Bentleigh East - North
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Bentleigh East - North's population was around 17,608 as of August 2025. This reflects an increase of 1,025 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 16,583. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 17,581 in June 2024 and an additional 155 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population results in a density ratio of 3,827 persons per square kilometer, placing Bentleigh East - North in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Over the past decade, Bentleigh East - North has shown resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 1.6%, outperforming its SA3 area. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 82.1% 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, AreaSearch utilises 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. Based on projected demographic shifts, Bentleigh East - North is forecasted to experience significant population increase in the top quartile of national statistical areas. By 2041, the area is expected to increase by 4,626 persons based on latest population numbers, reflecting an overall increase of 26.0%.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions Bentleigh East - North among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide

Bentleigh East - North averaged approximately 129 new dwelling approvals annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics produces development approval data on a financial year basis, totalling 646 approvals from FY-21 to FY-25, with 27 approved in FY-26 so far. On average, 1.8 people moved to the area for each dwelling built over the past five financial years. This balance between supply and demand supports stable market conditions.

The average expected construction cost value of new dwellings is $691,000, indicating a focus on premium segment properties. In FY-26, $60.5 million in commercial approvals have been registered, suggesting robust local business investment. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Bentleigh East - North has moderately higher new home approvals, with 19.0% above the regional average per person over the past five years. New development consists of 27.0% standalone homes and 73.0% attached dwellings, offering affordable entry pathways for downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. This shift from the area's existing housing composition (currently 68.0% houses) reflects decreasing developable sites and changing lifestyles.

With around 161 people per dwelling approval, Bentleigh East - North exhibits characteristics of a growth area, expected to grow by 4,571 residents by 2041. Development is keeping pace with projected growth, but increasing competition among buyers may arise as the population expands.

Bentleigh East - North has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 18 projects likely to impact the area. Key projects include East Village Precinct Infrastructure, East Village, Bentleigh East Structure Plan Implementation, and East Boundary Road Pedestrian Safety Improvements. The following list details those most relevant:.

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

Bentleigh East - North has seen below average employment performance when compared to national benchmarks

Bentleigh East - North has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate was 4.4% as of June 2025.

Over the past year, employment remained relatively stable. In June 2025, 9,745 residents were employed while the unemployment rate was 0.3% lower than Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.6%. Workforce participation was at 68.0%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and retail trade.

The area shows a particularly strong specialization in professional & technical services with an employment share 1.3 times the regional level. Conversely, manufacturing has lower representation at 5.3% compared to the regional average of 7.2%. The predominantly residential area offers limited local employment opportunities as indicated by the Census working population vs resident population count. Between June 2024 and June 2025, the labour force increased by 1.4% while employment declined by 0.4%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 1.7 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Melbourne recorded employment growth of 3.5%. State-level data from Sep-25 shows Victoria's employment grew by 1.08% year-on-year, adding 39,880 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%, compared to the national rate of 4.5%. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia project growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Bentleigh East - North's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.9% over five years and 14.1% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

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

Bentleigh East - North has an extremely high national income level according to latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2022. Its median income among taxpayers is $60,365 and average income stands at $80,989. Greater Melbourne's figures are $54,892 and $73,761 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.11% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $66,468 (median) and $89,177 (average) as of March 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Bentleigh East - North, between the 70th and 81st percentiles nationally. Income brackets indicate the largest segment comprises 28.3% earning $1,500 - 2,999 weekly (4,983 residents). The district demonstrates considerable affluence with 36.8% earning over $3,000 per week. High housing costs consume 16.1% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 80th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Bentleigh East - North displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Bentleigh East - North, as per the latest Census data, 67.7% of dwellings were houses while 32.4% consisted of other types such as semi-detached homes, apartments and 'other' dwellings. This differed from Melbourne metropolitan area's figures which showed 47.8% houses and 52.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Bentleigh East - North was at 34.3%, with the remaining dwellings either mortgaged (40.0%) or rented (25.7%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,500, exceeding Melbourne metro's average of $2,396. Weekly rent figures stood at $508 compared to Melbourne metro's $435. Nationally, Bentleigh East - North's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, with rents substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households make up 78.2% of all households, consisting of 43.9% couples with children, 20.7% couples without children, and 12.5% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 21.8%, with lone person households at 19.6% and group households comprising 2.2% of the total. The median household size is 2.8 people, which is larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.5.

Bentleigh East - North 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 Bentleigh East - North is notably high, with 43.3% of residents aged 15 and above holding university qualifications. This exceeds the national average of 30.4% and the Victorian average of 33.4%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 27.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 11.6% and graduate diplomas at 3.9%. Vocational pathways account for 24.5% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas at 11.1% and certificates at 13.4%.

Educational participation is high, with 33.2% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.6% in primary education, 10.2% in secondary education, and 6.0% pursuing tertiary education. The area's three schools have a combined enrollment of 1,471 students. Bentleigh East - North demonstrates significant socio-educational advantages and academic achievement, with an ICSEA score of 1142. Education provision is balanced with two primary and one secondary school serving distinct age groups. School places per 100 residents (8.3) fall below the regional average (14.2), indicating some students may attend schools in adjacent areas.

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

Bentleigh East - North has 71 active public transport stops operating within its boundaries. These stops are served by a mix of buses along 13 different routes, collectively facilitating 4519 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated excellent, with residents typically located just 191 meters from the nearest transport stop.

Service frequency averages 645 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 63 weekly trips per individual stop.

Bentleigh East - North's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Health outcomes data shows excellent results in Bentleigh East - North, particularly among younger cohorts who have a very low prevalence of common health conditions. Approximately 60% of the total population (10,529 people) has private health cover, compared to 65.2% across Greater Melbourne.

The most prevalent medical conditions are asthma and mental health issues, affecting 6.5 and 6.2% of residents respectively. 76.1% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 74.0% in Greater Melbourne. As of 2021, 14.8% of residents are aged 65 and over (2,602 people), lower than the 16.8% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors require more attention than those of the broader population.

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

Bentleigh East - North has a high level of cultural diversity, with 38.4% of its population born overseas and 38.6% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Bentleigh East - North, making up 41.5% of people there. However, Judaism is notably overrepresented, comprising 10.8% of the population compared to the Greater Melbourne average of 17.5%.

The top three ancestry groups are Australian (17.1%), English (16.9%), and Other (14.0%). There are also notable differences in the representation of certain ethnic groups: Russian is overrepresented at 2.6% (vs regional 2.2%), Greek at 7.4% (vs 4.6%), and Polish at 1.9% (vs 3.1%).

Bentleigh East - North's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in Bentleigh East - North is 39 years, which is higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 years and close to the national average of 38 years. The 45-54 age cohort makes up 16.4% of the local population, notably higher than the Greater Melbourne average, while those aged 25-34 comprise only 9.3%, indicating under-representation compared to the city's average. Post-2021 Census data shows an increase in the 15-24 age group from 12.3% to 14.0% of the population, while the 5-14 cohort has decreased from 16.0% to 15.2%. Population forecasts for the year 2041 suggest significant demographic changes in Bentleigh East - North, with the 45-54 age group projected to grow by 34%, adding 977 people to reach a total of 3,862 from the current figure of 2,884.