Ringwood East

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

Ringwood East's population, as of November 2025, is approximately 22,037. This figure represents an increase of 905 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 21,132. The growth between June 2024 and the Census date was inferred from estimated resident populations and validated new addresses. Ringwood East's population density is 2,346 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile nationally. Between 2021 and 2025, Ringwood East's growth rate of 4.3% exceeded its SA4 region's growth rate of 4%. Overseas migration contributed approximately 74.7% to recent population gains.

AreaSearch bases its projections on ABS/Geoscience Australia data released in 2024 with a base year of 2022 for each SA2 area. For areas not covered, it uses VIC State Government's Regional/LGA projections from 2023, adjusting with a weighted aggregation method to SA2 levels. By 2041, Ringwood East is expected to increase by approximately 2,544 persons, reflecting a 10.8% total growth over the 17 years.

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

Ringwood East averaged approximately 140 new dwelling approvals annually between FY-21 and FY-25, with a total of 703 homes approved during this period. In FY-26, 33 dwellings have been approved so far. The area has seen an average of 0.3 people moving in per year for each dwelling built over the past five financial years.

This indicates that new supply is meeting or exceeding demand, offering ample buyer choice and creating capacity for population growth beyond current forecasts. The average construction cost value of new homes was $496,000, suggesting a focus on the premium market with high-end developments. In FY-26, commercial development approvals totalled $14.6 million, indicating balanced commercial development activity. Compared to Greater Melbourne, Ringwood East has shown moderately higher new home approvals, averaging 49.0% above the regional average per person over the five-year period. This balances buyer choice while supporting current property values.

However, building activity has slowed in recent years. Recent construction comprises 26.0% standalone homes and 74.0% townhouses or apartments, indicating a shift towards higher-density living to create more affordable entry points for downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. This represents a notable change from the area's existing housing composition, which is currently 92.0% houses. The location has approximately 288 people per dwelling approval, indicating a low density market. Looking ahead, Ringwood East is projected to grow by 2,373 residents by 2041, according to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

Ringwood East has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 60 projects that could affect the region. Notable initiatives include Ryman Healthcare Ringwood East Retirement Village, Ringwood East Activity Centre Structure Plan, Bedford Rise, and Canterbury Road and Heathmont Road Intersection Improvements. The following list outlines those most relevant.

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 environment in Ringwood East shows above-average strength when compared nationally

Ringwood East has a well-educated workforce with professional services being strongly represented. The unemployment rate was 3.5% as of September 2025.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 1.1%. There were 11,830 residents in work while the unemployment rate was 1.2% lower than Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.7%. Workforce participation was broadly similar to Greater Melbourne's 64.1%. Leading employment industries among residents included health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services.

Education & training had particularly notable concentration with employment levels at 1.3 times the regional average. Transport, postal & warehousing employed just 2.9% of local workers, below Greater Melbourne's 5.2%. The area appeared to offer limited employment opportunities locally as indicated by the count of Census working population versus resident population. In a 12-month period ending September 2025, employment increased by 1.1% alongside labour force increasing by 1.0%, causing the unemployment rate to fall by 0.1 percentage points. Greater Melbourne recorded employment growth of 3.0%, labour force growth of 3.3%, with unemployment rising 0.3 percentage points during this period. State-level data up to 25-Nov-25 showed VIC employment grew by 1.13% year-on-year, adding 41,950 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.7%. National employment forecasts from May-25 suggested national employment should expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Ringwood East's employment mix indicated local employment should increase by 6.8% over five years and 14.0% over ten years, though this was a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and did not account for localised population projections.

Income analysis reveals strong economic positioning, with the area outperforming 60% of locations assessed nationally by AreaSearch

The Ringwood East SA2 had a median taxpayer income of $55,728 and an average of $70,684 in the financial year 2022, according to postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch. This is higher than the national average, compared to Greater Melbourne's median income of $54,892 and average income of $73,761. Based on Wage Price Index growth, current estimates suggest a median income of approximately $62,505 and an average of $79,279 by September 2025. The 2021 Census indicates that incomes in Ringwood East cluster around the 62nd percentile nationally. The dominant income bracket is $1,500 - 2,999, with 31.2% of residents (6,875 people) falling within this range, similar to regional levels where 32.8% occupy this bracket. After housing costs, 85.1% of income remains for other expenses. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

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

Ringwood East's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, were 92.1% houses and 7.8% other dwellings. This compares to Melbourne metro's 87.2% houses and 12.8% other dwellings. Home ownership in Ringwood East was 35.0%, similar to Melbourne metro. The area had 39.8% mortgaged dwellings and 25.2% rented ones. Median monthly mortgage repayments were $2,100, above Melbourne metro's average of $2,000. Median weekly rent was $385, matching Melbourne metro's figure. Nationally, Ringwood East's mortgage repayments exceeded the Australian average of $1,863, and rents surpassed the national figure of $375.

Ringwood East has a typical household mix, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 71.9% of all households, including 36.6% couples with children, 23.8% couples without children, and 10.5% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 28.1%, with lone person households at 25.3% and group households making up 2.9%. The median household size is 2.6 people, which aligns with the Greater Melbourne average.

Ringwood East shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

The area's educational profile is notable regionally with university qualification rates at 38.2%, surpassing the Australian average of 30.4% and the SA4 region's rate of 31.2%. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 23.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (9.6%) and graduate diplomas (4.7%). Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 29.6% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications – advanced diplomas comprise 11.9% while certificates account for 17.7%.

Educational participation is high, with 29.4% currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.0% in primary education, 7.8% in secondary education, and 4.9% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis indicates 55 active transport stops operating within Ringwood East. These include a mix of train and bus services. The stops are serviced by 12 individual routes, collectively providing 4,287 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located 291 meters from the nearest transport stop. Service frequency averages 612 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 77 weekly trips per individual stop.

Ringwood East's residents are healthier than average in comparison to broader Australia with a fairly standard level of common health conditions seen across both young and old age cohorts

Ringwood East residents show positive health outcomes, with common conditions seen across all ages.

Private health cover stands at approximately 55%, or around 12,120 people. Mental health issues and asthma are most prevalent, affecting 9.0% and 8.6% of residents respectively. Around 68.7% report no medical ailments, similar to Greater Melbourne's figure. The area has 17.5% of residents aged 65 or over (3,858 people), lower than Greater Melbourne's 19%. Overall health profile is broadly in line with the general population.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Ringwood East was found to be above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Ringwood East has a higher cultural diversity than most local areas, with 26.3% of its population born overseas and 21.7% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Ringwood East, accounting for 44.7% of the population. Buddhism, however, shows an overrepresentation compared to Greater Melbourne, with 2.3% of Ringwood East's population identifying as Buddhist.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups are English (26.4%), Australian (23.5%), and Other (9.3%). Notably, Dutch ethnicity is slightly overrepresented in Ringwood East at 2.0%, compared to 2.1% regionally. Hungarian ethnicity also shows a higher representation at 0.4%, compared to 0.3%. Additionally, Chinese ethnicity is notably more prevalent in Ringwood East at 6.6%, compared to 6.0% across Greater Melbourne.

Ringwood East's population aligns closely with national norms in age terms

The median age in Ringwood East is 39 years, which is higher than Greater Melbourne's average of 37 years and close to the national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Melbourne, the 45-54 age cohort is notably over-represented in Ringwood East at 14.0%, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 11.6%. According to post-2021 Census data, the 75-84 age group has increased from 5.7% to 6.3% of Ringwood East's population, while the 25-34 age cohort has decreased from 12.5% to 11.6%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate significant demographic changes in Ringwood East. The 75-84 age group is projected to grow by 39%, adding 534 people and reaching a total of 1,921 from the current 1,386. This growth will be led by residents aged 65 and older, who are expected to represent 58% of the population increase. Conversely, the 5-14 and 0-4 age groups are anticipated to experience population declines.