Geelong West

Population growth drivers in Geelong West are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

As of Nov 2025, Geelong West's population is estimated at around 7,879 people. This reflects an increase of 534 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 7,345 people. The change was inferred from AreaSearch's estimate of the resident population at 7,849 following examination of the latest ERP data release by ABS in June 2024, along with an additional 15 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 3,352 persons per square kilometer, placing Geelong West in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The suburb's growth rate of 7.3% since the 2021 census exceeded the non-metro area's growth rate of 6.0%. Overseas migration contributed approximately 52.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

For projections, AreaSearch is adopting 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 the VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023 with adjustments made employing a method of weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Looking ahead, significant population increase is forecast for the top quartile of locations outside capital cities, with Geelong West expected to increase by 2,276 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting an overall increase of 26.9% over the 17 years.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Geelong West when compared nationally

Geelong West has received around 45 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 226 homes. In FY-26 so far, 11 approvals have been recorded. Each dwelling built between FY-21 and FY-25 resulted in an average of 2.2 new residents per year. The average construction cost value for these dwellings was $547,000.

This financial year has seen $495,000 in commercial approvals. Relative to the rest of Victoria, Geelong West records about 57% of building activity per person and is among the 71st percentile nationally. Recent construction comprises 82.0% standalone homes and 18.0% townhouses or apartments.

With around 182 people per dwelling approval, Geelong West shows characteristics of a growth area. Population forecasts indicate it will gain 2,117 residents by 2041. If current construction levels persist, housing supply may lag population growth.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified seven projects that could affect this region. Notable ones include Hope & Autumn Mixed Use Development, Pakington North Precinct Urban Design Framework, Geelong Line Upgrade (Geelong Fast Rail), and Pakington Street (Geelong West) and Gordon Avenue Urban Design Framework. The following list details those most relevant.

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

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Employment performance in Geelong West has been broadly consistent with national averages

Geelong West has a highly educated workforce with prominent representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 3.3%, having seen an estimated employment growth of 1.9% over the past year (AreaSearch aggregation of statistical area data).

As of June 2025, 4,534 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 0.5% lower than Rest of Vic.'s rate of 3.8%. Workforce participation stands at 69.2%, exceeding Rest of Vic.'s 57.4%. Key industries of employment among residents include health care & social assistance, education & training, and construction. The area specializes in professional & technical services with an employment share twice the regional level (2.0 times), while agriculture, forestry & fishing employs only 0.7% of local workers compared to Rest of Vic.'s 7.5%.

Over the 12 months to June 2025, employment increased by 1.9%, labour force by 2.4%, leading to a rise in unemployment by 0.5 percentage points (AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data). In contrast, Rest of Vic. saw an employment decline of 0.9% and labour force decline of 0.4%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Geelong West's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.1% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

The area exhibits notably strong income performance, ranking higher than 70% of areas assessed nationally through AreaSearch analysis

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that median income in Geelong West is $60,600 and average income stands at $77,014. This contrasts with Rest of Vic.'s figures: median income of $48,741 and average income of $60,693. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.16% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Geelong West would be approximately $67,969 (median) and $86,379 (average) as of September 2025. According to Census 2021 income data, personal income ranks at the 76th percentile ($974 weekly), while household income sits at the 52nd percentile. Distribution shows that 30.4% of residents (2,395 people) fall into the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket, aligning with surrounding regions at 30.3%. Housing costs consume 15.8% of income, leaving disposable income at the 53rd percentile. Geelong West's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

Geelong West is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Geelong West's dwelling structure in 2016 comprised 73.9% houses and 26.1% other dwellings. In comparison, Non-Metro Vic.'s dwelling structure was 84.6% houses and 15.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Geelong West stood at 28.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 30.4% and rented dwellings at 41.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,996, higher than Non-Metro Vic.'s average of $1,712. Median weekly rent in Geelong West was $350, compared to Non-Metro Vic.'s $335. Nationally, Geelong West's median monthly mortgage repayment exceeded the Australian average of $1,863, while median weekly rent was lower than the national figure of $375.

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

Family households constitute 59.2% of all households, including 24.9% couples with children, 23.7% couples without children, and 9.6% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 40.8%, with lone person households at 34.8% and group households comprising 6.0%. The median household size is 2.2 people, smaller than the Rest of Vic. average of 2.4.

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

Educational attainment in Geelong West is notably high, with 41.4% of residents aged 15 years and over holding university qualifications, compared to 21.7% in the rest of Victoria and 27.3% in the SA3 area. Bachelor degrees are most common at 25.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (10.7%) and graduate diplomas (5.3%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 29.2% of residents aged 15 years and over holding such qualifications – advanced diplomas constitute 11.3% and certificates make up 17.9%. Educational participation is high, with 28.6% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, including 8.1% in primary education, 7.8% in tertiary education, and 5.7% pursuing secondary education. Ashby Primary School and St Patrick's School serve the area, collectively educating 674 students as of a specific date.

The area demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1083). Both schools focus on primary education, with secondary options available in surrounding areas. As of a certain date, school places per 100 residents stood at 8.6, below the regional average of 16.7, indicating some students may attend schools in adjacent areas.

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

Geelong West has 33 operational public transport stops, all serving buses. Four distinct routes operate here, facilitating a total of 1,381 weekly passenger trips. Residents enjoy good transport accessibility, with an average distance of 200 meters to the nearest stop.

Daily service frequency averages 197 trips across all routes, translating to roughly 41 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Geelong West shows superior health outcomes for both youth and elderly populations, with low prevalence rates for common health conditions. Approximately 4509 residents have private health cover, comprising about 57% of the total population, which is higher than the Rest of Vic's 52.7%.

Mental health issues affect around 10.2% of residents, while asthma impacts approximately 8.7%. About 70% of residents claim to be free from medical ailments, compared to 65.9% in the Rest of Vic. The area has a lower proportion of seniors aged 65 and over, at 13.2%, compared to the Rest of Vic's 16.8%. Health outcomes among seniors are notably strong, outperforming general population health metrics.

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

Geelong West has a higher than average cultural diversity, with 19.8% of its population born overseas and 14.1% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Geelong West, accounting for 43.7% of its population. Notably, Judaism is slightly overrepresented in Geelong West compared to the rest of Victoria, with 0.1% of the population identifying as Jewish.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups are English (27.5%), Australian (22.3%), and Irish (11.7%). Some ethnic groups show significant differences: Scottish is overrepresented at 9.5%, Hungarian at 0.4%, and Croatian at 1.0%.

Geelong West's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Geelong West has a median age of 35 years, which is significantly lower than both the Rest of Vic average of 43 and the Australian median of 38. The 25-34 cohort is notably over-represented in Geelong West at 19.4%, while the 65-74 year-olds are under-represented at 8.3%. According to the 2021 Census, the population aged 35 to 44 grew from 16.0% to 17.5%, and the 25 to 34 cohort increased from 18.1% to 19.4%. Conversely, the 45 to 54 cohort declined from 13.2% to 11.7%. Demographic modeling projects significant changes in Geelong West's age profile by 2041. The 25-34 cohort is projected to grow by 50%, adding 762 residents to reach a total of 2,291. Meanwhile, the 55-64 group is projected to decrease by 17 residents.