Officer

Officer lies within the top 10% of areas nationally in terms of population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of short and medium-term trends

Based on analysis of ABS population updates for the broader area, the estimated population of the suburb of Officer is around 27,168 as of May 2026. This reflects an increase of 8,665 people (46.8%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 18,503 people. The change is inferred from the resident population of 26,872 estimated by AreaSearch following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2025 and an additional 2,851 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 968 persons per square kilometer. The suburb's growth rate exceeded the state (9.3%) and national average since the 2021 census, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth was primarily driven by interstate migration contributing approximately 62.0% 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, and 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. Exceptional growth is predicted over the period with the suburb expected to increase by 32,574 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting an increase of 118.8% in total over the 16 years.

The level of residential development activity in Officer was found to be higher than 90% of real estate markets across the country

Officer has averaged approximately 647 new dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 3235 homes. In FY26 so far, 417 approvals have been recorded. On average, about three people move to the area per new home constructed yearly between FY21 and FY25, indicating healthy demand for housing. The average construction cost value of new homes is around $393000.

This financial year has seen approximately $8300000 in commercial development approvals, suggesting limited focus on commercial development compared to residential. Relative to Greater Melbourne, Officer has 211% more new home approvals per capita, offering buyers ample choice. However, building activity has slowed in recent years. The dwelling approval ratio is significantly higher than the national average, indicating strong developer interest in the area. Recent construction comprises approximately 89% detached dwellings and 11% attached dwellings, maintaining Officer's suburban identity with a concentration of family homes.

There are roughly 40 people per dwelling approval, suggesting an expanding market. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, Officer is projected to add around 32278 residents by 2041, with construction pace maintaining reasonable growth despite increasing competition among buyers as population increases.

Officer has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 22 projects that could potentially impact the area. Notable projects include Arcadia Estate, Officer Residential Development-Olio, Arbor Officer, and Officer Fields. The following details those expected to have the most relevance.

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

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AreaSearch analysis reveals Officer significantly outperforming the majority of regions assessed nationwide

Officer has an educated workforce with significant representation in essential services sectors. The unemployment rate is 3.5%. Over the past year, estimated employment growth was 9.2%, according to AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data.

As of December 2025, 16,944 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.3% below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%. Workforce participation in Officer is 82.5%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 69.9%. A moderate 24.6% of residents work from home, considering Covid-19 lockdown impacts.

Leading employment industries include health care & social assistance, construction, and retail trade. Professional & technical services have limited presence with 6.5% employment compared to the regional average of 10.1%. Employment opportunities locally may be limited, as indicated by the ratio of working population to resident population. Over the year to December 2025, employment increased by 9.2%, while labour force grew by 10.0%, causing unemployment to rise by 0.7 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne experienced employment growth of 2.4% and labour force growth of 2.8%, with a 0.3 percentage point increase in unemployment. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 suggest potential future demand within Officer. National employment is projected to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, but growth rates vary significantly between industries. Applying these projections to Officer's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.5% over five years and 13.5% over ten years, using a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income analysis reveals strong economic positioning, with the area outperforming 60% of locations assessed nationally by AreaSearch

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2023 shows Officer's median income among taxpayers is $59,357. The average income in the suburb is $69,289. This is slightly above the national average. In comparison, Greater Melbourne has a median income of $57,688 and an average income of $75,164. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 9.62% since financial year 2023, current estimates suggest Officer's median income would be approximately $65,067 by March 2026, with the average estimated at $75,955. Census 2021 data indicates that incomes in Officer cluster around the 74th percentile nationally. The earnings profile shows that 46.3% of residents (12,578 people) fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 income bracket, reflecting a pattern seen across the region where 32.8% similarly occupy this range. High housing costs consume 17.9% of income in Officer. Despite this, strong earnings place disposable income at the 71st percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 6th decile.

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

Officer's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 94.8% houses and 5.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Melbourne metro's 67.9% houses and 32.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Officer was at 13.4%, with the rest being mortgaged (58.0%) or rented (28.5%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000, aligning with Melbourne metro's average, while median weekly rent was $396, compared to Melbourne metro's $2,000 and $390 respectively. Nationally, Officer's mortgage repayments exceeded the Australian average of $1,863, and rents surpassed the national figure of $375.

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

Family households constitute 81.9% of all households, including 44.9% couples with children, 23.5% couples without children, and 12.5% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 18.1%, with lone person households at 15.8% and group households comprising 2.2%. The median household size is 2.9 people, which is larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

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

The area's educational profile is notable regionally with university qualification rates at 30.6%, exceeding the SA3 area average of 21.8%. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 19.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 8.1% and graduate diplomas at 2.7%. Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 37.7% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials - advanced diplomas at 14.7% and certificates at 23.0%.

Educational participation is high, with 32.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, including 11.5% in primary, 7.2% in secondary, and 5.1% in tertiary education.

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

Officer has 38 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by five different routes that together facilitate 1,584 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is considered good, with residents on average located 391 meters from the nearest stop. Officer, being predominantly residential, sees most commuters traveling outward. Cars remain the primary mode of transport at 90%, with train usage at 7%. The average vehicle ownership per dwelling is 1.6, exceeding the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, 24.6% of residents work from home, which may be influenced by COVID-19 conditions. Service frequency across all routes averages 226 trips per day, equating to approximately 41 weekly trips per stop.

Officer's residents are extremely healthy with prevalence of common health conditions low among the general population though higher than the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Officer, based on AreaSearch's assessment as of February 2022. Mortality rates were found to be low among the general population, with a prevalence of common health conditions also low but higher than the national average in older and at-risk cohorts.

The rate of private health cover was found to be fairly high at approximately 54% of the total population (~14,730 people), compared to 56.7% across Greater Melbourne as of December 2021. The most common medical conditions in the area were asthma and mental health issues, impacting 8.0% and 7.1% of residents respectively, while 76.3% declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments compared to 72.6% across Greater Melbourne as of January 2022. Working-age residents were notably healthy with low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 7.8% of residents aged 65 and over (2,119 people), which is lower than the 15.0% in Greater Melbourne as of February 2022. Officer ranks lower nationally than the broader population in terms of health metrics.

Officer 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

Officer has a high cultural diversity, with 35.6% of its population born overseas and 33.1% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the main religion in Officer, comprising 39.2% of people. However, there is an overrepresentation in Other religions, which makes up 4.7% of the population compared to 2.3% across Greater Melbourne.

The top three ancestry groups are English (22.1%), Australian (21.6%), and Other (17.4%). Notably, Sri Lankan (2.7%) is overrepresented in Officer compared to the regional average of 0.8%. Hungarian (0.5%) and Indian (7.3%) also have higher representations than their respective regional averages of 0.3% and 4.2%.

Officer hosts a very young demographic, ranking in the bottom 10% of areas nationwide

At 30 years, the median age of Officer residents is materially younger than the Greater Melbourne average of 37 and is substantially under the Australian median of 38. Relative to Greater Melbourne, Officer has a higher concentration of 35-44 year-olds at 25.1%, compared to the national average of 14.3%. However, Officer has fewer 55-64 year-olds at 6.1%. Post-Census data from 2021 shows that the 35-44 age group has grown from 18.1% to 25.1%, while the 15-24 cohort increased from 11.8% to 16.5%. Conversely, the 25-34 cohort declined from 20.8% to 14.5%, and the 0-4 group dropped from 10.1% to 7.5%. Demographic modeling suggests that Officer's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041. The 45-54 age cohort is projected to expand substantially, increasing by 5,424 people (212%) from 2,553 to 7,978.