Capital City · Area profile
Greater Melbourne
9,993 km²
Rapid growth has transformed Greater Melbourne into a massive, diverse metropolis that added over 430,000 people between 2016 and 2021. It is a highly educated and relatively young city, with a typical resident aged 37. This is a global hub where more than a third of the population was born overseas, creating a community that is far more linguistically diverse than the national average. High professional qualifications and a strong job market make it one of Australia's most affluent and walkable urban centres.
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The population is slightly younger than the national figure, with 18.1% of residents being children under 15. While the typical age is 37, the number of seniors aged 65 and over rose to 15.0% since 2016.
This is a highly diverse area where 35.7% of people were born overseas, a figure well above the national average of 27.7%. English, Australian, Chinese, and Irish are the most common ancestries.
Language diversity is a standout feature, with 34.1% of people using a language other than English at home, which is far above the national figure of 22.3%. Mandarin and Vietnamese are the most spoken non-English languages.
About 40.1% of residents identify as Christian, while 37.3% report no religion, a figure that rose by 5.9 percentage points since 2016.
The area is well-qualified, with 32.8% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher and 66.9% having completed Year 12, both figures being well above the national average.
Incomes are generally high; the typical weekly household earns $1,901, and 25.4% of households earn $3,000 or more per week, which is much higher than most similar areas.
Health profiles are around the middle for similar areas, with 25.5% of people living with a long-term health condition and 8.1% reporting a mental health condition.
Unpaid care is common here, with 12.6% of people providing unpaid care and 26.5% caring for children, though the proportion of volunteers fell to 12.1% since 2016.
First Nations people in this area have a Year 12 completion rate of 49.5%, which is far above the national figure of 37.0%. Their typical personal income is also well above the national average.
Homes tend to be larger than usual, with 2.6 people per home. About 62% of households consist of couples with children, while 24.8% of people live alone.
Rent and mortgages are high, with typical weekly rent at $390 and monthly home loans at $2,000. Detached houses are less common here than in the rest of the state, making up 67.8% of dwellings.
Working from home has surged to 28.8%, well above the national figure of 21.0%. While many homes have two cars, 8.6% of households have no motor vehicle.
The community is quite mobile, with 40.8% of people having moved in the last five years. Recent overseas arrivals make up 15.8% of the population.
The workforce is active, with 64.1% of adults working or looking for work. Professionals and managers are the most common occupations, with health care and professional services being the top industries.
The region continues to grow quickly, with a population increase of 9.3% since 2021, which is much higher than most similar areas.
The climate is relatively mild, with an average maximum temperature of 20.4 degrees and annual rainfall of 825mm, which is far above the state average.
The area is very walkable, with 82.6% of homes having a 15-minute-city walkshed. This includes easy access to groceries (82.0%) and health services (73.0%) within a short walk.