Yarraville

Population growth drivers in Yarraville are slightly above average based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium term trends

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Yarraville's population is around 16,315 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 852 people (5.5%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 15,463 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 16,243 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 313 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 2,903 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 65.3% 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 utilising 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. Regarding demographic trends, an above-median population growth of national statistical areas is projected, with the area expected to expand by 2,530 persons by 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a gain of 15.1% in total over the 17 years.

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

Yarraville has seen around 96 new homes approved annually, totalling 483 homes over the past 5 financial years. So far in FY-26, 73 approvals have been recorded. At an average of just 0.3 new residents per year arriving per new home over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), supply is meeting or surpassing demand, providing greater buyer choice and supporting potential for population growth above projections, while new properties are constructed at an average value of $426,000—slightly above the regional average—suggesting a focus on quality developments. Additionally, $13.8 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded this financial year, indicating steady commercial investment activity.

When measured against Greater Melbourne, Yarraville records roughly half the building activity per person and ranks in the 68th percentile of areas assessed nationally. Recent construction comprises 38.0% detached dwellings and 62.0% attached dwellings. This focus on higher-density living creates more affordable entry points and suits downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. This marks a significant departure from existing housing patterns (currently 72.0% houses), suggesting diminishing developable land availability and responding to evolving lifestyle preferences and housing affordability needs. With around 220 people per dwelling approval, Yarraville shows characteristics of a low density area.

Population forecasts indicate Yarraville will gain 2,458 residents through to 2041 (from 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.

Yarraville 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 17 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include Bradmill Yarraville, 295 Whitehall Street Heritage Redevelopment, Stockland Haven, and The Fabric Estate, 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.

AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Yarraville performing better than 85% of local markets assessed across Australia

Yarraville possesses a highly educated workforce, with the technology sector a particular standout in terms of representation, an unemployment rate of just 2.5%, and 4.2% in estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 10,967 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 2.3% below Greater Melbourne's rate of 4.8%, and workforce participation is well beyond standard (83.0% compared to Greater Melbourne's 71.3%). Based on Census responses, a high 49.4% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

Employment among residents is concentrated in professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training. The area demonstrates a particularly notable concentration in professional & technical, with employment levels at 1.3 times the regional average. On the other hand, construction is under-represented, with only 7.1% of Yarraville's workforce compared to 9.7% in Greater Melbourne. The predominantly residential area appears to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of Census working population vs resident population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, during the year to December 2025, employment levels increased by 4.2% and labour force increased by 4.5%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Melbourne experienced employment growth of 2.4% and labour force growth of 2.8%, with a 0.3 percentage point rise. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Yarraville. 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 Yarraville's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.8% over five years and 13.9% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

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

The Yarraville SA2's income level is exceptionally high nationally according to the latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for FY-23. The Yarraville SA2's median income among taxpayers is $76,870 and the average income stands at $96,604, which compares to figures for Greater Melbourne's of $57,688 and $75,164 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.25% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $83,212 (median) and $104,574 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Yarraville, between the 90th and 93rd percentiles nationally. Income analysis reveals the predominant cohort spans 29.1% of locals (4,747 people) in the $1,500 - 2,999 category, consistent with broader trends across the region showing 32.8% in the same category. Economic strength emerges through 42.3% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. High housing costs consume 15.4% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 89th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Yarraville is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Dwelling structure within Yarraville, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 71.6% houses and 28.5% 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 Yarraville was lagging that of Melbourne metro, at 27.1%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (39.2%) or rented (33.7%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was well above the Melbourne metro average at $2,500, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $462, compared to Melbourne metro's $2,000 and $390. Nationally, Yarraville's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are substantially above the national figure of $375.

Yarraville features high concentrations of group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households dominate at 69.2% of all households, comprising 33.1% couples with children, 26.2% couples without children, and 8.5% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 30.8%, with lone person households at 25.5% and group households comprising 5.3% of the total. The median household size of 2.5 people is smaller than the Greater Melbourne average of 2.6.

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

Educational attainment in Yarraville significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 48.7% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 30.4% in Australia and 32.0% in the SA4 region. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 31.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (12.4%) and graduate diplomas (5.0%). Vocational pathways account for 22.7% of qualifications among those aged 15+ – advanced diplomas (9.6%) and certificates (13.1%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 28.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.7% in primary education, 6.5% in secondary education, and 6.5% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 89 active transport stops operating within Yarraville, comprising a mix of buses. These stops are serviced by 11 individual routes, collectively providing 5,868 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 138 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 72%, with 16% by train and 4% walking. Vehicle ownership averages 1.0 per dwelling, which is below the regional average. A high 49.4% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 838 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 65 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Yarraville is notably higher than the national average with prevalence of common health conditions low among the general population and nearer the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Yarraville demonstrates above-average health outcomes, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. The prevalence of common health conditions is low among the general population and closer to the national average across older, at-risk cohorts. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 70% of the total population (11,371 people), compared to 56.7% across Greater Melbourne and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and asthma, impacting 9.6% and 8.6% of residents, respectively, while 71.5% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 72.6% across Greater Melbourne. The under-65 population demonstrates better than average health outcomes. The area has 11.5% of residents aged 65 and over (1,874 people), which is lower than the 15.1% in Greater Melbourne. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, though they rank lower nationally than the broader population.

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

Yarraville is more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets, with 25.5% of its population born overseas and 20.8% speaking a language other than English at home. The main religion in Yarraville is Christianity, which makes up 36.7% of the population. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Judaism, which comprises 0.2% 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 Yarraville are English, comprising 23.4% of the population, Australian, comprising 20.6% of the population, and Irish, comprising 10.1% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Macedonian is notably overrepresented at 1.6% of Yarraville (vs 0.7% regionally), Polish at 1.2% (vs 0.8%) and Greek at 4.2% (vs 2.7%).

Yarraville's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

With a median age of 37, Yarraville is equal to the Greater Melbourne figure of 37 and remains comparable to Australia's 38 years. The 35 - 44 age group shows strong representation at 19.0% compared to Greater Melbourne, whereas the 15 - 24 cohort is less prevalent at 10.6%. In the period since 2021, the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 9.0% to 10.6% of the population. Conversely, the 5 to 14 cohort has declined from 12.5% to 11.2% and the 0 to 4 group dropped from 6.7% to 5.4%. Looking ahead to 2041, demographic projections reveal significant shifts in Yarraville's age structure. Leading the demographic shift, the 55 to 64 group will grow by 41% (731 people), reaching 2,521 from 1,789. Meanwhile, the 5 to 14 group will contract by 101 residents.