State Electorate · Area profile
Kew (Southern Metropolitan)
28 km²
High incomes and a strong professional workforce define Kew (Southern Metropolitan), where the typical family earns $3,010 a week. It is an affluent, well-educated community with a noticeably older population than the national average. This wealth is reflected in the housing, with a very high proportion of homes owned outright. The area is also remarkably diverse and walkable, blending a high-earning population with a significant number of residents born overseas.
An affluent area whose schools serve an equally well-off community.
Plenty of schools here relative to how few children live in the area.
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The community is noticeably older than most, with a typical resident aged 42 and nearly 19% of the population aged 65 or over. While the total population grew slightly to 64,029, the proportion of children under 15 has fallen since 2016.
A significant 36.9% of residents were born overseas, a figure well above the national average that has risen since 2016. Chinese and English are the most common ancestries, with Chinese ancestry making up 24.3% of the population.
Language diversity is very high, with 36.4% of people using a language other than English at home, far above the national figure. Mandarin is the most common non-English language, spoken by 14% of the community.
About 43% of residents report having no religion, a figure that rose by 7.6 percentage points since 2016 and is well above the state and national averages. Christianity is equally common at 43%.
This is a highly qualified area where nearly half of all adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, far above the national average. This high level of education is reflected in the school results, with 82.6% of residents completing Year 12.
Earnings are among the highest in the region, with 39.1% of households earning $3,000 or more a week. The typical personal weekly income is $991, which is a little above the national figure.
Residents generally experience better health than most, with long-term health conditions and mental health conditions both being well below the state and national averages.
Volunteerism is much more common here than in most areas, though the rate fell from 24.6% in 2016 to 17.8% in 2021. Unpaid care is also high, with 15.2% of people providing support.
Families tend to be larger than usual, with 2.7 people per home and a high proportion of couples with children. Only 21.9% of people live alone, which is well below the national average.
Home ownership is very strong, with 42.8% of homes owned outright. However, costs are high; the typical monthly mortgage payment is $3,010 and typical weekly rents are $500, both far above national figures.
Working from home has surged to 38.6%, which is far above the national average. While 3.1% of people commute by public transport, the area is very well served with 301 public transport stops.
Migration patterns are steady, with 37.9% of people moving in the last five years. Recent overseas arrivals make up 13.7% of the population, a figure that has fallen since 2016.
The workforce is predominantly professional, with 38.9% in professional roles and 19.6% as managers. The unemployment rate is 4.5%, which is lower than in most areas.
Described as a walker's paradise, 99% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of schools, groceries, and health services. Nearly every home is also within a 10-minute walk of public transport.