Croydon - East
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Croydon - East's population was around 17,366 as of August 2025. This figure reflects an increase of 1,257 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 16,109. The change is inferred from ABS estimates of 17,208 in June 2024 and an additional 461 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 2,144 persons per square kilometer, higher than the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Croydon - East's growth rate of 7.8% since the 2021 census exceeded both the SA4 region (3.9%) and the SA3 area, indicating it as a growth leader in the region. Overseas migration contributed approximately 64.9% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting 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 utilises VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023, adjusting using weighted aggregation from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on the latest population numbers, an above median growth is projected for statistical areas across the nation, with Croydon - East expected to grow by 2,847 persons to 2041, an increase of 15.3% over the 17 years.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Croydon - East when compared nationally

Croydon - East has recorded approximately 131 residential properties granted approval annually. Development approval data is produced by the ABS on a financial year basis, with 655 homes approved over the past five financial years between FY-21 and FY-25, and two approved so far in FY-26. On average, 1.3 new residents have arrived per new home annually over the past five financial years, indicating a balanced supply and demand creating stable market conditions. However, recent data shows this has intensified to 7 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting growing popularity and potential undersupply. New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost value of $488,000.

Additionally, $59.5 million in commercial approvals have been registered this financial year, indicating strong commercial development momentum compared to Greater Melbourne, where Croydon - East has 82.0% more development activity per person, providing buyers with ample choice despite a slowdown in building activity in recent years. New building activity shows 35.0% detached dwellings and 65.0% townhouses or apartments, marking a significant shift from existing housing patterns which are currently 75.0% houses. This trend reflects diminishing developable land availability and responds to evolving lifestyle preferences and housing affordability needs, with around 244 people per approval. Future projections show Croydon - East adding 2,662 residents by 2041, with current construction levels expected to adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Future projections show Croydon - East adding 2,662 residents by 2041. With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

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

Area infrastructure significantly impacts local performance. AreaSearch identified 26 projects potentially affecting the area. Notable initiatives include the Croydon Community Wellbeing Precinct - Library and Cultural Hub, Croydon Community Wellbeing Precinct - Cultural Hub, Croydon Main Street Revitalisation, and 295 Mt Dandenong Road Residential Development. The following list details projects likely most relevant.

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

Employment performance in Croydon - East has been below expectations when compared to most other areas nationally

Croydon - East has an educated workforce with notable representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate was 5.1% as of June 2024, showing relative employment stability over the past year.

As of June 2025, 8912 residents are employed while the unemployment rate stands at 5.0%, slightly higher than Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.6%. Workforce participation is on par with Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Key industries of employment among residents include health care & social assistance, construction, and retail trade.

Transport, postal & warehousing has limited presence with 3.2% employment compared to the regional average of 5.2%. The area offers limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by Census data showing fewer working residents than expected based on population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 0.4%, labour force grew by 0.6%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.2 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Melbourne saw employment grow by 3.5% and unemployment rose by 0.5 percentage points. State-level data from Sep-25 shows Victoria's employment grew by 1.08% year-on-year, with an unemployment rate of 4.7%. National forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Croydon - East's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, though this is a simplified extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

Income levels align closely with national averages, indicating typical economic conditions for Australian communities according to AreaSearch analysis

Croydon East's median income among taxpayers was $54,976 in financial year 2022, according to latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch. Its average income stood at $66,890 during the same period. Comparing these figures with Greater Melbourne's median and average incomes of $54,892 and $73,761 respectively, Croydon East's incomes were slightly higher. Based on a 10.11% growth in wages from financial year 2022 to March 2025, estimated current incomes would be approximately $60,534 (median) and $73,653 (average). The 2021 Census showed household, family, and personal incomes in Croydon East ranking modestly, between the 39th and 54th percentiles. Income distribution data revealed that the largest segment comprised 34.6% of residents earning $1,500 - $2,999 weekly. This is similar to the metropolitan region where 32.8% fall into this income bracket. Housing affordability pressures in Croydon East are severe, with only 81.7% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 38th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the fifth decile.

Croydon - East is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Dwelling structure in Croydon - East, as per the latest Census, consisted of 74.7% houses and 25.2% other dwellings. In Melbourne metro, this was 87.2% houses and 12.8% other dwellings. Home ownership in Croydon - East stood at 29.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 39.7% and rented at 30.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,885, lower than Melbourne metro's $2,000. Median weekly rent in Croydon - East was $371, compared to Melbourne metro's $385. Nationally, mortgage repayments were higher at $1,863 and rents were lower at $375.

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

Family households account for 64.7% of all households, including 26.9% couples with children, 24.1% couples without children, and 12.7% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 35.3%, with lone person households at 32.2% and group households comprising 3.0%. The median household size is 2.3 people, which is smaller than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

The educational profile of Croydon - East exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

In Croydon East, as of the latest data available, 28.4% of residents aged 15+ hold university degrees, compared to Greater Melbourne's 37.0%. This indicates potential for educational development. Bachelor degrees are most common at 18.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.5%) and graduate diplomas (3.2%). Vocational credentials are prominent, with 35.1% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (11.9%) and certificates (23.2%).

Current educational participation is high at 26.0%, comprising primary education (8.9%), secondary education (5.9%), and tertiary education (3.9%). Ruskin Park Primary School and Dorset Primary School serve a total of 1,003 students in Croydon East, which has balanced educational opportunities with an ICSEA score of 1028. Both schools focus on primary education; secondary options are available nearby. Local school capacity is limited (5.8 places per 100 residents vs regional average of 15.5), leading many families to travel for schooling.

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

Croydon - East has 75 active public transport stops, served by 26 routes. These provide a total of 5,790 weekly passenger trips. Residents are typically located 247 meters from the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 827 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 77 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Croydon - East is lower than average with common health conditions somewhat prevalent across the board, though to a slightly higher degree among older age cohorts

Croydon - East faces significant health challenges with common health conditions prevalent among its residents.

Mental health issues affect approximately 9.9% of residents, while asthma impacts around 8.7%. About 52% of the total population (~9,099 people) have private health cover, slightly higher than the average SA2 area. Around 66.4% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 68.7% across Greater Melbourne. The area has 18.8% of residents aged 65 and over (3,266 people). Health outcomes among seniors require more attention than the broader population due to certain challenges they face.

Croydon - East was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Croydon-East, surveyed between 2016 and 2021, had higher cultural diversity than most local areas: 26.0% of residents were born overseas, and 19.7% spoke a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion (45.0%). The 'Other' religious category comprised 1.3%, slightly more than Greater Melbourne's 1.1%.

Ancestry-wise, English (27.7%) and Australian (24.2%) were the top groups, followed by 'Other' at 10.7%. Notably, Dutch ancestry was overrepresented at 2.3% compared to the regional average of 2.1%, as were Chinese (3.8% vs 6.0%) and Welsh (0.6% vs 0.5%).

Croydon - East's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

The median age in Croydon - East is 38 years, close to Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and equivalent to Australia's median of 38. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Croydon - East has a higher proportion of residents aged 65-74 (9.7%) but fewer residents aged 15-24 (10.2%). Between the 2021 Census and now, the age group 35-44 has increased from 15.2% to 16.1%, while the 0-4 cohort has decreased from 6.8% to 6.0%. By 2041, Croydon - East's age composition is expected to change significantly. The 45-54 group is projected to grow by 26%, reaching 2,533 people from the current 2,009. Meanwhile, both the 0-4 and 5-14 age groups are expected to decrease in numbers.