Ashwood - Chadstone

The area is a little younger than the state and national figures, with a typical resident aged 36. Its population has grown 20% since 2011, and it is now larger than about 91% of similar areas.

This is a culturally diverse community where 43.3% of people were born overseas, a figure far above the national average. English, Chinese, and Australian are the most common ancestries reported.

Language diversity is high, with 43.0% of residents using a language other than English at home, which is far above the national figure. Mandarin is the most common non-English language spoken.

Christianity remains the most common religion at 40.7%, though the number of people reporting no religion rose 14 points since 2011 to reach 39.1%.

The workforce is highly qualified; 42.8% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, far above the national figure of 26.3%. This is reflected in the 74.4% of residents who completed Year 12.

Incomes are generally high, with a typical family earning $2,449 a week. About 30.2% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, which is well above the state and national averages.

While 24.7% of people have a long-term health condition—lower than the national figure—the proportion of people needing help with daily activities has risen since 2011 to 6.7%.

Volunteer rates have fallen slightly to 13.2% since 2011. About 12.3% of residents provide unpaid care, which is about the same as the national average.

The First Nations population is small, but those who are present show a high rate of Year 12 completion (55.4%) and a strong connection to language, with 17.3% speaking a First Nations language.

Family structures are typical for the region, with 59.7% of households consisting of couples with children. About 24.7% of people in the area live alone.

Renting is much more common here than in most areas, at 37.2%. The neighborhood has seen a shift away from separate houses, which fell 15 points since 2011, while typical monthly mortgage payments are now well above the national average at $2,500.

Working from home has surged 32 points since 2011 to reach 35.8%, far above the national figure. While 41.8% still drive to work, the area is well-connected by bus services.

The community is quite mobile, with 43.2% of residents having moved in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 15.0% of the population.

Employment is strong, with 65.1% of adults working or looking for work. Many residents work as professionals (33.9%) or managers (15.2%), often within health care, social assistance, or technical fields.

The area is overall quite advantaged, ranking in the top 20% of similar areas. This is driven by a very high score for education and job skills, which is higher than 90% of other areas.

The local climate is slightly cooler than the state average, with a typical maximum temperature of 20.2 degrees and annual rainfall of 750mm.

This is a very walkable area, with 99.7% of homes within a 15-minute walk of urban amenities. Almost all residents live within a short walk of parks, schools, and public transport.