations.

The average expected construction cost of new dwellings was $434,000, indicating developers are targeting the premium market segment. In FY-26, there have been $7.2 million in commercial approvals, suggesting limited focus on commercial development. Compared to the rest of Victoria, East Bendigo had 81.0% higher new home approvals per person as of FY-25, reflecting strong developer confidence. New building activity consisted of 67.0% detached houses and 33.0% townhouses or apartments, offering choices across price ranges. The location has approximately 60 people per dwelling approval, indicating a low-density market.

According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, East Bendigo is projected to gain 411 residents by 2041. With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

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

Infrastructure changes significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 12 projects likely impacting the area. Notable projects include Water and Sewer Network Program, Prime Business Park, St Aidans Road Kennington Social Housing, and Bendigo Low Line. 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.

AreaSearch analysis indicates East Bendigo maintains employment conditions that align with national benchmarks

East Bendigo has a skilled workforce with well-represented essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 3.4%, with an estimated employment growth of 3.1% over the past year (AreaSearch data).

As of September 2025, 1,126 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 0.3% below Rest of Vic.'s rate of 3.8%. Workforce participation is somewhat lower at 54.8%. Leading employment industries include health care & social assistance, retail trade, and manufacturing. The area shows strong specialization in finance & insurance (2.1 times the regional level) but lower representation in agriculture, forestry & fishing (3.1% vs regional average of 7.5%).

There are 2.5 workers per resident, indicating it functions as an employment hub attracting workers from surrounding areas. Over the past year, employment increased by 3.1%, while labour force grew by 3.3%, causing unemployment to rise by 0.2 percentage points (AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data). In comparison, Rest of Vic. recorded employment decline of 0.7% and labour force decline of 0.6%. State-level data from 25-Nov shows VIC employment grew by 1.13% year-on-year, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%, compared to the national rate of 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts (May-25) estimate a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to East Bendigo's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.4% over five years and 13.6% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localized population projections.

Income figures position the area below 75% of locations analysed nationally by AreaSearch

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2023 shows median income in East Bendigo is $47,523 and average income is $62,160. This contrasts with Rest of Vic.'s median income of $50,954 and average income of $62,728. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% since financial year 2023, current estimates for East Bendigo are approximately $51,444 (median) and $67,288 (average) as of September 2025. The 2021 Census indicates household incomes in East Bendigo fall between the 17th and 31st percentiles nationally. Income brackets show 27.0% of residents earn between $800 - 1,499, differing from regional patterns where 30.3% earn between $1,500 - 2,999. After housing costs, 85.0% of income remains in East Bendigo, ranking at the 19th percentile nationally.

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

East Bendigo's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 80.9% houses and 19.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Non-Metro Vic. had 90.6% houses and 9.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in East Bendigo was 34.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 27.1% and rented ones at 38.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,213, lower than Non-Metro Vic.'s average of $1,408. The median weekly rent in East Bendigo was $295, matching Non-Metro Vic.'s figure but significantly below the national average of $375. Nationally, East Bendigo's mortgage repayments were lower at $1,213 compared to Australia's average of $1,863.

East Bendigo features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households comprise 55.3% of all households, including 19.1% couples with children, 24.9% couples without children, and 10.6% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 44.7%, with lone person households at 39.6% and group households comprising 4.7%. The median household size is 2.1 people, which is smaller than the Rest of Vic. average of 2.4.

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

East Bendigo's educational qualifications trail regional benchmarks, with 23.5% of residents aged 15+ holding university degrees compared to 33.4% in Victoria. This gap highlights potential for educational development and skills enhancement. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 15.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (4.3%) and graduate diplomas (3.4%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 36.6% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (11.2%) and certificates (25.4%).

A substantial 23.2% of the population actively pursues formal education, including 6.4% in primary education, 5.5% in secondary education, and 3.1% pursuing tertiary education.

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

East Bendigo has 23 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by four different routes that together facilitate 672 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of these services is considered good, with residents on average being located 210 meters from the nearest stop.

On a daily basis, there are approximately 96 trips across all routes, which equates to about 29 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in East Bendigo is a key challenge with a range of health conditions having marked impacts on both younger and older age cohorts

Critical health challenges are evident across East Bendigo.

A range of health conditions impact both younger and older age cohorts. The rate of private health cover is relatively low at approximately 51% of the total population (~1,227 people). The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues impacting 11.9% of residents and arthritis impacting 11.6%. A total of 58.7% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments compared to 62.0% across Rest of Vic.. As of 23rd June 2021, the area has 23.0% of residents aged 65 and over (549 people), which is higher than the 18.9% in Rest of Vic.. Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

East Bendigo ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

East Bendigo's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 88.2% of its population being Australian citizens, born in Australia (87.4%), and speaking English only at home (91.1%). Christianity was the predominant religion, making up 49.4% of East Bendigo's population. Notably, the 'Other' religious category comprised 1.4%, compared to 0.7% across Victoria.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups were English (30.4%), Australian (30.3%), and Irish (10.0%). Some ethnic groups showed notable differences: Hungarian was overrepresented at 0.4% (vs regional 0.1%), Scottish at 9.0% (vs 8.7%), and French at 0.6% (vs 0.3%).

East Bendigo hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

East Bendigo's median age of 44 years is comparable to Rest of Vic.'s 43 and higher than Australia's national average of 38 years. Relative to Rest of Vic., East Bendigo has a larger proportion of residents aged 25-34 (18.2%) but fewer residents aged 5-14 (5.9%). Between the 2016 Census and the 2021 Census, there was a decrease in median age from 45 to 44 years, indicating rejuvenation. The proportion of residents aged 25-34 increased from 15.9% to 18.2%, while those aged 45-54 decreased from 11.6% to 10.1% and those aged 65-74 dropped from 11.9% to 10.6%. By the year 2041, East Bendigo's age composition is projected to change significantly. The number of residents aged 25-34 is expected to rise substantially by 224 people (52%), from 434 to 659. Conversely, population declines are projected for those aged 15-24 and 65-74.