Highett (West) - Cheltenham

Highett (West) - Cheltenham lies within the top quartile of areas nationally for population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Highett (West) - Cheltenham's population is around 13,171 as of November 2025. This reflects an increase of 732 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 12,439 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 13,161 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 169 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 2,475 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Highett (West) - Cheltenham's growth rate of 5.9% since the 2021 census exceeded the SA3 area's growth rate of 5.4%. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 75.2% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises the VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023, adjusting using weighted aggregation methods to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, Highett (West) - Cheltenham is forecasted to have a population of 17,580, reflecting an increase of 4,109 persons and a total gain of 30.6% over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions Highett (West) - Cheltenham among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide

Highett (West) - Cheltenham has received approximately 153 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling 766 homes. As of FY26, 12 approvals have been recorded. On average, one person has moved to the area for each dwelling built between FY21 and FY25, indicating that supply is meeting or exceeding demand. The average construction value of new homes is $496,000, suggesting a focus on premium properties.

This financial year, $11.8 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Highett (West) - Cheltenham has experienced elevated construction levels, 26.0% above the regional average per person over the past five years. New building activity consists of 15.0% standalone homes and 85.0% medium and high-density housing, reflecting a shift from the current housing mix of 62.0% houses. Highett (West) - Cheltenham has approximately 56 people per dwelling approval, indicating low density characteristics. Future projections estimate an increase of 4,036 residents by 2041, aligning with existing development levels and maintaining stable market conditions without significant price pressures.

Future projections show Highett (West) - Cheltenham adding 4,036 residents by 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Existing development levels seem aligned with future requirements, maintaining stable market conditions without significant price pressures.

Highett (West) - Cheltenham has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 28 projects that could impact this region. Notable projects include Banksia Apartments Cheltenham, Highett Common, Highett Gasworks, and Sanctuary Sandringham. The following list details those likely to be most relevant.

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Highett (West) - Cheltenham has seen below average employment performance when compared to national benchmarks

Highett (West) - Cheltenham has a highly educated workforce with professional services well represented. Its unemployment rate was 4.7% as of September 2025, matching Greater Melbourne's rate.

Workforce participation is higher at 69.3%. Major employment industries are professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training, with professional & technical being particularly strong at 1.3 times the regional average. Transport, postal & warehousing shows lower representation at 2.8% compared to the regional average of 5.2%. Between September 2024 and September 2025, labour force increased by 0.7%, employment declined by 0.2%, leading to an unemployment rate rise of 0.8 percentage points.

In contrast, Greater Melbourne saw employment grow by 3.0% over the same period. State-level data as of 25-Nov-2025 shows Victoria's employment grew by 1.13% year-on-year, with an unemployment rate of 4.7%. National employment forecasts from May-25 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Highett (West) - Cheltenham's employment mix suggests local employment should grow by 6.9% over five years and 13.9% over ten years.

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 Highett (West) - Cheltenham SA2 has one of the highest incomes in Australia. The median income is $63,114 and the average is $83,700. This contrasts with Greater Melbourne's median income of $54,892 and average of $73,761. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.16% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Highett (West) - Cheltenham SA2 would be approximately $70,789 median income and $93,878 average as of September 2025. According to the 2021 Census, incomes in Highett (West) - Cheltenham SA2 rank highly nationally, between the 80th and 83rd percentiles for household, family, and personal incomes. Income distribution shows that 27.3% of residents earn between $1,500 and $2,999 weekly (3,595 people), similar to the broader area where 32.8% fall into this bracket. Notably, 38.2% earn above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 16.0% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 81st percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Highett (West) - Cheltenham displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Highett (West) - Cheltenham's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 61.7% houses and 38.3% other dwellings. This compares to Melbourne metro's 62.6% houses and 37.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Highett (West) - Cheltenham stood at 30.4%, with mortgaged dwellings at 42.3% and rented ones at 27.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,500, lower than Melbourne metro's average of $3,000. The median weekly rent was $450, compared to Melbourne metro's $520. Nationally, Highett (West) - Cheltenham's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Highett (West) - Cheltenham has a typical household mix, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households account for 71.9 percent of all households, including 36.9 percent couples with children, 22.6 percent couples without children, and 11.6 percent single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 28.1 percent, with lone person households at 25.6 percent and group households making up 2.6 percent of the total. The median household size is 2.5 people, which aligns with the Greater Melbourne average.

Highett (West) - Cheltenham demonstrates exceptional educational outcomes, ranking among the top 5% of areas nationally based on AreaSearch's comprehensive analysis of qualification and performance metrics

In Highett (West) - Cheltenham, the percentage of residents aged 15 and above with university qualifications is 43.5%, which exceeds both national (30.4%) and Victorian (33.4%) averages. This educational advantage indicates strong potential for knowledge-based opportunities in the area. Bachelor degrees are most common at 28.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 10.3% and graduate diplomas at 4.5%. Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 26.5% of residents holding such qualifications – advanced diplomas comprise 12.4% and certificates make up 14.1%.

Educational participation is notably high in the area, with 30.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.6% in primary education, 8.1% in secondary education, and 5.6% pursuing tertiary education.

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

The analysis of public transport in the Highett (West) - Cheltenham area indicates that there are currently 77 active transport stops operating. These include a mix of train and bus services. The stops are serviced by 16 individual routes, which collectively facilitate 4,051 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located approximately 157 meters from the nearest transport stop. Service frequency averages around 578 trips per day across all routes, equating to roughly 52 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Highett (West) - Cheltenham is notably higher than the national average with prevalence of common health conditions low among the general population and nearer the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Highett West - Cheltenham shows better-than-average health outcomes, with lower prevalence of common conditions among its general population compared to national averages for older and at-risk groups. Approximately 61% of Highett West - Cheltenham's total population (8,073 people) has private health cover, higher than Greater Melbourne's 78.5%, but close to the national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent conditions are asthma (affecting 8.0% of residents) and mental health issues (7.8%).

A total of 71.8% of residents report being free from medical ailments, comparable to Greater Melbourne's 72.0%. Highett West - Cheltenham has a lower proportion of seniors aged 65 and over (15.9%, or 2,096 people) than Greater Melbourne (22.9%). Despite this, health outcomes among seniors require more attention compared to the broader population.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Highett (West) - Cheltenham was found to be above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Highett West-Cheltenham had a higher cultural diversity than most local areas, with 18.4% of residents speaking a language other than English at home and 28.8% born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 43.7%. Judaism's representation stood out at 1.3%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 0.9%.

Top ancestry groups were English (26.2%), Australian (22.7%), and Irish (9.0%). Notable differences existed in Russian (0.9% vs regional 0.4%), Hungarian (0.5% vs 0.4%), and Polish (1.1% vs 1.4%) representations.

Highett (West) - Cheltenham's population is slightly older than the national pattern

Highett (West) - Cheltenham has a median age of 40, which is slightly higher than Greater Melbourne's figure of 37 and Australia's national median age of 38. The 45-54 age cohort makes up 15.8% of the local population, notably higher than the Greater Melbourne average, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 10.3%. Between 2021 and present, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 10.9% to 12.4%, and the 75 to 84 cohort has grown from 4.6% to 5.8%. Conversely, the 5 to 14 age group has decreased from 13.8% to 12.6%. By 2041, demographic modeling projects significant changes in Highett (West) - Cheltenham's age profile, with the 45 to 54 cohort expected to expand by 768 people (37%), growing from 2,077 to 2,846.