Hawthorn East

Population growth drivers in Hawthorn East are slightly above average based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium term trends

The population of the Hawthorn East statistical area (Lv2) was estimated to be around 16,478 as of November 2025. This represents an increase of 1,644 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 14,834. The latest resident population estimate by AreaSearch, based on examination of ERP data release from ABS in June 2024 and validated new addresses since the Census date, was 16,364. This results in a density ratio of 4,735 persons per square kilometer, placing Hawthorn East (SA2) in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The area's population growth rate of 11.1% since the 2021 Census exceeded both the SA3 area average (7.3%) and the national average. Overseas migration contributed approximately 91.0% to overall population gains during recent periods, with natural growth and interstate migration also being positive factors.

AreaSearch's projections for Hawthorn East (SA2) are based on ABS/Geoscience Australia data released in 2024 using a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023 are used with adjustments made employing a method of weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on these projections, the area is expected to grow by 2,332 persons by 2041, reflecting an increase of 13.6% in total over the 17-year period.

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

Based on AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers allocated from statistical area data, Hawthorn East averaged around 59 new dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 295 homes. As of FY-26 so far, 50 approvals have been recorded. Over these five years (FY-21 to FY-25), there was an average of 1.8 people moving to the area per dwelling built. However, recent data shows this has intensified to 19.2 people per dwelling over the past two financial years. New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost value of $1,372,000, indicating a focus on the premium market with high-end developments.

This year alone (FY-26), $45.3 million in commercial approvals have been registered, suggesting strong commercial development momentum. When compared to Greater Melbourne, Hawthorn East shows approximately 68% of the construction activity per person, placing it among the 30th percentile nationally, which results in relatively constrained buyer choice, supporting interest in existing homes. New development consists of 43.0% detached dwellings and 57.0% attached dwellings, creating more affordable entry points for downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. At around 548 people per approval, Hawthorn East indicates a mature market.

According to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate, Hawthorn East is expected to grow by 2,232 residents through to 2041, with building activity keeping pace with growth projections despite potential heightened competition as the population grows.

Hawthorn East 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 31 projects that could impact this region. Key projects include Eastern Freeway Upgrades from Bulleen to Springvale Road, Camberwell Junction Activity Centre Development, Camberwell House, and Nido Early School Hawthorn East. 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 Hawthorn East demonstrate exceptional strength compared to most Australian markets

Hawthorn East has a highly educated workforce with professional services being strongly represented. The unemployment rate in the area was 2.6% as of September 2025, which is lower than Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.7%.

This resulted in an employment growth of 3.5% over the past year, based on AreaSearch aggregation of statistical area data. There were 10,538 residents employed in Hawthorn East at this time, with a workforce participation rate of 69.8%, higher than Greater Melbourne's rate of 64.1%. The employment among residents is concentrated in professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training sectors. Notably, the area has a particular employment specialization in professional & technical services, with an employment share of 1.9 times the regional level.

Conversely, construction is under-represented, with only 5.6% of Hawthorn East's workforce compared to 9.7% in Greater Melbourne. The ratio of 0.6 workers for each resident, as at the Census, indicates a level of local employment opportunities above the norm. In the 12-month period ending September 2025, employment increased by 3.5%, labour force increased by 2.8%, and unemployment fell by 0.7 percentage points in Hawthorn East, according to AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data for the wider area. By comparison, Greater Melbourne recorded employment growth of 3.0%, labour force growth of 3.3%, with unemployment rising 0.3 percentage points during this period. State-level data from Victoria as of 25-Nov shows that employment grew by 1.13% year-on-year, adding 41,950 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia for May-25 project national employment to expand by 6.6% over five years and 14.8% over ten years. Applying these industry-specific projections to Hawthorn East's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.4% over five years and 14.8% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

Hawthorn East suburb shows median taxpayer income of $69,652 and average income of $117,834 according to latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023. Nationally, these figures are exceptionally high compared to Greater Melbourne's median income of $57,688 and average income of $75,164. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% since financial year 2023, estimated incomes for September 2025 would be approximately $75,398 (median) and $127,555 (average). According to the 2021 Census, household, family, and personal incomes in Hawthorn East rank highly nationally, between 81st and 93rd percentiles. Distribution data shows largest segment comprises 29.3% earning $1,500 - $2,999 weekly (4,828 residents), consistent with broader trends across the region showing 32.8% in same category. Economic strength is evident through 38.5% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. Housing accounts for 14.9% of income while strong earnings rank residents within 81st percentile for disposable income. Area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

Hawthorn East features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Hawthorn East's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 33.1% houses and 66.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Melbourne metro's figures of 55.5% houses and 44.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Hawthorn East stood at 30.2%, with the rest being mortgaged (28.8%) or rented (41.0%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,500, lower than Melbourne metro's average of $3,000. Weekly rent median was $415, compared to Melbourne metro's $451. Nationally, Hawthorn East's mortgage repayments were higher at $2,500 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 60.4% of all households, including 25.8% that are couples with children, 26.5% that are couples without children, and 6.9% that are single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 39.6%, with lone person households at 33.2% and group households comprising 6.3%. The median household size is 2.3 people, which is smaller than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.5.

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

Hawthorn East's educational attainment is notably higher than national averages. Among residents aged 15 and above, 61.6% have university qualifications, compared to 30.4% nationally and 33.4% in Victoria. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 37.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 18.4% and graduate diplomas at 5.4%. Vocational pathways account for 16.6% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas at 8.9% and certificates at 7.7%.

Educational participation is high, with 30.2% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.2% in tertiary education, 7.9% in primary education, and 7.1% pursuing secondary education.

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

Hawthorn East has 23 active public transport stops. These include train, light rail, and bus services. There are 8 individual routes operating in total, serving 6,851 weekly passenger trips.

The average distance from residents to the nearest stop is 233 meters. On average, there are 978 daily trips across all routes, which equates to approximately 297 weekly trips per stop.

Hawthorn East's residents are extremely healthy with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Hawthorn East. The prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups is very low. Approximately 73% of the total population (12,050 people) has private health cover, compared to 75.8% across Greater Melbourne and a national average of 55.7%.

Mental health issues and asthma are the most common medical conditions in the area, impacting 7.9 and 7.5% of residents respectively. Seventy-three point three percent of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 73.8% across Greater Melbourne. The area has 15.7% of residents aged 65 and over (2,587 people), which is lower than the 19.4% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

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

Hawthorn East, surveyed in 2016, had a higher proportion of overseas-born residents than most local areas, with 31.7%. In this suburb, 25.0% spoke languages other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 38.5% of the population.

Notably, Judaism was more prevalent in Hawthorn East compared to Greater Melbourne, comprising 2.4% versus 0.9%. The top three ancestry groups were English (22.7%), Australian (18.9%), and Chinese (10.0%). Some ethnic groups showed notable differences: French residents made up 0.8%, slightly higher than the regional average of 0.6%; Greek residents comprised 2.6% compared to 3.4% regionally; Polish residents were at 0.9% versus 0.8%.

Hawthorn East's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Hawthorn East's median age in 2021 was 36 years, nearly matching Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and slightly below Australia's median of 38. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Hawthorn East had a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (21.0%) but fewer residents aged 5-14 (9.1%). This concentration of 25-34 year-olds was well above the national average of 14.5%. Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, the proportion of residents aged 15 to 24 increased from 13.2% to 15.3%, while those aged 25 to 34 rose from 19.7% to 21.0%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 5 to 14 decreased from 10.7% to 9.1%, and those aged 45 to 54 dropped from 12.7% to 11.1%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests that Hawthorn East's age profile will change significantly. The number of residents aged 65 to 74 is projected to grow by 37%, adding 460 people to reach a total of 1,713. Residents aged 65 and above are expected to drive 55% of the population growth, emphasizing demographic aging trends. Meanwhile, the number of residents aged 15 to 24 is projected to decline by 117 people.