Moorabbin - Heatherton

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

Moorabbin - Heatherton's population was approximately 9,842 as of February 2026. This figure represents an increase of 726 people, an 8.0% growth since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 9,116. The change is inferred from ABS estimates; the population was 9,710 in June 2024 and there were 317 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 841 persons per square kilometer. Moorabbin - Heatherton's growth exceeded the SA3 area average of 5.6%, making it a growth leader. Overseas migration contributed approximately 86.0% of population gains recently.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered, VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023 are used, adjusted employing weighted aggregation methods to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on these projections, Moorabbin - Heatherton is expected to grow by 2,092 persons to 2041, reflecting a 19.9% increase over the 17-year period.

AreaSearch assessment of residential approval activity sees Moorabbin - Heatherton among the top 30% of areas assessed nationwide

Moorabbin - Heatherton approved approximately 97 residential properties annually. Between financial years FY-21 and FY-25485 homes were granted approval, with an additional 14 approved in FY-26 to date. Over these five years, an average of 0.3 new residents per year per dwelling was recorded.

The average construction value of new properties is $353,000. This financial year has seen $58.8 million in commercial approvals, indicating significant local business investment. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Moorabbin - Heatherton exhibits 90.0% higher development activity per capita. New developments consist of 14.0% standalone homes and 86.0% attached dwellings, reflecting a shift from the area's current housing composition, which is 78.0% houses. With around 88 people per approval, Moorabbin - Heatherton is considered a developing area. By 2041, it is projected to gain 1,958 residents.

Current development rates suggest that new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing favorable conditions for buyers and potentially supporting population growth beyond current projections.

Moorabbin - Heatherton has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Local infrastructure changes significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 47 projects likely impacting the region. Notable initiatives include Key Industrial Park - Stage 3, Bluff Road Hampton East Redevelopment, Southpoint Highett, and Westfield Southland Ongoing Upgrades. The following list details those most relevant.

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

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Moorabbin - Heatherton shows employment indicators that trail behind approximately 70% of regions assessed across Australia

Moorabbin-Heatherton has a well-educated workforce with professional services prominently represented, and an unemployment rate of 6.7% as of September 2025. There are 5,285 residents employed, with an unemployment rate 2.0% higher than Greater Melbourne's 4.7%. Workforce participation is at 71.0%, matching Greater Melbourne's figure.

Census data shows 37.3% of residents work from home. Major employment sectors include health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and retail trade. Transport, postal & warehousing employs only 3.4% of local workers, below Greater Melbourne's 5.2%.

The area hosts more jobs than residents, with a ratio of 2.0 workers per resident, indicating it functions as an employment hub attracting workers from surrounding areas. Over the 12 months to September 2025, labour force levels increased by 0.8% while employment declined by 0.5%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate by 1.2 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Melbourne saw employment grow by 3.0%. National employment forecasts from May-25 project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Moorabbin-Heatherton's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.1% over ten years, though this is a simplified extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

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

In financial year 2023, Moorabbin - Heatherton SA2 had a median income of $62,317 and an average income of $77,363 among taxpayers. These figures are higher than the national averages of $57,688 and $75,164 respectively for Greater Melbourne. By September 2025, based on an 8.25% increase in wages since financial year 2023, estimated median income would be approximately $67,458 and average income $83,745. According to the 2021 Census, incomes in Moorabbin - Heatherton cluster around the 69th percentile nationally. Income data shows that 30.9% of the population (3,041 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - $2,999 income range, similar to the metropolitan region where 32.8% occupy this bracket. A significant proportion, 31.0%, have incomes above $3,000 per week, indicating strong economic capacity in the area. High housing costs consume 16.8% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 67th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

Moorabbin - Heatherton is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with ownership patterns similar to the broader region

In Moorabbin-Heatherton, as per the latest Census evaluation, 78.1% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 21.9% comprising semi-detached homes, apartments, and other types. This contrasts with Melbourne metro's figures of 67.9% houses and 32.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Moorabbin-Heatherton stood at 30.2%, similar to Melbourne metro, with mortgaged dwellings at 40.7% and rented ones at 29.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,300, higher than the Melbourne metro average of $2,000. Median weekly rent in Moorabbin-Heatherton was $440, compared to Melbourne metro's $390. Nationally, mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $1,863 and rents substantially above the national figure of $375.

Moorabbin - Heatherton has a typical household mix, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households account for 72.2% of all households, including 37.2% couples with children, 23.0% couples without children, and 11.1% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 27.8%, with lone person households at 24.1% and group households comprising 3.5%. The median household size is 2.6 people, which aligns with the Greater Melbourne average.

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

The area's educational profile is notable regionally with university qualification rates at 38.6% among residents aged 15+, exceeding the Australian average of 30.4%. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 25.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (9.3%) and graduate diplomas (3.7%). Vocational credentials are also prominent with 28.5% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (12.5%) and certificates (16.0%).

Educational participation is high with 30.3% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, comprising 10.3% 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

Moorabbin-Heatherton has 90 active public transport stops, all bus services. These are covered by 26 routes, serving 4,639 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is excellent, with residents on average 186 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outwards, primarily by car (84%), with train use at 8%. Vehicle ownership averages 1.3 per dwelling. In 2021 Census data, possibly influenced by COVID-19 conditions, 37.3% of residents worked from home.

Daily service frequency averages 662 trips across all routes, equating to about 51 weekly trips per stop.

Moorabbin - Heatherton's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Moorabbin-Heatherton based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence.

Both young and old age cohorts saw low prevalence of common health conditions. The rate of private health cover was found to be very high at approximately 58% of the total population, which amounts to around 5,708 people. The most common medical conditions in the area were mental health issues and asthma, impacting 7.2 and 6.9% of residents respectively. Notably, 72.3% of residents declared themselves 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 17.3% of residents aged 65 and over, which totals around 1,700 people, 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.

Moorabbin - Heatherton 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

Moorabbin-Heatherton has a high level of cultural diversity, with 36.4% of its population born overseas and 30.4% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the dominant religion in Moorabbin-Heatherton, accounting for 45.6% of people. Notably, Judaism comprises 4.1% of the population, which is higher than the regional average of 1.0%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (20.3%), Australian (18.9%), and Other (12.8%). There are also notable differences in the representation of certain ethnic groups: Polish (1.9%) compared to regionally (0.8%), Russian (1.9% vs 0.4%), and Greek (4.2% vs 2.7%).

Moorabbin - Heatherton's population is slightly older than the national pattern

Moorabbin - Heatherton's median age is 40, slightly higher than Greater Melbourne's 37 and Australia's 38 years. The 45-54 age group is notably over-represented at 13.8%, while the 25-34 cohort is under-represented at 10.7%. From 2021 to present, the 15-24 age group grew from 10.4% to 13.3%, and the 75-84 cohort increased from 5.2% to 6.2%. Conversely, the 45-54 group declined from 15.4% to 13.8%, and the 25-34 group dropped from 12.1% to 10.7%. By 2041, demographic modeling projects significant changes in Moorabbin - Heatherton's age profile. The 45-54 cohort is expected to expand by 348 people (26%), from 1,356 to 1,705. Meanwhile, the 0-4 cohort is projected to grow modestly by 2% (11 people).