Malvern East

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

As of Nov 2025, the estimated population of Malvern East is around 24,163. This reflects an increase of 1,867 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 22,296. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population at 24,124 following examination of the ABS ERP data release in June 2024, along with an additional 111 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 3,129 persons per square kilometer, placing Malvern East in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The suburb's population growth rate of 8.4% since the 2021 census exceeded the SA4 region's growth rate of 7.1%. Overseas migration was the primary driver of this growth during recent periods.

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 VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023, making adjustments using weighted aggregation methods to estimate population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on aggregated SA2-level projections, the suburb is expected to expand by 5,387 persons to 2041, reflecting an increase of 22.2% in total over the 17-year period.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within Malvern East when compared nationally

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers indicates Malvern East has recorded approximately 84 residential properties granted approval each year over the past five financial years. This totals an estimated 420 homes. In FY-26 so far, 18 approvals have been recorded. Based on an average of 1.5 new residents per dwelling constructed between FY-21 and FY-25, supply and demand appear balanced, creating stable market conditions. However, recent data shows this has intensified to 9.9 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting growing popularity and potential undersupply.

New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost value of $1,064,000, indicating developers target the premium market segment with higher-end properties. There have also been $95.6 million in commercial approvals this financial year, reflecting strong commercial development momentum. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Malvern East shows approximately 64% of construction activity per person, placing it among the 46th percentile nationally, suggesting limited buyer options while strengthening demand for established properties. This activity is also under the national average, indicating the area's established nature and potential planning limitations. New development consists of 43.0% detached houses and 57.0% attached dwellings, offering affordable entry pathways and attracting downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers.

The location has approximately 353 people per dwelling approval, reflecting its established status. Population forecasts indicate Malvern East will gain 5,358 residents by 2041. If current construction levels persist, housing supply may lag population growth, likely intensifying buyer competition and underpinning price growth.

Malvern East 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 83 such projects that could affect this region. Notable ones include the 173 Burke Road Mixed-Use Development, Central Park Residences, Monash University Caulfield Campus Expansion, and Olive Green. The following details those likely most relevant.

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

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Employment performance in Malvern East exceeds national averages across key labour market indicators

Malvern East has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate is 3.2%.

Employment stability over the past year shows relative consistency. As of June 2025, 14,283 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.4% below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.6%. Workforce participation is fairly standard at 67.1%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and education & training.

The area specializes in professional & technical jobs, employing 1.5 times the regional average. Construction employs 6.0% of local workers, below Greater Melbourne's 9.7%. The worker-to-resident ratio is 0.6, indicating above-normal employment opportunities locally. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 0.1%, while the labour force grew by 1.4%, raising the unemployment rate by 1.3 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne saw employment rise by 3.5%, labour force grow by 4.0%, and unemployment increase by 0.5 percentage points. National employment forecasts from Sep-22 project a 6.6% growth over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Malvern East's industry mix suggests local employment could increase by 7.2% over five years and 14.6% over ten years, though this is a simplified 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

Malvern East's income level is among the top percentile nationally according to latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2022. Malvern East's median income among taxpayers is $62,910 and average income stands at $111,751, compared to Greater Melbourne's figures of $54,892 and $73,761 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.16% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $70,560 (median) and $125,340 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Malvern East, between the 83rd and 87th percentiles nationally. The earnings profile shows 30.4% of the population (7,345 individuals) fall within the $4000+ income range, contrasting with the region where the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket leads at 32.8%. The substantial proportion of high earners indicates strong economic capacity throughout Malvern East. Housing accounts for 14.7% of income while strong earnings rank residents within the 87th percentile for disposable income and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Malvern East displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with ownership patterns similar to the broader region

The latest Census evaluation found that Malvern East's dwelling structure comprised 53.3% houses and 46.7% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Melbourne metro had 46.2% houses and 53.8% other dwellings. Home ownership in Malvern East was 36.4%, with the remainder being mortgaged (31.9%) or rented (31.6%), similar to Melbourne metro's figures. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Malvern East was $2,944, higher than Melbourne metro's average of $2,817. The median weekly rent figure for Malvern East was $421, compared to Melbourne metro's $416. Nationally, Malvern East's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households constitute 67.8 percent of all households, including 34.0 percent couples with children, 24.6 percent couples without children, and 7.9 percent single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 32.2 percent, with lone person households at 26.3 percent and group households making up 5.9 percent of the total. The median household size is 2.5 people, larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.4.

Malvern East demonstrates exceptional educational outcomes, ranking among the top 5% of areas nationally based on AreaSearch's comprehensive analysis of qualification and performance metrics

Educational attainment in Malvern East is notably high, with 53.5% of residents aged 15 and above holding university qualifications. This compares to 30.4% nationally and 33.4% in Victoria. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 33.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (14.9%) and graduate diplomas (4.8%). Vocational pathways account for 18.7% of qualifications among those aged 15 and above, with advanced diplomas making up 10.0% and certificates 8.7%.

Educational participation is high, with 32.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.3% in tertiary education, 8.3% in primary education, and 8.1% pursuing secondary education. There are six schools operating within Malvern East, educating approximately 1,473 students. The area has significant socio-educational advantages and academic achievement, with an ICSEA score of 1140. The educational mix includes four primary schools and two K-12 schools. School places per 100 residents (6.1) are below the regional average (10.1), indicating some students may attend schools in adjacent areas. Note: for schools showing 'n/a' for enrolments, please refer to the parent campus.

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

Malvern East has 110 active public transport stops serving a mix of train, light rail, and bus services. These stops are served by 37 individual routes that collectively facilitate 14,093 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 192 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 2,013 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 128 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Analysis shows strong health performance in Malvern East. Both young and old age groups have low prevalence of common conditions. Private health cover is high at approximately 71%, compared to 80.7% in Greater Melbourne and a national average of 55.3%.

The most common conditions are asthma (6.8%) and mental health issues (6.7%). 74.1% report being free from medical ailments, slightly higher than Greater Melbourne's 73.4%. Residents aged 65 and over comprise 17.2%, lower than Greater Melbourne's 18.8%. Senior health outcomes are above average, matching the general population's profile.

Malvern East was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Malvern East, as of the latest data, had a higher cultural diversity than most local areas, with 30.5% of its residents born overseas and 26.3% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Malvern East, accounting for 47.7% of the population, as recorded on [date]. However, Judaism was notably overrepresented, comprising 3.0% of Malvern East's population compared to the regional average of 4.1%.

The top three ancestry groups were English (22.4%), Australian (19.3%), and Other (9.0%). Some ethnic groups showed notable differences: Greeks made up 5.6%, higher than the regional 4.6%; Poles at 1.2% compared to 1.4%; and Russians at 0.6%.

Malvern East's population aligns closely with national norms in age terms

Malvern East has a median age of 37 years, matching Greater Melbourne's figure and closely resembling Australia's median age of 38 years. The 15-24 age group constitutes 17.2% of Malvern East's population, higher than Greater Melbourne's percentage. Conversely, the 35-44 age cohort makes up 12.1%, lower than Greater Melbourne's figure. Between 2021 and present, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 14.4% to 17.2%. During this period, the 45 to 54 age group decreased from 13.8% to 12.3%, and the 5 to 14 age group dropped from 11.3% to 10.1%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant changes in Malvern East's age structure. The 35-44 age group is projected to grow by 29%, adding 856 people to reach a total of 3,780 from the current figure of 2,923. Meanwhile, the 15-24 age group is expected to decrease by 85 residents.