Kew East

Kew East is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

The population of the Kew East statistical area (Lv2) is estimated to be around 7,156 as of November 2025. This reflects an increase of 536 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 6,620 people. The change is inferred from the resident population of 6,929 estimated by AreaSearch following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2024 and an additional 11 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 1,762 persons per square kilometer, which is above the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The Kew East (SA2) had an 8.1% growth since the 2021 census, exceeding the SA3 area's 7.3%, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 94.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch is utilising 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 from these aggregations are also applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Moving forward, demographic trends anticipate lower quartile growth of national areas. The area is expected to grow by 57 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting a reduction of 2.4% in total over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Kew East according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers shows Kew East has had around 27 new homes approved each year. Between FY-21 and FY-25, approximately 138 homes were approved, with a further 10 approved in FY-26 to date. This suggests that new supply has likely been keeping pace with demand despite population decline.

The average construction cost value of new properties is $1,353,000, indicating a focus on the premium market. In FY-26, $9.6 million in commercial approvals have been registered, suggesting balanced commercial development activity. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Kew East has around three-quarters the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and ranks among the 62nd percentile nationally.

New building activity consists of approximately 69.0% detached dwellings and 31.0% townhouses or apartments, offering options across different price points. The location has about 232 people per dwelling approval, indicating potential for growth. Population projections showing stability or decline suggest reduced housing demand pressures in Kew East, benefiting potential buyers.

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

AreaSearch has identified seven projects that could impact the area significantly. Key projects include the Kew Recreation Centre Redevelopment, Harp Village Precinct Redevelopment, North East Link - Eastern Freeway Upgrade (Hoddle Street to Burke Road). The following list details those likely to have the most relevance.

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

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The labour market in Kew East shows considerable strength compared to most other Australian regions

Kew East has an educated workforce with strong professional services representation. Its unemployment rate was 2.7% in the past year, with estimated employment growth of 3.0%.

As of September 2025, 4,031 residents are employed at an unemployment rate of 1.9% below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.7%, and workforce participation is 66.1%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training, with a specialization in professional & technical at 1.4 times the regional level. Manufacturing representation is lower at 3.9% compared to the regional average of 7.2%. Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census data.

Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment levels increased by 3.0%, labour force grew by 2.6%, and unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage points in Kew East. In contrast, Greater Melbourne experienced employment growth of 3.0% with a 0.3 percentage point rise in unemployment rate. State-level data to 25-Nov-25 shows VIC employment grew by 1.13% year-on-year, adding 41,950 jobs, with an unemployment rate of 4.7%. National employment forecasts from May-25 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Kew East's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.4% over five years and 14.9% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2023 indicates Kew East's median income among taxpayers is $61,125 with an average of $112,377. Nationally, these figures are exceptionally high compared to Greater Melbourne's median of $57,688 and average of $75,164. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% since financial year 2023, current estimates for Kew East would be approximately $66,168 (median) and $121,648 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 income data shows household, family and personal incomes in Kew East rank highly nationally, between the 82nd and 90th percentiles. Income analysis reveals the largest segment comprises 32.3% earning $4000+ weekly (2,311 residents), contrasting with the metropolitan region where the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket leads at 32.8%. A substantial proportion of high earners, at 43.4%, indicates strong economic capacity throughout the suburb. Housing accounts for 14.0% of income while strong earnings rank residents within the 90th percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

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

In Kew East, as per the latest Census evaluation, 66.5% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 33.5% comprising semi-detached homes, apartments, and other dwelling types. This contrasts with Melbourne metropolitan area's figures of 55.5% houses and 44.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Kew East stood at 42.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 34.2% and rented ones at 23.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $3,000, aligning with Melbourne metro's average. The median weekly rent figure was recorded as $471, compared to Melbourne metro's $3,000 for mortgages and $451 for rents. Nationally, Kew East's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Kew East features high concentrations of group households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 75.7% of all households, including 40.4% couples with children, 23.0% couples without children, and 11.2% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 24.3%, with lone person households at 19.9% and group households comprising 4.4%. The median household size is 2.7 people, larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.5.

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

Educational attainment in Kew East is notably higher than national averages. Among residents aged 15 and above, 53.1% have university qualifications, compared to 30.4% nationally and 33.4% in Victoria as of the latest available data. Bachelor degrees are most common at 33.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (15.0%) and graduate diplomas (5.1%). Vocational pathways account for 17.9% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas at 9.0% and certificates at 8.9%.

Educational participation is high, with 32.4% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.6% in secondary education, 9.5% in primary education, and 8.6% pursuing tertiary education as of the reported period.

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

Public transport analysis shows 42 active transport stops operating within Kew East. These include a mix of lightrail and bus services. They are serviced by 13 individual routes that collectively provide 3581 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated excellent, with residents typically located 183 meters from the nearest transport stop. Service frequency averages 511 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 85 weekly trips per individual stop.

Kew East's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Health outcomes data shows excellent results in Kew East, with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 71% of the total population (5081 people), compared to 75.8% across Greater Melbourne and a national average of 55.7%. The most common medical conditions in the area are asthma and mental health issues, affecting 6.8 and 6.2% of residents respectively, while 74.4% declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 73.8% across Greater Melbourne.

As of 18th June 2021, the area has 18.6% of residents aged 65 and over (1331 people). Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

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

Kew East had a higher cultural diversity than most local areas, with 28.5% of its residents born overseas and 27.8% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Kew East, accounting for 49.9% of the population. However, Judaism was more prevalent here than in Greater Melbourne, making up 0.8% compared to the regional average of 0.9%.

The top three ancestry groups were English (20.3%), Australian (17.9%), and Chinese (9.8%). Some ethnic groups had notable differences: Greeks were overrepresented at 5.7% in Kew East (compared to 3.4% regionally), Italians at 8.2% (vs 4.8%), and Hungarians at 0.4% (vs 0.3%).

Kew East's median age exceeds the national pattern

Kew East's median age is 41 years, significantly higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and slightly above Australia's median of 38. The 55-64 age group is notably over-represented in Kew East at 13.3%, compared to the Greater Melbourne average, while the 25-34 cohort is under-represented at 10.8%. According to the 2021 Census, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 13.9% to 15.3% of the population, while the 5 to 14 cohort has decreased from 13.4% to 12.1%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests Kew East's age profile will change significantly. The 85+ cohort is projected to grow by 62%, adding 138 residents to reach 360. Residents aged 65 and older are expected to represent 80% of the population growth. Conversely, population declines are projected for the 0 to 4 and 35 to 44 age groups.