State Electorate · Area profile
Melbourne (Northern Metropolitan)
28 km²
High-density living and a young, global population define Melbourne (Northern Metropolitan). This inner-city area is overwhelmingly residential in apartments, where the typical resident is just 30 years old. It is a highly educated and diverse hub, with more than half the population born overseas and a huge proportion of residents holding university degrees. This combination of young professionals and international arrivals creates a fast-paced community where most people live in small households or alone.
Modest local incomes, but the area's schools serve a more advantaged intake.
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The area is far younger than the state and national figures, with children and seniors both making up just 7% of the population. De facto relationships are very common here, at 18.8%, which is well above the national average of 11.5%.
A striking 52.9% of residents were born overseas, a figure far above the national average. Chinese is the most common ancestry at 23.1%, and China is the most frequent country of birth outside Australia.
Language diversity is very high, with 45.1% of people using a language other than English at home, far exceeding the national figure of 22.3%. Mandarin is the most common non-English language, spoken by 14.6% of the community.
Over half of the population (51.0%) report having no religion, which is far above the national figure. This trend has grown since 2016, with the figure rising by 4.5 percentage points.
The community is highly qualified; 53.7% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, far above the national average of 26.3%. This high level of education is reflected in the 82.2% of residents who completed Year 12.
Personal incomes are a little above the national figure, with 15.6% of people earning $2,000 or more a week. Typical weekly family income is $2,329, which is also higher than most other areas.
Residents are generally healthy, with long-term health conditions affecting 18.9% of the population, which is well below the national average of 27.7%. Only 2.3% of people need help with daily activities.
Unpaid care and housework are much less common here than across the state, including the 10.8% of people caring for children. About 14.7% of the population are volunteers.
Small households are the norm, with a typical home containing only 1.9 people. This is consistent with the fact that 42.5% of people live alone, far above the national average of 25.6%.
The area is dominated by flats or apartments (79.6%), with very few detached houses. Renting is far more common than in the rest of the country, with 67.3% of households renting their home.
Public transport use is very high, and 48.0% of homes have no motor vehicle, far above the national figure. Working from home has surged to 38.2%, up from just 4.1% in 2016.
The population is very mobile, with 68.6% of people having moved in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 42.3% of the community, far above the national average.
More people are working or looking for work here (69.2%) than in most other areas. Professional and technical roles are the most common industry, accounting for 17.5% of jobs.
This area is a walker's paradise with a score of 9.5, as nearly 100% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of public transport, parks, groceries, and health services.