Urban Centre · Area profile
Melton
57 km²
High rates of full-time employment and rising incomes mark the character of Melton. This is a notably young community, where the typical resident is just 32 and children make up over a quarter of the population. The area has seen a rapid increase in cultural diversity, with a surge in overseas arrivals and people using languages other than English. These trends have created a family-oriented suburb of large homes and growing households.
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The community is noticeably younger than the national figure, with 25.4% of people being children under 15. This youthfulness is reflected in the typical age of 32, which is much lower than most similar areas.
Born overseas, 32.5% of residents come from outside Australia, a figure that has risen 24 points since 2011. Indian ancestry is particularly common, representing 6.8% of the population.
Language diversity has grown rapidly, with 32.4% of people now using a language other than English at home. Punjabi is the most common non-English language, spoken by 6.6% of residents.
Religious affiliation is more common here than in most areas, with only 30.5% of people reporting no religion. This is well below the national figure of 38.9%.
While 52.3% of residents completed Year 12, the proportion of adults with a bachelor degree or higher is far below the state average at 16.2%.
Typical weekly household incomes have risen by $561 since 2011 to reach $1,529. However, this remains a little below the national figure.
Health profiles are generally consistent with the state, though 26.7% of people have a long-term health condition. Asthma is the most reported condition at 9.7%.
Unpaid childcare is very common, with 31.9% of people providing this support, which is well above the national average. Conversely, volunteering is among the lowest for its level at 7.6%.
Homes are larger than usual, with an average of 2.9 people per household. One-parent families are also more common than in most areas, making up 19% of households.
Most residents live in separate houses, and 91.6% of homes have three or more bedrooms. This helps explain why the area has far more large homes than the state average.
Cars are essential for most, as 61.7% of people drive to work and only 2.2% use public transport. However, working from home has risen to 15.1% since 2011.
The area is highly mobile, with 47.6% of people moving house in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 13.7% of the population.
Full-time employment is a little above the national average at 60.9%, though the unemployment rate of 7.8% is also higher than the national figure.
While almost everyone lives within a 15-minute walk of a park, the area is generally less walkable than the state average, particularly for accessing groceries and health services.