Surrey Hills

Surrey Hills is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

As of May 2026, the estimated population of the suburb of Surrey Hills is around 14,235. This figure represents an increase of 580 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 13,655. The current population estimate is based on AreaSearch's validation of new addresses and examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2025, along with an additional 100 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 3,213 persons per square kilometer, placing Surrey Hills in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration was the primary driver of population growth in recent periods.

AreaSearch is using 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 employs the VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023, adjusted using a method of 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. Looking ahead, lower quartile growth is anticipated nationally, with Surrey Hills expected to expand by 504 persons to the year 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections. This reflects an increase of approximately 3.5% in total over the 16-year period.

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

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers, derived from statistical area data, indicates Surrey Hills has averaged approximately 49 dwelling approvals annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, around 247 homes have been approved, with an additional 20 approved in FY26 so far. Despite population decline, development activity has remained relatively adequate, benefiting buyers while new properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $1,631,000, indicating a focus on the premium segment.

In FY26, commercial approvals totaling $11.3 million have been registered. New developments consist of 55% detached houses and 45% attached dwellings, offering varied housing types across price ranges.

With around 345 people per dwelling approval, Surrey Hills exhibits a developed market. By 2041, AreaSearch estimates an increase of approximately 503 residents. Current construction levels are expected to meet demand adequately, creating favourable conditions for buyers and potentially enabling growth beyond current forecasts.

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

Infrastructure changes significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 28 projects likely impacting the area. Notable projects include Tunstall Village, 359-365 Canterbury Road Retail Development, 426-430 Canterbury Road Development, and 560-566 Whitehorse Road Development. 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.

Surrey Hills ranks among the top 25% of areas assessed nationally for overall employment performance

Surrey Hills has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate was 2.7% as of December 2025, with an estimated employment growth of 2.1% over the past year, according to AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data. As of that date, 8,280 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.0%, below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%.

Workforce participation was on par with Greater Melbourne's 69.9%. Census responses indicated that 51.0% of residents worked from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered. Key industries for employment among residents were professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training. Surrey Hills had a particular specialization in professional & technical services, with an employment share 1.6 times the regional level.

Meanwhile, construction had limited presence, with 5.8% employment compared to 9.7% regionally. The area appeared to offer limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the count of Census working population versus resident population. Over the 12 months to December 2025, employment increased by 2.1%, while labour force increased by 2.3%, resulting in an unemployment rise of 0.2 percentage points. In Greater Melbourne, employment grew by 2.4%, labour force expanded by 2.8%, and unemployment rose by 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 offer further insight into potential future demand within Surrey Hills. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, suggest that national employment should expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these industry-specific projections to Surrey Hills' employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.3% over five years and 14.8% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localized population projections.

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

Surrey Hills suburb shows median taxpayer income of $63,722 and average income of $116,893 according to latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023. This ranks among top percentile nationally, contrasting with Greater Melbourne's median income of $57,688 and average income of $75,164. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 9.62% since financial year 2023, current estimates would be approximately $69,852 (median) and $128,138 (average) as of March 2026. From the Census conducted in 2021, household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Surrey Hills, between 85th and 90th percentiles nationally. Distribution data shows that 32.8% of residents (4,669 people) fall into the $4000+ bracket, contrasting with surrounding region where $1,500 - 2,999 bracket leads at 32.8%. The suburb demonstrates considerable affluence with 44.0% earning over $3,000 per week. This supports premium retail and service offerings in the area. Housing accounts for 13.8% of income while strong earnings rank residents within 91st percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

Surrey Hills displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Surrey Hills' residential structures, as recorded in the latest Census, consisted of 67.0% houses and 33.0% other dwellings. In comparison, Melbourne metro had 67.9% houses and 32.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Surrey Hills stood at 42.7%, with mortgaged dwellings at 35.3% and rented ones at 22.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,000, higher than Melbourne metro's average of $2,000. Median weekly rent in Surrey Hills was $462, compared to Melbourne metro's $390. Nationally, Surrey Hills' mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $3,000 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Surrey Hills has a typical household mix, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 74.0% of all households, including 38.9% couples with children, 25.6% couples without children, and 8.5% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 26.0%, with lone person households at 23.2% and group households making up 2.7%. The median household size is 2.6 people, which aligns with the Greater Melbourne average.

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

Educational attainment in Surrey Hills significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 55.9% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 30.4% in Australia and 33.4% in VIC. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 33.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (16.3%) and graduate diplomas (5.9%). Vocational pathways account for 17.4% of qualifications among those aged 15+, with advanced diplomas at 9.6% and certificates at 7.8%. Educational participation is notably high, with 32.2% of residents currently enrolled in formal education.

This includes 10.3% in secondary education, 8.7% in tertiary education, and 8.6% pursuing primary education.

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

The analysis of public transport in Surrey Hills shows that there are currently 53 active transport stops operating within the area. These stops offer a mix of light rail and bus services. There are 13 individual routes servicing these stops, collectively providing 6,053 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of transport in Surrey Hills is rated as good, with residents typically located approximately 244 meters from their nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward for work or other purposes. The car remains the dominant mode of transportation, used by 78% of residents.

A smaller percentage use other modes such as train (11%) and walking (4%). On average, there are 1.4 vehicles per dwelling in Surrey Hills. According to the 2021 Census, a high proportion of residents work from home, with 51.0% doing so. This figure may reflect the conditions brought about by COVID-19. The service frequency averages 864 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 114 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Surrey Hills shows excellent health outcomes based on AreaSearch's assessment. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence were very low across all age groups. Private health cover was exceptionally high at approximately 73% of the total population (10,358 people), compared to 56.7% in Greater Melbourne and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common conditions were asthma and mental health issues, affecting 7.1 and 6.9% respectively. 73.2% of residents reported no medical ailments, slightly higher than the 72.6% across Greater Melbourne. As of 2021, 20.7% of residents were aged 65 and over (2,946 people), compared to 15.0% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors were strong, aligning with national rankings for the general population.

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

Surrey Hills has a higher cultural diversity than most local markets, with 27.5% of its population born overseas and 20.9% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Surrey Hills, accounting for 45.5% of its population. Judaism, however, is overrepresented compared to Greater Melbourne, comprising 0.3% versus 1.0%.

The top three ancestry groups in Surrey Hills are English (25.4%), Australian (20.5%), and Chinese (10.5%). Notably, Hungarian (0.4%), Welsh (0.7%), and Sri Lankan (0.5%) ethnicities have higher representations than the regional averages of 0.3%, 0.4%, and 0.8% respectively.

Surrey Hills's median age exceeds the national pattern

The median age in Surrey Hills is 42 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 years and Australia's national average of 38 years. The 15-24 age group makes up 16.6% of the population in Surrey Hills, compared to Greater Melbourne. However, the 25-34 age cohort is less prevalent at 9.7%. According to post-2021 Census data, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 14.5% to 16.6%, while the 75 to 84 age group has risen from 5.3% to 7.2%. Conversely, the 45 to 54 age group has declined from 15.7% to 14.3%, and the 5 to 14 age group has dropped from 12.6% to 11.5%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Surrey Hills, with the 75 to 84 age group expected to grow by 35% (355 people), reaching 1,380 from 1,024. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 73% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 0 to 4 and 35 to 44 age cohorts are expected to experience population declines.