Mount Eliza

An assessment of population growth drivers in Mount Eliza reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

As of February 2026, the estimated population of Mount Eliza is around 19,053, reflecting a growth of 319 people since the 2021 Census. The resident population estimate by AreaSearch following the latest ABS ERP data release in June 2024 was 19,009, with an additional 60 validated new addresses contributing to this increase. This results in a population density ratio of 820 persons per square kilometer, comparable to averages seen across other locations assessed by AreaSearch. Mount Eliza's growth rate of 1.7% since the census is within 2.0 percentage points of its SA3 area (3.7%), indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration was the primary driver of population growth during recent periods. AreaSearch adopts 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 uses VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023, adjusted employing a method of weighted aggregation from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, Mount Eliza is expected to increase by just below the median of Australian statistical areas, with an anticipated population growth of 9.5% over the 17-year period, reaching a total of 20,802 persons.

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

Mount Eliza averaged approximately 51 new dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 256 homes. As of FY-26, 45 approvals have been recorded. The population decline has maintained adequate housing supply relative to demand, resulting in a balanced market with good buyer choice. New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $1,219,000, indicating a focus on the premium market segment.

This financial year has seen $45.4 million in commercial approvals, reflecting high local commercial activity. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Mount Eliza has approximately half the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and ranks among the 39th percentile nationally, leading to relatively constrained buyer choice and interest in existing dwellings. This lower rate reflects market maturity and possible development constraints. New development consists of 88.0% detached dwellings and 12.0% townhouses or apartments, preserving the area's low density nature and attracting space-seeking buyers.

The estimated population per dwelling approval is 441 people. Future projections indicate Mount Eliza adding 1,805 residents by 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

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

The performance of an area can significantly be influenced by changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified six projects that are expected to impact the area. Notable projects include Mount Eliza's Canadian Bay Carpark, Mount Eliza Landfill Capping Rehabilitation Works, Emil Madsen Reserve - East Pavilion in Mount Eliza, and Moondah Mansion Retirement Village. The following list provides details on 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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Employment conditions in Mount Eliza rank among the top 10% of areas assessed nationally

Mount Eliza has a well-educated workforce with professional services showing strong representation. The unemployment rate was 1.1% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 2.5%. As of September 2025, 9,681 residents were in work, while the unemployment rate was 3.5% below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.7%.

Workforce participation lagged significantly at 63.8%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 71.0%. A high 39.6% of residents worked from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered. Leading employment industries among residents comprised health care & social assistance, construction, and education & training. The area had a particularly notable concentration in education & training, with employment levels at 1.2 times the regional average.

Meanwhile, transport, postal & warehousing had limited presence with 2.2% employment compared to 5.2% regionally. The predominantly residential area appeared to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of Census working population vs resident population. In the 12-month period ending in September 2025, employment increased by 2.5%, alongside labour force increasing by 2.6%, keeping the unemployment rate relatively stable at 3.5%. This contrasted with Greater Melbourne, where employment rose by 3.0%, the labour force grew by 3.3%, and unemployment rose to 4.7%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 offered further insight into potential future demand within Mount Eliza. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods ending in March-30 and March-35 respectively, had been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. National employment was forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these industry-specific projections to Mount Eliza's employment mix suggested local employment should increase by 6.8% over five years and 13.9% over ten years, though this was a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and did not take into account localised population projections.

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

AreaSearch released postcode level ATO data for financial year 2023. Mount Eliza's median income among taxpayers was $61,130 with an average of $105,186. Nationally, these figures are exceptionally high compared to Greater Melbourne's median of $57,688 and average of $75,164. By September 2025, estimates based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% would be approximately $66,173 (median) and $113,864 (average). According to Census 2021 income data, household incomes rank at the 91st percentile with a weekly amount of $2,547. Distribution data shows that 29.2% of Mount Eliza's population falls within the $4000+ income range, unlike the broader area where the $1,500 - 2,999 category predominates at 32.8%. Economic strength is evident with 42.6% of households earning high weekly incomes exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. After housing costs, residents retain 87.6% of their income, reflecting strong purchasing power. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Mount Eliza is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Mount Eliza's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 91.8% houses and 8.2% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This contrasts with Melbourne metro's figures of 67.9% houses and 32.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Mount Eliza stood at 46.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 45.2% and rented ones at 8.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,600, higher than Melbourne metro's average of $2,000. Median weekly rent in Mount Eliza was $512, compared to Melbourne metro's $390. Nationally, Mount Eliza's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Mount Eliza features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 82.2% of all households, consisting of 44.0% couples with children, 30.2% couples without children, and 7.7% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 17.8%, with lone person households at 16.9% and group households comprising 1.0% of the total. The median household size is 2.8 people, larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

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

Mount Eliza's educational attainment is notably higher than broader averages. Among residents aged 15+, 37.9% have university qualifications, compared to the SA4 region's 23.5% and the SA3 area's 25.0%. This high level of education positions Mount Eliza favourably for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 25.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (8.0%) and graduate diplomas (4.6%).

Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 30.5% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications – advanced diplomas account for 13.6% and certificates for 16.9%. Educational participation is notably high in Mount Eliza, with 31.6% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.6% in primary education, 10.5% in secondary education, and 4.7% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Mount Eliza has 31 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. There are five different routes operating in total, providing a combined weekly passenger trip count of 771. The accessibility to these transport services is limited, with residents living an average distance of 669 meters from the nearest stop. Most Mount Eliza residents commute outwards daily due to its predominantly residential nature. Cars remain the primary mode of transportation, used by 94% of residents. On average, there are 1.9 vehicles per dwelling in Mount Eliza, which is higher than the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, 39.6% of Mount Eliza residents work from home, potentially due to COVID-19 conditions. Across all routes, an average of 110 trips are made daily, equating to approximately 24 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Mount Eliza's health outcomes show exceptional results based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. The area has a very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. Approximately 68% of Mount Eliza's total population (12,996 people) have private health cover, compared to Greater Melbourne's 56.7%.

Nationally, the average is 55.7%. Arthritis and asthma are the most common medical conditions in Mount Eliza, affecting 7.8 and 7.0% of residents respectively. Notably, 71.5% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to Greater Melbourne's 72.6%. Working-age residents in Mount Eliza are particularly healthy with low chronic condition prevalence. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 24.3% (4,629 people), compared to Greater Melbourne's 15.1%. Health outcomes among seniors in Mount Eliza rank broadly in line with the national average for the general population.

Mount Eliza ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Mount Eliza's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 77.0% of its population born in Australia, 90.9% being citizens, and 93.5% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the main religion in Mount Eliza, comprising 46.6% of people. However, Judaism was overrepresented at 0.3%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 1.0%.

The top three ancestry groups were English (33.8%), Australian (25.3%), and Irish (9.3%). Notably, Scottish (9.1%) and Welsh (0.7%) were also overrepresented in Mount Eliza.

Mount Eliza hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

The median age in Mount Eliza is 45 years, significantly higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 years and Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Mount Eliza has a higher percentage of residents aged 75-84 (9.4%) but fewer residents aged 25-34 (3.4%). According to the 2021 Census, the population aged 15-24 increased from 11.8% to 13.7%, while the 75-84 age group rose from 7.7% to 9.4%. Conversely, the 25-34 age group decreased from 4.9% to 3.4%. By 2041, demographic projections show significant shifts in Mount Eliza's age structure. The 85+ age group is projected to grow by 105%, reaching 1,289 people from 628. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 69% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, both the 0-4 and 35-44 age groups are projected to decrease in number.