Moorabbin

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

By Nov 2025, Moorabbin's population was estimated at around 7,055. This reflected an increase of 768 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 6,287. The change was inferred from AreaSearch's resident population estimate of 6,916 following examination of ABS ERP data release in June 2024 and additional validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equated to a density ratio of 1,540 persons per square kilometer. Moorabbin's growth rate exceeded the SA3 area (5.7%) and SA4 region, marking it as a growth leader. Overseas migration contributed approximately 86.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopted 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 utilised VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023 with adjustments made employing weighted aggregation methods. Growth rates by age group were applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Future population trends projected an above median growth for Australian statistical areas, with the suburb expected to expand by 1,476 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting a total increase of 15.9% over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential approval activity sees Moorabbin among the top 30% of areas assessed nationwide

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers shows Moorabbin has received around 92 dwelling approvals per year on average over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 461 homes. As of FY26, 11 approvals have been recorded. The average new resident arrival rate per new home in Moorabbin between FY21 and FY25 was 0.2 persons per year. New construction is meeting or exceeding demand, offering buyers more options and potentially supporting population growth beyond current projections.

Average new home construction cost in Moorabbin is $465,000, consistent with regional patterns. Commercial approvals registered this financial year totalled $58.8 million, indicating strong commercial development momentum. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Moorabbin has 162% more development activity per capita, reflecting high developer confidence in the area. New development consists of 14% standalone homes and 86% attached dwellings, offering affordable entry pathways for downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. This shift contrasts with the current housing mix of 77% houses. With approximately 59 people per dwelling approval, Moorabbin exhibits characteristics of a growth area. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, Moorabbin is projected to grow by 1,120 residents by 2041.

At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing favourable conditions for buyers and potentially supporting population growth beyond current projections.

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

AreaSearch has identified a total of 28 infrastructure projects that could impact the area. Notable ones include Bluff Road Hampton East Redevelopment, Southpoint Highett, Key Industrial Park - Stage 3, and Westfield Southland Ongoing Upgrades. The following list provides details on those most likely to be relevant.

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

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

Moorabbin shows employment indicators that trail behind approximately 70% of regions assessed across Australia

Moorabbin has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. The unemployment rate was 5.9% as of June 2024, based on AreaSearch aggregation of statistical area data.

By June 2025, the unemployment rate had risen to 6.9%, which is 1.3% above Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.6%. Workforce participation in Moorabbin was broadly similar to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Leading employment industries among residents comprise health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and retail trade.

However, transport, postal & warehousing is under-represented, with only 3.2% of Moorabbin's workforce compared to 5.2% in Greater Melbourne. As at the Census, there were 1.7 workers for every resident, indicating that the area functions as an employment hub hosting more jobs than residents and attracting workers from surrounding areas. During the year to June 2025, the labour force increased by 1.6%, while employment decreased by 0.0%, causing unemployment to rise by 1.6 percentage points. This contrasts with Greater Melbourne where employment rose by 3.5%, the labour force grew by 4.0%, and unemployment rose by 0.5 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 suggest that Moorabbin's employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.1% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation of industry-specific projections against the local employment profile.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data released for financial year ending June 2022, Moorabbin had a median taxpayer income of $59,740 and an average income of $75,126. Nationally, the median was $54,892 and the average was $73,761. By September 2025, estimated incomes would be approximately $67,004 (median) and $84,261 (average), based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.16% since June 2022. Census 2021 data shows Moorabbin's household, family, and personal incomes are at the 69th percentile nationally. In income distribution, 29.9% (2,109 individuals) earn between $1,500 - 2,999 weekly, consistent with metropolitan trends of 32.8%. Significantly, 30.9% earn above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 16.8% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 66th percentile nationally. Moorabbin's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

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

Moorabbin's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consists of 76.8% houses and 23.2% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This contrasts with Melbourne metro's 54.8% houses and 45.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Moorabbin is at 30.2%, with the rest being mortgaged (39.7%) or rented (30.1%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in Moorabbin is $2,300, higher than Melbourne metro's average of $2,167. The median weekly rent figure for Moorabbin is $431, compared to Melbourne metro's $410. Nationally, Moorabbin's mortgage repayments are significantly higher at $2,300 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents are substantially above the national figure of $375 at $431.

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

Family households constitute 70.2% of all households, including 34.4% couples with children, 23.6% couples without children, and 10.9% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 29.8%, with lone person households at 25.8% and group households comprising 4.1%. The median household size is 2.5 people, which is larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.4.

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

The area's educational profile is notable regionally, with university qualification rates at 39.8% of residents aged 15+, surpassing the Australian average of 30.4% and Victoria's (VIC) rate of 33.4%. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 26.5%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (9.4%) and graduate diplomas (3.9%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 28.3% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (12.8%) and certificates (15.5%).

Educational participation is high, with 28.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, including 9.5% in primary, 7.0% in secondary, and 5.5% pursuing tertiary education. Moorabbin's five schools have a combined enrollment of 1,075 students as of the latest data. The area exhibits above-average socio-educational conditions with an ICSEA score of 1099. The educational mix includes three primary, one secondary, and one K-12 school.

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

Moorabbin has 59 active public transport stops, offering a mix of train and bus services. These stops are served by 19 different routes, carrying out 5,046 weekly passenger trips in total. The accessibility to these stops is rated excellent, with residents usually being within 150 meters of the nearest stop.

On average, there are 720 trips per day across all routes, which amounts to approximately 85 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Moorabbin shows higher-than-average health outcomes for both younger and older residents.

Common health conditions affect fewer people here compared to other areas. Approximately 56% of Moorabbin's total population (~3,985 people) have private health cover, which is very high. Mental health issues and arthritis are the most common medical conditions in Moorabbin, affecting 7.6 and 7.0% of residents respectively. A higher proportion, 71.5%, report being completely free from medical ailments compared to Greater Melbourne's 70.4%. The area has a lower percentage of seniors aged 65 and over at 17.7% (1,248 people) than Greater Melbourne's 19.3%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors in Moorabbin are above average, mirroring the general population's health profile.

Moorabbin is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Moorabbin's population shows high cultural diversity, with 35.4% born overseas and 29.6% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Moorabbin, accounting for 44.8% of its population. Notably, Judaism is overrepresented in Moorabbin compared to Greater Melbourne, making up 4.3% versus 1.1%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (21.0%), Australian (19.0%), and Other (11.9%). Some ethnic groups have notable divergences: Polish at 2.0% (regional average is 1.0%), Russian at 1.9% (also regional average is 1.0%), and Greek at 4.7% (compared to the regional average of 3.3%).

Moorabbin's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in Moorabbin is 39 years, which is higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 years and close to the national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Moorabbin has a notably higher proportion of residents aged 75-84 (6.5% locally) but a lower proportion of those aged 25-34 (11.9%). According to post-2021 Census data, the population aged 15-24 grew from 9.7% to 12.3%, while the 45-54 cohort declined from 13.9% to 12.5%, and the 25-34 group decreased from 13.2% to 11.9%. By 2041, population forecasts indicate significant demographic changes in Moorabbin. The 75-84 age group is projected to grow by 55% (adding 254 people), reaching a total of 713 from the current 458. Residents aged 65 and older are expected to represent 52% of this growth. Conversely, the 5-14 and 0-4 age cohorts are anticipated to experience population declines.