Glen Waverley - East

An assessment of population growth drivers in Glen Waverley - East reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

Glen Waverley - East's population was around 22,732 as of November 2025, reflecting an increase of 1,129 people since the 2021 Census. The population in 2021 was reported at 21,603. This change is inferred from ABS's estimated resident population of 22,689 in June 2024 and additional 79 validated new addresses since the Census date. The population density ratio was 2,481 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration primarily drove this growth.

AreaSearch adopted ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered, they used VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023 with adjustments made via weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group were applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, an above median population growth is projected, with the area expected to increase by 4,065 persons, reflecting a gain of 17.7% in total over the 17 years based on the latest annual ERP population numbers.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within Glen Waverley - East when compared nationally

Glen Waverley - East has averaged approximately 116 new dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling 581 homes. As of FY-26, 48 approvals have been recorded. The population in Glen Waverley - East has declined recently, with new supply likely meeting demand and offering good choice to buyers. New properties are constructed at an average expected construction cost value of $790,000, indicating a focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties.

This financial year, there have been $12.3 million in commercial approvals, demonstrating moderate levels of commercial development. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Glen Waverley - East maintains similar construction rates per person, supporting market stability inline with regional patterns. New development consists of 80.0% detached houses and 20.0% attached dwellings, preserving the area's suburban nature and attracting space-seeking buyers.

With around 184 people per approval, Glen Waverley - East reflects a low density area. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, Glen Waverley - East is projected to add 4,022 residents by 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

Glen Waverley - East has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 46thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 28 projects likely to affect the area. Notable ones include 855-869 Ferntree Gully Road Townhouse Development, 15-17 Marriott Parade Townhouse Development, 281 Springvale Road Glen Waverley Development, and Luna Glen Waverley. The following list details those most relevant.

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 analysis of employment trends sees Glen Waverley - East performing better than 85% of local markets assessed across Australia

Glen Waverley - East has a highly educated workforce with professional services well represented. Its unemployment rate was 2.0% as of September 2014, with an estimated employment growth of 4.4% over the past year.

As of September 2025, 11,471 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.7%, below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.7%. Workforce participation is lower at 57.1% compared to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Key industries of employment among residents are health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and retail trade. The area specialises in professional & technical jobs, with an employment share 1.2 times the regional level.

Construction is under-represented at 6.5% compared to Greater Melbourne's 9.7%. Over the year to September 2025, employment increased by 4.4%, while labour force grew by 4.7%, raising the unemployment rate by 0.3 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne had employment growth of 3.0% and a 0.3 percentage point rise in unemployment. State-level data to 25-Nov-25 shows VIC employment grew by 1.13% year-on-year, with an unemployment rate of 4.7%. National employment forecasts from May-25 project national growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Glen Waverley - East's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.1% over ten years.

The area's income profile falls below national averages based on AreaSearch analysis

The Glen Waverley - East SA2 had a median taxpayer income of $44,935 and an average of $69,908 in financial year 2022. This is higher than the national average, compared to Greater Melbourne's median income of $54,892 and average income of $73,761. As of September 2025, estimated incomes would be approximately $50,399 (median) and $78,409 (average), based on Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2022. According to the 2021 Census, household income ranked at the 62nd percentile ($1,949 weekly), while personal income was at the 28th percentile. Distribution data showed that 28.6% of locals (6,501 people) fell into the $1,500 - $2,999 category. Economic strength was evident with 30.2% of households earning high weekly incomes exceeding $3,000. High housing costs consumed 15.4% of income, but strong earnings placed disposable income at the 63rd percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 8th decile.

Glen Waverley - East is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Glen Waverley - East, as per the latest Census, 89.5% of dwellings were houses while 10.5% consisted of semi-detached homes, apartments and other types. This contrasts with Melbourne metro's figures of 69.6% houses and 30.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in Glen Waverley - East stood at 46.3%, with mortgaged properties at 30.6% and rented dwellings at 23.1%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,600, exceeding Melbourne metro's average of $2,383. Weekly rent in Glen Waverley - East was recorded at $500, compared to Melbourne metro's $440. Nationally, mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Glen Waverley - East features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 79.7% of all households, including 43.2% couples with children, 25.3% couples without children, and 10.3% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 20.3%, with lone person households at 17.4% and group households comprising 2.9%. The median household size is 2.9 people, larger than Greater Melbourne's average of 2.7.

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

Educational attainment in Glen Waverley - East shows significant superiority over broader benchmarks. As of the latest data, 47.9% of residents aged 15+ possess university qualifications, compared to 29.8% in the SA4 region and 30.4% nationally (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021). This high level of educational attainment indicates a strong position for knowledge-based opportunities in the area. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 29.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 15.2% and graduate diplomas at 3.4%.

Vocational pathways account for 19.9% of qualifications among those aged 15+, with advanced diplomas making up 10.9% and certificates 9.0%. Educational participation is notably high, with 32.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.4% in primary education, 9.0% in secondary education, and 8.2% pursuing tertiary education (Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census Data, 6 June 2016).

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

The analysis shows 82 active public transport stops in Glen Waverley - East, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 30 different routes, together offering 4900 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of these services is rated as good, with residents typically living within 243 meters of the nearest stop.

On average, there are 700 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 59 weekly trips per individual stop.

Glen Waverley - East's residents are extremely healthy with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Glen Waverley - East, with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups.

The rate of private health cover is found to be very high at approximately 54% of the total population (~12,366 people). The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, impacting 6.1 and 5.5% of residents respectively, while 75.4% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments compared to 75.3% across Greater Melbourne. The area has 21.2% of residents aged 65 and over (4,823 people), which is higher than the 17.5% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

Glen Waverley - East is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Glen Waverley - East has a population where 60.3% speak a language other than English at home, with 58.6% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion, making up 36.3%. Buddhism is overrepresented at 9.6%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 7.9%.

The top three ancestry groups are Chinese (32.1%), English (13.5%), and Other (13.4%). Notably, Sri Lankan (2.5%) and Indian (8.0%) groups are overrepresented, while Korean is slightly higher at 1.4%.

Glen Waverley - East's median age exceeds the national pattern

The median age in Glen Waverley - East was 42 years in the latest data, which is significantly higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 years and also older than Australia's median age of 38 years. The 75-84 age group constituted 8.1% of the population in Glen Waverley - East, compared to a lower percentage in Greater Melbourne. Conversely, the 25-34 age cohort made up 10.5% of the population, which is less prevalent than in Greater Melbourne. According to post-2021 Census data, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 13.5% to 14.0%. Meanwhile, the 65 to 74 cohort has decreased from 10.5% to 9.7%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Glen Waverley - East. Notably, the 85+ age group is projected to grow by 102%, reaching 1,578 people from a previous count of 781. Conversely, the 5-14 age cohort is forecasted to decline by 101 people.