Ashwood - Chadstone

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

Ashwood - Chadstone's population was around 20,937 as of November 2025. This figure reflects an increase of 1,430 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 19,507. The change is inferred from ABS estimated resident population data: 20,947 in June 2024 and an additional 137 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 3,120 persons per square kilometer, placing Ashwood - Chadstone in the upper quartile nationally according to AreaSearch assessments. Over the past decade, from 2015 to 2025, Ashwood - Chadstone has shown resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 1.3%, outpacing the SA3 area. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 86.7% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting 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 utilises the VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023, adjusting 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. Based on demographic trends and the latest annual ERP population numbers, Ashwood - Chadstone is forecast to experience significant population increase in the top quartile nationally, expanding by 6,735 persons to reach a total of 27,672 by 2041, reflecting a gain of 32.2% over the 17-year period.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Ashwood - Chadstone when compared nationally

Ashwood - Chadstone has seen approximately 98 new homes approved annually over the past five financial years, totalling 491 homes. As of FY26, 38 approvals have been recorded. On average, 1.4 new residents per year arrive for each new home built between FY21 and FY25, indicating a balanced supply and demand, with stable market conditions. However, this has accelerated to 6.7 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting increasing demand and tightening supply. New homes are being constructed at an average expected cost of $458,000, slightly above the regional average.

In FY26, $48.7 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, indicating strong commercial development momentum. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Ashwood - Chadstone maintains similar construction rates per person, supporting market stability aligned with regional patterns. Recent construction comprises 56.0% detached dwellings and 44.0% attached dwellings, offering options across different price points from family homes to more affordable compact living.

The location has approximately 332 people per dwelling approval, indicating room for growth. Population forecasts indicate Ashwood - Chadstone will gain 6,745 residents by 2041, potentially outpacing housing supply if current development rates continue, which could increase competition among buyers and support stronger price growth.

Ashwood - Chadstone has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

The performance of an area is significantly influenced by changes in local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified a total of 19 projects that are expected to impact the area. Notable projects include Ashburton Library and Community Centre, Suburban Rail Loop East, 65A Power Avenue Social Housing, and Ashwood Green. The following list details those projects likely to be 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.

Employment conditions in Ashwood - Chadstone demonstrate strong performance, ranking among the top 35% of areas assessed nationally

Ashwood - Chadstone has an educated workforce with strong professional services representation. Its unemployment rate was 3.1% in September 2025, below Greater Melbourne's 4.7%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 4.7%. As of September 2025, 12,252 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.6% below Greater Melbourne's rate. Workforce participation was similar to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Key industries included health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and retail trade.

The area had a strong specialization in professional & technical services, employing 1.3 times the regional level. Construction employed only 7.2% of local workers, below Greater Melbourne's 9.7%. Employment opportunities appeared limited locally based on Census data comparison. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment levels increased by 4.7%, labour force grew by 4.8%, with unemployment remaining unchanged. In contrast, Greater Melbourne recorded employment growth of 3.0% and unemployment rose by 0.3 percentage points. State-level data as of 25-Nov-25 showed Victoria's employment grew by 1.13% year-on-year, with an unemployment rate of 4.7%. National employment forecasts from May-25 projected a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Ashwood - Chadstone's employment mix suggested local employment should increase by 7.0% over five years and 14.2% over ten years, though this was a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

The area exhibits notably strong income performance, ranking higher than 70% of areas assessed nationally through AreaSearch analysis

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released on June 30, 2022, the Ashwood - Chadstone SA2 had a median income among taxpayers of $56,210 with the average level standing at $77,752. These figures are significantly higher than national averages of $54,892 and $73,761 respectively for Greater Melbourne. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.16% from financial year 2022 to September 2025, current estimates would be approximately $63,045 (median) and $87,207 (average). Census 2021 income data shows that household, family and personal incomes in Ashwood - Chadstone cluster around the 64th percentile nationally. Income distribution data indicates that the $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band captures 28.3% of the community (5,925 individuals), which is similar to regional levels where 32.8% occupy this range. The substantial proportion of high earners (32.1% above $3,000/week) suggests strong economic capacity throughout the area. High housing costs consume 17.5% of income, but strong earnings still place disposable income at the 64th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

Ashwood - Chadstone displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

As per the latest Census evaluation, dwelling structures in Ashwood - Chadstone consisted of 58.2% houses and 41.8% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Melbourne metro's 69.6% houses and 30.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in Ashwood - Chadstone stood at 28.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 33.5% and rented dwellings at 38.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,500, higher than Melbourne metro's average of $2,383. The median weekly rent figure for Ashwood - Chadstone was $415, compared to Melbourne metro's $440. Nationally, Ashwood - Chadstone's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Ashwood - Chadstone features high concentrations of group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 69.0% of all households, including 32.3% couples with children, 24.1% couples without children, and 11.0% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 31.0%, with lone person households at 24.7% and group households making up 6.2% of the total. The median household size is 2.5 people, which is smaller than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.7.

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

Educational attainment in Ashwood-Chadstone is notably higher than broader benchmarks. As of 2016, 47.3% of residents aged 15 and above held university qualifications, compared to 29.8% in the SA4 region and 30.4% nationally. Bachelor degrees were the most common at 29.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (13.8%) and graduate diplomas (3.7%). Vocational pathways accounted for 22.2% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas at 10.4% and certificates at 11.8%.

Educational participation was high, with 30.7% of residents enrolled in formal education as of 2016. This included 8.6% in tertiary education, 8.4% in primary education, and 6.9% pursuing secondary education.

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

Analysis of public transport in Ashwood-Chadstone shows 65 active transport stops operating within the area. These are served by buses on 10 individual routes that collectively facilitate 3,375 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located 256 meters from the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 482 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 51 weekly trips per stop.

The level of general health in Ashwood - Chadstone is notably higher than the national average with prevalence of common health conditions low among the general population though higher than the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Ashwood-Chadstone demonstrates above-average health outcomes with a low prevalence of common health conditions among its general population compared to national averages. However, older and at-risk cohorts show higher prevalence rates.

Approximately 59% of the total population (12,310 people) has private health cover, which is higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 54.4%. The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues affecting 7.5% of residents and asthma impacting 6.9%, while 73.7% declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments compared to 75.3% across Greater Melbourne. The area has 15.3% of residents aged 65 and over (3,197 people), which is lower than the 17.5% in Greater Melbourne but still requires more attention than the broader population.

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

Ashwood-Chadstone has a high level of cultural diversity, with 44.8% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 45.2% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion in Ashwood-Chadstone, accounting for 43.3% of the population. However, Judaism is overrepresented compared to Greater Melbourne, comprising 0.8% versus 0.4%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (16.8%), Chinese (15.9%), and Australian (15.0%). Notably, Sri Lankan, Greek, and Korean ethnicities have higher representations in Ashwood-Chadstone compared to the regional averages: Sri Lankan at 1.5% versus 2.1%, Greek at 5.3% versus 5.6%, and Korean at 1.2% versus 1.1%.

Ashwood - Chadstone's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

At 36 years, Ashwood-Chadstone's median age is nearly matching Greater Melbourne's average of 37. This figure is modestly under the Australian median of 38. Relative to Greater Melbourne, Ashwood-Chadstone has a higher concentration of residents aged 25-34 (17.7%) but fewer residents aged 5-14 (10.4%). Since the Census conducted on August 10, 2021, the proportion of residents aged 15 to 24 has grown from 12.2% to 13.2%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 5 to 14 has declined from 11.0% to 10.4%. Demographic modeling suggests that Ashwood-Chadstone's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041. The strongest projected growth is in the 45-54 cohort, which shows an increase of 44%, adding 1,124 residents to reach a total of 3,662.