Chelsea - Bonbeach

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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Chelsea - Bonbeach's population is around 16,036 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 832 people (5.5%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 15,204 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 15,882 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 158 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 2,958 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Over the past decade, Chelsea - Bonbeach has demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a 1.2% compound annual growth rate, outpacing the SA3 area. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 86.4% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch is utilising the VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023 with adjustments made employing a method of weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are also applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Moving forward with demographic trends, an above-median population growth of Australian statistical areas is projected, with the area expected to expand by 2,828 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an increase of 16.7% in total over the 17 years.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Chelsea - Bonbeach when compared nationally

Chelsea - Bonbeach has recorded around 69 residential properties granted approval each year, totalling 349 homes over the past 5 financial years. So far in FY-26, 12 approvals have been recorded. Given an average of 1.6 new residents per year per dwelling constructed over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), supply and demand appear well-balanced, creating stable market conditions, though recent data shows this has intensified to 4.3 people per dwelling over the past 2 financial years, indicating growing popularity and potential undersupply. New homes are being built at an average value of $425,000 —slightly above the regional average—suggesting a focus on quality developments. There have also been $19.1 million in commercial approvals this financial year, indicating steady commercial investment activity.

Compared to Greater Melbourne, Chelsea - Bonbeach shows 17.0% lower construction activity (per person) while it places among the 58th percentile of areas assessed nationally. New building activity consists of 38.0% detached houses and 62.0% townhouses or apartments. This focus on higher-density living creates more affordable entry points and suits downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. The location has approximately 263 people per dwelling approval, indicating a low density market.

Population forecasts indicate Chelsea - Bonbeach will gain 2,674 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Construction is maintaining a reasonable pace with projected growth, although buyers could encounter growing competition as population increases.

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

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total 5 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include The Dell by Stockland, Bonbeach Station Precinct Redevelopment & Level Crossing Removal, Bonbeach Lifesaving Club Redevelopment, and Rossdale Golf Course Redevelopment Aspendale, with the list below detailing those likely to be of most relevance.

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.

Chelsea - Bonbeach shows employment indicators that trail behind approximately 70% of regions assessed across Australia

Chelsea - Bonbeach has a well-educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation, an unemployment rate of 6.1%, and 0.8% in estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 8,470 residents are in work, while the unemployment rate is 1.3% above Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%, and workforce participation is somewhat below standard (67.9% compared to Greater Melbourne's 71.3%). Based on Census responses, a high 34.4% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

Employment among residents is concentrated in health care & social assistance, construction, and education & training. The area shows particularly strong specialization in construction, with an employment share of 1.3 times the regional level. On the other hand, accommodation & food is under-represented, with only 4.2% of Chelsea - Bonbeach's workforce compared to 6.4% in Greater Melbourne. The predominantly residential area appears to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of Census working population vs resident population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, over the 12 months to December 2025, employment increased by 0.8% while the labour force decreased by 0.3%, causing the unemployment rate to fall by 1.0 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne experienced employment growth of 2.4% and labour force growth of 2.8%, with a 0.3 percentage point rise. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Chelsea - Bonbeach. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, have been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. While national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Chelsea - Bonbeach's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.7% over five years and 13.7% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for FY-23 reveals that income in the Chelsea - Bonbeach SA2 is among the highest in Australia, with the median assessed at $66,832 while the average income stands at $80,482. This contrasts with Greater Melbourne's figures of a median income of $57,688 and an average income of $75,164. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $72,346 (median) and $87,122 (average) as of September 2025. According to 2021 Census figures, personal income ranks at the 74th percentile ($962 weekly), while household income sits at the 48th percentile. Distribution data shows the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 31.5% of residents (5,051 people), mirroring the metropolitan region where 32.8% occupy this bracket. Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 82.4% of income remaining, ranking at the 47th percentile, and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

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

Dwelling structure within Chelsea - Bonbeach, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 36.5% houses and 63.6% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), in comparison to Melbourne metro's 67.9% houses and 32.1% other dwellings. Meanwhile, the level of home ownership within Chelsea - Bonbeach was in line with that of Melbourne metro, at 30.3%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (38.4%) or rented (31.3%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was above the Melbourne metro average at $2,065, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $381, compared to Melbourne metro's $2,000 and $390. Nationally, Chelsea - Bonbeach's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents exceed the national figure of $375.

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

Family households dominate at 62.1% of all households, comprising 25.7% couples with children, 25.1% couples without children, and 10.4% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 37.9%, with lone person households at 34.8% and group households comprising 3.0% of the total. The median household size of 2.2 people is smaller than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

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

The area faces educational challenges, with university qualification rates (32.7%) substantially below the SA4 region average of 46.0%. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees lead at 22.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.9%) and graduate diplomas (3.8%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 34.4% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials, including advanced diplomas (12.6%) and certificates (21.8%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 25.4% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 8.9% in primary education, 5.9% in secondary education, and 4.0% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 52 active transport stops operating within Chelsea - Bonbeach comprising a mix of buses. These stops are serviced by 10 individual routes, collectively providing 3,401 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located 227 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward - the car remains the dominant mode at 87%, with 7% by train. Vehicle ownership averages 1.1 per dwelling, below the regional average. A high 34.4% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 485 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 65 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Chelsea - Bonbeach is lower than average with common health conditions somewhat prevalent across both younger and older age cohorts

Chelsea-Bonbeach faces significant health challenges, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Common health conditions are somewhat prevalent across both younger and older age cohorts, and the rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 60% of the total population (9,541 people), compared to 56.7% across Greater Melbourne.

The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and asthma, impacting 9.4% and 8.4% of residents, respectively, while 66.7% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 72.6% across Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among the working-age population are broadly typical. The area has 20.9% of residents aged 65 and over (3,343 people), which is higher than the 15.1% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

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

Chelsea - Bonbeach was found to be above average in terms of cultural diversity, with 13.8% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 24.8% born overseas. The main religion in Chelsea - Bonbeach is Christianity, which makes up 45.0% of the population. However, the most apparent overrepresentation was in Judaism, which comprises 0.5% of the population, compared to 1.0% across Greater Melbourne.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Chelsea - Bonbeach are English, comprising 28.4% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 20.1%, Australian, comprising 23.3% of the population, and Irish, comprising 9.5% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Russian is notably overrepresented at 1.0% of Chelsea - Bonbeach (vs 0.4% regionally), Polish at 1.0% (vs 0.8%) and Hungarian at 0.4% (vs 0.3%).

Chelsea - Bonbeach's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The 42-year median age in Chelsea - Bonbeach is significantly above Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and similarly considerably older than Australia's 38 years. The 65 - 74 age group shows strong representation at 10.5% compared to Greater Melbourne, whereas the 15 - 24 cohort is less prevalent at 8.5%. Post-2021 Census data shows the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 6.0% to 7.3% of the population. Conversely, the 25 to 34 cohort has declined from 14.2% to 12.5%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes for Chelsea - Bonbeach. Leading the demographic shift, the 75 to 84 group will grow by 60% (702 people), reaching 1,868 from 1,165. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 57% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 0 to 4 and 35 to 44 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.