Niddrie - Essendon West

Population growth drivers in Niddrie - Essendon West are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Niddrie - Essendon West's population is around 8,044 as of Nov 2025. This reflects an increase of 584 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 7,460 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 7,925 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 93 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 2,872 persons per square kilometer. Niddrie - Essendon West's growth rate exceeded that of the SA3 area (4.5%), marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 63.1% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year for each SA2 area. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises 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 are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on demographic trends, an above median population growth is projected, with the area expected to grow by 1,031 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a gain of 11.3% in total over the 17 years.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Niddrie - Essendon West when compared nationally

Niddrie - Essendon West has seen approximately 66 new home approvals each year over the past five financial years, totalling 330 homes. As of FY26, 48 approvals have been recorded. On average, one new resident per year per dwelling constructed has been observed between FY21 and FY25, indicating supply meeting or exceeding demand. The average construction value of these new homes is $411,000.

This financial year has seen $9.0 million in commercial approvals, suggesting limited focus on commercial development. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Niddrie - Essendon West shows moderately higher new home approvals, with 27.0% above the regional average per person over the five-year period. The new development consists of 30.0% standalone homes and 70.0% attached dwellings, reflecting a shift towards higher-density living to create more affordable entry points for downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. This marks a significant change from the current housing mix, which is currently 66.0% houses. With around 163 people per dwelling approval, Niddrie - Essendon West exhibits characteristics of a growth area.

Population forecasts indicate an expected gain of 912 residents in Niddrie - Essendon West by 2041, suggesting that current construction levels should adequately meet demand and create favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Niddrie - Essendon West has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Area infrastructure changes significantly influence performance. AreaSearch identified seven potential impact projects. Key ones are Niddrie (Keilor Road) Activity Centre Structure Plan, LUMA Sunshine North, Airport Toyota Expansion, and Textron Aviation Hangar 83. Below details the most relevant projects.

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

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AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Niddrie - Essendon West performing better than 85% of local markets assessed across Australia

Niddrie - Essendon West has a well-educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate was 2.0% as of September 2025.

The area experienced an employment growth of 1.3% over the past year. As of September 2025, 4,912 residents were employed while the unemployment rate was 2.6% lower than Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.7%. Workforce participation in Niddrie - Essendon West was 68.5%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Key industries for employment among residents are construction, health care & social assistance, and education & training.

Construction is particularly specialized with an employment share 1.3 times the regional level. Health care & social assistance employs 11.5% of local workers, below Greater Melbourne's 14.2%. Over the 12 months to September 2025, employment increased by 1.3%, while labour force grew by 1.5%, leading to an unemployment rise of 0.2 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Melbourne recorded employment growth of 3.0% and unemployment rose by 0.3 percentage points. As of 25-Nov, Victoria's employment grew by 1.13% year-on-year, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%. National employment forecasts from May-25 project an increase of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Niddrie - Essendon West's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.6% over five years and 13.4% over ten years, assuming constant population projections for illustrative purposes.

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

The median income among taxpayers in Niddrie - Essendon West SA2 was $61,953 in financial year 2022. The average income stood at $81,129 during the same period. These figures compare to Greater Melbourne's median income of $54,892 and average income of $73,761 respectively. By September 2025, current estimates suggest the median income would be approximately $69,486 and the average income around $90,994, accounting for a Wage Price Index growth of 12.16% since financial year 2022. Census 2021 data indicates that household, family, and personal incomes in Niddrie - Essendon West rank highly nationally, between the 77th and 80th percentiles. The largest income bracket comprises 29.9% of residents earning $1,500 to $2,999 weekly, with a total of 2,405 individuals in this category. Higher earners make up a substantial presence, with 35.2% exceeding $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power within the community. Housing expenses account for 14.1% of income, while residents rank within the 81st percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

Niddrie - Essendon West displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

In Niddrie-Essendon West, as per the latest Census, 65.5% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 34.5% being semi-detached, apartments, or other types. This differs from Melbourne's metropolitan average of 75.8% houses and 24.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Niddrie-Essendon West stood at 37.8%, with mortgaged dwellings also at 37.8% and rented ones at 24.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,400, higher than Melbourne's average of $2,167. Median weekly rent in the area was $435, compared to Melbourne's $410. Nationally, Niddrie-Essendon West's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,400 versus Australia's average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Niddrie - Essendon West has a typical household mix, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 72.5% of all households, including 38.0% couples with children, 21.8% couples without children, and 11.3% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 27.5%, with lone person households at 24.6% and group households at 2.7%. The median household size is 2.6 people, which matches the Greater Melbourne average.

Niddrie - Essendon West shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

The area's university qualification rate is 35.1%, higher than the SA4 region average of 27.7% and Australia's national average of 30.4%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 23.5%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (7.8%) and graduate diplomas (3.8%). Vocational credentials, including advanced diplomas (11.7%) and certificates (17.5%), are held by 29.2% of residents aged 15+.

Educational participation is high with 29.8% currently enrolled in formal education: 9.1% in primary, 8.9% in secondary, and 6.3% in tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis shows that Niddrie - Essendon West has 40 active transport stops. These are a mix of light rail and bus services. There are 10 individual routes operating in total.

They provide 5345 weekly passenger trips combined. Transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located 207 meters from the nearest stop. Service frequency averages 763 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 133 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Analysis of health metrics indicates strong performance across Niddrie - Essendon West, with both young and elderly cohorts experiencing low prevalence of common health conditions. The rate of private health cover is notably high at approximately 61% of the total population (4890 people), compared to 58.6% in Greater Melbourne and a national average of 55.3%. Asthma and arthritis are identified as the most prevalent medical conditions, affecting 7.2% and 7.0% of residents respectively.

A significant proportion, 73.0%, report being completely free of medical ailments, compared to 70.1% in Greater Melbourne. The area has a lower percentage of seniors aged 65 and over at 16.6% (1337 people), compared to the 21.9% figure for Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors are reported as above average, largely aligning with the general population's health profile.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Niddrie - Essendon West was found to be slightly above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Niddrie-Essendon West has a cultural diversity index above average, with 21.3% of its population born overseas and 22.1% speaking languages other than English at home. The predominant religion in Niddrie-Essendon West is Christianity, accounting for 65.5% of the population, compared to 66.4% across Greater Melbourne. The top three ancestry groups are Australian (19.4%), English (18.3%), and Italian (15.0%).

Notably, Croatian (2.0%) and Maltese (2.8%) ethnicities are equally represented in Niddrie-Essendon West as they are regionally, while Polish ethnicity is slightly higher at 1.2%.

Niddrie - Essendon West's population is slightly older than the national pattern

Niddrie-Essendon West has a median age of 40, which is higher than Greater Melbourne's figure of 37 and Australia's figure of 38. The 55-64 cohort is notably over-represented at 13.0%, while the 25-34 cohort is under-represented at 11.8%. Between 2021 and present, the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 12.8% to 14.1%, and the 55 to 64 cohort has increased from 12.0% to 13.0%. Conversely, the 45 to 54 cohort has declined from 15.9% to 14.2%, and the 5 to 14 group has dropped from 12.4% to 11.2%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests significant changes in Niddrie-Essendon West's age profile. The 55 to 64 cohort is projected to expand by 317 people (30%), growing from 1,047 to 1,365. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 52% of total population growth. Meanwhile, the 5 to 14 and 0 to 4 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.