Montmorency - Briar Hill

Montmorency - Briar Hill has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Montmorency - Briar Hill's population is around 17,367 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 828 people (5.0%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 16,539 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 16,957 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 132 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 1,443 persons per square kilometer, which is above the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 60.4% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting 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 is utilising the VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections released in 2023 with adjustments made employing 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, a significant population increase in the top quartile of national areas is forecast, with the area expected to increase by 5,989 persons by 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an increase of 32.1% in total over the 17 years.

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

Montmorency - Briar Hill has experienced around 49 dwellings receiving development approval each year, with 248 homes approved over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25) and 22 so far in FY-26. Given population has fallen over the past period, housing supply has remained adequate relative to demand, creating a well-balanced market with good buyer choice, while new properties are constructed at an average value of $494,000, revealing that developers are targeting the premium market segment with higher-end properties. There have also been $20.8 million in commercial approvals this financial year, indicating steady commercial investment activity.

When measured against Greater Melbourne, Montmorency - Briar Hill shows substantially reduced construction (56.0% below regional average per person). This limited new supply generally supports stronger demand and values for established properties. This activity is similarly under the national average, indicating the area's established nature and suggesting potential planning limitations. Recent construction comprises 59.0% standalone homes and 41.0% townhouses or apartments, showing an expanding range of medium-density options creating a mix of opportunities across price brackets, from traditional family housing to more affordable compact alternatives. This represents a notable shift from the area's existing housing (currently 84.0% houses), indicating decreasing availability of developable sites and reflecting changing lifestyles and the need for more diverse, affordable housing options. The location has approximately 349 people per dwelling approval, reflecting an established area.

Population forecasts indicate Montmorency - Briar Hill will gain 5,579 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Should current construction levels persist, housing supply could lag population growth, likely intensifying buyer competition and underpinning price growth.

Montmorency - Briar Hill has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total 25 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include Hurstbridge Rail Line Upgrades (Watsonia-Eltham), Montmorency North Pavilion Refurbishment, Plenty River Trail Upgrades, and Level Crossing Removal - North Eastern Program Alliance (Hurstbridge corridor), 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.

Montmorency - Briar Hill ranks among the top 25% of areas assessed nationally for overall employment performance

Montmorency - Briar Hill possesses a well-educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation, an unemployment rate of just 2.3%, and 1.2% in estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 9,474 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 2.5% below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%, and workforce participation is broadly similar to Greater Melbourne's 71.3%. Based on Census responses, a high 38.6% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

The dominant employment sectors among residents include health care & social assistance, construction, and education & training. The area shows particularly strong specialization in education & training, with an employment share of 1.4 times the regional level. Meanwhile, transport, postal & warehousing has a limited presence with 3.2% employment compared to 5.2% regionally. The predominantly residential area appears to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of Census working population vs resident population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, during the year to December 2025, employment levels increased by 1.2% and the labour force increased by 1.3%, keeping the unemployment rate relatively stable. By comparison, Greater Melbourne recorded employment growth of 2.4%, 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 Montmorency - Briar Hill. 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 Montmorency - Briar Hill's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.0% 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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released for FY-23, the Montmorency - Briar Hill SA2 had a median income among taxpayers of $63,611 with the average level standing at $83,341. This is among the highest in Australia and compares to levels of $57,688 and $75,164 across Greater Melbourne respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $68,859 (median) and $90,217 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes in Montmorency - Briar Hill cluster around the 72nd percentile nationally. The earnings profile shows the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 31.8% of residents (5,522 people), reflecting patterns seen in the metropolitan region where 32.8% similarly occupy this range. The substantial proportion of high earners (30.6% above $3,000/week) indicates strong economic capacity throughout this suburb. Housing accounts for 13.5% of income while strong earnings rank residents within the 74th percentile for disposable income and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

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

Dwelling structure within Montmorency - Briar Hill, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 84.2% houses and 15.8% 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 Montmorency - Briar Hill was well beyond that of Melbourne metro, at 41.1%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (41.3%) or rented (17.6%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was above the Melbourne metro average at $2,167, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $415, compared to Melbourne metro's $2,000 and $390. Nationally, Montmorency - Briar Hill's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are substantially above the national figure of $375.

Montmorency - Briar Hill has a typical household mix, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households dominate at 74.3% of all households, comprising 34.5% couples with children, 27.3% couples without children, and 11.4% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 25.7%, with lone person households at 24.3% and group households comprising 1.5% of the total. The median household size of 2.5 people is smaller than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

Educational achievement in Montmorency - Briar Hill places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

The area's educational profile stands out regionally, with university qualification rates (38.0% of residents aged 15+) exceeding the Australian average of 30.4% and that of the SA4 region (32.8%), reflecting the community's emphasis on higher education. Bachelor degrees lead at 24.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (8.4%) and graduate diplomas (5.3%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 30.5% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials, including advanced diplomas (12.3%) and certificates (18.2%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 27.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.1% in primary education, 7.4% in secondary education, and 4.7% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 58 active transport stops operating within Montmorency - Briar Hill comprising a mix of buses. These stops are serviced by 11 individual routes, collectively providing 3,939 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located 270 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward - the car remains the dominant mode at 88%, with 6% by train. Vehicle ownership averages 1.5 per dwelling, above the regional average. A high 38.6% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 562 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 67 weekly trips per individual stop.

Montmorency - Briar Hill's residents are extremely healthy with prevalence of common health conditions low among the general population and nearer the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Montmorency - Briar Hill, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. The prevalence of common health conditions is low among the general population and near the nation's average across older, at-risk cohorts, and the rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 61% of the total population (10,559 people). This compares to 56.7% across Greater Melbourne and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, impacting 8.4% and 8.0% of residents, respectively, while 68.1% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 72.6% across Greater Melbourne. The under-65 population demonstrates better than average health outcomes. The area has 22.8% of residents aged 65 and over (3,957 people), which is higher than the 15.1% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, though they rank lower nationally than the broader population.

Montmorency - Briar Hill ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Montmorency - Briar Hill was found to be below average in terms of cultural diversity, with 82.6% of its population born in Australia, 92.1% being citizens, and 89.2% speaking English only at home. The main religion in Montmorency - Briar Hill is Christianity, which makes up 45.3% of the population. However, the most apparent overrepresentation was in Judaism, which comprises 0.1% of the population, compared to 1.0% across Greater Melbourne.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Montmorency - Briar Hill are English, comprising 27.4% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 20.1%, Australian, comprising 24.8% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 18.4%, and Irish, comprising 10.4% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Macedonian is notably overrepresented at 0.8% of Montmorency - Briar Hill (vs 0.7% regionally), Italian at 6.2% (vs 5.2%) and Maltese at 0.8% (vs 1.1%).

Montmorency - Briar Hill's median age exceeds the national pattern

The 42-year median age in Montmorency - Briar Hill is significantly above Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and similarly considerably older than Australia's 38 years. The 65 - 74 age group shows strong representation at 12.0% compared to Greater Melbourne, whereas the 25 - 34 cohort is less prevalent at 7.8%. Post-2021 Census data shows the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 9.6% to 11.4% of the population, while the 75 to 84 cohort increased from 6.7% to 8.1%. Conversely, the 25 to 34 cohort has declined from 10.0% to 7.8%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes for Montmorency - Briar Hill. Leading the demographic shift, the 75 to 84 group will grow by 69% (978 people), reaching 2,392 from 1,413. In contrast, the 0 to 4 cohort shows minimal growth of just 6% (53 people).