Statistical Area 2 (SA2) · Area profile
Meadow Heights
5 km²
Nearly 70% of residents in Meadow Heights use a language other than English at home, making it one of the most linguistically diverse areas in the region. This community is noticeably younger than the national average, with a high proportion of children and a low number of seniors. It is a place where large family households are common and many residents were born overseas. The area faces significant economic challenges, reflected in low typical incomes and high unemployment.
Meadow Heights has many young families but fewer schools per child than most areas.
Families are well catered for: 30 schools serve Meadow Heights.
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The community is noticeably younger than most, with a typical resident aged 34 and children under 15 making up 21.5% of the population. Conversely, seniors aged 65 and over are well below the state and national figures at 11.7%.
Overseas birth is very common here, with 46.3% of people born abroad, a figure far above the national average of 27.7%. This proportion has risen slightly since 2011.
A vast majority of residents use another language at home, reaching 68.0%, which is far above the national figure. Around 16.3% of the community speak little or no English, a rate much higher than in most other areas.
Religious affiliation is high, with Islam representing 48.1% of the population. Those reporting no religion make up only 9.9%, which is far below the national figure of 38.9%.
Educational attainment is lower than in most areas, with only 50.2% of residents completing Year 12. Adults with a bachelor degree or higher make up 13.7%, which is far below the state and national averages.
Incomes are among the lowest for similar areas, with a typical weekly household income of $1,274, well below the national figure of $1,746. Only 9.8% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.
The area has a high need for support, with 10.5% of people requiring help with daily activities, which is well above the national average. This figure has risen since 2011.
Unpaid care is common, with 13.2% of people providing support to others. However, volunteer rates are among the lowest at this level, at only 5.4%.
First Nations people make up 0.9% of the population. This group has a high rate of traditional language use at 16.0%, which is well above the national figure.
Households here are larger than most, averaging 3.3 people, which is well above the national figure of 2.5. One-parent families are also much more common than in other areas, at 20.4%.
Most homes are separate houses (82.2%) and 90% have three or more bedrooms, far above the national average. Typical weekly rents are around $346, which is about the same as the national figure.
Public transport is very accessible, with every home within a 10-minute walk of a stop. Despite this, 65.5% of workers still commute by car, and only 2.6% use public transport for their trip.
The population is relatively stable, with 27.4% moving in the last five years, which is far below the national average of 40.7%.
Economic hardship is evident, with an unemployment rate of 12.3%, well above the national figure of 5.1%. Only 43.1% of adults are working or looking for work.
The area is ranked among the most disadvantaged, with an overall advantage score of 845, which is among the lowest for similar areas.
The local climate sees an average annual rainfall of 595mm, which is a little above the Victorian average of 510mm.
The area is very walkable, with 100% of homes within a 15-minute walk of both a park and public transport. Almost every home (99.9%) is also within a 15-minute walk of groceries.