Statistical Area 2 (SA2) · Area profile
Chelsea Heights
3 km²
A well-connected suburban pocket of Greater Melbourne, Chelsea Heights is a stable residential area where most people own their own homes. It is a family-oriented community with a higher proportion of children and larger households than is typical for the state. Since 2011, the area has seen a significant shift toward people identifying as having no religion, alongside a steady increase in typical family incomes. This is a settled neighborhood where residents tend to stay long-term, resulting in a very low rate of recent arrivals.
Chelsea Heights has many young families but fewer schools per child than most areas.
Families are well catered for: 12 schools serve Chelsea Heights.
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The typical resident is 40 years old, and the population is a little older than the national figure. Children under 15 make up 19.5% of the community, which is higher than most similar areas.
About 25.2% of residents were born overseas, a figure well below the Victorian average. English and Australian ancestries are the most common, together accounting for over two-thirds of the population.
English is the primary language for nearly 80% of households, meaning the area has far fewer people using another language at home compared to the state average. Only 1.8% of residents speak little or no English.
A large proportion of the community—44.4%—now reports having no religion, a figure well above the national average. This has risen by 19 percentage points since 2011.
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher make up 22% of the population, which is well below the national figure. However, the number of people who completed Year 12 rose by 9 percentage points between 2011 and 2021.
Typical family income is $2,313 a week, which is a little above the national figure. The number of households earning $3,000 or more per week has risen sharply by 16 percentage points since 2011.
About 29.1% of residents have a long-term health condition, which is a little above the state average. Asthma and arthritis are the most common reported conditions.
Unpaid care is a significant part of local life, as 30.5% of people care for children and 14.1% provide other unpaid care, both figures being much higher than most areas.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 0.5% of the population. While First Nations household incomes are well above the national average, personal incomes are a little below.
Homes here are slightly larger than usual, with 2.6 people per household. Most families consist of couples with children, who make up 65.2% of all households.
Home ownership is strong, with 39.4% of homes owned outright and renting being far less common here than in the rest of the state. Most dwellings are separate houses, and 81% have three or more bedrooms.
While public transport stops are very common and easy to reach, only 1% of people use them to commute. Instead, most residents rely on cars or work from home, with 24.4% of the workforce doing the latter.
The community is very stable, with only 25.5% of people moving house in the last five years—one of the lowest rates for areas at this level. Recent overseas arrivals are also very low at 2.7%.
More people are working or looking for work here than in most similar areas, and the unemployment rate of 4.2% is slightly lower than the national figure.
The area is rated as having a high level of overall advantage, scoring a 7 out of 10, which is better than about 70% of similar areas.
The area sees an average annual rainfall of 735mm, which is well above the Victorian average of 510mm.
The neighborhood is very walkable, with every single home within a 15-minute walk of a park, public transport, and groceries. Health services are also highly accessible, with 99.7% of homes within a 15-minute walk.