Hawthorn East

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

Hawthorn East's population was around 17,531 as of November 2025. This represented an increase of 1,847 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 15,684. The change was inferred from the estimated resident population of 17,318 in June 2024 and an additional 178 validated new addresses since the Census date. This resulted in a density ratio of 4,589 persons per square kilometer, placing Hawthorn East in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The area's growth of 11.8% since the 2021 census exceeded both its SA3 area (6.9%) and SA4 region, indicating it as a growth leader. Overseas migration contributed approximately 90.7% of overall population gains during recent periods, although all drivers including natural growth and interstate migration were positive factors.

AreaSearch is using ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023, adjusted employing a method of 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 demographic trends and latest annual ERP population numbers, the area is projected to grow by 2,474 persons to 2041, reflecting a gain of 12.9% in total over the 17 years.

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

Hawthorn East has seen approximately 62 new homes approved annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25311 homes were approved, with a further 53 approved in FY-26 as of now. On average, 1.8 people have moved to the area per dwelling built over these five years, indicating balanced supply and demand conditions. However, this has intensified to 17.7 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting growing popularity and potential undersupply.

New homes are being constructed at an average expected cost of $739,000, reflecting a focus on the premium market by developers. In FY-26, commercial approvals totaling $45.3 million have been registered, indicating strong local business investment. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Hawthorn East has around two-thirds the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and ranks in the 32nd percentile nationally, resulting in relatively limited buyer choice and supporting interest in existing dwellings. Building activity shows a split of 44.0% detached houses and 56.0% medium to high-density housing, offering affordable entry pathways and attracting downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers.

With around 518 people per dwelling approval, Hawthorn East exhibits characteristics of a developed market. According to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate, Hawthorn East is projected to gain 2,261 residents by 2041. Building activity appears to be keeping pace with population growth projections, but buyers may face increased competition as the population expands.

Hawthorn East has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

AreaSearch has identified 31 infrastructure projects likely to impact the area. Key projects include Eastern Freeway Upgrades from Bulleen to Springvale Road, Camberwell Junction Activity Centre Development, Camberwell House, and Nido Early School Hawthorn East. 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.

Employment conditions in Hawthorn East demonstrate exceptional strength compared to most Australian markets

Hawthorn East has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. The unemployment rate was 2.7% as of September 2025, lower than Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.7%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 3.5%. As of September 2025, 11,184 residents were employed with a workforce participation rate of 69.9%, higher than Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Leading employment industries among residents include professional & technical services, health care & social assistance, and education & training. The area has a notable concentration in professional & technical services, with employment levels at 1.8 times the regional average.

Conversely, construction shows lower representation at 5.6% compared to the regional average of 9.7%. The ratio of 0.7 workers per resident indicates above-average local employment opportunities. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment levels increased by 3.5%, labour force increased by 2.8%, and the unemployment rate fell by 0.7 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne experienced employment growth of 3.0% and labour force growth of 3.3%, with a 0.3 percentage point rise in unemployment. State-level data from 25-Nov-25 shows Victoria's employment grew by 1.13% year-on-year, adding 41,950 jobs, with an unemployment rate of 4.7%. National employment forecasts suggest growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Hawthorn East's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.4% over five years and 14.8% over ten years, assuming constant population projections.

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that income in Hawthorn East SA2 is exceptionally high nationally. The median income is $68,757 while the average income stands at $116,319. This contrasts with Greater Melbourne's figures of a median income of $54,892 and an average income of $73,761. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.16% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $77,118 (median) and $130,463 (average) as of September 2025. According to the 2021 Census figures, household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Hawthorn East, between the 79th and 92nd percentiles nationally. Income analysis reveals that the $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band captures 29.8% of the community (5,224 individuals), aligning with the surrounding region where this cohort likewise represents 32.8%. A significant 38.0% earn above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 15.1% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 79th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

Hawthorn East features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

In Hawthorn East, as per the latest Census, 32.0% of dwellings were houses while 68.0% were other types such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This contrasts with Melbourne's metropolitan area which had 55.5% houses and 44.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Hawthorn East stood at 29.8%, lower than Melbourne metro's figure. Mortgaged dwellings accounted for 28.8% and rented ones made up 41.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,492, below the Melbourne metro average of $3,000. Weekly rent median stood at $411 compared to Melbourne's $451. Nationally, Hawthorn East's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, with rents exceeding the national figure of $375.

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

Family households constitute 59.9% of all households, including 25.3% couples with children, 26.6% couples without children, and 6.7% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 40.1%, with lone person households at 33.5% and group households comprising 6.5%. The median household size is 2.2 people, which is smaller than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.5.

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

Hawthorn East has a notably high level of educational attainment among its residents aged 15 and above, with 61.2% holding university qualifications. This figure surpasses both the national average of 30.4% and the Victorian state average of 33.4%. The area's most common university qualification is the Bachelor degree, held by 37.6% of residents in this age group, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 18.3% and graduate diplomas at 5.3%. Vocational pathways are also pursued, with advanced diplomas accounting for 9.2% and certificates for 7.8% of qualifications among those aged 15 and above.

Educational participation is high in Hawthorn East, with 30.3% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.4% in tertiary education, 7.8% in primary education, and 7.1% pursuing secondary education.

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

Hawthorn East has 41 operational public transport stops. These include train, light rail, and bus services. Seven routes serve these stops, offering a total of 3,657 weekly passenger trips.

The average distance to the nearest stop for residents is 220 meters. Daily service frequency averages 522 trips across all routes, equating to approximately 89 weekly trips per individual stop.

Hawthorn East's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Hawthorn East shows excellent health outcomes across all age groups, with very low prevalence of common health conditions. Approximately 79% of its total population of 13,831 have private health cover, significantly higher than the national average of 55.3%.

Mental health issues and asthma are the most prevalent medical conditions in the area, affecting 7.9 and 7.6% of residents respectively. A total of 73.3% of residents report being completely clear of medical ailments, slightly lower than Greater Melbourne's 73.8%. As of 2021, 15.6% of Hawthorn East's population is aged 65 and over (2,743 people), lower than Greater Melbourne's 19.4%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors in the area are strong and broadly align with the general population's health profile.

Hawthorn 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

Hawthorn East had a higher cultural diversity than most local areas, with 32.0% of its residents born overseas and 25.3% speaking languages other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Hawthorn East as of 2016, comprising 38.2% of its population. Notably, Judaism was overrepresented compared to Greater Melbourne, with 2.3% of Hawthorn East's population identifying as such, versus 0.9%.

The top three ancestry groups were English (22.8%), Australian (18.8%), and Chinese (9.9%). There were differences in the representation of certain ethnicities: French was overrepresented at 0.8%, Greek was underrepresented at 2.5% (versus 3.4% regionally), and Sri Lankan was also underrepresented at 0.5%.

Hawthorn East's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Hawthorn East's median age is 36 years, nearly matching Greater Melbourne's average of 37, which is modestly under the Australian median of 38. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Hawthorn East has a higher concentration of residents aged 25-34 (21.2%), but fewer residents aged 5-14 (9.0%). This 25-34 concentration is well above the national average of 14.5%. Between the 2021 Census and now, the population aged 15 to 24 has grown from 13.2% to 15.3%, while the 25 to 34 cohort increased from 20.1% to 21.2%. Conversely, the 45 to 54 cohort has declined from 12.6% to 11.0%, and the 5 to 14 group dropped from 10.5% to 9.0%. Demographic modeling suggests that Hawthorn East's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041. The 65 to 74 cohort is projected to grow by 36%, adding 484 residents to reach 1,817. Residents aged 65 and above are expected to drive 56% of population growth, highlighting demographic aging trends. Conversely, the 5 to 14 and 15 to 24 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.