Carlton North - Princes Hill
Statistical Area - sa2

Carlton North - Princes Hill is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

Carlton North - Princes Hill's population was around 8,756 as of Nov 2025. This reflected an increase of 570 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 8,186. The change was inferred from ABS estimated resident population of 8,747 in June 2024 and two validated new addresses since the Census date. This resulted in a density ratio of 3,807 persons per square kilometer, placing Carlton North - Princes Hill among the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The area's 7.0% growth since census was within 1.9 percentage points of the national average (8.9%), indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration contributing approximately 86.5%.

AreaSearch adopted ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered, they utilized VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023 with adjustments made using weighted aggregation methods to SA2 levels. Considering projected demographic shifts, an above median population growth is projected for the area, expected to increase by 1,774 persons to 2041 based on latest numbers, recording a gain of 20.2% over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Carlton North - Princes Hill is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Carlton North - Princes Hill has seen approximately four new homes approved annually over the past five financial years, with 22 approvals between FY-21 and FY-25. As of FY-26, no new homes have been approved yet. Despite a decline in population during this period, development activity has been adequate relative to the falling population, which could benefit buyers.

The average construction cost value for new properties is $1,104,000, indicating that developers are targeting the premium market segment with higher-end properties. This financial year has seen $39.8 million in commercial approvals registered, suggesting strong commercial development momentum. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Carlton North - Princes Hill records significantly lower building activity (93.0% below regional average per person). This scarcity of new properties typically strengthens demand and prices for existing properties, though there has been an increase in development activity recently. The area's development level is also lower than the national average, reflecting market maturity and possible development constraints. New developments consist of 50.0% detached dwellings and 50.0% attached dwellings, creating more affordable entry points for downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers while favouring detached housing more than current patterns suggest (8.0% at Census).

Carlton North - Princes Hill has a population density of around 1291 people per approval, indicating a mature, established area. By 2041, the area is expected to grow by 1,765 residents. If development rates remain constant, housing supply may struggle to keep pace with population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and supporting price increases.

Carlton North - Princes Hill has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 15 projects that could impact this region. Notable projects include Piedimonte Supermarket Redevelopment, Edison North Fitzroy, Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID), and Brenan Place. The following list details those expected 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.

Carlton North - Princes Hill has seen below average employment performance when compared to national benchmarks

Carlton North - Princes Hill has a highly educated workforce with significant representation in the technology sector. Its unemployment rate was 5.8% as of June 2021.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 5.6%. As of June 2025, 5,999 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 6.8%, which is 1.2% higher than Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.6%. Workforce participation in the area was 73.3%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Key industries of employment among residents are professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training.

The area has a particular specialization in professional & technical jobs, with an employment share of 2.0 times the regional level. Conversely, construction employs only 4.0% of local workers, below Greater Melbourne's 9.7%. Employment opportunities locally may be limited, as indicated by the count of Census working population versus resident population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 5.6%, while the labour force grew by 7.0%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 1.3 percentage points. This contrasts with Greater Melbourne, where employment rose by 3.5%, the labour force grew by 4.0%, and unemployment rose by 0.5 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 suggest that national employment will expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. However, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these projections to Carlton North - Princes Hill's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.3% over five years and 14.7% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes 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

Carlton North - Princes Hill has a median taxpayer income of $63,274 and an average income of $103,942 according to the latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2022. This is notably high compared to Greater Melbourne's median income of $54,892 and average income of $73,761. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.16% since financial year 2022, estimated incomes as of September 2025 would be approximately $70,968 (median) and $116,581 (average). According to census data, household, family, and personal incomes in Carlton North - Princes Hill rank highly nationally, between the 86th and 91st percentiles. Income brackets show that 30.6% of individuals earn between $1,500 and $2,999, which is consistent with broader trends across the area at 32.8%. Economic strength is evident with 39.1% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. High housing costs consume 16.4% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 84th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Carlton North - Princes Hill displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Carlton North - Princes Hill's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 8.1% houses and 91.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Melbourne metro's 12.8% houses and 87.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Carlton North - Princes Hill was at 30.9%, with mortgaged dwellings at 19.4% and rented ones at 49.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,600, higher than Melbourne metro's average of $2,326. Median weekly rent in the area was $541, compared to Melbourne metro's $451. Nationally, Carlton North - Princes Hill's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,600 versus Australia's average of $1,863. Rents were substantially above the national figure of $375 at $541.

Carlton North - Princes Hill features high concentrations of group households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 56.0% of all households, including 18.2% couples with children, 29.5% couples without children, and 6.5% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 44.0%, with lone person households at 28.3% and group households comprising 15.7%. The median household size is 2.3 people, which is larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.0.

Carlton North - Princes Hill shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Educational attainment in Carlton North-Princes Hill is significantly higher than national benchmarks. 66.0% of residents aged 15 and above hold university qualifications, compared to 30.4% nationally and 33.4% in Victoria. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 38.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (21.6%) and graduate diplomas (5.6%). Technical qualifications make up 14.1% of educational achievements, with advanced diplomas at 7.4% and certificates at 6.7%.

Educational participation is high, with 27.8% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 13.7% in tertiary education, 5.1% in primary education, and 4.3% pursuing secondary education. Carlton North-Princes Hill's 4 schools have a combined enrollment of 1,455 students. The area demonstrates high educational performance (ICSEA: 1150), placing local schools among the most advantaged nationally. Educational provision is split between 2 primary and 2 secondary institutions. The area functions as an education hub with 16.6 school places per 100 residents, significantly above the regional average of 10.3, attracting students from surrounding communities.

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

Carlton North - Princes Hill has 37 active public transport stops. These are a mix of light rail and bus services. There are 14 individual routes operating in total.

Collectively, they provide 7,048 weekly passenger trips. The average distance from residential areas to the nearest stop is 134 meters. Service frequency averages 1,006 trips per day across all routes. This equates to approximately 190 weekly trips per individual stop.

Carlton North - Princes Hill's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis shows Carlton North - Princes Hill performed well across various health metrics. Both younger and older residents had low prevalence of common conditions. Private health cover was high at approximately 73%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 69.8% and Australia's 55.3%.

Mental health issues affected 11.0% and asthma impacted 9.0% of residents. 69.3% reported no medical ailments, similar to Greater Melbourne's 70.6%. The area had 16.4%, or 1,432 people aged 65 and over, higher than Greater Melbourne's 12.1%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors were strong, exceeding the general population in many metrics.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Carlton North - Princes Hill was found to be above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Carlton North-Princes Hill shows higher cultural diversity than average, with 23.4% of its residents born overseas and 14.8% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the dominant religion in Carlton North-Princes Hill, accounting for 28.4%. Notably, Judaism is overrepresented here compared to Greater Melbourne, making up 1.1% versus 0.8%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (24.7%), Australian (17.9%), and Irish (12.7%). Some ethnic groups show significant differences: Italian residents comprise 8.0%, higher than the regional average of 4.8%; French residents make up 0.8% compared to 0.8% regionally; Polish residents account for 1.0% versus 0.9%.

Carlton North - Princes Hill hosts a young demographic, positioning it in the bottom quartile nationwide

Carlton North - Princes Hill has a median age of 33, which is younger than Greater Melbourne's figure of 37 and Australia's national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Carlton North - Princes Hill has a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (29.6%) but fewer residents aged 5-14 (5.5%). This concentration of 25-34 year-olds is significantly higher than the national average of 14.5%. Between the censuses conducted on 28 August 2016 and 27 May 2021, Carlton North - Princes Hill's median age decreased by one year to 33 from 34. During this period, the proportion of residents aged 25-34 increased from 26.2% to 29.6%, while those aged 75-84 rose from 4.8% to 6.0%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 45-54 decreased from 10.5% to 8.5%, and those aged 5-14 fell from 7.0% to 5.5%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests that Carlton North - Princes Hill's age profile will change significantly. The number of residents aged 45-54 is projected to increase by 339 people (46%) from 741 to 1,081, while the number of residents aged 15-24 is expected to decrease by 17.