Suburb / Locality · Area profile
Box Hill
4 km²
Many of the most diverse and highly educated residents in the region live in Box Hill. This is a young, international hub where 61% of people were born overseas, and a typical resident is just 33. The community is defined by a high proportion of young professionals and recent arrivals, which is reflected in the abundance of apartments and a very high rate of renting. It is a dense, urban environment where most people live without a car and rely on exceptional walkability.
Modest local incomes, but the area's schools serve a more advantaged intake.
Explore Box Hill by topic
The population is noticeably younger than the state and national figures, with the typical resident aged 33. Children under 15 make up only 9.6% of the community, which is well below the national average of 18.2%.
Box Hill is far more multicultural than the rest of Australia, with 61% of people born overseas. Chinese ancestry is the most common at 46.6%, and nearly 30% of residents were born in China.
Language diversity is very high, with 60.2% of people using a language other than English at home, far above the national figure of 22.3%. Mandarin is the most common non-English language, spoken by 33.9% of residents.
A majority of residents have no religion, at 50.8%, which is far above the national figure of 38.9%.
This is a highly qualified community where 39.9% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, far above the national figure of 26.3%. Year 12 completion is also very high at 74.3%.
Typical weekly household income is $1,267, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. This is consistent with a population that is notably younger and has a higher proportion of renters.
Residents report fewer long-term health conditions (18.9%) than the national average (27.7%). However, the proportion of people needing help with daily activities is 5.8%, which is about the same as the national figure.
Participation in unpaid work is much lower than most areas, with only 10.6% of people volunteering and 8.1% providing unpaid care, compared to 11.9% nationally for the latter.
The First Nations community is small, but 13.2% speak a First Nations language, which is much higher than the state average of 5.2%.
Living arrangements are quite distinct, with 33% of people living alone, well above the national figure of 25.6%. Typical homes are smaller, with 2.2 people per dwelling.
Rental properties dominate the market at 57.9%, far above the national figure of 30.6%. Most people live in flats or apartments (53.1%), and very few homes have three or more bedrooms.
Public transport use is very high, with 9.9% commuting by transit compared to 3.1% nationally. About 23.7% of homes have no motor vehicle, far above the national average of 7.4%.
The area is highly transient, with 60% of people moving house in the last five years. Recent overseas arrivals make up 35.2% of the population, far above the national figure of 14.5%.
Unemployment is a little above the national rate at 7.8%. The most common industries for workers are health care and social assistance (15.2%) and accommodation and food (11.9%).
Box Hill is a walker's paradise with a score of 9.2. Every single home is within a 15-minute walk of a park, a school, and groceries.