Red Cliffs
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Red Cliffs' population, as per AreaSearch's analysis, was around 6,101 as of Aug 2025. This showed a decrease of 37 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 6,138. The change was inferred from ABS's estimated resident population of 6,091 in Jun 2024 and additional validated new addresses since the Census date. The population density was 24 persons per square kilometer. Over the past decade, Red Cliffs exhibited a compound annual growth rate of 0.5%, outperforming its SA4 region. Overseas migration contributed approximately 74.3% of overall 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 by this data, it utilises VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023, adjusted via weighted aggregation to SA2 levels. Growth rates by age group are applied across all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Nationally, non-metropolitan areas are projected to have above median population growth, with Red Cliffs expected to increase by 1,158 persons to 2041, an 18.8% total increase over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Red Cliffs according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Red Cliffs has averaged approximately 26 new dwelling approvals annually. Development approval data is produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on a financial year basis. Over the past five financial years, from FY20 to FY25, there have been 134 homes approved. As of FY26, there have been three approvals so far.

The population has declined in recent years, but development activity has been adequate relative to demand, maintaining a well-balanced market with good buyer choice. New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost value of $332,000, which is below the regional average, suggesting more affordable housing options for buyers. This financial year, $4.4 million in commercial approvals have been registered, demonstrating the area's primarily residential nature.

Compared to the Rest of Vic., Red Cliffs has similar development levels per person, supporting market stability in line with regional patterns. Recent construction comprises 95% detached dwellings and 5% townhouses or apartments, preserving the area's low density nature and attracting space-seeking buyers. With approximately 268 people per dwelling approval, Red Cliffs shows characteristics of a low density area. Population forecasts indicate that Red Cliffs will gain 1,147 residents by 2041. Should current construction levels persist, housing supply could potentially lag population growth, which may intensify buyer competition and underpin price growth.

Red Cliffs has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 24thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 11 projects likely impacting the area. Key projects include Red Cliffs Solar Farm, Red Cliffs Early Years Hub, Sunraysia Water Efficiency Project, and Mildura Solar Farm. The following list details those most relevant.

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

Despite maintaining a low unemployment rate of 3.0%, Red Cliffs has experienced recent job losses, resulting in a below average employment performance ranking when compared nationally

Red Cliffs' workforce is balanced across white and blue-collar jobs with varied sector representation. As of June 2025, the unemployment rate is 3.0%.

In this period, 3,028 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 0.7% lower than Rest of Vic.'s rate of 3.8%. Workforce participation in Red Cliffs mirrors Rest of Vic.'s figure at 57.4%. Key industries include agriculture, forestry & fishing, retail trade, and health care & social assistance. Red Cliffs specializes in agriculture, forestry & fishing with an employment share 2.1 times the regional level, but has a lower representation in health care & social assistance at 10.9% compared to Rest of Vic.'s 16.8%.

The area may have limited local employment opportunities as indicated by Census data. Between June 2024 and June 2025, labour force levels decreased by 4.2%, with a 3.4% employment decline leading to an unemployment rate fall of 0.8 percentage points. In contrast, Rest of Vic. saw employment decline of 0.9%, labour force decline of 0.4%, and unemployment rose by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data up to Sep-25 shows VIC employment grew by 1.08% year-on-year, adding 39,880 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%. Nationally, employment growth was 0.26%, and the national unemployment rate is 4.5%. Jobs and Skills Australia's projections from May 2025 forecast national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Red Cliffs' employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 5.1% over five years and 11.3% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income figures position the area below 75% of locations analysed nationally by AreaSearch

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that Red Cliffs has lower income levels compared to national averages. The median income is $44,799 and the average income stands at $49,697. In contrast, Rest of Vic.'s figures are a median income of $48,741 and an average income of $60,693. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.11% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Red Cliffs would be approximately $49,328 (median) and $54,721 (average) as of March 2025. Census data reveals that household, family and personal incomes in Red Cliffs all fall between the 24th and 25th percentiles nationally. The data shows that 33.3% of the population (2,031 individuals) falls within the $1,500 - 2,999 income range, similar to metropolitan regions where 30.3% occupy this range. Housing costs are modest with 88.5% of income retained, but total disposable income ranks at just the 30th percentile nationally.

Red Cliffs is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Red Cliffs' dwelling structure, as evaluated in the latest Census, consisted of 93.1% houses and 6.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Non-Metro Vic.'s 85.6% houses and 14.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in Red Cliffs stood at 37.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 39.2% and rented ones at 23.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,083, below Non-Metro Vic.'s average of $1,283. Median weekly rent in Red Cliffs was $240, compared to Non-Metro Vic.'s $265. Nationally, Red Cliffs' mortgage repayments were significantly lower than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

Red Cliffs has a typical household mix, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 70.7% of all households, including 29.8% couples with children, 28.0% couples without children, and 11.7% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 29.3%, with lone person households at 26.8% and group households making up 2.5%. The median household size is 2.5 people, which is larger than the Rest of Vic average of 2.4.

Red Cliffs faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area faces educational challenges, with university qualification rates at 12.1%, substantially below the Victorian average of 33.4%. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are most common at 8.6%, followed by graduate diplomas (2.0%) and postgraduate qualifications (1.5%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 41.2% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (9.8%) and certificates (31.4%).

Educational participation is high at 29.9%, including 11.8% in primary education, 8.6% in secondary education, and 1.7% pursuing tertiary education. The five schools in Red Cliffs have a combined enrollment of 831 students, with typical Australian school conditions (ICSEA: 954) and balanced educational opportunities. There are four primary and one secondary school serving distinct age groups. School places per 100 residents are at 13.6, below the regional average of 17.2, indicating some students may attend schools in adjacent areas.

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

Transport analysis indicates 19 operational stops in Red Cliffs' public transport system. All stops serve buses. Four routes service these stops, offering a combined total of 227 weekly passenger trips.

Residential accessibility to transport is deemed limited, with residents generally situated 680 meters from the nearest stop. On average, services run 32 times daily across all routes, equating to around 11 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Red Cliffs is well below average with prevalence of common health conditions notable across both younger and older age cohorts

Red Cliffs faces significant health challenges, with common conditions prevalent among both younger and older age groups. Only about 46% (~2812 people) have private health cover, compared to the national average of 55.3%.

The most frequent medical issues are asthma (10.1%) and mental health problems (9.5%), while 63.4% report no medical ailments, slightly lower than the Rest of Vic's 65.1%. Around 18.9% (~1151 people) are aged 65 and over. Health outcomes among seniors show some challenges but perform better than the general population in health metrics.

Red Cliffs is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Red Cliffs, surveyed in 2016, showed low cultural diversity with 87.0% citizens and 89.8% born in Australia. English was the home language for 91.6%. Christianity was the dominant religion at 44.2%.

The 'Other' category was slightly overrepresented at 0.8%, compared to 1.0% regionally. Ancestry-wise, Australian (32.7%), English (29.9%), and Scottish (7.8%) were top groups. Hungarian was notably higher at 0.4% locally vs 0.2% regionally, Italian at 5.3% vs 5.7%, and German at 4.1% vs 4.0%.

Red Cliffs's median age exceeds the national pattern

The median age in Red Cliffs is 40 years, which is slightly below Rest of Vic.'s average of 43 but above Australia's median of 38. Compared to Rest of Vic., the 25-34 age cohort is notably higher at 14.7% locally, while the 75-84 year-olds are under-represented at 5.3%. Between the 2021 Census and now, the 25 to 34 age group has increased from 12.2% to 14.7%, while the 5 to 14 cohort has decreased from 13.2% to 11.2% and the 45 to 54 group has dropped from 13.0% to 11.2%. Population forecasts for 2041 suggest significant demographic changes in Red Cliffs, with the 25 to 34 age cohort projected to expand by 367 people (41%) from 897 to 1,265. Meanwhile, the 55 to 64 and 15 to 24 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.