Murrumbeena

Murrumbeena has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Murrumbeena's population is around 10,332 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 963 people (10.3%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 9,369 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 10,045 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 118 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 4,116 persons per square kilometer, which lies in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch, making land in the area a highly sought resource. Murrumbeena's 10.3% growth since the 2021 census exceeded the SA4 region (8.7%) and the national average, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 83.4% 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 utilizing 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. As we examine future population trends, an above-median population growth of statistical areas across the nation is projected, with the area expected to expand by 2,234 persons by 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an increase of 18.8% in total over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within Murrumbeena when compared nationally

Murrumbeena has averaged around 48 new dwelling approvals per year, with 241 homes approved over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25) and 16 so far in FY-26. With an average of only 0.7 people per year moving to the area for each dwelling built over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), new supply is keeping pace with or exceeding demand, offering ample buyer choice and creating capacity for population growth beyond current forecasts. New homes are being built at an average construction cost of $511,000, showing that developers are focusing on the premium market with high-end developments. Additionally, $19.7 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded this financial year, suggesting balanced commercial development activity.

Compared to Greater Melbourne, Murrumbeena shows approximately 75% of the construction activity per person and ranks among the 80th percentile of areas assessed nationally, though development activity has picked up in recent periods. New development consists of 23.0% detached houses and 77.0% townhouses or apartments. This trend toward denser development provides accessible entry options and appeals to downsizers, investors, and entry-level buyers. This represents a notable shift from the area's existing housing (currently 48.0% houses), indicating decreasing availability of developable sites and reflecting changing lifestyles and the need for more diverse, affordable housing options. The location has approximately 185 people per dwelling approval, indicating an expanding market.

Looking ahead, Murrumbeena is expected to grow by 1,947 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Construction is maintaining a reasonable pace with projected growth, although buyers could encounter growing competition as population increases.

Murrumbeena 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 28 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include Neerim Road Murrumbeena, Murrumbeena Activity Centre Program, Suburban Rail Loop East, and Rosella Murrumbeena, 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.

The employment landscape in Murrumbeena shows performance that lags behind national averages across key labour market indicators

Murrumbeena features a highly educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation and an unemployment rate of 4.3%. As of December 2025, 6,006 residents are in work, while the unemployment rate is 0.4% below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%, and workforce participation is fairly standard (73.7% compared to Greater Melbourne's 71.3%). Based on Census responses, a high 43.9% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

Employment among residents is concentrated in health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training. The area shows particularly strong specialization in professional & technical services, with an employment share 1.4 times the regional level. Meanwhile, construction has a limited presence with 6.9% employment compared to 9.7% regionally. The predominantly residential 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, over the 12 months to December 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.3% combined with employment decreasing by 1.0%, resulting in the unemployment rate rising by 0.7 percentage points. This compares to Greater Melbourne, where employment grew by 2.4%, the labour force expanded by 2.8%, and unemployment rose 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Murrumbeena. 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 Murrumbeena's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.0% over five years and 14.2% 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 Murrumbeena SA2 had a median income among taxpayers of $63,019 with the average level standing at $81,011. 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 $68,218 (median) and $87,694 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 income data shows household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Murrumbeena, between the 71st and 80th percentiles nationally. Income brackets indicate the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 29.3% of residents (3,027 people), consistent with broader trends across the metropolitan region showing 32.8% in the same category. Economic strength emerges through 33.8% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. Housing accounts for 14.7% of income while strong earnings rank residents within the 73rd percentile for disposable income and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Murrumbeena displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Dwelling structure within Murrumbeena, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 48.5% houses and 51.4% 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 Murrumbeena was in line with that of Melbourne metro, at 31.2%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (32.7%) or rented (36.1%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was above the Melbourne metro average at $2,200, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $390, compared to Melbourne metro's $2,000 and $390. Nationally, Murrumbeena's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are exceeding the national figure of $375.

Murrumbeena has a typical household mix, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households dominate at 66.8% of all households, comprising 32.1% couples with children, 25.9% couples without children, and 7.5% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 33.2%, with lone person households at 29.5% and group households comprising 3.7% of the total. The median household size of 2.4 people is smaller than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

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

Educational attainment in Murrumbeena significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 51.3% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 30.4% in Australia and 33.4% in VIC. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 31.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (14.4%) and graduate diplomas (5.0%). Vocational pathways account for 20.9% of qualifications among those aged 15+ – advanced diplomas (9.9%) and certificates (11.0%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 29.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 8.9% in tertiary education, 8.6% in primary education, and 6.7% pursuing secondary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 49 active transport stops operating within Murrumbeena, comprising a mix of buses. These stops are serviced by 18 individual routes, collectively providing 4,761 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 174 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 74%, with 15% by train. Vehicle ownership averages 1.1 per dwelling, which is below the regional average. A high 43.9% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 680 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 97 weekly trips per individual stop.

Murrumbeena'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 Murrumbeena, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Both young and old age cohorts see low prevalence of common health conditions, and the rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 60% of the total population (6,147 people), compared to 56.7% across Greater Melbourne.

The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and asthma, impacting 7.4% and 7.0% of residents, respectively, while 74.3% 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 15.2% of residents aged 65 and over (1,565 people). Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

Murrumbeena 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

Murrumbeena scores highly on cultural diversity, with 34.8% of its population born overseas and 31.7% speaking a language other than English at home. The main religion in Murrumbeena is Christianity, which makes up 43.3% of people. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Judaism, which comprises 3.7% 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 Murrumbeena are English, comprising 19.6% of the population, Australian, comprising 17.8% of the population, and Other, comprising 11.8% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Polish is notably overrepresented at 1.5% of Murrumbeena (vs 0.8% regionally), Russian at 1.0% (vs 0.4%) and Greek at 6.0% (vs 2.7%).

Murrumbeena's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

The 38-year median age in Murrumbeena is close to Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and equivalent to the Australian median of 38. Relative to Greater Melbourne, Murrumbeena has a higher concentration of 45 - 54 residents (13.5%) but fewer 0 - 4 year-olds (4.5%). Since the 2021 Census, the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 11.8% to 13.7% of the population. Conversely, the 5 to 14 cohort has declined from 11.4% to 10.7%. By 2041, Murrumbeena is expected to see notable shifts in its age composition. Leading the demographic shift, the 45 to 54 group will grow by 28% (394 people), reaching 1,789 from 1,394. The 15 to 24 group displays more modest growth at 5%, adding only 64 residents.