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This analysis uses ABS Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2) boundaries, which can materially differ from Suburbs and Localities (SAL) even when sharing similar names.
SA2 boundaries are defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and are designed to represent communities for statistical reporting (e.g., census and ERP).
Suburbs and Localities (SAL) represent commonly-used suburb/locality names (postal-style areas) and may use different geographic boundaries. For comprehensive analysis, consider reviewing both boundary types if available.
est. as @ -- *
ABS ERP | -- people | --
2021 Census | -- people
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Footscray has an estimated 20,921 residents, up from 17,131 at the 2021 Census — a change of 3,790 people, or 22.1%. Growth has averaged 2.9% a year over five years, faster than 91% of areas nationally. 1,935 new addresses have been validated here since Census night. Overseas migration accounts for 93.6% of that increase. That puts 4,210 residents on each square kilometre. Population is estimated from ABS Estimated Resident Population releases and GNAF address data, re-based from the 2021 Census and updated annually.
Detail
According to demographic evaluations by AreaSearch, the resident count in Footscray stands at approximately 20,921 as of Aug 2026. This represents an expansion of 3,790 people (22.1%) relative to the 17,131 individuals counted during the 2021 Census. Such movement is calculated using the ABS estimated resident population figure of 20,890 recorded in June 2025 alongside 1,935 validated new addresses established post-Census. With 4,209 persons per square kilometer, the locality falls within the top 10% of nationwide territories analyzed by AreaSearch, placing significant demand on residential land. Outpacing both Victoria (9.5%) and the country as a whole, Footscray's 22.1% pace places it among the region's quickest-growing pockets.
Inbound international arrivals provided the primary momentum, accounting for roughly 93.6% of overall net additions in recent periods. Projections generated by the ABS/Geoscience Australia (issued in 2024 with a 2022 baseline) are applied by AreaSearch across SA2 boundaries. Where coverage is absent, calculations integrate 2023 VIC State Government Regional/LGA figures adjusted through population-weighted aggregation down to the SA2 level. For the 2032 to 2041 timeframe, cohort-specific growth rates derived from these models are incorporated across all geographies. Looking ahead, Footscray is slated for standout expansion that places it among the top 10 percent of nationwide statistical areas. Building upon the most recent annual ERP figures, the community is forecasted to add 14,538 persons through to 2041, representing an overall increase of 69.3% across the 16 years.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
1,749 new dwellings have been approved in Footscray over the past five years, an average of 349 a year. That places the area in the 91st percentile for residential development activity nationally, about 17 approvals per 1,000 residents a year. Of the 350 dwellings approved in the latest reporting year, 2% were detached houses and the rest townhouses or apartments. Figures come from ABS building approvals aggregated to this SA2 boundary and are updated monthly as the ABS releases them.
Detail
Across the preceding 5 financial years, residential building approvals in Footscray have maintained an annual pace of roughly 349 units, yielding 1,749 total dwellings. With an intake averaging 1.6 new residents per year per dwelling constructed between FY-22 and FY-26, incoming supply closely mirrors demographic absorption, fostering balanced real estate fundamentals. Newly approved residences carry an average construction value of $404,000, aligning with broader regional benchmarks. Additionally, commercial development permits reached $1.631 billion during this financial year, underscoring substantial commercial capital investment. On a per-person comparison, building activity in Footscray exceeds Greater Melbourne by 79.0%, broadening dwelling selection for purchasers.
This volume ranks substantially higher than national norms, highlighting strong builder appetite. High-density built forms dominate recent approvals, with townhouses or apartments comprising 98.0% of the total against 2.0% detached houses. This composition provides accessible price thresholds for first-home buyers, investors, and downsizing owner-occupiers. It marks a clear structural shift away from the established stock (where standalone dwellings currently account for 32.0%), addressing parcel scarcity while matching evolving housing preferences and budget constraints. Recording roughly 313 people per approval, the suburb displays typical hallmarks of an urban transformation. Based on the most recent quarterly calculation from AreaSearch, demographic trajectories suggest Footscray will expand by 14,499 residents through to 2041. Should dwelling creation remain at prevailing rates, incoming residential supply risks trailing population momentum, which may heighten buyer competition and reinforce upward pricing pressures.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Development applications around Footscray
SOURCE: Planning portals and council registers, compiled by AreaSearch. Distance & bearing measured from the suburb midpoint.
AreaSearch tracks 35 current infrastructure and development projects inside Footscray, worth an estimated $12.2 billion. A further 137 sit in the immediately surrounding suburbs, taking the tracked pipeline within reach of the area to $109.7 billion. 38 are already under construction and 42 are due for completion within three years. The pipeline spans residential development, communities, precincts & urban renewal and transport & logistics. Records are compiled from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, council planning portals and public announcements, reviewed and updated daily, then ranked by proximity, construction stage, completion horizon and project scale.
Detail
Civic infrastructure, major developments, and urban planning initiatives play an essential role in shaping local community performance. AreaSearch has pinpointed 51 projects in total that are anticipated to influence the immediate area. Prominent undertakings include Footscray Station Precinct Upgrade, Joseph Road Precinct, Kinnear's Precinct (Live City), and Victoria Square by Growland, with significant works itemized in the subsequent summary.
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Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
Joseph Road Precinct
A 17-hectare urban renewal program transforming former industrial warehouse and factory land between the Maribyrnong River and the Footscray-South Kensington rail corridor into a high-density mixed-use precinct. Council planning targets around 5,000 new households once fully built out, delivered across multiple residential towers including Liberty One, River One, Riverfront, Boat House, Waterfront, Victoria Square and Cowper Residences. Stage one road works on Joseph Road North and South have reached practical completion, delivering separated bike lanes, a raised pedestrian crossing, 20 parallel parking bays, upgraded drainage with integrated tree pits, new public lighting and tree planting.Lilardia Park, a new 1,444 square metre public open space named after Aboriginal activist Margaret (Lilardia) Tucker, opened to the community in August 2024. Stage two Hopkins Street improvement works including new traffic signals at Hopkins/Hallenstein Street and Hopkins/Joseph Road remain subject to future funding and Department of Transport and Planning approvals, with $100,000 proposed in the 2025/26 Capital Expenditure Budget to progress design. The 40km/h speed limit reduction on Hopkins Street between Moore Street and Hopetoun Bridge has been delivered.
New Footscray Hospital
The largest health infrastructure project in Victoria's history, this $1.5 billion hospital replaces the original 1950s facility. It features over 500 inpatient beds, 16 operating theatres, and an emergency department capable of treating 20,000 additional patients annually. The precinct includes a 12-storey inpatient tower and integrated clinical, research, and education spaces. It was officially opened to patients on 18 February 2026, marking a significant milestone for healthcare in Melbourne's west.
West Footscray Village
A major mixed-use redevelopment of the former 501 Receptions site. The project features a 3,606sq m Woolworths supermarket, BWS bottle shop, nine specialty retail tenancies, a 110-place childcare facility, a 425sq m medical centre, commercial office space, and a gymnasium. Sustainability targets include a 4-Star Green Star rating with rainwater harvesting and solar panels. The development includes two levels of basement parking for 278 cars and upgrades to the Barkly Street and Summerhill Road intersection.
Live City
Redevelopment of the historic Kinnears Ropeworks Factory into a vibrant mixed-use precinct. The masterplan includes up to 1,450 dwellings, a supermarket, retail laneways, commercial offices, and community services. Stage 1 (208 apartments) is complete, while Stage 2 received planning approval for 407 apartments across 5-15 storey buildings. The project features extensive heritage conservation and adaptive re-use of iconic factory structures. 3L Alliance acquired the future stages in 2025 to continue the precinct delivery.
Existing Footscray Hospital Site Redevelopment
The 6.6-hectare site of the former Footscray Hospital is being transformed into a mixed-use precinct following the new hospital's opening in February 2026. The master plan, led by Development Victoria, focuses on creating a vibrant community hub including a 3.5-hectare municipal park (oFoHo Park), a community hub in the former Psychiatric building, and expanded childcare. Demolition and site preparation are scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026, with a mandate for a minimum of 30% social and affordable housing.
Footscray Priority Precinct
A state-significant urban renewal initiative led by the Victorian Government to transform Footscray into a major metropolitan activity centre and the cultural and economic heart of Melbourne's inner west. Coordinated investments include the new Footscray Hospital, the Footscray Learning Precinct, Whitten Oval, and transport enhancements like the Metro Tunnel and regional rail connections. The strategic framework targets significant population growth and thousands of new local jobs, supported by structure planning and industrial zone transitions.
Kinnear's Precinct
Mixed-use renewal of the former Kinnear's Ropeworks site in Footscray. The approved precinct plan supports more than 1,200 dwellings plus retail, commercial, supermarket, office and community uses, with conservation and adaptive reuse of heritage ropeworks buildings. Stage 1 has been completed and Stage 2 has an issued permit for 407 apartments. 3L Alliance acquired the remaining stages from R&F Property in 2025 and is progressing design work with FK, with the heritage buildings, laneways and chimney intended to anchor the next mixed-use community stage.
Ryco Precinct
Mixed-use development on the former Ryco Hydraulics site in central Footscray, comprising five buildings (3-8 storeys) with 456 apartments and ground-floor commercial uses along Whitehall and Moreland Street frontages. The scheme features 40% affordable housing delivered via a build-to-rent-to-own model by Assemble, communal rooftop terraces, east-west and north-south pedestrian links through the precinct, and 211 car parking spaces at lower ground level. Designed by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects. Listed as coming soon with completion expected early 2027.
14,200 residents of Footscray are employed, from a labour force of 15,068. Unemployment sits at 5.8%, with participation at 79.7%. Weighted for its industry mix, the area's sectors are forecast to grow about 6.8% nationally over five years. That reflects industry composition only and makes no allowance for local population growth, so in an area growing as fast as this one it understates the likely rise in local jobs. The working-day population is estimated at 23,206, about 111% of the resident population, so the area draws in more workers than it sends out. Unemployment and labour force come from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, updated quarterly; the industry and occupation profile is from the 2021 Census.
Detail
Footscray's local labor market is defined by an educated resident base, significant participation in corporate services, a 5.8% jobless rate, and an estimated employment expansion of 1.9% over the past year. In March 2026, 14,200 residents were actively employed. The local unemployment rate stands 1.0% above the 4.8% recorded across Greater Melbourne, while labor force engagement is substantially elevated at 79.7% compared to the metropolitan standard of 70.1%. Census records showed that 41.2% of workers conducted their duties from home, though prevailing Covid-19 restrictions at the time must be taken into account.
Resident employment is concentrated within professional & technical services, health care & social assistance, and education & training. The neighborhood exhibits a notable cluster in accommodation & food services, capturing a labor proportion 1.5 times greater than the metropolitan standard. Conversely, the construction sector is comparatively small, engaging only 5.0% of the local workforce relative to 9.7% across Greater Melbourne. An employment density of 0.9 workers per resident at the Census confirms robust local job opportunities. AreaSearch evaluations of ABS and SALM records indicate that throughout the 12 months leading to March 2026, resident employment and the aggregate labor force both rose by 1.9%, keeping local joblessness virtually flat. By comparison, Greater Melbourne recorded a 2.1% uptick in employment, a 2.3% expansion in the labor pool, and a 0.2 percentage points increase in unemployment. Medium-to-longer-term trajectory modeling can be guided by the Mar-26 national projections from Jobs and Skills Australia. These five- and ten-year forecasts have been applied against the local sector balance to outline potential trends. Nationwide projections anticipate job gains of 6.6% across five years and 13.7% across ten years, with performance varying widely by sector. Synthesizing these sectoral outlooks against Footscray's profile suggests local employment could advance by 6.8% over five years and 13.8% over ten years (note that this represents a simple weighted baseline extrapolation for illustrative purposes and omits local demographic shifts).
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Median household income in Footscray is $1,763 a week (about $92,000 a year), with median personal income at $916 a week. ATO records put median taxable income at $56,703 a year against an average of $68,765. Household income is from the 2021 Census; taxable income is from ATO Taxation Statistics for the latest financial year available, indexed forward using the ABS Wage Price Index.
Detail
ATO records aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023 place taxpayer earnings in the Footscray SA2 marginally above the Australian benchmark. Middle-tier earnings among taxpayers recorded a median income of $56,703 alongside an average income of $68,765, compared to Greater Melbourne metrics of $57,688 and $75,164 respectively. Accounting for the 9.62% rise in the Wage Price Index since financial year 2023, modeled figures as of March 2026 reach approximately $62,158 for median earnings and $75,380 for average earnings. The 2021 Census positioned local individual remuneration at the 69th percentile ($916 weekly), whereas domestic household earnings sat at the 51st percentile.
In terms of earnings distribution, 34.3% of residents (7,175 individuals) earn within the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket, echoing the 32.8% observed across the wider region. Mortgage and rental commitments exert significant financial pressure, leaving 81.4% of income remaining (48th percentile), while the area's socioeconomic SEIFA score places it in the 6th decile.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Footscray had 7,370 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, 32% detached houses and 52% apartments. 28% are owned with a mortgage, 58% rented and 15% owned outright. At that Census the median rent was $355 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,940 a month, a total housing cost higher than 75% of areas nationally. Rent absorbs 20.1% of household income here and mortgage repayments 25.4%. Dwelling stock, tenure and housing costs are 2021 Census measures — the only source that counts dwellings at this boundary size.
Detail
Housing profiles captured at the latest Census show that detached houses formed 31.6% of Footscray's residential environment, with the remaining 68.4% made up of semi-detached dwellings, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This stands in contrast to the wider Melbourne metro profile of 67.9% houses and 32.1% other dwellings. Outright home ownership trailed metropolitan averages at 14.7%, with occupied homes being either rented (57.6%) or under a mortgage (27.7%). Median monthly home loan commitments were below the Melbourne metro figure of $2,000 at $1,940, while median weekly rent stood at $355 compared to $390 across the metropolitan region.
Benchmarked across Australia, Footscray exceeds the nationwide mortgage median of $1,863 but remains below the national rental midpoint of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Footscray counted 7,370 households at the 2021 Census, an estimated 9,001 today, averaging 2.1 people each. 16% are couples with children, fewer than in 93% of areas nationally, against 26% couples without children. 38% of households are people living alone, and families average 0.8 children. Household and family composition is measured only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Domestic arrangements are led by family units, accounting for 52.1% of total dwellings; this includes 25.9% couples without children, 15.9% couples with children, and 8.0% single parent families. Non-family dwellings make up the remaining 47.9%, comprising lone person households at 37.6% and group households at 10.3%. The typical household size sits at 2.1 people, remaining below the Greater Melbourne median of 2.6.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
50.6% of adults in Footscray hold a university qualification, including 30.8% with a bachelor degree and 15.2% with postgraduate qualifications, higher than 85% of areas nationally. A further 11.7% hold a vocational qualification. 10 schools serve the area, with 3,140 enrolment places and an average ICSEA of 1,098 against a national benchmark of 1,000. Qualifications come from the 2021 Census; school enrolments, ICSEA and results come from ACARA's current release.
Detail
Local academic credentials in Footscray materially exceed wider averages, with 50.6% of citizens aged 15+ holding tertiary degrees, compared to 32.0% across the SA4 region and 30.4% in Australia. This strong scholastic foundation positions the community well for professional and knowledge-focused careers. Bachelor qualifications form the largest segment at 30.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (15.2%) and graduate diplomas (4.6%). Meanwhile, technical and vocational training accounts for 21.7% of qualifications among residents aged 15+, divided between certificates (11.7%) and advanced diplomas (10.0%). A significant proportion of the community is actively engaged in study, with 31.0% of residents undertaking formal education.
Breaking this down, 13.0% are engaged in higher education, 5.3% attend primary education, and 3.2% are enrolled in secondary education.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Public transport in Footscray reaches 119 stops on 26 routes, timetabled for about 16,600 services a week. The typical home sits about 130 m from its nearest stop. Buses carry the largest share of public transport commuters. Households keep an average of 0.5 vehicles. Stop and service counts are built from operators' published GTFS timetables and refresh with each timetable release; vehicle ownership is from the 2021 Census.
Detail
Network evaluations indicate 119 active transit boarding points across Footscray, spanning a network of train, lightrail and buses. A total of 26 individual routes utilize these facilities, generating 16,642 weekly passenger trips. Commuter connectivity is strong, with typical walking distances of 131 meters to the nearest transport stop. Given its predominantly residential profile, the majority of commuters travel outwards; private vehicles remain the leading choice at 54%, followed by 24% by train and 7% by bus. Vehicle ownership sits below metropolitan benchmarks at an average of 0.5 per dwelling. In addition, 41.2% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).
Aggregate transit frequency delivers 2,377 trips per day across all operating services, providing roughly 139 weekly trips per individual stop. The accompanying mapping illustrates the 100 nearest stops relative to the geographical centrepoint.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
70.0% of residents in Footscray report no long-term health condition, a less healthy profile than 80% of areas nationally. 6.4% need daily assistance with core activities, and 53.3% hold private health cover. The standardised death rate runs at 8.2 per 1,000 residents. Health conditions, assistance needs and insurance are 2021 Census measures; the death rate comes from current ABS releases.
Detail
Assessment of chronic condition rates and mortality metrics by AreaSearch indicates notable health challenges within Footscray, with standard ailments evident across both older and younger demographics. The rate of private health insurance coverage marginally surpasses the typical SA2 at approximately 53% of the total population (~11,150 people), while trailing the 56.7% reported across Greater Melbourne. Mental health conditions and asthma represent the most widespread medical issues reported locally, affecting 12.2 and 8.1% of residents respectively. Conversely, 70.0% of the population indicated no medical ailments, compared with 72.6% throughout Greater Melbourne.
General health conditions across the working-age cohort track close to standard levels. Seniors aged 65 and over constitute 10.1% of the population (2,123 people), lower than the 15.1% metropolitan benchmark. However, health outcomes among elderly residents present heightened difficulties, registering higher on national comparison indices than the broader community.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
45.0% of Footscray residents were born overseas and 42.2% speak a language other than English at home, more culturally diverse than 86% of areas nationally. The largest reported ancestries are English (18.0%) and Australian (14.8%). Ancestry, language and country of birth are counted only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Footscray demonstrates strong multicultural character, with 45.0% of the community born overseas and 42.2% using a language other than English at home. Christianity constitutes the primary declared faith, representing 27.2% of residents. The most pronounced demographic concentration is found in Buddhism, which accounts for 9.2% of locals compared to 4.2% across Greater Melbourne. Evaluating ancestral background through parents' country of birth, the three most common heritage groups in Footscray are English at 18.0%, Other at 16.0%, and Australian at 14.8%. Divergences also appear across several other backgrounds: Vietnamese heritage is prominently represented at 8.0% (relative to 1.9% regionally), while Macedonian accounts for 0.7% (vs 0.7%) and Spanish makes up 0.7% (vs 0.4%).
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
The median resident of Footscray is 33, younger than 84% of areas nationally. That is 1 year younger than at the 2021 Census. 42.3% of residents are aged 15 to 34. Age cohorts are not raw Census counts: the Census split is re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections.
Detail
Footscray's demographic base is predominantly young and pre-family. Under estimates revised to August 2026, 51.1% of the community are young to middle aged adults (25 - 44), compared to 32.1% across Greater Melbourne, while children and young adults (0 - 24) constitute 21.7% against a regional share of 30.5%. The estimated median age stood at 33 as at August 2026, falling from 34 at the 2021 Census, sitting 4 years below the Greater Melbourne median of 37 and below the national median of 38 recorded at that Census. Since then, the share of young to middle aged adults expanded from 48.7% to an estimated 51.1%.
Demographic outlooks to 2041 project the greatest numerical addition among young to middle aged adults, expanding by 6,308 residents (59%) to 16,999, while the quickest percentage rise is anticipated across the retiree and elderly cohorts (65+), growing 101% to 4,264.
Frequently Asked Questions - Age
Data & MethodBoundaries, Sources & Method for Footscray
9 of 14 data sections on this page were updated within the last 12 months — the newest current to Sep 2026.
Everything is aggregated to the SA2 boundary shown above, on a 2021 Census baseline. Only 3 sections — housing, households and cultural diversity — still wait on the 2026 Census.
The ledger — source, cycle and currency by section
| Section | Source & update cycle | Currency |
|---|---|---|
| Updated within the last 12 months 9 sections | ||
| Population | ABS, GNAF, Geoscience Australia Annual (ABS ERP) | Aug 2026 2 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release) and updated with new dwellings from GNAF address data. Current to Aug 2026, with the 2021 Census supplying the small-area baseline. | ||
| Age profile | ABS, Geoscience Australia, State governments Annual | Aug 2026 2 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Age cohorts are re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections, current to Aug 2026. Each cohort is held as a Census baseline and a current estimate. | ||
| Development & approvals | ABS, GNAF Monthly (ABS approvals) | Aug 2026 2 months ago headline measures · Jul 2026 baseline |
| Property sales & rents | Valuer General, Rental Board, ABS Weekly sales, quarterly rents | Sep 2026 last month all 21 measures |
| Sales from the state Valuer General register, refreshed weekly, and rents from quarterly rental bond lodgements. Both are read live each time this page loads, current to Sep 2026. | ||
| Infrastructure projects | Infrastructure Australia, State agencies, Local governments Daily | Aug 2026 2 months ago all 35 projects tracked here |
| Project pipeline maintained continuously from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, local government and public announcements. Records are added and revised daily; this area was last updated Aug 2026. | ||
| Employment | ABS, DEWR, JSA Quarterly (ABS SALM) | Mar 2026 7 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Unemployment and labour force from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, current to Mar 2026. The growth outlook applies Department of Employment (now Jobs and Skills Australia) forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to the local industry mix, so it measures sector composition rather than local expansion and makes no allowance for population growth. Job demand comes from the same agency via its Internet Vacancy Index; industry and occupation structure from the 2021 Census. | ||
| Education | ABS, ACARA Annual (ACARA) | Sep 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Transport | ABS, State Transport Departments Each timetable release | Jul 2026 3 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Services & amenities | Provider directories, ACECQA Continuous | Sep 2026 last month all 14 measures |
| Annual and financial-year sources 2 sections | ||
| Income | ABS, ATO Annual (ATO) | FY 2023 3 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| ATO taxable income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index. Census household income provides the distribution detail. | ||
| Health | ABS, ATO Annual | 2024 2 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Census-measured — next update: 2026 Census 3 sections No more current small-area source exists for these, so they are labelled as Census-measured rather than implied to be current. | ||
| Housing | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 30 measures |
| Households | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 18 measures |
| Cultural diversity | ABS, Geoscience Australia 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 44 measures |
"Currency" is the most recent release feeding that section. Where the Census supplies the structural baseline underneath a current headline figure, the row says so.
How the numbers are built
Population
The Census provides the small-area baseline, aggregated from mesh blocks to this boundary. It is then re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release), and new dwellings built since Census night are counted from address data — 1,935 validated new addresses here. The headline figure is therefore a current estimate for Aug 2026, not a 2021 count (17,131 at the 2021 Census → 20,921 now). Annual growth rates are compound (CAGR), not simple averages.
Age profile
Cohort shares are not raw Census counts. Every cohort is held as a pair — the Census baseline and a current estimate — and the split is re-based using ERP and state population projections, current to Aug 2026. Median age is the Census median plus modelled change since. Charts that show both are labelled "2021 Census vs Current Estimate".
Property sales
Sourced from the state valuation authority's sales register — current, not Census, and refreshed weekly. Medians are calculated from settled transactions in the period shown; periods with very low transaction counts are flagged or suppressed, because a handful of sales can move a median substantially.
Rents
Derived from state rental bond lodgement data, by dwelling type and bedroom count. Bonds are lodged at the start of a new tenancy, so this reflects new lettings, not the whole rented stock.
Development & infrastructure
Building approvals come from current ABS releases; development applications are collected from council and state planning portals; the infrastructure pipeline is compiled from Infrastructure Australia and local government sources. Applications are matched to this boundary by address or coordinates, so very recent lodgements may not yet appear.
Employment & income
Industry and occupation structure comes from the Census, but the headline labour-market indicators do not. Unemployment and labour force are derived from ABS Small Area Labour Markets (quarterly). The employment outlook applies Department of Employment forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to this area's own industry mix (the agency is now Jobs and Skills Australia), as does the Internet Vacancy Index used for job demand. Because it is weighted on industry composition alone, that outlook carries no allowance for local population growth — in fast-growing areas the real rise in local jobs will typically be higher. Income combines Census household income with ATO taxable-income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index.
Education, transport & amenities
School enrolments, ICSEA and performance come from ACARA's current release, not the Census. Public transport stops and service frequency are derived from GTFS timetable feeds published by state transport departments. Services and amenities are proximity and count scores built from provider directories, refreshed on their own cycle. The Census contributes only the travel-to-work and qualification measures.
Rankings and benchmarks. Where we rank this area, the comparison set is every area of the same boundary type — suburbs against suburbs, SA2s against SA2s. Benchmarks compare this area against its greater capital city region and the national figure for the same measure and period.
Limits worth knowing. Small areas carry larger error margins, and the ABS introduces small random adjustments to Census counts to protect confidentiality — so totals may not sum exactly. Estimates re-based from regional data describe the area's expected trajectory, not a direct count of it. Figures are indicative for research and are not financial, planning or valuation advice.
Cross-check us. The Census baseline for this boundary is at ABS 2021 Census QuickStats (213031348). QuickStats reports 2021 only — the figures on this page are more current wherever the ledger shows a later date.