Melville (WA)

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

Melville's population, as of November 2025, is estimated at around 6,781 based on ABS updates and AreaSearch validation. This reflects a growth of 577 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 6,204 in the suburb of Melville (WA). The increase is inferred from an estimated resident population of 6,733 by AreaSearch, following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS on June 2024 and 31 additional validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 2,825 persons per square kilometer, placing Melville in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The suburb's population growth of 9.3% since the 2021 census exceeded the national average (8.9%). Overseas migration contributed 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 a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data and post-2032 growth estimation, AreaSearch utilises growth rates by age cohort provided by the ABS in its latest Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data). Future population trends project an above median growth for statistical areas analysed by AreaSearch. The suburb is expected to grow by 888 persons to 2041, reflecting a gain of 12.7% over the 17 years.

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

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers in Melville shows approximately 38 new homes approved annually. Between FY-21 and FY-25, around 193 homes were approved, with an additional 9 approved so far in FY-26. Each dwelling built over the past five financial years accommodates an average of 2.6 new residents per year.

The average construction cost value for new homes is approximately $724,000, indicating a focus on premium market developments. This year has seen $8.0 million in commercial development approvals, reflecting Melville's residential character. Compared to Greater Perth, Melville demonstrates similar development activity per capita, maintaining market balance with surrounding areas.

The dwelling approvals breakdown is 83.0% standalone homes and 17.0% medium to high-density housing, preserving the area's suburban identity suited for families seeking space. With approximately 234 people per dwelling approval, Melville presents a developing market. By 2041, Melville is projected to grow by around 860 residents, with current development rates comfortably meeting demand and potentially supporting population growth beyond projections.

Melville has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

The performance of an area can significantly be influenced by changes in local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. Nine projects have been identified by AreaSearch that could potentially impact the area. Notable projects include Attadale Private Hospital Expansion, Attadale Reserve Masterplan & Sports Facilities Upgrade, Kwinana Freeway Upgrade from Roe Highway to Safety Bay Road, and Fremantle to Murdoch and Cockburn Central Transport Capacity improvement. The following list details those projects likely to be most relevant.

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

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AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Melville performing better than 90% of local markets assessed across Australia

Melville has an educated workforce with significant representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 1.1%, lower than Greater Perth's 3.9%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 5.6% based on AreaSearch aggregation of statistical area data. As of June 2025, there are 4,133 residents employed with an unemployment rate of 2.7%, slightly below Greater Perth's rate. Workforce participation is standard at 68.5%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services.

Melville specializes in education & training, with employment share 1.5 times the regional level. However, transport, postal & warehousing is under-represented at 3.7% compared to Greater Perth's 4.7%. Local employment opportunities appear limited based on Census working population vs resident population comparison. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 5.6%, labour force by 5.9%, leading to a slight unemployment rise of 0.3 percentage points. In Greater Perth, employment grew by 3.7% with a 0.1 percentage point increase in unemployment. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 project overall growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Melville's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.5% over five years and 13.5% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting 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

Melville's income level is among the top percentile nationally according to the latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2022. Melville's median income among taxpayers is $62,066 and the average income stands at $94,941. These figures compare to Greater Perth's median of $58,380 and average of $78,020 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 14.2% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Melville would be approximately $70,879 (median) and $108,423 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Melville, between the 77th percentile nationally. The earnings profile shows the $1,500 - $2,999 bracket dominates with 26.4% of residents (1,790 people). Higher earners represent a substantial presence with 37.2% exceeding $3,000 weekly. Housing accounts for 14.1% of income while strong earnings rank residents within the 79th percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

Melville is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with ownership patterns similar to the broader region

In Melville, as per the latest Census evaluation, dwelling structures consisted of 77.7% houses and 22.3% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Perth metro's 76.5% houses and 23.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Melville was at 39.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 45.0% and rented ones at 15.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,325, higher than Perth metro's average of $2,200. The median weekly rent figure was recorded at $420, compared to Perth metro's $400. Nationally, Melville's median monthly mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Melville has a typical household mix, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households comprise 73.2% of all households, including 37.8% couples with children, 24.2% couples without children, and 10.1% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 26.8%, with lone person households at 24.6% and group households comprising 2.3%. The median household size is 2.6 people, which matches the Greater Perth average.

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

Melville's educational attainment is notably higher than broader averages. Among residents aged 15 and above, 38.6% have university qualifications, compared to 27.9% in Western Australia (WA) and 28.6% in the SA4 region. The most common qualification is bachelor degrees at 26.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 7.7% and graduate diplomas at 4.7%. Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 30.5% of residents holding such qualifications – advanced diplomas at 11.3% and certificates at 19.2%.

Educational participation is high in Melville, with 30.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.1% in primary education, 9.3% in secondary education, and 6.8% pursuing tertiary education. The area has two schools serving a total of 2,025 students: Melville Primary School and Melville Senior High School. The area's socio-educational conditions are above average, with an ICSEA score of 1088. Educational provision in the area follows conventional lines, split between one primary and one secondary institution. Melville functions as an education hub, with 29.9 school places per 100 residents – significantly higher than the regional average of 19.6 – indicating that it attracts students from surrounding communities.

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

Melville has 25 active public transport stops, operating a mix of bus services. These stops are served by 7 different routes, offering a total of 1,773 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated good, with residents located an average of 239 meters from the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 253 trips per day across all routes, equating to about 70 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Melville shows better-than-average health results, with both young and elderly age groups having low prevalence of common health conditions. Approximately 65% (4,400 people) have private health cover, higher than the national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical issues are mental health problems (7.9%) and arthritis (6.8%), while 72.4% report no medical ailments, similar to Greater Perth's 72.5%. The area has a lower proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 18.8% (1,274 people), compared to Greater Perth's 22.4%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors in Melville are above average, mirroring the general population's health profile.

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

Melville's population showed diversity with 10.4% speaking a language other than English at home, and 23.4% born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion in Melville at 50.2%, similar to Greater Perth's 50.2%. The top three ancestry groups were English (29.6%), Australian (25.0%), and Irish (8.5%).

Notably, Welsh (1.1%) and Croatian (1.4%) had higher representations in Melville compared to regional averages of 0.7% and 1.1%, respectively. Italian representation was also notably higher at 7.1%.

Melville hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Melville is 42 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Perth's average of 37 years and also older than Australia's median age of 38 years. The 45-54 age group constitutes 14.8% of the population in Melville, compared to Greater Perth, while the 25-34 age group makes up only 9.2%. According to data from the 2021 Census, the 15-24 age group has increased from 12.5% to 14.5% of the population. Conversely, the 5-14 age group has decreased from 14.0% to 12.8%. Population forecasts for the year 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Melville. The 85+ age group is projected to grow by 95%, reaching 541 people from 278, leading the demographic shift. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups are expected to account for 63% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 0-4 and 5-14 age cohorts are anticipated to experience population declines.