Brighton East

Brighton East has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

Brighton East's population was approximately 17,387 as of November 2025. This figure represents an increase of 847 people, a growth rate of 5.1%, since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 16,540. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 17,261 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 136 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 3,099 persons per square kilometer, placing Brighton East in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The area's growth rate of 5.1% since the census is within 0.3 percentage points of the SA3 area (5.4%), indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration was the primary driver of population growth during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopts 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 uses VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023, adjusted using weighted aggregation from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for the years 2032 to 2041. Population projections indicate an above median growth for statistical areas nationally, with Brighton East expected to expand by 2,663 persons to 2041, reflecting a total gain of 14.6% over the 17-year period.

AreaSearch assessment of residential approval activity sees Brighton East among the top 30% of areas assessed nationwide

Brighton East has received approximately 153 dwelling approvals per year. Between FY-21 and FY-25, a total of 767 homes were approved, with an additional 70 approved so far in FY-26. The average population increase per dwelling built over these years was 0.3 people.

This indicates that supply is meeting or exceeding demand, offering more buyer choices while potentially supporting higher-than-projected population growth. The average construction cost value of new dwellings is $581,000, suggesting developers are targeting the premium market segment with high-end properties. In FY-26, $6.1 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, reflecting the area's predominantly residential nature. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Brighton East has similar development levels per capita, maintaining market balance consistent with surrounding regions. New developments consist of 20.0% standalone homes and 80.0% medium to high-density housing, providing accessible entry options for downsizers, investors, and first-time buyers.

This shift from the existing 71.0% houses indicates decreasing developable sites and changing lifestyle needs. Brighton East has around 156 people per dwelling approval, demonstrating low-density characteristics. AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate projects an increase of 2,537 residents by 2041. Given current development patterns, new housing supply should meet demand, presenting favorable conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond projections.

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

The performance of a region is significantly influenced by changes in local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified 49 such projects that could impact the area. Notable ones include Bayside Gallery Building Works, 111 Carpenter Brighton Townhomes, 24 Burrows Street Brighton, and Ormond Station Development (Ormond Place). The following list details those considered most relevant.

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

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Employment conditions in Brighton East demonstrate strong performance, ranking among the top 35% of areas assessed nationally

Brighton East has a highly educated workforce with significant representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate is 2.7%, lower than Greater Melbourne's 4.7%.

Over the past year, employment stability has been relative. As of September 2025, 9,314 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.9% below Greater Melbourne's. Workforce participation is similar to Greater Melbourne's at 64.1%. Employment is concentrated in professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and retail trade.

Brighton East shows strong specialization in professional & technical services, with an employment share 1.6 times the regional level. Conversely, transport, postal & warehousing has lower representation at 2.6% compared to the regional average of 5.2%. The area offers limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by Census data on working population versus resident population. Over the 12 months to September 2025, labour force levels increased by 0.6%, while employment remained unchanged, leading to a rise in unemployment rate by 0.6 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne experienced employment growth of 3.0% and labour force growth of 3.3%, with a smaller increase in unemployment rate. State-level data from VIC as of 25-Nov shows employment grew by 1.13% year-on-year, adding 41,950 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Brighton East's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.1% over five years and 14.2% over ten years, although this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes only and does not account for localized population projections.

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

Brighton East SA2 had a median taxpayer income of $64,635 and an average of $112,655 in financial year 2022. These figures are significantly higher than the national averages for Greater Melbourne, which were $54,892 (median) and $73,761 (average). By September 2025, these incomes are estimated to have grown by approximately 12.16%, reaching $72,495 (median) and $126,354 (average). The 2021 Census revealed that Brighton East's household, family, and personal incomes all ranked highly nationally, between the 84th and 94th percentiles. Income distribution showed that 35.0% of residents earned more than $4,000 annually, while across the metropolitan region, this figure was 32.8%. Economic strength in Brighton East is evident with 46.6% of households earning over $3,000 weekly. Residents rank highly for disposable income, at the 94th percentile, and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile. Housing accounts for 15.0% of income.

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

Brighton East's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 71.0% houses and 29.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Melbourne metro's 62.6% houses and 37.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Brighton East was at 42.5%, similar to Melbourne metro, with the rest mortgaged at 36.6% or rented at 20.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,335, higher than Melbourne metro's average of $3,000. Median weekly rent in Brighton East was $602, compared to Melbourne metro's $520. Nationally, Brighton East's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $3,335 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Brighton East has a typical household mix, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 76.9% of all households, including 41.7% couples with children, 24.5% couples without children, and 10.2% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 23.1%, with lone person households at 21.1% and group households comprising 2.0%. The median household size is 2.7 people, larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.5.

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

Brighton East has a higher proportion of residents with university qualifications than Australia and Victoria. Among residents aged 15 and above, 49.6% have such qualifications, compared to 30.4% nationally and 33.4% in Victoria. This educational advantage is reflected in the types of qualifications held: bachelor degrees are most common at 32.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (12.3%) and graduate diplomas (4.4%). Vocational pathways also contribute significantly, with advanced diplomas accounting for 11.1% and certificates for 9.5%.

Educational participation is high in the area, with 32.3% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.5% in primary education, 10.5% in secondary education, and 6.6% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Brighton East has 58 active public transport stops, a mix of light rail and bus services. These stops are served by 10 different routes, offering 3,493 weekly passenger trips in total. The average distance from residents to the nearest stop is 201 meters.

On average, there are 499 trips per day across all routes, which translates to about 60 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Brighton East is notably higher than the national average with a fairly standard level of common health conditions seen across both young and old age cohorts

Brighton East shows better-than-average health outcomes. Common health conditions are similarly seen across both younger and older residents. Approximately 76% of Brighton East's total population (13,248 people) have private health cover, compared to 78.5% in Greater Melbourne and a national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis and asthma, affecting 7.0% and 6.4% of residents respectively. 72.5% of residents report having no medical ailments, slightly higher than the 72.0% in Greater Melbourne. In Brighton East, 20.4% of residents (3,538 people) are aged 65 and over, lower than the 22.9% in Greater Melbourne. Senior health outcomes are above average and align with the general population's health profile.

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

Brighton East had a higher cultural diversity than most local areas, with 30.6% of its population born overseas and 21.6% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Brighton East, accounting for 45.1% of people. However, Judaism was significantly overrepresented at 9.4%, compared to Greater Melbourne's average of 3.1%.

The top three ancestral groups were English (23.3%), Australian (20.3%), and Other (10.8%). Notable disparities existed for certain ethnicities: Polish residents made up 2.4% in Brighton East, higher than the regional average of 1.4%; Russians constituted 1.6%, compared to 0.9%; and Hungarians comprised 0.5%, slightly above the region's 0.4%.

Brighton East hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

Brighton East has a median age of 44, which is higher than Greater Melbourne's figure of 37 and the national norm of 38. The 45-54 age group makes up 16.1% of Brighton East's population, compared to Greater Melbourne, while the 25-34 cohort comprises 6.3%. According to the 2021 Census, the 15-24 age group has increased from 12.6% to 15.4%, and the 5-14 cohort has decreased from 14.7% to 13.3%. By 2041, demographic modeling predicts significant changes in Brighton East's age profile. The 45-54 group is expected to grow by 18%, adding 512 people and reaching 3,310 from the current 2,797. Meanwhile, the 5-14 group will see modest growth of 0%, with an increase of just 7 residents.