74,776

People

est. as @ 17 Jul 2026

2021 Census | 54,941 people

6.59 km²

Land area

11,346.9 /km²

Density

3.6%

Unemployment

264 /yr

Resi approvals

The suburb of Melbourne, situated in the heart of Melbourne CBD, is a highly dense and active development area experiencing rapid growth. As of May 2026, the estimated resident population of the suburb of Melbourne is approximately 74,776. This population count is calculated using annual SA2-level estimated resident population figures combined with quarterly national address file updates, showing an increase of 19,835 residents, or 36.1%, since the 2021 Census when the population was recorded at 54,941. This significant demographic growth is one of the strongest profiles in the nation, driven in large part by young professionals and a high proportion of overseas-born residents. The local population is characterized by a strong representation of teenagers and young adults, who are highly culturally diverse and predominantly live in lone person or group households. Residents are exceptionally well educated, though local income levels tend to sit in the lower national quartile. Property market conditions in the suburb of Melbourne reflect these dynamics, with above-average proportions of renting households and population density and growth drivers that sit well above average benchmarks.

Estimated residents are up from 54,941 at the 2021 Census — a change of 19,835 people, or 36.1%.

Districts View

Data to 17 Jul 2026

Should you spend time looking in Melbourne?

Metrici

Melbourne

Latest FY Approvals

536

46,344

185,138

Current FY-to-Date Approvals

699

39,880

184,871

–Detached House Approvals

2/0.6%

19,891/55.0%

89,436/61.9%

–Attached/Other Approvals

292/99.4%

16,302/45.0%

55,043/38.1%

Average Annual Approvals

264

46,055

188,882

Total 5-Year Approvals

1,322

230,275

944,410

Approvals per 1,000 People (2yr)

7.2

8.2

6.5

Approvals per 1,000 People (5yr)

3.9

7.2

Pop Growth per Approval (2yr)

6.9

2.6

2.8

Pop Growth per Approval (5yr)

8.4

1.6

2.1

Persons per Approval

146

125

158

Residential Value per Unit

427

367

342

Commercial Development Value

1,430,186

17,870,380

105,080,908

Development Drivers Ranking

100

Metrici	Melbourne	Comparison areaGreater Melbourne	Comparison areaAustralia
Latest Population Est.	74,776	5,467,717	27,798,796
Growth Since Census	36.1%	11.2%	9.3%
Population 2021 Census	54,941	4,917,750	25,422,788
Natural Increase	3.0%	20.0%	20.0%
Overseas Migration	96.0%	80.0%	80.0%
Interstate Migration	1.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Population Forecast Growth (2041)	33.0%	27.3%	19.8%
Persons per Square Kilometer	11,346	547	3

Metrici	Melbourne	Comparison areaGreater Melbourne	Comparison areaAustralia
Total Employment	53,762	2,999,459	14,651,372
–Accommodation & Food	18.4%	6.4%	6.8%
–Professional & Technical	17.3%	10.1%	8.2%
–Health Care & Social Assistance	9.7%	14.2%	15.2%
Labour Force	55,766	3,149,663	15,298,546
Participation Rate	76.9%	70.2%	67.2%
Working from Home	39.4%	32.6%	23.9%
Unemployment	3.6%	4.8%	4.2%
1Yr Emp. Growth	3.7%	2.1%	1.5%
5Yr Emp. Growth Forecast	7.0%	6.6%	6.5%
Employment Drivers Ranking	64	67	100

Metrici	Melbourne	Comparison areaGreater Melbourne	Comparison areaAustralia
Median Annual Income Est.	46,711	63,238	62,634
Average Annual Income Est.	73,668	82,395	80,499
ATO Median Taxable Income	42,612	57,688	57,137
ATO Average Taxable Income	67,203	75,164	73,435
Median Household Income	1,448	1,901	1,746
–$0 to 399	5,610 (15.0%)	124,775 (6.3%)	638,312 (6.3%)
–$400 to 799	4,675 (12.5%)	273,317 (13.8%)	1,671,771 (16.5%)
–$800 to 1,499	9,088 (24.3%)	398,092 (20.1%)	2,158,104 (21.3%)
–$1,500 to 2,999	11,780 (31.5%)	649,623 (32.8%)	3,201,695 (31.6%)
–$3,000 to 3,999	2,692 (7.2%)	235,687 (11.9%)	1,114,514 (11.0%)
–$4,000+	3,553 (9.5%)	299,065 (15.1%)	1,357,681 (13.4%)
Median Family Income	2,083	2,243	2,120
–$0 to 399	1,080 (7.7%)	51,956 (3.7%)	236,192 (3.3%)
–$400 to 799	1,066 (7.6%)	126,379 (9.0%)	758,676 (10.6%)
–$800 to 1,499	2,777 (19.8%)	263,993 (18.8%)	1,474,408 (20.6%)
–$1,500 to 2,999	5,104 (36.4%)	504,114 (35.9%)	2,562,321 (35.8%)
–$3,000 to 3,999	1,669 (11.9%)	203,611 (14.5%)	973,396 (13.6%)
–$4,000+	2,328 (16.6%)	254,163 (18.1%)	1,145,171 (16.0%)
Median Personal Income	864	841	805
–$0 to 399	19,273 (25.8%)	1,470,816 (26.9%)	7,303,780 (26.3%)
–$400 to 799	15,986 (21.4%)	1,170,091 (21.4%)	6,526,191 (23.5%)
–$800 to 1,499	20,319 (27.2%)	1,399,736 (25.6%)	7,137,153 (25.7%)
–$1,500 to 2,999	14,567 (19.5%)	1,099,011 (20.1%)	5,359,808 (19.3%)
–$3,000 to 3,499	1,643 (2.2%)	114,822 (2.1%)	527,649 (1.9%)
–$3,500+	2,988 (4.0%)	213,241 (3.9%)	944,215 (3.4%)
–Low Income (<$800/wk)	27.5%	20.1%	22.8%
–High Income (>$3,000/wk)	16.7%	27.0%	24.4%
Largest Income Group	$1,500 - 2,999	$1,500 - 2,999	$1,500 - 2,999
Household Disposable Income	4,820	6,948	6,376
SEIFA Score	7.7	6.3	5.6

Metrici	Melbourne	Comparison areaGreater Melbourne	Comparison areaAustralia
Total Dwellings (Census)	27,479	1,781,344	9,275,218
–Owned Outright	13.1%	30.7%	32.1%
–Owned with Mortgage	13.6%	38.2%	36.2%
–Rented	73.3%	31.1%	31.7%
–Detached Houses	0.1%	67.9%	72.5%
–Semi-Detached	0.2%	16.2%	12.6%
–Apartments	99.7%	15.6%	14.3%
–Other Dwellings	0.0%	0.3%	0.6%
–Median Monthly Mortgage	1,800	2,000	1,863
–Median Weekly Rent	381	390	375
–$0-149/wk	1.0%	4.6%	7.3%
–$150-349/wk	33.6%	27.4%	33.4%
–$350-649/wk	59.0%	59.7%	50.9%
–$650-949/wk	4.7%	6.4%	6.6%
–>$950/wk	1.7%	1.9%	1.8%
–Aggregate Housing Cost	1,454	1,289	1,189
–Mortgage / Income	28.7%	24.3%	24.6%
–Rent / Income	26.3%	20.5%	21.5%
–Persons per Bedroom	1	0.9	0.8

Metrici	Melbourne	Comparison areaGreater Melbourne	Comparison areaAustralia
Current Household Est.	37,398	1,980,559	10,142,077
Median Household Size	1.7	2.6	2.5
Total Households (Census)	27,478	1,781,346	9,275,217
–Lone Person Households	47.2%	24.8%	25.6%
–Group Households	15.3%	4.3%	3.9%
–Other Households	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
–Family Households	37.5%	70.9%	70.5%
–Couple with Children	5.7%	34.5%	31.4%
–Couple No Children	25.6%	24.5%	26.8%
–One Parent Family	3.1%	10.6%	11.1%
–Avg Children per Family	0.4	1.4	1.6
Currently Married	21.9%	47.0%	46.5%
Never Married	69.3%	38.0%	36.5%

Melbourne (Vic.)

Should you spend time looking in Melbourne?

Why look here

What could hold it back

Property sales trends in Melbourne (Vic.)

Housing development & building approvals in Melbourne (Vic.)

Development applications

Infrastructure & major projects in Melbourne (Vic.)

1.Parkville Materials Handling Building (RMH Parkville) - Decommissioning and Demolition

2.The Carter Building

3.Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID)

4.Level Crossing Removal Project

5.Queen Victoria Market Precinct Renewal

For sale in Melbourne (Vic.)

Recent sales in Melbourne (Vic.)

Indexed properties

Surrounding suburbs in Melbourne (Vic.)

Population growth in Melbourne (Vic.)

Jobs and industry in Melbourne (Vic.)

Household income in Melbourne (Vic.)

Housing & dwellings in Melbourne (Vic.)

Household composition in Melbourne (Vic.)

Schools & education in Melbourne (Vic.)

Services and amenities in Melbourne (Vic.)

Transport & commuting in Melbourne (Vic.)

Health services in Melbourne (Vic.)

Cultural diversity in Melbourne (Vic.)

Age profile in Melbourne (Vic.)

Child care in Melbourne (Vic.)

Dwelling mix

How homes are held

Ancestry

Suburb	Distance	People	Median	Growth	Sales
Melbourne	—	74,776	—	—	—
Southbank	1.0 km	29,219	—	—	—
Docklands	1.8 km	18,782	—	—	—
East Melbourne	1.9 km	5,263	—	—	—
South Melbourne	1.9 km	14,383	—	—	—
Carlton (Vic.)	2.0 km	23,242	—	—	—
West Melbourne	2.0 km	10,133	—	—	—
Fitzroy (Vic.)	2.4 km	12,578	—	—	—
North Melbourne	2.5 km	18,460	—	—	—
Collingwood (Vic.)	2.8 km	11,160	—	—	—
Cremorne (Vic.)	2.9 km	2,614	—	—	—
Albert Park (Vic.)	3.2 km	6,665	—	—	—
Port Melbourne	3.3 km	18,888	—	—	—
Richmond (Vic.)	3.3 km	31,327	—	—	—
Abbotsford (Vic.)	3.4 km	10,389	—	—	—
South Yarra	3.5 km	29,495	—	—	—
Carlton North	3.5 km	6,602	—	—	—
Middle Park (Vic.)	3.7 km	4,236	—	—	—

Metrici	Melbourne	Comparison areaGreater Melbourne	Comparison areaAustralia
University Qualifications	61.1%	37.0%	30.4%
–Bachelor Degree	37.7%	23.7%	20.0%
–Postgraduate Degree	20.6%	9.9%	7.6%
–Advanced Diploma	11.0%	11.2%	10.8%
–Certificate	7.3%	16.7%	22.0%
No Tertiary Qualifications	20.6%	35.2%	36.8%
Number of Schools	11	1,767	11,054
Total School Attendance	6,457	805,274	4,176,099
ICSEA Score	1,102	1,056	1,001
Education Drivers Ranking	86	97	100

#	School name	Type	Places	ICSEA	Distance (km)
1	Eltham College - Lonsdale Street Campus	Combined	n.a	n.a	0.60
2	Eltham College - King Street Campus	Combined	n.a	n.a	0.68
3	Ozford College - Ozford College Campus	Secondary	n.a	n.a	0.90
4	Ozford College	Secondary	146	1053	0.90
5	Stott's Colleges	Secondary	n.a	1021	0.92
6	Holmes Grammar School	Secondary	n.a	n.a	1.12
7	Melbourne Grammar School - Wadhurst Campus	Combined	n.a	n.a	1.98
8	Melbourne Grammar School	Combined	1,856	1181	2.09
9	MacRobertson Girls High School	Secondary	1,196	1185	2.19
10	Wesley College	Combined	3,207	1174	3.85
11	Victorian College For The Deaf	Combined	52	998	3.95

Metrici	Melbourne	Comparison areaGreater Melbourne	Comparison areaAustralia
Transport Stops	201	21,358	171,981
Routes	92	670	12,966
Weekly Trips	69,302	317,563	1,140,068
Avg Dist. Between Stops (m)	49	90	235
Avg Dist. to Local Pop. (m)	95	267	7,586
Population per Stop	367	256	161
Population per Trip	1.1	17.2	24.3
Population per Route	802	8,156	2,136
Public Transport Access Ranking	99	91	100
Vehicles per Dwelling	0.1	1.3	1.4
Work from Home	39.4%	32.6%	23.9%
Single Mode Commute	54.5%	64.8%	73.8%
Two Mode	4.8%	2.1%	1.9%
Three+ Mode	1.3%	0.5%	0.3%
–Car	20.1%	81.9%	84.1%
–Train	21.5%	7.7%	4.9%
–Bus	4.9%	2.4%	3.6%
–Walk	24.8%	3.2%	3.7%
–Cycle	2.7%	1.2%	1.0%
–Ferry	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%
–Tram/Light Rail	22.6%	1.9%	0.5%
–Other	1.4%	0.9%	1.1%

Metrici	Melbourne	Comparison areaGreater Melbourne	Comparison areaAustralia
Private Health Cover Rate	53.4%	56.7%	55.7%
Need for Assistance	1.6%	5.5%	5.8%
Zero L/T Health Conditions	83.6%	72.6%	69.8%
One Long Term Condition	12.9%	19.3%	20.5%
Two Long Term Conditions	2.7%	5.5%	6.4%
3+ Long Term Conditions	0.8%	2.6%	3.3%
–Arthritis	2.4%	6.4%	7.7%
–Asthma	5.4%	7.3%	7.4%
–Cancer	1.2%	2.3%	2.6%
–Dementia / Alzheimers	0.1%	0.6%	0.7%
–Diabetes	1.6%	4.1%	4.3%
–Heart Disease	1.2%	3.1%	3.6%
–Kidney Disease	0.3%	0.8%	0.8%
–Lung Condition	0.4%	1.1%	1.6%
–Mental Health Issue	6.9%	7.5%	8.0%
–Stroke	0.3%	0.8%	0.8%
–Other Condition	5.1%	7.2%	7.3%

Metrici	Melbourne	Comparison areaGreater Melbourne	Comparison areaAustralia
Born Overseas	70.6%	37.3%	29.3%
Born in Australia	29.4%	62.7%	70.7%
Australian Citizens	40.0%	81.1%	83.8%
Speak English Only	39.8%	64.1%	76.4%
Speak Other Language	60.2%	35.9%	23.6%
Indigenous Population	0.4%	0.5%	2.2%
Largest Ethnic Group	Chinese	English	English
Main Religion	Christianity	Christianity	Christianity
–Buddhism	10.2%	4.2%	2.6%
–Christianity	25.6%	43.0%	47.5%
–Hinduism	7.6%	4.4%	2.9%
–Islam	2.8%	5.6%	3.5%
–Judaism	0.9%	1.0%	0.4%
–Other	1.0%	2.3%	1.4%
–No Religion	51.9%	39.5%	41.6%

Metrici	Melbourne	Comparison areaGreater Melbourne	Comparison areaAustralia
Median Age	27	37	38
Largest Age Group	25 to 34	25 to 34	25 to 34
Children (0-14)	3.0%	17.5%	17.5%
Working Age (15-64)	91.2%	67.5%	64.7%
Seniors (65+)	5.8%	15.0%	17.8%
Age Distribution Variance	181.0%	22.0%	16.0%
Dependency Ratio	10.0%	48.0%	55.0%
Fastest Growing Age Group	85+	85+	85+