State Electorate · Area profile
Thomastown (Northern Metropolitan)
102 km²
Rapid growth has seen Thomastown add nearly 14,000 people since 2016, making it a larger community than 84% of similar areas. It is a notably young place, with a typical resident aged 35 and a high proportion of children. This growth is driven by a very diverse population, where nearly half of the residents were born overseas. Large family homes and a strong presence of multiple languages create a distinct cultural landscape in this part of Melbourne's north.
Families are well catered for: 31 schools serve Thomastown (Northern Metropolitan).
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The area is much younger than most, with a typical age of 35 and children under 15 making up 20.8% of the population. This high number of children is consistent with the large family sizes seen in the housing data.
Nearly half of the residents (48.3%) were born overseas, a figure far above the national average of 27.7%. The most common ancestries include Italian, Australian, English, and Indian.
Language diversity is very high, with 62.6% of people using a language other than English at home. This is far above the Victorian average, though the number of people who speak little or no English fell slightly since 2016.
Religious affiliation is strong here; only 15.3% of people report no religion, which is far below the state and national figures. Christianity is the most common faith at 44.6%, followed by Islam at 15.3%.
Adults with a bachelor degree or higher make up 22% of the population, which is well below the national figure. However, there has been a positive trend, with the share of people completing Year 12 rising by 7.6 points since 2016.
Incomes are much lower than in most similar areas. The typical weekly family income is $1,671, which is well below the Victorian figure of $2,136.
A high proportion of residents (7.9%) need help with daily activities, which is among the highest for similar areas. Conversely, long-term health conditions and mental health conditions are much lower than in most other areas.
Volunteering is low here, with only 5.8% of people volunteering, a figure well below the national average. Unpaid care for children is around the middle for its level at 26.8%.
Homes are larger than average, with 2.9 people per household. This is higher than the state average and coincides with a high share of couples with children (64%).
Separate houses are very common, making up 86.6% of all dwellings. Large homes are the norm, with 86.4% of properties having three or more bedrooms, far above the national figure.
Most people drive to work, but there has been a big shift toward working from home, which rose by 14 points since 2016. Public transport use is higher than in most similar areas.
The area is quite mobile, with 40.1% of people moving house in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 14% of the population.
The unemployment rate is 7.0%, which is a little above the state and national figures. The number of adults working or looking for work is much lower than in most similar areas.
The area is somewhat walkable, with nearly all homes within a 15-minute walk of a park and 84.4% within walking distance of a school. However, access to health services on foot is far below the state average.