Castlemaine
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Castlemaine's population is approximately 11,984 as of August 2025. This figure reflects an increase of 632 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 11,352. The growth was inferred from ABS estimates and validated new addresses between June 2024 and the Census date. Castlemaine's density ratio is 142 persons per square kilometer. Growth since the 2021 census (5.6%) exceeded regional averages (SA4 region: 5.0%). Interstate migration contributed approximately 58.2% of overall population gains recently.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023 are used, adjusted employing weighted aggregation methods to SA2 levels. Population growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Projected population decline of 569 persons is expected by 2041, with the 35-44 age group projected to increase by 173 people.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Castlemaine when compared nationally

Castlemaine has received approximately 91 dwelling approvals annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics produces development approval data on a financial year basis, totalling 456 approvals over the past five financial years from FY21 to FY25, with 9 recorded so far in FY26. On average, 0.9 people have moved to the area for each dwelling built annually over these years. This suggests that supply meets or exceeds demand, providing ample buyer choice and supporting potential population growth while new dwellings are developed at an average expected construction cost of $466,000.

Commercial approvals totalled $100.2 million in FY26, indicating high local commercial activity. Compared to the Rest of Vic., Castlemaine has slightly more development, with 19.0% above the regional average per person over the five-year period, maintaining good buyer choice and supporting existing property values. However, construction activity has recently eased.

The dwelling approvals consist of 89.0% detached dwellings and 11.0% townhouses or apartments, preserving Castlemaine's low-density nature with a focus on detached housing that attracts space-seeking buyers. There are approximately 172 people per dwelling approval in the area, indicating a low-density market. Given stable or declining population forecasts, Castlemaine may experience less housing pressure, creating favourable conditions for buyers.

Castlemaine has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 46thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 11 projects that could impact the area. Key projects include Levee Banks Project, Frederick Street Precinct Project, Haven Castlemaine, and Castlemaine Water Reclamation Plant Upgrade. The following list details those likely to be most relevant.

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

The employment landscape in Castlemaine shows performance that lags behind national averages across key labour market indicators

Castlemaine has a well-educated workforce with prominent representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 3.5%, with an estimated employment growth of 0.8% over the past year.

As of June 2025, 4,859 residents are employed, and the unemployment rate is 0.3% lower than Rest of Vic.'s rate of 3.8%. Workforce participation in Castlemaine lags behind at 48.6%, compared to Rest of Vic.'s 57.4%. Leading employment industries among Castlemaine residents include health care & social assistance, education & training, and manufacturing. Notably, the area specializes in education & training with an employment share 1.3 times higher than the regional level.

Conversely, agriculture, forestry & fishing shows lower representation at 1.3% compared to the regional average of 7.5%. Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census data comparisons between working population and local population. From June 2024 to June 2025, employment levels in Castlemaine increased by 0.8%, while labour force increased by 1.9%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 1.0 percentage points. In contrast, Rest of Vic. saw employment contract by 0.9%, labour force fall by 0.4%, and unemployment rise by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data from Sep-25 shows VIC employment grew by 1.08% year-on-year, adding 39,880 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%. This compares to the national unemployment rate of 4.5%, where VIC's employment growth outpaces the national average of 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project national employment expansion by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Castlemaine's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.4% over five years and 13.6% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income figures position the area below 75% of locations analysed nationally by AreaSearch

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data released for financial year 2022, Castlemaine had a median income among taxpayers of $45,289 and an average level of $58,691. These figures are below the national average. In comparison, Rest of Vic had median and average incomes of $48,741 and $60,693 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.11% since financial year 2022, estimated current incomes as of March 2025 are approximately $49,868 (median) and $64,625 (average). According to the 2021 Census, household, family, and personal incomes in Castlemaine fall between the 13th and 25th percentiles nationally. Income distribution data shows that 27.5% of Castlemaine's population falls within the $1,500 - $2,999 income range, with a similar pattern seen in metropolitan regions where 30.3% occupy this range. After housing costs, 86.3% of income remains, ranking at the 17th percentile nationally. Castlemaine's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 5th decile.

Castlemaine is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Castlemaine, as per the latest Census, 94.4% of dwellings were houses while 5.5% were other types such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and others. In comparison, Non-Metro Vic had 95.2% houses and 4.8% other dwellings. Home ownership in Castlemaine stood at 48.3%, similar to Non-Metro Vic. The remaining dwellings were either mortgaged (31.1%) or rented (20.6%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,408, lower than the Non-Metro Vic average of $1,600 and significantly below the national average of $1,863. The median weekly rent in Castlemaine was $310, compared to $320 in Non-Metro Vic and substantially lower than the national figure of $375.

Castlemaine features high concentrations of lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households comprise 61.1% of all households, including 19.8% couples with children, 29.0% couples without children, and 11.6% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 38.9%, with lone person households at 35.9% and group households making up 3.1%. The median household size is 2.1 people, smaller than the Rest of Vic. average of 2.4.

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

Educational attainment in Castlemaine is significantly higher than broader benchmarks. 36.7% of residents aged 15 and above hold university qualifications, compared to 21.7% in the rest of Victoria and 25.4% in the SA4 region. This educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 20.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (9.9%) and graduate diplomas (6.0%). Trade and technical skills are also prominent, with 29.8% of residents aged 15 and above holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (11.7%) and certificates (18.1%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 30.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.3% in primary education, 9.2% in secondary education, and 4.6% pursuing tertiary education. There are approximately 9 schools operating within Castlemaine, educating around 1,644 students. The area demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions, with an ICSEA score of 1058. The educational mix includes 6 primary schools, 2 secondary schools, and 1 K-12 school. School capacity exceeds typical residential needs, with 13.7 places per 100 residents compared to the regional average of 10.5, indicating that Castlemaine serves as an educational center for the broader region.

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

Castlemaine has 62 active public transport stops offering a mix of train and bus services. These stops are served by 24 individual routes that together facilitate 744 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is moderate, with residents generally located 409 meters from the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 106 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 12 weekly trips per stop.

Health performance in Castlemaine is well below average with prevalence of common health conditions notable across both younger and older age cohorts

Castlemaine faces significant health challenges, with common conditions prevalent across both younger and older age groups. Only approximately 49% of its total population (~5,884 people) has private health cover, compared to 52.9% in the rest of Victoria (Rest of Vic.) and the national average of 55.3%. The most common conditions are arthritis, affecting 11.3% of residents, and mental health issues, impacting 10.4%.

Conversely, 60.8% of residents report no medical ailments, compared to 63.4% in Rest of Vic.. Castlemaine has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over, at 28.7% (3,437 people), than the rest of Victoria's 24.9%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors are above average and better than those of the general population in terms of health metrics.

Castlemaine is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Castlemaine's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 86.0% of its population being citizens, 85.7% born in Australia, and 95.7% speaking English only at home. Christianity is the main religion in Castlemaine, comprising 28.7% of people. However, Judaism is overrepresented, making up 0.3% compared to 0.2% across Rest of Vic.

The top three ancestry groups are English (32.5%), Australian (25.8%), and Irish (12.3%). Notably, Scottish (10.9%) and Welsh (0.8%) are overrepresented while German (3.9%) is slightly above the regional average.

Castlemaine ranks among the oldest 10% of areas nationwide

Castlemaine has a median age of 50, which is higher than Rest of Vic's figure of 43 and well above the national average of 38 years. The 65-74 age group constitutes 14.9% of Castlemaine's population, compared to Rest of Vic's percentage, while the 15-24 cohort makes up 7.4%. This concentration in the 65-74 age group is notably higher than the national average of 9.4%. According to the 2021 Census, the 35-44 age group has increased from 12% to 13.2%, while the 55-64 cohort has decreased from 14.4% to 13.5%. By 2041, demographic modeling projects significant changes in Castlemaine's age profile. The 85+ age group is expected to grow by 120 people (25%), from 476 to 597. Conversely, population declines are projected for the 5-14 and 75-84 cohorts.