Port Melbourne
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Port Melbourne's population, as of Aug 2025, is approximately 16,894. This figure represents an increase of 702 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 16,192. The estimated resident population of 16,884 in June 2024 and an additional 16 validated new addresses contribute to this change. This results in a population density of 6,055 persons per square kilometer, placing Port Melbourne in the top 10% of locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration accounted for approximately 79.5% of overall population gains recently.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections released in 2024 with a base year of 2022 for each SA2 area, and VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023 with adjustments made employing weighted aggregation methods for areas not covered. Future trends indicate a significant population increase in the top quartile of national statistical areas, with Port Melbourne expected to expand by 5,223 persons by 2041 based on latest numbers, reflecting a total increase of 30.9% over the 17 years.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Port Melbourne when compared nationally

Port Melbourne has averaged approximately 95 new dwelling approvals per year. Development approval data is produced by the ABS on a financial year basis. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, there were 476 homes approved. As of FY26, there have been no new dwelling approvals yet reported.

The population in Port Melbourne has been declining recently, suggesting that new supply has likely been keeping pace with demand, providing good choices for buyers. The average expected construction cost value of new properties is $702,000, indicating a focus on the premium market by developers. In terms of commercial development, there have been $15.1 million in approvals this financial year, demonstrating moderate levels compared to residential activity. Relative to Greater Melbourne, Port Melbourne records roughly half the building activity per person but ranks among the 90th percentile nationally for development activity, which has picked up in recent periods.

New development consists of 4.0% detached houses and 96.0% townhouses or apartments, reflecting a trend towards denser development that appeals to downsizers, investors, and entry-level buyers. With around 545 people per dwelling approval, Port Melbourne shows a developed market with a growing population expected to reach 5,213 additional residents by 2041. Should current construction levels persist, housing supply could lag behind population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and supporting price growth in the long term.

Port Melbourne has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 35 projects potentially affecting this region. Notable initiatives include Barak Beacon Port Melbourne, Woolworths Fishermans Bend, Johnston Street Apartments, and Wirraway Central, with the following list outlining those likely to have the most relevance.

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

The labour market in Port Melbourne demonstrates typical performance when compared to similar areas across Australia

Port Melbourne has a highly educated workforce with significant representation in the technology sector. Its unemployment rate was 4.3% as of an unspecified date, with estimated employment growth of 6.4% over the previous year.

As of June 2025, 10,697 residents were employed, and the unemployment rate was 0.4% lower than Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.6%. Workforce participation in Port Melbourne was 66.5%, compared to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. The dominant employment sectors among residents include professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and finance & insurance. Professional & technical services have a particularly high representation, at 1.7 times the regional level.

Conversely, health care & social assistance shows lower representation at 10.5% compared to the regional average of 14.2%. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities based on Census data. In the 12 months preceding an unspecified date, employment increased by 6.4%, while the labour force grew by 7.1%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.6 percentage points. Greater Melbourne experienced employment growth of 3.5% and labour force growth of 4.0%, with a 0.5 percentage point increase in unemployment. As of Sep-25, state-level data shows that Victoria's employment grew by 1.08% year-on-year, adding 39,880 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 suggest national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Port Melbourne's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.0% over five years and 14.0% over ten years, though these are simple weighting extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

The economic profile demonstrates exceptional strength, placing the area among the top 10% nationally based on comprehensive AreaSearch income analysis

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that median income in Port Melbourne is $76,068 and average income is $113,516. This contrasts with Greater Melbourne's median income of $54,892 and average income of $73,761. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.11% since financial year 2022, estimated current incomes as of March 2025 are approximately $83,758 (median) and $124,992 (average). According to the 2021 Census, household, family, and personal incomes in Port Melbourne rank highly nationally, between the 86th and 96th percentiles. Income brackets indicate that 29.0% of locals (4,899 people) fall into the $4000+ category, unlike regional trends where 32.8% fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 range. A significant 41.0% earn above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 16.8% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 83rd percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking is in the 9th decile.

Port Melbourne features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Port Melbourne, as per the latest Census evaluation, dwelling structures consisted of 6.4% houses and 93.6% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In contrast, Melbourne metro had 8.7% houses and 91.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in Port Melbourne was higher at 27.8%, with the rest being mortgaged (29.0%) or rented (43.2%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,515, exceeding Melbourne metro's average of $2,170. Weekly rent median was $522 in Port Melbourne, compared to Melbourne metro's $420. Nationally, Port Melbourne's mortgage repayments were higher at $2,515 against the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Port Melbourne features high concentrations of lone person households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 58.6% of all households, including 21.1% couples with children, 28.2% couples without children, and 8.4% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 41.4%, with lone person households at 38.1% and group households comprising 3.2%. The median household size is 2.1 people, larger than the Greater Melbourne average of 1.9.

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

Port Melbourne's educational attainment is notably higher than broader benchmarks. 49.7% of residents aged 15+ hold university qualifications, compared to Australia's 30.4% and Victoria's 33.4%. Bachelor degrees are the most prevalent at 31.5%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (13.4%) and graduate diplomas (4.8%). Vocational pathways account for 23.5% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas making up 11.7% and certificates 11.8%.

Educational participation is high, with 25.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 7.8% in primary, 6.1% in secondary, and 5.5% in tertiary education. Port Melbourne's three schools have a combined enrollment of 827 students. The area demonstrates significant socio-educational advantages and academic achievement, with an ICSEA score of 1108. The educational mix includes one primary, one secondary, and one K-12 school. School places per 100 residents (4.9) fall below the regional average (9.6), indicating some students may attend schools in adjacent areas.

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

Port Melbourne has 57 active transport stops, a mix of light rail and buses. These are serviced by 8 routes, providing 5,947 weekly passenger trips in total. The average distance to the nearest stop for residents is 138 meters.

There are approximately 849 trips per day across all routes, equating to around 104 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Analysis shows Port Melbourne's health metrics are strong across age groups. Both young and old cohorts have low prevalence of common conditions. Private health cover is high at approximately 78% (13,092 people), compared to Greater Melbourne's 73.1%.

Nationally, it stands at 55.3%. Mental health issues and asthma are most common locally, affecting 7.5 and 7.1%, respectively. 73.3% report no medical ailments, matching Greater Melbourne. Port Melbourne has 18.9% seniors (3,191 people), higher than Greater Melbourne's 14.3%. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, outperforming the general population in metrics.

Port Melbourne 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

Port Melbourne was found to be more culturally diverse than most local markets, with 20.8% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 30.6% born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion in Port Melbourne, comprising 46.0% of its people. However, Judaism showed significant overrepresentation, at 1.0% compared to Greater Melbourne's 3.7%.

The top three ancestry groups were English (25.1%), Australian (18.2%), and Other (10.1%). Notably, Greek (5.2%) was overrepresented compared to the regional average of 3.2%, while Russian (0.7%) and French (0.9%) showed slight underrepresentation relative to Greater Melbourne's figures of 0.9% and 1.1% respectively.

Port Melbourne hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Port Melbourne is 43 years, which is higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 and exceeds the national average of 38. The age profile shows that individuals aged 45-54 are particularly prominent at 16.5%, while those aged 15-24 make up only 8.6% of the population, compared to a higher proportion in Greater Melbourne. Between 2021 and now, the 15-24 age group has increased from 7.4% to 8.6%, the 75-84 cohort has grown from 5.7% to 6.8%, but the 35-44 cohort has decreased from 17.6% to 16.7%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant changes in Port Melbourne's age structure. The 45-54 age group is expected to increase by 1,370 people (49%), from 2,787 to 4,158. Meanwhile, the 0-4 cohort is projected to grow by a modest 0%, adding only 2 people.