Chelsea - Bonbeach
Statistical Area - sa2

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

As of August 2025, Chelsea - Bonbeach's population is approximately 15,930. This figure reflects a growth of 726 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 15,204. The increase is inferred from an estimated resident population of 15,882 in June 2024 and 158 new addresses validated since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 2,939 persons per square kilometer, placing Chelsea - Bonbeach in the upper quartile nationally according to AreaSearch assessments. Over the past decade, Chelsea - Bonbeach has maintained a compound annual growth rate of 1.2%, outperforming its SA3 region. Overseas migration accounted for approximately 86.4% of recent population gains.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections released in 2024 with a base year of 2022 for each SA2 area, and VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023 adjusted using weighted aggregation method for areas not covered by ABS data. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas from 2032 to 2041. By 2041, Chelsea - Bonbeach is projected to have a population of 18,758, an increase of 17.4% over the 17-year period.

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

Chelsea-Bonbeach has recorded approximately 69 residential properties granted approval each year. Development approval data is produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on a financial year basis, totalling 349 approvals across the past five financial years from FY21 to FY25, with 3 approved so far in FY26. Over these five years, an average of 1.6 new residents per year arrived per new home, indicating balanced supply and demand and stable market conditions. However, recent data shows this has increased to 4.3 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting growing popularity and potential supply constraints in the area. New properties are constructed at an average value of $671,000, reflecting quality-focused development.

This year alone, $19.1 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, indicating moderate levels of commercial development compared to Greater Melbourne, where Chelsea-Bonbeach shows 17.0% lower construction activity per person and ranks among the 58th percentile nationally. New building activity comprises 38.0% detached houses and 62.0% townhouses or apartments, promoting higher-density living that creates more affordable entry points for downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. The location has approximately 263 people per dwelling approval, indicating a low density market. Population forecasts project Chelsea-Bonbeach will gain 2,780 residents by 2041, with construction maintaining a reasonable pace to meet projected growth, although increasing competition among buyers is expected as the population grows.

Population forecasts indicate Chelsea - Bonbeach will gain 2,780 residents through to 2041. Construction is maintaining a reasonable pace with projected growth, although buyers could encounter growing competition as population increases.

Chelsea - Bonbeach has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

Two projects have been identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area: Rossdale Golf Course Redevelopment (Aspendale, Carrum) and Patterson River Precinct Improvements (Carrum). Other notable projects include Carrum Level Crossing Removal and Revitalisation, and Monash Freeway Upgrade Stage 2.

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

The labour market performance in Chelsea - Bonbeach lags significantly behind most other regions nationally

Chelsea - Bonbeach has a well-educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. As of June 2025, the unemployment rate is 7.1%.

In this month, 8,505 residents are employed while the unemployment rate stands at 2.5% higher than Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.6%, and workforce participation matches Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, construction, and education & training, with a particularly strong specialization in construction, being 1.3 times the regional level. Conversely, accommodation & food shows lower representation at 4.2% compared to the regional average of 6.4%. Over the year ending June 2025, labour force levels increased by 1.4%, while employment declined by 0.9%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate by 2.1 percentage points.

In comparison, Greater Melbourne saw employment growth of 3.5% and an unemployment increase of 0.5%. By Sep-25, state-level data shows VIC's employment grew by 1.08% year-on-year, adding 39,880 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%, slightly higher than the national rate of 4.5%. Jobs and Skills Australia forecasts national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Chelsea - Bonbeach's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.7% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released on 1st July 2022 for financial year 2022, Chelsea - Bonbeach had a median income among taxpayers of $63,591. The average income stood at $76,902. Nationally, these figures are extremely high compared to the national averages of $54,892 and $73,761 respectively for Greater Melbourne. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.11% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $70,020 (median) and $84,677 (average) as of March 2025. From the 2021 Census, personal income ranks at the 75th percentile with weekly earnings of $962, while household income sits at the 48th percentile. The predominant income cohort spans 31.5% of locals (5,017 people) in the $1,500 - 2,999 category, consistent with broader trends across the region showing 32.8% in the same category. Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 82.4% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 47th percentile. 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

In Chelsea-Bonbeach, as per the latest Census data, 36.5% of dwellings were houses while 63.6% were other types such as semi-detached homes and apartments. This differs from Melbourne metropolitan area's figures which stood at 54.8% for houses and 45.2% for other dwellings. Home ownership in Chelsea-Bonbeach was recorded at 30.3%, with mortgaged properties accounting for 38.4% and rented dwellings making up 31.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area, as of recent data, was $2,065, lower than Melbourne metro's average of $2,167. The median weekly rent figure stood at $381 compared to Melbourne metro's $410. Nationally, Chelsea-Bonbeach's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, with rents exceeding the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 62.1 percent of all households, including 25.7 percent couples with children, 25.1 percent couples without children, and 10.4 percent single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 37.9 percent, with lone person households at 34.8 percent and group households comprising 3.0 percent of the total. The median household size is 2.2 people, which is smaller than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.4.

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 at 32.7%, substantially below the SA4 region average of 46.0%. This presents 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 are prominent, with 34.4% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (12.6%) and certificates (21.8%).

Educational participation is 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. Chelsea - Bonbeach's 5 schools have a combined enrollment reaching 1,048 students as of the latest data. Chelsea - Bonbeach demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1083). Education provision is balanced with 3 primary and 2 secondary schools serving distinct age groups. Limited local school capacity (6.6 places per 100 residents vs 15.7 regionally) means many families travel to nearby areas for schooling. Note: where schools show 'n/a' for enrolments, please refer to parent campus.

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

Chelsea-Bonbeach has 51 active public transport stops serving a mix of train and bus routes. These stops are serviced by 9 individual routes that collectively facilitate 4,210 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as good with residents typically located approximately 228 meters from the nearest transport stop.

Service frequency averages around 601 trips per day across all routes, equating to roughly 82 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, with common health conditions prevalent across both younger and older age cohorts.

The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 58% of the total population (9,207 people). The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and asthma, impacting 9.4% and 8.4% of residents respectively. 66.7% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments compared to 70.4% across Greater Melbourne. As of 2016, the area has 20.2% of residents aged 65 and over (3,217 people). Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

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

Chelsea-Bonbeach has a higher than average cultural diversity, with 13.8% of its residents speaking a language other than English at home and 24.8% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion in Chelsea-Bonbeach, accounting for 45.0% of the population. Judaism is notably overrepresented compared to Greater Melbourne, comprising 0.5% of Chelsea-Bonbeach's population.

The top three ancestral groups are English (28.4%), Australian (23.3%), and Irish (9.5%). Russian, Polish, and Hungarian ethnic groups have equal representation in Chelsea-Bonbeach as they do regionally, at 1.0%, 1.0%, and 0.4% respectively.

Chelsea - Bonbeach's median age exceeds the national pattern

Chelsea-Bonbeach's median age is 41 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and somewhat older than Australia's median of 38. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Chelsea-Bonbeach has a notably over-represented cohort of 65-74 year-olds (10.3%) and an under-represented cohort of 15-24 year-olds (8.4%). According to the 2021 Census, the 75 to 84 age group grew from 6.0% to 6.9% of the population while the 25 to 34 cohort declined from 14.2% to 13.0%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests Chelsea-Bonbeach's age profile will change significantly. The 75 to 84 cohort is projected to grow by 69%, adding 762 residents to reach 1,868. Residents aged 65 and older are expected to represent 58% of the population growth, while the 0 to 4 and 5 to 14 cohorts are projected to decline in population.