Macedon

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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Macedon's population is around 3,653 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 130 people (3.7%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 3,523 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 3,645 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 10 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 50 persons per square kilometer, providing ample space per person. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by natural growth, which contributed approximately 57.1% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilizes the VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023, with adjustments made using a method of weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are also applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Anticipating future population dynamics, an above-median population growth of statistical areas across the nation is projected, with the area expected to expand by 744 persons by 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, recording a gain of 20.1% in total over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Macedon according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Macedon has recorded around 5 residential properties granted approval annually, with 25 homes approved over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25) and 2 so far in FY-26. With an average of 4.2 people per year moving to the area for each dwelling built over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), demand significantly exceeds new supply, which usually results in price growth and increased buyer competition, while new properties are constructed at an average value of $721,000, demonstrating a developer focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties. Additionally, $425,000 in commercial development approvals have been recorded this financial year, demonstrating the area's residential nature.

Compared to Greater Melbourne, Macedon has significantly less development activity (84.0% below regional average per person). This scarcity of new homes typically strengthens demand and prices for existing properties. This activity is likewise lower than nationally, reflecting market maturity and pointing to possible development constraints. Meanwhile, recent development has been entirely comprised of detached houses, preserving the area's low density nature with an emphasis on detached housing attracting space-seeking buyers.

Future projections show Macedon adding 736 residents by 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). At current development rates, housing supply may struggle to match population growth, potentially heightening buyer competition and supporting price increases.

Macedon has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 47thth percentile nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total 8 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include the Hanging Rock to Daylesford Shared Trail, Macedon Ranges Sports Precinct, Hamilton Road Reconstruction New Gisborne to Riddells Creek, and Gisborne Business Park Development, with the list below detailing those likely to be of most relevance.

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 Macedon performing better than 90% of local markets assessed across Australia

Macedon possesses a highly educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation and an unemployment rate of just 1.2%. As of December 2025, 2,028 residents are in work, while the unemployment rate is 3.5% below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%, and workforce participation is on par with Greater Melbourne's 71.3%. Based on Census responses, a high 40.5% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

Leading employment industries among residents comprise professional & technical, education & training, and health care & social assistance. The area has a particular employment specialization in education & training, with an employment share 1.3 times the regional level. Conversely, accommodation & food is under-represented, with only 3.5% of Macedon's workforce compared to 6.4% in Greater Melbourne. The area appears to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of the Census working population versus the resident population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, during the year to December 2025, the labour force decreased by 0.7% while employment declined by 0.8%, leaving unemployment broadly flat. By comparison, Greater Melbourne recorded employment growth of 2.4% and labour force growth of 2.8%, with unemployment rising 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Macedon. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, have been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. While national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Macedon's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.7% over five years and 13.6% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised 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 FY-23 reveals that income in the Macedon SA2 is exceptionally high nationally, with the median assessed at $66,096 while the average income stands at $102,490. This contrasts with Greater Melbourne's figures of a median income of $57,688 and an average income of $75,164. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $71,549 (median) and $110,945 (average) as of September 2025. From the 2021 Census, household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Macedon, between the 77th and 89th percentiles nationally. Income analysis reveals the $4000+ earnings band captures 27.7% of the community (1,011 individuals), differing from patterns across the region where $1,500 - 2,999 dominates with 32.8%. The substantial proportion of high earners (41.8% above $3,000/week) indicates strong economic capacity throughout Macedon. After housing costs, residents retain 87.8% of income, reflecting strong purchasing power, and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

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

Dwelling structure within Macedon, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 98.0% houses and 2.0% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), in comparison to Melbourne metro's 67.9% houses and 32.1% other dwellings. Meanwhile, the level of home ownership within Macedon was well beyond that of Melbourne metro, at 44.8%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (46.7%) or rented (8.5%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was well above the Melbourne metro average at $2,492, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $361, compared to Melbourne metro's $2,000 and $390. Nationally, Macedon's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are less than the national figure of $375.

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

Family households dominate at 80.8% of all households, comprising 39.0% couples with children, 34.7% couples without children, and 6.9% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 19.2%, with lone person households at 17.4% and group households comprising 1.6% of the total. The median household size of 2.7 people is larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

Macedon demonstrates exceptional educational outcomes, ranking among the top 5% of areas nationally based on AreaSearch's comprehensive analysis of qualification and performance metrics

Educational attainment in Macedon significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 42.3% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 27.7% in the SA3 area and 27.7% in the SA4 region. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 25.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (11.3%) and graduate diplomas (5.6%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 30.3% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials, including advanced diplomas (12.4%) and certificates (17.9%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 30.6% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.4% in primary education, 10.2% in secondary education, and 4.1% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 2 active transport stops operating within Macedon comprising a mix of train. These stops are serviced by 4 individual routes, collectively providing 230 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as limited, with residents typically located 1839 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward - the car remains the dominant mode at 93%. Vehicle ownership averages 2.0 per dwelling, above the regional average. A high 40.5% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 32 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 115 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Health outcomes data demonstrates outstanding results across Macedon, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. There is a very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups, and the rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 72% of the total population (2,641 people). This compares to 56.7% across Greater Melbourne and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions in the area were found to be arthritis and asthma, impacting 7.8% and 7.2% of residents, respectively, while 71.9% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 72.6% across Greater Melbourne. Working-age residents are notably healthy with low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 21.7% of residents aged 65 and over (790 people), which is higher than the 15.1% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

Macedon is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Macedon was found to be below average in terms of cultural diversity, with 84.1% of its population born in Australia, 90.1% being citizens, and 95.8% speaking English only at home. The main religion in Macedon is Christianity, which makes up 38.3% of people. However, the most apparent overrepresentation was in Buddhism, which comprises 0.8% of the population, compared to 4.2% across Greater Melbourne.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Macedon are English, comprising 29.2% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 20.1%, Australian, comprising 27.9% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 18.4%, and Irish, comprising 11.4% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Dutch is notably overrepresented at 2.1% of Macedon (vs 1.2% regionally), Polish at 1.1% (vs 0.8%) and Welsh at 0.8% (vs 0.4%).

Macedon hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The 46-year median age in Macedon is notably higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and similarly well above the Australian median of 38. Compared to the Greater Melbourne average, the 45 - 54 cohort is notably over-represented (17.0% locally), while 25 - 34 year-olds are under-represented (2.8%). This 45 - 54 concentration is well above the national 12.0%. Since the 2021 Census, the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 5.8% to 8.5% of the population, while the 15 to 24 cohort increased from 9.5% to 11.4%. Conversely, the 65 to 74 cohort has declined from 14.2% to 11.3% and the 25 to 34 group dropped from 5.6% to 2.8%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes for Macedon. The 45 to 54 age cohort is projected to see notable expansion, increasing by 214 people (35%) from 621 to 836. Meanwhile, the 35 to 44 cohort is projected to decline by 7 people.