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 is 22,732 as of Nov 2025. This reflects an increase of 1,129 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 21,603. The change is inferred from ABS estimated resident population of 22,689 in June 2024 and additional 79 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 2,481 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered, AreaSearch utilises VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023 with adjustments made using weighted aggregation method. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on demographic trends, an above median population growth is projected, with the area expected to increase by 4,065 persons to 2041, recording a gain of 17.7% over the 17 years.

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 FY26, 42 approvals have been recorded. The population decline in recent years suggests that new supply has likely kept pace with demand, offering good choice to buyers. New properties are constructed at an average value of $790,000, indicating a focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties.

This financial year has seen $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 in line with regional patterns. New development consists of 80% detached houses and 20% 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. Future projections indicate that Glen Waverley East will 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 strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

AreaSearch has identified a total of 28 projects that are expected to impact the area significantly due to their influence on local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. Among these key projects are the 15-17 Marriott Parade Townhouse Development, the 855-869 Ferntree Gully Road Townhouse Development, Luna Glen Waverley, and the 2-4 Kingsway Mixed-Use Development. The following list details those projects deemed most relevant.

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

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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 strong professional services representation. Its unemployment rate was 1.9% in June 2025, lower than Greater Melbourne's 4.6%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 4.2%. As of June 2025, 11,571 residents were employed with a participation rate of 57.1%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and retail trade. The area specialises in professional & technical jobs, with an employment share 1.2 times the regional level.

However, construction is under-represented at 6.5%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 9.7%. Employment opportunities locally may be limited, as indicated by Census data. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 4.2% while labour force grew by 4.4%, raising the unemployment rate by 0.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne's employment grew by 3.5% with a labour force growth of 4.0% and an unemployment rate rise of 0.5 percentage points. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia (May 2025) project national growth at 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Glen Waverley - East's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.9% over five years and 14.1% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

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

Glen Waverley - East has a median taxpayer income of $44,935 and an average of $69,908 based on the latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for the financial year 2022. This is higher than the national average, which contrasts with Greater Melbourne's median income of $54,892 and average income of $73,761. As of September 2025, current estimates suggest a median income of approximately $50,399 and an average of $78,409, factoring in Wage Price Index growth of 12.16% since the financial year 2022. According to the 2021 Census figures, household income ranks at the 62nd percentile ($1,949 weekly), while personal income is at the 29th percentile. The predominant income cohort spans 28.6% of locals (6,501 people) in the $1,500 - 2,999 category, consistent with broader trends across the surrounding region showing 32.8% in the same category. Economic strength is evident through 30.2% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. High housing costs consume 15.4% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 63rd percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

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

Dwelling structure in Glen Waverley - East, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 89.5% houses and 10.5% other dwellings. In comparison, Melbourne metro had 69.6% houses and 30.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in Glen Waverley - East was 46.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 30.6% and rented ones at 23.1%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,600, higher than Melbourne metro's average of $2,383. Median weekly rent in the area was $500, compared to Melbourne metro's $440. Nationally, Glen Waverley - East's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,600 versus Australia's average of $1,863, and 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 constitute 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 the Greater Melbourne 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 is high, with 47.9% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications, compared to 29.8% in the SA4 region and 30.4% nationally. Bachelor degrees are most common at 29.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (15.2%) and graduate diplomas (3.4%). Vocational pathways account for 19.9% of qualifications, including advanced diplomas (10.9%) and certificates (9.0%). Educational participation is notable, with 32.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education: 9.4% in primary, 9.0% in secondary, and 8.2% pursuing tertiary education.

Eight schools operate within Glen Waverley - East, educating approximately 5,855 students. The area has significant socio-educational advantages and academic achievement (ICSEA: 1124). Education provision is balanced with six primary and two secondary schools serving distinct age groups. Glen Waverley - East functions as an education hub with 25.8 school places per 100 residents, significantly above the regional average of 15.8.

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

Glen Waverley - East has 82 active public transport stops. These are all bus stops serviced by 30 different routes. The total number of weekly passenger trips across these routes is 4,900.

Residents have good access to transport, with an average distance of 243 meters to 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 indicates robust performance across Glen Waverley - East, with a very low prevalence of common health conditions observed across all age groups.

The rate of private health cover is notably high at approximately 54% of the total population, which totals to around 12,366 people. The most prevalent medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, affecting 6.1 and 5.5% of residents respectively. A significant majority, 75.4%, report being completely free from medical ailments, compared to 75.3% across Greater Melbourne. Glen Waverley - East has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over, at 21.2% (4,823 people), compared to the 17.5% in Greater Melbourne. The health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, closely mirroring those of 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 at 36.3%. Buddhism's presence is notable at 9.6%, higher than Greater Melbourne's 7.9%.

The top three ancestral groups are Chinese (32.1%), English (13.5%), and Other (13.4%). Significant differences exist in Sri Lankan (2.5% vs regional 2.1%), Indian (8.0% vs 6.8%), and Korean (1.4% vs 1.1%) representations.

Glen Waverley - East hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Glen Waverley - East is 42 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and Australia's national average of 38 years. The age group of 75-84 years shows a strong representation at 8.1%, compared to Greater Melbourne, while the 25-34 cohort is less prevalent at 10.5%. According to post-2021 Census data, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 13.5% to 14.0% of the population. Conversely, the 65 to 74 age group has declined from 10.5% to 9.7%. Population forecasts for the year 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Glen Waverley - East. The 85+ age group is projected to grow by 102%, reaching 1,578 people from 781, while the 5 to 14 age group is forecasted to decline by 101 people.