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Koo Wee Rup

Cardinia Greater Melbourne
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Koo Wee Rup, Victoria
ABS Census 2021 Greater Melbourne

About

Koo Wee Rup (VIC 3981): population 4,047, median age 34, median household income $1,782/week, SEIFA IRSD decile 4. Victorian suburb guide with housing, jobs and community insights.

Koo Wee Rup is a suburb in Cardinia, Victoria (postcode 3981), located in the Greater Melbourne region. At the ABS Census 2021 it had a population of 4,047 people.

At a glance

Population (2021)
4,047
Median age
34
Household income
$1,782/wk
Weekly rent
$320
Unemployment
2.8%
SEIFA IRSD decile
4 / 10

Age distribution

0-4
7.6%
5-14
15.2%
15-19
6.4%
20-24
5.5%
25-34
15.5%
35-44
12.5%
45-54
11.6%
55-64
10.2%
65-74
7.9%
75-84
4.8%
85+
2.8%

Housing tenure

Owned
26.3%
Mortgage
52.5%
Rented
18.1%
Other
0.8%

Key statistics

IndicatorValue
Postcode3981
Population (2021)4,047
Males1,954 (48.3%)
Females2,091 (51.7%)
Median age34 years
Average household size2.7
Median weekly household income$1,782
Median weekly family income$2,094
Median weekly rent$320
Median monthly mortgage$1,811
Labour force2,067
Unemployment rate2.8%
Participation rate69.5%
Born overseas11.6%
Separate houses84.5%
Worked at home11.9%
SEIFA IRSD decile4 of 10
Bachelor degree or higher18.2%
Completed Year 12 or equivalent41.9%
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander residents1.7%
Residents needing assistance with core activities7.2%
Households with 2+ vehicles70.7%
Distance from Melbourne CBD62.6 km (straight line)

Age profile

Median age: 34 years. Residents under 15: 22.8%. Residents aged 65 and over: 15.6%.

Age groupPeopleShare of population
0-43077.6%
5-1461415.2%
15-192586.4%
20-242215.5%
25-3462915.5%
35-4450712.5%
45-5446811.6%
55-6441410.2%
65-743217.9%
75-841964.8%
85 and over1142.8%

Households and families

Household typeCountShare of households
Total households1,389
Average household size2.7
One person30822.2%
Two persons43431.2%
Three persons23216.7%
Four persons23917.2%
Five persons1138.1%
Six or more persons584.2%
Family typeCountShare of families
Total families1,090
Couples with children423.9%
Couples without children37934.8%
One-parent families17816.3%
Other families201.8%

Children ever born

MeasureValue
Average children per woman aged 15+1.81
Women with no children27.6%
Women with three or more children30.8%

Of the 512 couple families with children in Koo Wee Rup, 16.0% are step or blended families.

Marital status

Marital status of residents aged 15 and over in Koo Wee Rup.

StatusShare of adults
Married (registered marriage)44.9%
Married (de facto)16.5%
Not married38.6%

Housing

DwellingsCountShare of dwellings
Total dwellings1,480
Occupied1,38993.9%
Unoccupied875.9%
Dwelling structureCountShare of dwellings
Separate house1,25184.5%
Semi-detached or townhouse100.7%
Flat or apartment1248.4%
Other dwelling40.3%
TenureCountShare of households
Owned outright36626.3%
Owned with a mortgage72952.5%
Rented25118.1%
Other tenure110.8%

Weekly rent

Rent bandShare of renting households
Under $350 per week57.0%
$350 to $549 per week38.1%
$550 or more per week4.9%

7.4% of renting households rent through a state or community housing provider.

Monthly mortgage repayments

Repayment bandShare of mortgaged households
Under $1,00012.9%
$1,000 to $1,79936.5%
$1,800 to $2,99940.1%
$3,000 or more10.5%

Bedrooms per dwelling

BedroomsShare of dwellings
None or one bedroom2.5%
Two bedrooms9.8%
Three bedrooms40.3%
Four or more bedrooms47.4%

Employment

Labour force statusCountShare
Labour force2,067
Employed2,01397.4%
Unemployed582.8%
Not in the labour force905
Unemployment rate2.8%
Participation rate69.5%

35.0% of employed residents work part time, fewer than 35 hours per week.

Household income

Household incomes in Koo Wee Rup are distributed across the following weekly bands.

Weekly household incomeShare of households
Under $65016.4%
$650 to $1,49926.7%
$1,500 to $2,99940.7%
$3,000 or more16.2%

For residents aged 15 and over, personal weekly income is distributed as follows.

Weekly personal incomeShare of residents 15+
Under $50033.3%
$500 to $99926.8%
$1,000 to $1,99933.7%
$2,000 or more6.3%

Travel to work

MethodCountShare of workers
Car driver1,37968.5%
Car passenger753.7%
Train40.2%
Bus50.2%
Tram00.0%
Bicycle00.0%
Walked only251.2%
Worked at home24011.9%

Religious affiliation

ReligionCountShare of residents
Christianity1,60839.7%
No religion2,06751.1%
Islam260.6%
Hinduism170.4%
Buddhism310.8%
Judaism00.0%
Other or not stated2987.4%

Socio-economic profile (SEIFA 2021)

SEIFA deciles run from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (least disadvantaged) nationally.

IndexScoreDecilePercentile
IRSD (disadvantage)993438
IRSAD (advantage and disadvantage)9483
IER (economic resources)10376
IEO (education and occupation)8992

Where residents were born

88.3% of residents were born in Australia and 11.7% were born overseas. The most common overseas birthplaces in Koo Wee Rup are listed below.

Country of birthPeopleShare of residents
England1173.0%
New Zealand621.6%
Italy411.1%
Philippines160.4%
Cambodia150.4%
Scotland120.3%

When overseas-born residents arrived

Year of arrivalShare of overseas-born residents
2016 to 20212.0%
2011 to 20156.9%
2001 to 201024.2%
Before 200166.9%

Languages spoken at home

94.9% of residents speak only English at home. The most common other languages in Koo Wee Rup are listed below. Across all households, 1.0% of residents speak English not well or not at all.

LanguagePeopleShare of residents
Italian511.3%
Khmer100.3%
Southeast Asian Austronesian languages: Indonesian90.2%
Greek80.2%
Tamil80.2%
Serbian70.2%

Ancestry

Residents of Koo Wee Rup most commonly report the following ancestries.

AncestryResponsesShare of responses
Australian1,80133.0%
English1,73131.7%
Irish4067.4%
Scottish3626.6%
Italian2454.5%
German1492.7%

Work and industry

The largest employment sectors for Koo Wee Rup residents are listed below.

Industry of employmentWorkersShare of workers
Construction35718.8%
Health Care and Social Assistance24613.0%
Manufacturing20510.8%
Retail Trade1688.9%
Education and Training1296.8%
Transport, Postal and Warehousing1216.4%

The most common occupations among Koo Wee Rup residents are listed below.

OccupationWorkersShare of workers
Technicians and Trades Workers39920.2%
Labourers26813.6%
Clerical and Administrative Workers25112.7%
Community and Personal Service Workers24012.2%
Machinery Operators and Drivers23612.0%
Managers21711.0%

Education

Of residents attending an education institution in Koo Wee Rup, 7.3% are at university or higher education, 9.6% are at TAFE or vocational education, and 79.9% are at school.

41.9% of residents aged 15 and over have completed Year 12 or equivalent.

The most common fields of study among Koo Wee Rup residents with qualifications are listed below.

Field of studyPeopleShare
Engineering and Related Technologies30921.6%
Society and Culture21615.1%
Management and Commerce21515.0%
Architecture and Building17712.4%
Health14410.1%
Food, Hospitality and Personal Services1208.4%

Long-term health conditions

50.0% of residents report no long-term health condition. The most commonly reported conditions in Koo Wee Rup are listed below.

Health conditionPeopleShare of residents
Asthma46810.3%
Mental health condition (including depression or anxiety)4048.9%
Arthritis3688.1%
Diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes)2004.4%
Heart disease (including heart attack or angina)1453.2%
Cancer (including remission)1373.0%
Lung condition (including COPD or emphysema)861.9%
Stroke441.0%
Kidney disease441.0%
Dementia (including Alzheimer's)390.9%

23.5% of residents report one condition, 6.9% report two, and 4.2% report three or more.

Community and care

How residents of Koo Wee Rup contribute to their community (share of residents aged 15 and over).

Community activityShare
Volunteers for an organisation or group11.7%
Provides unpaid assistance to a person with a disability or health condition14.1%
Provides unpaid child care65.0%
Does 15 or more hours of unpaid domestic work20.7%
Has served or is serving in the Australian Defence Force2.4%

Moving and stability

MobilityShare of residents
Same address 1 year ago88.3%
Moved within Victoria in the last year9.0%
Moved interstate in the last year0.1%
Moved from overseas in the last year0.3%
Same address 5 years ago58.7%
Moved within Victoria in the last 5 years31.8%
Moved interstate in the last 5 years0.5%
Moved from overseas in the last 5 years0.8%

Photo: Koo Wee Rup, Victoria. Credit: Graeme Bartlett / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Crime and safety

Victoria Police recorded 282 offences in Koo Wee Rup in the 12 months to March 2026.

Offence divisionRecorded offences
A Crimes against the person50
B Property and deception offences169
C Drug offences11
D Public order and security offences5
E Justice procedures offences47
F Other offences0

That is a calculated rate of 69.7 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 Cardinia local government area recorded 6,888 offences per 100,000 residents in the same period. That figure is the official Crime Statistics Agency rate for the LGA.

Five-year trend

2022
208
2023
264
2024
258
2025
298
2026
282

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=145.4812%2C-38.2000%2C145.5052%2C-38.1820&layer=mapnik&marker=-38.190969%2C145.493178" width="100%" height="320" style="border:0;border-radius:12px;max-width:100%;" loading="lazy" title="Map of Koo Wee Rup, Victoria"></iframe>

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby suburbs

Browse more suburbs in Cardinia, or explore the wider Greater Melbourne 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.

Population 4047
Median Age 34
Average Household Size 2.7
Median Weekly Household Income $1782
Median Weekly Rent $320
Median Monthly Mortgage $1811
Unemployment Rate 2.8%
Participation Rate 69.5%
Born Overseas 11.6%
Separate House 84.5%
Worked at Home 11.9%
SEIFA IRSD Decile 4
SEIFA IRSD Percentile 38
SEIFA IRSAD Decile 3
Median Weekly Family Income $2094
Postcode 3981

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Koo Wee Rup, Victoria 3981, Australia
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