South Melbourne

South Melbourne lies within the top quartile of areas nationally for population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of recent, and medium to long-term trends

As of Nov 2025, South Melbourne's estimated population is around 14,155, reflecting a 22.6% increase from the 2021 Census figure of 11,548 people. This growth is inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population at 13,014 as of June 2024, and an additional 1,749 validated new addresses since the Census date. The suburb's population density stands at 6,463 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. South Melbourne's growth since the 2021 Census exceeded both the national average (8.9%) and state averages, marking it as a growth leader. Overseas migration contributed approximately 99.0% of overall population gains during recent periods. AreaSearch employs ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year.

For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch uses VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023 with adjustments made via weighted aggregation of 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 experience exceptional growth over the period from 2025 to 2041, with an anticipated increase of 6,120 persons, reflecting a total increase of 34.2% in population over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions South Melbourne among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide

South Melbourne has seen approximately 465 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling around 2,325 homes. As of FY-26469 approvals have been recorded. On average, 0.2 people moved to the area for each dwelling built between FY-21 and FY-25. The average construction cost value per property is $727,000, indicating a focus on premium market segments.

This financial year has seen $183.2 million in commercial development approvals. Compared to Greater Melbourne, South Melbourne records 236.0% more new home approvals per person. New building activity consists of 1.0% standalone homes and 99.0% townhouses or apartments. Around 35 people are associated with each dwelling approval. By 2041, South Melbourne is projected to grow by approximately 4,842 residents based on current development patterns.

Looking ahead, South Melbourne is expected to grow by 4,842 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Based on current development patterns, new housing supply should readily meet demand, offering good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified a total of 64 projects likely to impact the area. Notable projects include South Melbourne Town Hall Restoration, Emerald Hill Housing and Health Precinct, Verde Arts Precinct, and 122 Moray. The following list details those most 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.

South Melbourne has seen below average employment performance when compared to national benchmarks

South Melbourne has a highly educated workforce with notable representation in the technology sector. The unemployment rate was 6.5% as of an unspecified period.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 6.2%. As of June 2025, 8,318 residents were employed while the unemployment rate stood at 6.5%, which is 1.9% higher than Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.6%. Workforce participation in South Melbourne was 68.4%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. The leading employment industries among residents were professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and finance & insurance.

The area showed strong specialization in professional & technical services with an employment share of 2.0 times the regional level. Conversely, health care & social assistance had lower representation at 10.2% compared to the regional average of 14.2%. There were 2.0 workers for every resident as per the Census data, indicating that South Melbourne functions as an employment hub hosting more jobs than residents and attracting workers from surrounding areas. Over a 12-month period ending in June 2025, employment increased by 6.2% alongside labour force growth of 7.4%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate by 1.1 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne experienced employment growth of 3.5% and labour force growth of 4.0%, with an increase of 0.5 percentage points in its unemployment rate. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 suggest that national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to South Melbourne's employment mix, local employment should increase by 7.2% over five years and 14.4% over ten years, assuming constant population growth for illustrative purposes.

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 latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2022, South Melbourne had a median income among taxpayers of $68,863. The average income stood at $105,822. Nationally, these figures are exceptionally high compared to the national median of $54,892 and Greater Melbourne's median of $73,761. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.16% since financial year 2022, current estimates for South Melbourne would be approximately $77,237 (median) and $118,690 (average) as of September 2025. According to the 2021 Census figures, individual earnings in South Melbourne stand out at the 94th percentile nationally with weekly earnings of $1,307. Income analysis reveals that the $1,500 - 2,999 income bracket dominates with 29.9% of residents (4,232 people), which is consistent with broader trends across regional levels showing 32.8% in the same category. Economic strength emerges through 34.1% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. High housing costs consume 17.1% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 70th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

South Melbourne features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

South Melbourne's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 4.7% houses and 95.3% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In contrast, Melbourne metro had 8.7% houses and 91.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in South Melbourne stood at 19.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 24.0% and rented ones at 56.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,200, exceeding the Melbourne metro average of $2,170. The median weekly rent in South Melbourne was $421, compared to Melbourne metro's $420. Nationally, South Melbourne's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

South Melbourne features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households compose 51.1% of all households, including 15.2% couples with children, 27.8% couples without children, and 6.9% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 48.9%, with lone person households at 43.1% and group households comprising 5.8%. The median household size is 1.9 people, aligning with Greater Melbourne's average.

The educational profile of South Melbourne exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

South Melbourne has a higher proportion of residents aged 15 and above with university qualifications than Australia as a whole or Victoria. Specifically, 56.9% of South Melbourne residents have such qualifications, compared to 30.4% nationally and 33.4% in Victoria. This educational advantage is driven by Bachelor degrees (35.8%), postgraduate qualifications (16.5%), and graduate diplomas (4.6%). Vocational pathways are also pursued, with advanced diplomas (10.6%) and certificates (9.4%) accounting for 20% of qualifications among those aged 15 and above.

Educational participation is high in the area, with 26.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 8.9% in tertiary education, 6.3% in primary education, and 5.0% pursuing secondary education. South Melbourne has five schools with a combined enrollment of 910 students as of the latest data. The area's school conditions are typical for Australia (ICSEA: 1029), offering balanced educational opportunities. School places per 100 residents stand at 6.4, below the regional average of 9.5, indicating some students may attend schools in neighboring areas. Educational provision is conventional, split between one primary and four secondary institutions.

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

Analysis of public transport in South Melbourne shows 45 active transport stops currently operating. These include a mix of light rail and bus services. There are 11 individual routes serving these stops, collectively providing 6,625 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 142 meters from the nearest stop. Service frequency averages 946 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 147 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

South Melbourne shows better-than-average health outcomes for both younger and older age groups, with low prevalence rates for common conditions. Approximately 68% of its total population (9,689 people) have private health cover, higher than Greater Melbourne's 73.1%, but lower than the national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent medical conditions are mental health issues and asthma, affecting 9.2 and 7.3% of residents respectively.

About 72.3% of residents report no medical ailments, slightly below Greater Melbourne's 73.3%. South Melbourne has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 15.2% (2,151 people). Health outcomes among seniors are above average, mirroring the general population's health profile.

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

South Melbourne has a high level of cultural diversity, with 25.3% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 37.4% born overseas. The predominant religion in South Melbourne is Christianity, accounting for 37.2% of the population. Notably, Judaism is overrepresented in South Melbourne compared to Greater Melbourne, making up 1.2% versus 3.7%.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups are English (24.2%), Australian (17.2%), and Other (12.5%). Some ethnic groups show notable differences: Russian is slightly overrepresented at 0.8% in South Melbourne compared to 0.9% regionally, French is nearly equal at 0.9%, and Greek is also nearly equal at 3.2%.

South Melbourne's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in South Melbourne is 39 years, which is higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 years and very close to the national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Melbourne's average, the 25-34 age cohort is notably over-represented in South Melbourne at 23.2%, while the 5-14 age group is under-represented at 6.4%. This concentration of the 25-34 age group is well above the national average of 14.5%. Post-2021 Census data shows that the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 8.8% to 10.4%, and the 25 to 34 cohort has increased from 21.7% to 23.2%. Conversely, the 45 to 54 age group has declined from 14.3% to 13.0%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in South Melbourne. Leading this shift, the 45-54 age group is projected to grow by 61%, adding 1,123 people and reaching a total of 2,964 from 1,840. The 15-24 age group shows more modest growth at 6%, with an increase of 82 residents.