East Melbourne

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

The population of the East Melbourne statistical area (Lv2) was estimated to be around 5,263 as of November 2025, reflecting a 7.5% increase from the 4,896 people recorded in the 2021 Census. This increase is inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population at 5,222, based on their examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS (June 2024) and address validation since the Census date. The population density ratio was calculated as 2,829 persons per square kilometer, placing East Melbourne in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. East Melbourne's growth rate of 7.5% since the census is within 2.2 percentage points of the national average (9.7%), indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration was the primary driver of population growth during recent periods. AreaSearch adopts 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 released in 2023 for areas not covered by the former data, adjusted using weighted aggregation methods.

Population growth projections indicate an above median increase for national areas, with East Melbourne expected to grow by 821 persons to reach a total of 6,084 by 2041, reflecting a 14.8% overall increase over the 17-year period.

The level of residential development activity in East Melbourne is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers allocated from statistical area data shows East Melbourne had around 13 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years ending June 2021, totalling approximately 66 homes. No dwelling approvals have been recorded so far in FY-26 (July 2021 - June 2022). The population has declined recently, but housing supply has remained adequate relative to demand, resulting in a balanced market with good buyer choice.

Commercial development approvals totalled $541.8 million in the current financial year, indicating robust local business investment. Compared to Greater Melbourne, East Melbourne shows significantly reduced construction (81.0% below regional average per person), which generally supports stronger demand and values for established properties. This activity is also below the national average, suggesting the area's established nature and potential planning limitations. Recent building activity consists entirely of townhouses or apartments, creating more affordable entry points and suiting downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. The location has approximately 3441 people per dwelling approval, indicating an established market. Population forecasts estimate East Melbourne will gain 780 residents by 2041 (latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate).

If current construction levels persist, housing supply may lag population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and underpinning price growth.

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

Changes in local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 50 projects that could impact this area. Notable projects include Punt Road Oval Redevelopment, Simpson Street Residential Development, 250 Albert Street, and Elizabeth Street North Richmond Social Housing. 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.

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

East Melbourne has a highly educated workforce with professional services being strongly represented. The unemployment rate is 3.4% and there was an estimated employment growth of 4.1% over the past year, according to AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data.

As of September 2025, 3,599 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 1.3% lower than Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.7%. Workforce participation is fairly standard at 69.0%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. The dominant employment sectors among residents include professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training. East Melbourne shows a particularly strong specialization in professional & technical services, with an employment share of 2.1 times the regional level.

Meanwhile, construction has limited presence with 3.8% employment compared to 9.7% regionally. There are 3.9 workers for every resident, indicating that the area functions as an employment hub hosting more jobs than residents and attracting workers from surrounding areas. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment levels increased by 4.1% and labour force increased by 4.7%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.6 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Melbourne recorded employment growth of 3.0%, labour force growth of 3.3%, with unemployment rising 0.3 percentage points. For broader context, state-level data from 25-Nov shows VIC employment grew by 1.13% year-on-year, adding 41,950 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 offer further insight into potential future demand within East Melbourne. These projections suggest that national employment should expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these industry-specific projections to East Melbourne's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.6% over five years and 15.2% over ten years, although this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections.

The economic profile demonstrates exceptional strength, placing the area among the top 10% nationally based on comprehensive AreaSearch income analysis

AreaSearch's aggregation of latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2023 shows median income among taxpayers in East Melbourne was $78,074 with average level at $175,491. This ranks in the top percentile nationally compared to Greater Melbourne levels of $57,688 and $75,164 respectively. As of September 2025, current estimates based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% would be approximately $84,515 (median) and $189,969 (average). Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in East Melbourne, between the 85th and 97th percentiles nationally. The earnings profile shows the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 30.1% of residents (1,584 people), reflecting metropolitan region patterns where 32.8% occupy this range. A substantial proportion of high earners, 41.7% above $3,000/week, indicates strong economic capacity throughout the suburb. High housing costs consume 15.4% of income, yet strong earnings place disposable income at the 85th percentile and SEIFA income ranking places East Melbourne in the 10th decile.

East Melbourne features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

East Melbourne's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 3.2% houses and 96.7% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This contrasts with Melbourne metro's 2.2% houses and 97.8% other dwellings. Home ownership in East Melbourne stood at 27.5%, with mortgaged dwellings at 18.3% and rented ones at 54.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,383, above the Melbourne metro average of $1,962. Median weekly rent was $480, compared to Melbourne metro's $396. Nationally, East Melbourne's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

East Melbourne features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households represent 49.9% of all households, consisting of 9.6% couples with children, 35.5% couples without children, and 3.3% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 50.1%, with lone person households at 43.1% and group households comprising 7.1%. The median household size is 1.8 people, aligning with the Greater Melbourne average.

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

East Melbourne's educational attainment is notably higher than national and state averages. Among residents aged 15 and above, 67.4% have university qualifications, compared to 30.4% in Australia and 33.4% in Victoria. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 39.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (21.8%) and graduate diplomas (5.8%). Vocational pathways account for 15.8% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas at 9.5% and certificates at 6.3%.

Currently, 20.7% of the population is actively pursuing formal education. This includes 10.6% in tertiary education, 3.1% in primary education, and 2.8% pursuing secondary education.

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

East Melbourne has 37 active public transport stops, serving a mix of train, light rail, and bus services. These stops are covered by 38 individual routes, facilitating 24,868 weekly passenger trips in total. Residents enjoy excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 156 meters to the nearest stop.

On average, there are 3,552 daily trips across all routes, translating to around 672 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in East Melbourne is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

East Melbourne shows better-than-average health outcomes for both young and older age groups, with low prevalence of common health conditions. Approximately 96% of its total population (5,031 people) has private health cover, compared to 54.5% across Greater Melbourne and the national average of 55.7%. The most prevalent medical conditions are mental health issues affecting 8.8% of residents and arthritis impacting 7.2%, with 69.4% reporting no medical ailments, compared to 79.8% in Greater Melbourne.

As of 2021, the area has 23.5% (1,236 people) of residents aged 65 and over, higher than the 6.8% in Greater Melbourne. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors are notably strong, even outperforming the general population in health metrics.

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

East Melbourne, surveyed in 2016, had 14.9% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 29.1% born overseas. Christianity was the dominant religion, comprising 39.7%. Judaism, at 0.7%, was overrepresented compared to Greater Melbourne's 0.4%.

In ancestry, English (27.3%), Australian (16.7%), and Irish (12.8%) were the top groups, each substantially higher than regional averages of 16.1%, 11.5%, and 6.6% respectively. Scottish (9.9%) was notably overrepresented compared to the region's 5.1%. French and Polish showed no significant divergence from regional averages at 0.7% each.

East Melbourne's median age exceeds the national pattern

East Melbourne's median age is 41 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 years and slightly above Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to Greater Melbourne, East Melbourne has a notably higher percentage of residents aged 25-34 (25.1%) and a lower percentage of those aged 5-14 (3.3%). This concentration of the 25-34 cohort is well above the national average of 14.5%. According to the 2021 Census, the 75-84 age group has grown from 6.6% to 8.7%, while the 25-34 cohort increased from 23.4% to 25.1%. Conversely, the 45-54 cohort declined from 11.3% to 9.2%, and the 55-64 group dropped from 13.6% to 11.8%. By 2041, East Melbourne's age profile is projected to change significantly. The 75-84 cohort is expected to grow by 56%, adding 255 residents to reach 713. Residents aged 65 and older are anticipated to represent 64% of the population growth. Meanwhile, population declines are projected for the 0-4 and 15-24 age groups.