Essendon - East

Population growth drivers in Essendon - East are slightly above average based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium term trends

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Essendon - East's population is around 13,265 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 1,074 people (8.8%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 12,191 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 12,946 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 313 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 3,736 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Over the past decade, Essendon - East has demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a 1.1% compound annual growth rate, outpacing the SA3 area. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 89.8% 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. Regarding demographic trends, a population increase just below the median of statistical areas across the nation is expected, with the area expected to grow by 1,113 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an increase of 6.0% in total over the 17 years.

AreaSearch analysis of residential development drivers sees Essendon - East recording a relatively average level of approval activity when compared to local markets analysed countrywide

Essendon - East has recorded around 60 residential properties granted approval per year, totalling 302 homes over the past 5 financial years. So far in FY-26, 43 approvals have been recorded. With an average of only 0.8 people per year moving to the area for each dwelling built over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), new supply is keeping pace with or exceeding demand, offering ample buyer choice and creating capacity for population growth beyond current forecasts, while new homes are being built at an average value of $445,000—slightly above the regional average—suggesting a focus on quality developments. Additionally, $1.7 million in commercial approvals have been registered this financial year, demonstrating the area's residential nature.

When measured against Greater Melbourne, Essendon - East records roughly half the building activity per person while it places among the 65th percentile of areas assessed nationally. New building activity shows 24.0% standalone homes and 76.0% townhouses or apartments. This focus on higher-density living creates more affordable entry points and suits downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. This shows a considerable change from the current housing mix (currently 40.0% houses), reflecting reduced availability of development sites and addressing shifting lifestyle demands and affordability requirements. The location has approximately 282 people per dwelling approval, indicating room for growth.

Looking ahead, Essendon - East is expected to grow by 794 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Based on current development patterns, new housing supply should readily meet demand, offering good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Essendon - East has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 38thth percentile nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total 14 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include LUMA Sunshine North, Moonee Valley Racing Club Grandstand & Clubhouse Redevelopment, 881 Mt Alexander Road, Essendon, and Moonee Valley Park, 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.

AreaSearch assessment positions Essendon - East ahead of most Australian regions for employment performance

Essendon - East possesses a highly educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation, an unemployment rate of 4.1%, and 4.1% in estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 8,318 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 0.6% below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%, and workforce participation is fairly standard (76.3% compared to Greater Melbourne's 71.3%). Based on Census responses, a high 40.8% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

The key industries of employment among residents are health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training. The area demonstrates a particularly notable concentration in public administration & safety, with employment levels at 1.4 times the regional average. Conversely, manufacturing shows lower representation at 4.7% versus the regional average of 7.2%. 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, during the year to December 2025, employment levels increased by 4.1% and the labour force increased by 4.6%, resulting in unemployment rising by 0.4 percentage points. By comparison, Greater Melbourne recorded employment growth of 2.4%, labour force growth of 2.8%, with unemployment rising 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Essendon - East. 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 Essendon - East's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.1% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

The Essendon - East SA2's income level is exceptionally high nationally according to the latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for FY-23. The Essendon - East SA2's median income among taxpayers is $67,311 and the average income stands at $96,507, which compares to figures for Greater Melbourne's of $57,688 and $75,164 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $72,864 (median) and $104,469 (average) as of September 2025. According to 2021 Census figures, individual earnings stand out at the 86th percentile nationally ($1,111 weekly). Distribution data shows the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 32.3% of residents (4,284 people), mirroring regional levels where 32.8% occupy this bracket. Essendon - East demonstrates considerable affluence with 32.0% earning over $3,000 per week, supporting premium retail and service offerings. Housing accounts for 14.8% of income while strong earnings rank residents within the 71st percentile for disposable income and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

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

Dwelling structure within Essendon - East, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 39.9% houses and 60.1% 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 Essendon - East was slightly lagging that of Melbourne metro, at 28.2%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (29.3%) or rented (42.5%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was above the Melbourne metro average at $2,167, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $371, compared to Melbourne metro's $2,000 and $390. Nationally, Essendon - East's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are less than the national figure of $375.

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

Family households dominate at 59.1% of all households, comprising 26.3% couples with children, 24.0% couples without children, and 7.4% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 40.9%, with lone person households at 36.0% and group households comprising 4.9% of the total. The median household size of 2.2 people is smaller than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

Educational achievement in Essendon - East places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

Educational attainment in Essendon - East significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 47.8% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 30.4% in Australia and 33.4% in VIC. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 30.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (12.1%) and graduate diplomas (4.9%). Vocational pathways account for 23.2% of qualifications among those aged 15+ – advanced diplomas (11.1%) and certificates (12.1%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 28.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 8.3% in tertiary education, 7.6% in primary education, and 6.5% pursuing secondary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 86 active transport stops operating within Essendon - East, comprising a mix of train, light rail, and buses. These stops are serviced by 20 individual routes, collectively providing 8,789 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 145 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 72%, with 14% by train. Vehicle ownership averages 1.0 per dwelling, which is below the regional average. A high 40.8% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 1,255 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 102 weekly trips per individual stop.

Essendon - East's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Essendon - East, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Both young and old age cohorts see low prevalence of common health conditions, and the rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 70% of the total population (9,245 people). This compares to 56.7% across Greater Melbourne and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and asthma, impacting 8.4% and 8.1% of residents, respectively, while 71.8% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 72.6% across Greater Melbourne. Working-age residents are notably healthy with low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 18.7% of residents aged 65 and over (2,483 people), which is higher than the 15.1% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

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

Essendon - East was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets, with 26.8% of its population born overseas and 24.5% speaking a language other than English at home. The main religion in Essendon - East is Christianity, which makes up 53.4% of people. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Hinduism, which comprises 4.6% of the population, compared to 4.4% across Greater Melbourne.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Essendon - East are English, comprising 20.6% of the population, Australian, comprising 17.3% of the population, and Other, comprising 10.9% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Italian is notably overrepresented at 10.2% of Essendon - East (vs 5.2% regionally), Maltese at 1.7% (vs 1.1%) and Irish at 10.8% (vs 6.5%).

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

With a median age of 37, Essendon - East is equal to the Greater Melbourne figure of 37 and remains comparable to Australia's 38 years. The 65 - 74 age group shows strong representation at 10.4% compared to Greater Melbourne, whereas the 5 - 14 cohort is less prevalent at 9.1%. Since 2021, the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 4.2% to 6.0% of the population, while the 65 to 74 cohort increased from 9.0% to 10.4%. Conversely, the 0 to 4 cohort has declined from 4.1% to 3.2%. Looking ahead to 2041, demographic projections reveal significant shifts in Essendon - East's age structure. Leading the demographic shift, the 75 to 84 group will grow by 54% (428 people), reaching 1,220 from 791. The aging population dynamic is clear, with those 65+ comprising 58% of projected growth. On the other hand, the 0 to 4 and 25 to 34 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.