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 17,364 as of November 2025. This figure reflects an increase of 1,255 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 16,109. The change is inferred from ABS estimates of 17,210 in June 2024 and 459 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 2,143 persons per square kilometer, above the national average assessed by AreaSearch. Croydon - East's growth rate of 7.8% since the 2021 census exceeded both SA4 (4.0%) and SA3 regions, indicating it as a growth leader in the area. Overseas migration contributed approximately 64.9% of overall population gains during recent periods.

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, AreaSearch utilises VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023 with adjustments made through weighted aggregation of population growth 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, Croydon - East is projected to grow by 2,847 persons to 2041, with an increase of 15.3% over the 17-year period.

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. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25655 homes were approved, with an additional 15 approved so far in FY26. On average, 1.3 people moved to the area each year for each dwelling built during these years, indicating balanced supply and demand. However, recent data shows this has increased to 7 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting growing popularity and potential supply constraints.

New homes are being constructed at an average expected cost of $279,000, which is below regional levels, offering more affordable housing options for buyers. This year alone, $59.5 million in commercial approvals have been registered, demonstrating strong commercial development momentum. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Croydon - East has 82.0% more development activity per capita. This increased activity provides buyers with greater choice, although building activity has slowed in recent years. Currently, new building activity consists of 35.0% detached dwellings and 65.0% townhouses or apartments, marking a significant shift from the existing housing pattern of 75.0% houses. This trend reflects diminishing developable land availability and responds to evolving lifestyle preferences and housing affordability needs.

With approximately 244 people per approval, Croydon - East is experiencing market transition. Future projections indicate that Croydon - East will add around 2,664 residents by 2041. Given current construction levels, housing supply should meet demand adequately, 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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 27 projects that could affect the area. Notable projects include Croydon Community Wellbeing Precinct, Croydon Main Street Revitalisation, 295 Mt Dandenong Road Residential Development, and Croydon Activity Centre Structure Plan. The following list details those most likely to be relevant.

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

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

Croydon - East has a well-educated workforce with strong representation in essential services sectors. The unemployment rate is 5.1%, showing relative employment stability over the past year as of June 2025.

There are 8,912 residents employed, with an unemployment rate of 5.1% compared to Greater Melbourne's 4.6%. Workforce participation is at 64.1%, similar to Greater Melbourne's rate. Key industries of employment among residents include health care & social assistance, construction, and retail trade.

However, transport, postal & warehousing has limited presence with 3.2% employment compared to the regional average of 5.2%. The predominantly residential area offers limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the Census working population vs resident population count. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 0.4%, while labour force grew by 0.6%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne saw employment grow by 3.5% and labour force expand by 4.0%, with a corresponding increase in unemployment of 0.5 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project overall 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 simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localised population projections.

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. The average income stood at $66,890 during the same period. These figures are slightly higher than those for Greater Melbourne, which were $54,892 and $73,761 respectively. By September 2025, estimates based on a 12.16% Wage Price Index growth suggest median income will be approximately $61,661 and average income around $75,024. According to the 2021 Census, household incomes in Croydon - East rank between the 39th and 54th percentiles. The largest segment of earners comprises 34.6% with weekly earnings of $1,500 - 2,999 (6,007 residents), similar to the metropolitan region where 32.8% fall into this bracket. Housing affordability pressures are severe in Croydon - East, 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

Croydon - East's dwelling structure, 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 ones at 30.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,885, below Melbourne metro's average of $2,000. Median weekly rent in Croydon - East was $371, compared to Melbourne metro's $385. Nationally, Croydon - East's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were lower than the national figure of $375.

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

Family households comprise 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 account for 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

Croydon has educational qualifications that lag behind Greater Melbourne's regional benchmarks. Specifically, 28.4% of residents aged 15+ hold university degrees compared to the region's 37.0%. This gap suggests potential for educational development and skill enhancement. Bachelor degrees are most common at 18.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.5%) and graduate diplomas (3.2%).

Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 35.1% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications – advanced diplomas (11.9%) and certificates (23.2%). Educational participation is high, with 26.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 8.9% in primary education, 5.9% in secondary education, and 3.9% pursuing tertiary education. Ruskin Park Primary School and Dorset Primary School serve the area collectively, educating 1,003 students. These schools focus exclusively on primary education, with secondary options available nearby. Limited local school capacity (5.8 places per 100 residents vs regional average of 15.5) means many families travel to nearby areas 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. These are a mix of train and bus services. They are served by 26 individual routes that collectively provide 5,790 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated as good with residents 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 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 somewhat prevalent across all ages, particularly among older age cohorts.

Approximately 52% (~9,098 people) of residents have private health cover, which is slightly higher than the average SA2 area rate. The most common medical conditions are mental health issues and asthma, affecting 9.9% and 8.7% of residents respectively. However, 66.4% of residents report having no medical ailments, compared to 68.7% across Greater Melbourne. The area has an 18.8% (3,266 people) elderly population aged 65 and over, with health outcomes among seniors requiring more attention than the broader population.

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 was found to be more culturally diverse than most local markets, with 26.0% of its population born overseas and 19.7% speaking a language other than English at home. The dominant religion in Croydon-East is Christianity, comprising 45.0% of the population. Notably, the 'Other' religious category comprises 1.3% of the population, slightly higher than the 1.1% average across Greater Melbourne.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups are English (27.7%), Australian (24.2%), and Other (10.7%). There are also notable differences in the representation of certain ethnic groups: Dutch is overrepresented at 2.3%, compared to 2.1% regionally; Chinese is underrepresented at 3.8%, versus 6.0%; and Welsh is slightly overrepresented at 0.6%, compared to 0.5%.

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

The median age in Croydon - East is 38 years, similar to Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and the Australian 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 present, the 35-44 age group has increased from 15.2% to 16.1%, while the 0-4 cohort has declined from 6.8% to 6.0%. By 2041, significant shifts in Croydon - East's age composition are projected. The 45-54 group is expected to grow by 26%, reaching 2,533 people from 2,009. Meanwhile, both the 0-4 and 5-14 age groups are anticipated to decrease in numbers.