Essendon

Essendon has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

The suburb of Essendon's population is estimated at around 22,505 as of May 2026. This reflects an increase of 1,265 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 21,240. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimate of 22,251 residents following examination of ABS data released in June 2025, along with an additional 340 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 3,653 persons per square kilometer, placing Essendon in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration contributed approximately 91.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and uses VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023 for areas not covered by this data, with adjustments made employing weighted aggregation methods. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas from these aggregations for years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, Essendon's population is expected to increase by 2,331 persons based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting an overall increase of 9.2% over the 16-year period.

AreaSearch analysis of residential development drivers sees Essendon recording a relatively average level of approval activity when compared to local markets analysed countrywide

Essendon has averaged approximately 116 new dwelling approvals per year. Between FY-21 and FY-25, around 580 homes were approved, with an additional 58 in FY-26 so far. This averages out to about 0.2 new residents arriving per new home annually during this period.

The average construction value of these dwellings is $852,000, indicating a focus on the premium segment. In FY-26, there have been $2.0 million in commercial approvals, reflecting Essendon's residential nature. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Essendon exhibits around 60% of the construction activity per person and ranks among the 57th percentile nationally. The new development consists of 25.0% standalone homes and 75.0% attached dwellings, offering affordable entry pathways for downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. This represents a significant shift from the current housing mix of 47.0% houses.

Essendon has approximately 273 people per dwelling approval, indicating characteristics of a low density area. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, Essendon is projected to grow by 2,077 residents through to 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

Essendon has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified a total of 23 projects likely to impact the area. Key projects include LUMA Sunshine North, Buckley Street Level Crossing Removal, 881 Mt Alexander Road Essendon, and Moonee Valley Racing Club Grandstand & Clubhouse Redevelopment. 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 environment in Essendon shows above-average strength when compared nationally

Essendon has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. The unemployment rate was 3.8% as of an unspecified past year. Employment growth over the same period was estimated at 3.7%.

As of December 2025, 13,638 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 3.8%, which is 1.0% below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%. Workforce participation in Essendon was 73.3%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 69.9%. According to Census responses, 39.7% of residents worked from home, potentially influenced by Covid-19 lockdowns. Leading employment industries were health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and education & training.

Essendon had a particular specialization in public administration & safety, with an employment share 1.4 times the regional level. Manufacturing was under-represented, at 4.9% of Essendon's workforce compared to Greater Melbourne's 7.2%. Local employment opportunities appeared limited, as indicated by the ratio of working population to resident population. Between December 2024 and December 2025, employment levels increased by 3.7%, while the labour force grew by 3.9%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne saw employment rise by 2.4%, with a labour force growth of 2.8% and an unemployment increase of 0.3 percentage points. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia, issued in May-25, projected national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Essendon's employment mix suggested local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 13.9% over ten years.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year ending June 2023, Essendon had a median income among taxpayers of $64,219 and an average level of $103,276. This places Essendon in the top percentile nationally, compared to Melbourne's median income of $57,688 and average income of $75,164. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 9.62% from financial year ending June 2023 to March 2026, estimated incomes would be approximately $70,397 (median) and $113,211 (average). Census data from 2021 shows Essendon's household, family, and personal incomes rank between the 74th and 84th percentiles nationally. Income distribution in Essendon has 30.3% of individuals earning between $1,500 to $2,999 weekly, consistent with metropolitan trends at 32.8%. Notably, 34.6% earn above $3,000 weekly. Housing accounts for 14.0% of income, and residents rank in the 76th percentile for disposable income. Essendon's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

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

The dwelling structure in Essendon, as evaluated at the 2016 Census, comprised 47.2% houses and 52.8% other dwellings. In comparison, Melbourne metro had 67.9% houses and 32.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Essendon was 33.1%, with mortgaged dwellings at 30.3% and rented dwellings at 36.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Essendon was $2,275, compared to Melbourne metro's $2,000. The median weekly rent in Essendon was $380, while Melbourne metro recorded $390. Nationally, Essendon's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents exceeded the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 63.8% of all households, including 31.3% couples with children, 23.6% couples without children, and 7.7% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 36.2%, with lone person households at 32.3% and group households comprising 4.0%. The median household size is 2.4 people, which is smaller than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

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

Educational attainment in Essendon is notably high, with 45.1% of residents aged 15 years and above holding university qualifications, compared to Australia's average of 30.4%. Bachelor degrees are the most prevalent at 29.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (10.9%) and graduate diplomas (4.8%). Vocational pathways account for 24.0% of qualifications among those aged 15 years and above, with advanced diplomas making up 11.3% and certificates 12.7%. Educational participation is high in Essendon, with 28.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education.

This includes 8.1% in primary education, 8.0% in tertiary education, and 7.7% pursuing secondary education.

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

Essendon has 122 active public transport stops offering a mix of train, light rail, and bus services. These are covered by 20 routes that facilitate 8,789 weekly passenger trips in total. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent with residents located an average of 162 meters from the nearest stop. Predominantly residential, most Essendon residents commute outward using cars (77%), while 11% use trains. Vehicle ownership averages 1.1 per dwelling, below the regional norm. According to the 2021 Census, 39.7% of residents work from home, possibly due to COVID-19 conditions.

Service frequency across all routes averages 1,255 trips daily, equating to approximately 72 weekly trips per individual stop. A map accompanies this data, displaying the 100 nearest stops to Essendon's location centrepoint.

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

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Essendon. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence were low across both young and old age cohorts. Private health cover was found to be exceptionally high at approximately 67% of the total population (15,181 people), compared to 56.7% across Greater Melbourne and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions in the area were asthma and mental health issues, impacting 7.8 and 7.5% of residents respectively. Seventy-one point nine percent 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 18.2% of residents aged 65 and over (4,095 people), higher than the 15.0% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors were above average, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

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

Essendon has a higher overseas-born population, at 25.5%, compared to most local markets. 24.6% of Essendon residents speak a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Essendon, with 57.0% of people identifying as such, compared to 43.0% across Greater Melbourne.

The top three ancestry groups in Essendon are English (19.8%), Australian (17.6%), and Italian (12.1%), which is significantly higher than the regional average of 5.2%. Notably, Maltese (1.9%) and Croatian (1.2%) populations are overrepresented in Essendon compared to regional averages of 1.1% and 0.7%, respectively. Similarly, the Greek population stands at 3.7%, higher than the regional average of 2.7%.

Essendon's population aligns closely with national norms in age terms

The median age in Essendon is 39 years, which is higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 years and close to the national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Essendon has a notably higher proportion of residents aged 65-74 (9.7% locally) but fewer residents aged 35-44 (13.3%). According to post-2021 Census data, the population aged 75 to 84 has grown from 4.5% to 5.8%, while the proportion of those aged 5 to 14 has declined from 10.9% to 9.6%. By 2041, Essendon's population is forecasted to undergo significant demographic changes. The 55-64 age group is expected to grow by 26%, reaching 3,377 residents from the current 2,678. Residents aged 65 and older are anticipated to account for 56% of this growth. Conversely, the populations of those aged 25-34 and 0-4 are expected to decline.