About
Cowes (VIC 3922): population 6,593, median age 55, median household income $1,026/week, SEIFA IRSD decile 3. Victorian suburb guide with housing, jobs and community insights.
Cowes is a suburb in Bass Coast, Victoria (postcode 3922), located in the Phillip Island & Bass Coast region. At the ABS Census 2021 it had a population of 6,593 people.
At a glance
Age distribution
Housing tenure
Key statistics
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Postcode | 3922 |
| Population (2021) | 6,593 |
| Males | 3,100 (47.0%) |
| Females | 3,495 (53.0%) |
| Median age | 55 years |
| Average household size | 2.1 |
| Median weekly household income | $1,026 |
| Median weekly family income | $1,339 |
| Median weekly rent | $331 |
| Median monthly mortgage | $1,550 |
| Labour force | 2,475 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% |
| Participation rate | 47.5% |
| Born overseas | 19.9% |
| Separate houses | 40.3% |
| Worked at home | 18.0% |
| SEIFA IRSD decile | 3 of 10 |
| Bachelor degree or higher | 31.4% |
| Completed Year 12 or equivalent | 48.6% |
| Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander residents | 1.1% |
| Residents needing assistance with core activities | 8.4% |
| Households with 2+ vehicles | 49.4% |
| Distance from Melbourne CBD | 76.8 km (straight line) |
Age profile
Median age: 55 years. Residents under 15: 14.2%. Residents aged 65 and over: 34.9%.
| Age group | People | Share of population |
|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 275 | 4.2% |
| 5-14 | 659 | 10.0% |
| 15-19 | 237 | 3.6% |
| 20-24 | 182 | 2.8% |
| 25-34 | 529 | 8.0% |
| 35-44 | 630 | 9.6% |
| 45-54 | 732 | 11.1% |
| 55-64 | 1,036 | 15.7% |
| 65-74 | 1,305 | 19.8% |
| 75-84 | 710 | 10.8% |
| 85 and over | 284 | 4.3% |
Households and families
| Household type | Count | Share of households |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 2,747 | |
| Average household size | 2.1 | |
| One person | 955 | 34.8% |
| Two persons | 1,121 | 40.8% |
| Three persons | 280 | 10.2% |
| Four persons | 228 | 8.3% |
| Five persons | 117 | 4.3% |
| Six or more persons | 39 | 1.4% |
| Family type | Count | Share of families |
|---|---|---|
| Total families | 1,765 | |
| Couples with children | 51 | 2.9% |
| Couples without children | 987 | 55.9% |
| One-parent families | 279 | 15.8% |
| Other families | 15 | 0.8% |
Children ever born
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average children per woman aged 15+ | 1.94 |
| Women with no children | 21.6% |
| Women with three or more children | 33.0% |
Of the 489 couple families with children in Cowes, 13.1% are step or blended families.
Marital status
Marital status of residents aged 15 and over in Cowes.
| Status | Share of adults |
|---|---|
| Married (registered marriage) | 49.8% |
| Married (de facto) | 10.3% |
| Not married | 39.9% |
Housing
| Dwellings | Count | Share of dwellings |
|---|---|---|
| Total dwellings | 5,689 | |
| Occupied | 2,747 | 48.3% |
| Unoccupied | 2,939 | 51.7% |
| Dwelling structure | Count | Share of dwellings |
|---|---|---|
| Separate house | 2,290 | 40.3% |
| Semi-detached or townhouse | 324 | 5.7% |
| Flat or apartment | 111 | 2.0% |
| Other dwelling | 10 | 0.2% |
| Tenure | Count | Share of households |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,272 | 46.3% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 606 | 22.1% |
| Rented | 727 | 26.5% |
| Other tenure | 66 | 2.4% |
Weekly rent
| Rent band | Share of renting households |
|---|---|
| Under $350 per week | 54.6% |
| $350 to $549 per week | 44.7% |
| $550 or more per week | 0.7% |
6.8% of renting households rent through a state or community housing provider.
Monthly mortgage repayments
| Repayment band | Share of mortgaged households |
|---|---|
| Under $1,000 | 24.0% |
| $1,000 to $1,799 | 41.2% |
| $1,800 to $2,999 | 24.4% |
| $3,000 or more | 10.4% |
Bedrooms per dwelling
| Bedrooms | Share of dwellings |
|---|---|
| None or one bedroom | 4.0% |
| Two bedrooms | 16.8% |
| Three bedrooms | 44.4% |
| Four or more bedrooms | 34.8% |
Employment
| Labour force status | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 2,475 | |
| Employed | 2,362 | 95.4% |
| Unemployed | 109 | 4.4% |
| Not in the labour force | 2,738 | |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | |
| Participation rate | 47.5% |
48.4% of employed residents work part time, fewer than 35 hours per week.
Household income
Household incomes in Cowes are distributed across the following weekly bands.
| Weekly household income | Share of households |
|---|---|
| Under $650 | 28.0% |
| $650 to $1,499 | 39.6% |
| $1,500 to $2,999 | 22.4% |
| $3,000 or more | 10.0% |
For residents aged 15 and over, personal weekly income is distributed as follows.
| Weekly personal income | Share of residents 15+ |
|---|---|
| Under $500 | 42.6% |
| $500 to $999 | 31.4% |
| $1,000 to $1,999 | 19.4% |
| $2,000 or more | 6.6% |
Travel to work
| Method | Count | Share of workers |
|---|---|---|
| Car driver | 1,277 | 54.1% |
| Car passenger | 106 | 4.5% |
| Train | 0 | 0.0% |
| Bus | 5 | 0.2% |
| Tram | 0 | 0.0% |
| Bicycle | 31 | 1.3% |
| Walked only | 113 | 4.8% |
| Worked at home | 426 | 18.0% |
Religious affiliation
| Religion | Count | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|
| Christianity | 2,793 | 42.4% |
| No religion | 3,053 | 46.3% |
| Islam | 19 | 0.3% |
| Hinduism | 55 | 0.8% |
| Buddhism | 69 | 1.0% |
| Judaism | 4 | 0.1% |
| Other or not stated | 600 | 9.1% |
Socio-economic profile (SEIFA 2021)
SEIFA deciles run from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (least disadvantaged) nationally.
| Index | Score | Decile | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRSD (disadvantage) | 974 | 3 | 29 |
| IRSAD (advantage and disadvantage) | 943 | 3 | |
| IER (economic resources) | 970 | 3 | |
| IEO (education and occupation) | 951 | 4 |
Where residents were born
78.5% of residents were born in Australia and 21.5% were born overseas. The most common overseas birthplaces in Cowes are listed below.
| Country of birth | People | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|
| England | 425 | 6.9% |
| New Zealand | 108 | 1.8% |
| India | 77 | 1.3% |
| Italy | 61 | 1.0% |
| Scotland | 43 | 0.7% |
| Germany | 41 | 0.7% |
When overseas-born residents arrived
| Year of arrival | Share of overseas-born residents |
|---|---|
| 2016 to 2021 | 8.2% |
| 2011 to 2015 | 8.5% |
| 2001 to 2010 | 10.9% |
| Before 2001 | 72.4% |
Languages spoken at home
91.3% of residents speak only English at home. The most common other languages in Cowes are listed below. Across all households, 0.8% of residents speak English not well or not at all.
| Language | People | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|
| Italian | 67 | 1.1% |
| Indo-Aryan: Punjabi | 54 | 0.9% |
| Greek | 42 | 0.7% |
| Chinese: Mandarin | 37 | 0.6% |
| Spanish | 34 | 0.6% |
| German | 26 | 0.4% |
Ancestry
Residents of Cowes most commonly report the following ancestries.
| Ancestry | Responses | Share of responses |
|---|---|---|
| English | 2,868 | 33.1% |
| Australian | 2,347 | 27.1% |
| Scottish | 794 | 9.2% |
| Irish | 781 | 9.0% |
| Italian | 277 | 3.2% |
| German | 238 | 2.7% |
Work and industry
The largest employment sectors for Cowes residents are listed below.
| Industry of employment | Workers | Share of workers |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 321 | 14.1% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 307 | 13.5% |
| Retail Trade | 273 | 12.0% |
| Construction | 258 | 11.3% |
| Education and Training | 158 | 6.9% |
| Arts and Recreation Services | 144 | 6.3% |
The most common occupations among Cowes residents are listed below.
| Occupation | Workers | Share of workers |
|---|---|---|
| Technicians and Trades Workers | 393 | 17.0% |
| Professionals | 387 | 16.7% |
| Community and Personal Service Workers | 315 | 13.6% |
| Managers | 313 | 13.5% |
| Labourers | 300 | 13.0% |
| Sales Workers | 278 | 12.0% |
Education
Of residents attending an education institution in Cowes, 10.5% are at university or higher education, 8.9% are at TAFE or vocational education, and 77.3% are at school.
48.6% of residents aged 15 and over have completed Year 12 or equivalent.
The most common fields of study among Cowes residents with qualifications are listed below.
| Field of study | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Management and Commerce | 495 | 17.6% |
| Engineering and Related Technologies | 432 | 15.4% |
| Society and Culture | 390 | 13.9% |
| Health | 332 | 11.8% |
| Education | 329 | 11.7% |
| Architecture and Building | 279 | 9.9% |
Long-term health conditions
40.8% of residents report no long-term health condition. The most commonly reported conditions in Cowes are listed below.
| Health condition | People | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 975 | 12.3% |
| Mental health condition (including depression or anxiety) | 757 | 9.6% |
| Asthma | 593 | 7.5% |
| Heart disease (including heart attack or angina) | 445 | 5.6% |
| Diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes) | 424 | 5.4% |
| Cancer (including remission) | 330 | 4.2% |
| Lung condition (including COPD or emphysema) | 204 | 2.6% |
| Stroke | 130 | 1.6% |
| Kidney disease | 95 | 1.2% |
| Dementia (including Alzheimer's) | 80 | 1.0% |
25.5% of residents report one condition, 10.4% report two, and 5.8% report three or more.
Community and care
How residents of Cowes contribute to their community (share of residents aged 15 and over).
| Community activity | Share |
|---|---|
| Volunteers for an organisation or group | 17.4% |
| Provides unpaid assistance to a person with a disability or health condition | 13.7% |
| Provides unpaid child care | 42.0% |
| Does 15 or more hours of unpaid domestic work | 25.5% |
| Has served or is serving in the Australian Defence Force | 4.1% |
Moving and stability
| Mobility | Share of residents |
|---|---|
| Same address 1 year ago | 80.9% |
| Moved within Victoria in the last year | 9.5% |
| Moved interstate in the last year | 0.6% |
| Moved from overseas in the last year | 0.4% |
| Same address 5 years ago | 45.1% |
| Moved within Victoria in the last 5 years | 31.4% |
| Moved interstate in the last 5 years | 2.7% |
| Moved from overseas in the last 5 years | 2.8% |
Photo: Cowes, Victoria. Credit: en:User:Tortoise 02 / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Crime and safety
Victoria Police recorded 610 offences in Cowes in the 12 months to March 2026.
| Offence division | Recorded offences |
|---|---|
| A Crimes against the person | 129 |
| B Property and deception offences | 279 |
| C Drug offences | 12 |
| D Public order and security offences | 25 |
| E Justice procedures offences | 165 |
| F Other offences | 0 |
That is a calculated rate of 92.5 recorded offences per 1,000 residents, based on the ABS Census 2021 population. This rate was calculated by My Victoria AU and is not a Crime Statistics Agency figure.
For context, the Bass Coast local government area recorded 8,064 offences per 100,000 residents in the same period. That figure is the official Crime Statistics Agency rate for the LGA.
Five-year trend
572
608
543
569
610
Recorded offences count crimes reported to Victoria Police in this locality, not crimes committed by or against its residents. Areas with shopping centres, transport hubs, hospitals or entertainment precincts record more offences regardless of how safe they are for people who live there. Counts are revised as investigations progress.
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria, Data tables - Recorded offences, Year ending March 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Rates per 1,000 residents are calculations by My Victoria AU using ABS Census 2021 population and are not CSA figures. View the source dataset.
Location
<iframe src="https://www.openstreetmap.org/export/embed.html?bbox=145.2182%2C-38.4804%2C145.2422%2C-38.4624&layer=mapnik&marker=-38.471426%2C145.230164" width="100%" height="320" style="border:0;border-radius:12px;max-width:100%;" loading="lazy" title="Map of Cowes, Victoria"></iframe>Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby suburbs
- Wimbledon Heights (1.0 km)
- Ventnor (3.6 km)
- Smiths Beach (3.9 km)
- Sunset Strip (4.1 km)
- Silverleaves (4.8 km)
Browse more suburbs in Bass Coast, or explore the wider Phillip Island & Bass Coast region of Victoria.
Data disclaimer: The statistics on this page are sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Census of Population and Housing 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (ASGS Edition 3), and are used under the ABS CC BY 4.0 licence. This directory is an independent community resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the ABS.
