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South Melbourne

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South Melbourne, Victoria
ABS Census 2021 Greater Melbourne

About

South Melbourne (VIC 3205): population 11,548, median age 39, median household income $2,101/week, SEIFA IRSD decile 6. Victorian suburb guide with housing, jobs and community insights.

South Melbourne is a suburb in Port Phillip, Victoria (postcode 3205), located in the Greater Melbourne region. At the ABS Census 2021 it had a population of 11,548 people.

At a glance

Population (2021)
11,548
Median age
39
Household income
$2,101/wk
Weekly rent
$421
Unemployment
5.2%
SEIFA IRSD decile
6 / 10

Age distribution

0-4
4.2%
5-14
7.4%
15-19
3.3%
20-24
5.5%
25-34
21.7%
35-44
17.3%
45-54
14.3%
55-64
11.5%
65-74
7.8%
75-84
4.6%
85+
2.4%

Housing tenure

Owned
19.0%
Mortgage
23.4%
Rented
54.9%
Other
1.9%

Key statistics

IndicatorValue
Postcode3205
Population (2021)11,548
Males5,671 (49.1%)
Females5,877 (50.9%)
Median age39 years
Average household size1.9
Median weekly household income$2,101
Median weekly family income$3,073
Median weekly rent$421
Median monthly mortgage$2,200
Labour force6,980
Unemployment rate5.2%
Participation rate73.4%
Born overseas35.3%
Separate houses3.8%
Worked at home46.9%
SEIFA IRSD decile6 of 10
Bachelor degree or higher73.9%
Completed Year 12 or equivalent83.1%
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander residents0.6%
Residents needing assistance with core activities5.3%
Households with 2+ vehicles20.8%
Distance from Melbourne CBD2.3 km (straight line)

Age profile

Median age: 39 years. Residents under 15: 11.6%. Residents aged 65 and over: 14.8%.

Age groupPeopleShare of population
0-44824.2%
5-148537.4%
15-193843.3%
20-246365.5%
25-342,50721.7%
35-441,99917.3%
45-541,65314.3%
55-641,32311.5%
65-749037.8%
75-845314.6%
85 and over2782.4%

Households and families

Household typeCountShare of households
Total households5,547
Average household size1.9
One person2,39143.1%
Two persons2,01336.3%
Three persons60710.9%
Four persons4157.5%
Five persons1041.9%
Six or more persons220.4%
Family typeCountShare of families
Total families2,853
Couples with children632.2%
Couples without children1,54754.2%
One-parent families38613.5%
Other families772.7%

Children ever born

MeasureValue
Average children per woman aged 15+0.9
Women with no children56.0%
Women with three or more children10.7%

Of the 841 couple families with children in South Melbourne, 7.3% are step or blended families.

Marital status

Marital status of residents aged 15 and over in South Melbourne.

StatusShare of adults
Married (registered marriage)32.6%
Married (de facto)19.1%
Not married48.3%

Housing

DwellingsCountShare of dwellings
Total dwellings6,883
Occupied5,54780.6%
Unoccupied1,32819.3%
Dwelling structureCountShare of dwellings
Separate house2593.8%
Semi-detached or townhouse1,96728.6%
Flat or apartment3,25047.2%
Other dwelling500.7%
TenureCountShare of households
Owned outright1,05219.0%
Owned with a mortgage1,29723.4%
Rented3,04654.9%
Other tenure1041.9%

Weekly rent

Rent bandShare of renting households
Under $350 per week31.6%
$350 to $549 per week40.7%
$550 or more per week27.7%

20.9% of renting households rent through a state or community housing provider.

Monthly mortgage repayments

Repayment bandShare of mortgaged households
Under $1,00011.8%
$1,000 to $1,79922.4%
$1,800 to $2,99929.7%
$3,000 or more36.1%

Bedrooms per dwelling

BedroomsShare of dwellings
None or one bedroom23.3%
Two bedrooms46.5%
Three bedrooms24.5%
Four or more bedrooms5.6%

Employment

Labour force statusCountShare
Labour force6,980
Employed6,62094.8%
Unemployed3605.2%
Not in the labour force2,532
Unemployment rate5.2%
Participation rate73.4%

26.7% of employed residents work part time, fewer than 35 hours per week.

Household income

Household incomes in South Melbourne are distributed across the following weekly bands.

Weekly household incomeShare of households
Under $65016.2%
$650 to $1,49919.8%
$1,500 to $2,99929.9%
$3,000 or more34.1%

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

Weekly personal incomeShare of residents 15+
Under $50024.8%
$500 to $99915.8%
$1,000 to $1,99929.3%
$2,000 or more30.0%

Travel to work

MethodCountShare of workers
Car driver1,38020.8%
Car passenger1051.6%
Train390.6%
Bus110.2%
Tram3805.7%
Bicycle1502.3%
Walked only5748.7%
Worked at home3,10446.9%

Religious affiliation

ReligionCountShare of residents
Christianity3,92434.0%
No religion5,67349.1%
Islam3002.6%
Hinduism1921.7%
Buddhism2542.2%
Judaism1301.1%
Other or not stated1,0759.3%

Socio-economic profile (SEIFA 2021)

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

IndexScoreDecilePercentile
IRSD (disadvantage)1028659
IRSAD (advantage and disadvantage)109310
IER (economic resources)9282
IEO (education and occupation)114510

Where residents were born

62.6% of residents were born in Australia and 37.4% were born overseas. The most common overseas birthplaces in South Melbourne are listed below.

Country of birthPeopleShare of residents
England5585.1%
New Zealand3112.9%
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)3042.8%
India1961.8%
Malaysia1541.4%
Greece1301.2%

When overseas-born residents arrived

Year of arrivalShare of overseas-born residents
2016 to 202121.5%
2011 to 201517.8%
2001 to 201022.6%
Before 200138.1%

Languages spoken at home

74.7% of residents speak only English at home. The most common other languages in South Melbourne are listed below. Across all households, 3.6% of residents speak English not well or not at all.

LanguagePeopleShare of residents
Chinese: Mandarin3673.4%
Greek2692.5%
Spanish2041.9%
Russian1641.5%
Chinese: Cantonese1571.4%
Italian1411.3%

Ancestry

Residents of South Melbourne most commonly report the following ancestries.

AncestryResponsesShare of responses
English3,70224.2%
Australian2,63117.2%
Irish1,4259.3%
Scottish1,1237.4%
Chinese8715.7%
Italian5993.9%

Work and industry

The largest employment sectors for South Melbourne residents are listed below.

Industry of employmentWorkersShare of workers
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services1,31120.7%
Health Care and Social Assistance64210.2%
Financial and Insurance Services5588.8%
Education and Training4837.6%
Retail Trade4617.3%
Accommodation and Food Services4136.5%

The most common occupations among South Melbourne residents are listed below.

OccupationWorkersShare of workers
Professionals2,67941.2%
Managers1,41621.8%
Clerical and Administrative Workers78512.1%
Community and Personal Service Workers5057.8%
Technicians and Trades Workers4106.3%
Sales Workers4066.2%

Education

Of residents attending an education institution in South Melbourne, 33.4% are at university or higher education, 10.5% are at TAFE or vocational education, and 50.9% are at school.

83.1% of residents aged 15 and over have completed Year 12 or equivalent.

The most common fields of study among South Melbourne residents with qualifications are listed below.

Field of studyPeopleShare
Management and Commerce2,02429.6%
Society and Culture1,11616.3%
Engineering and Related Technologies6449.4%
Creative Arts6389.3%
Health6229.1%
Education4226.2%

Long-term health conditions

58.7% of residents report no long-term health condition. The most commonly reported conditions in South Melbourne are listed below.

Health conditionPeopleShare of residents
Mental health condition (including depression or anxiety)1,1379.2%
Asthma9007.3%
Arthritis6795.5%
Heart disease (including heart attack or angina)3963.2%
Diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes)3432.8%
Cancer (including remission)3132.5%
Lung condition (including COPD or emphysema)1421.2%
Kidney disease980.8%
Dementia (including Alzheimer's)960.8%
Stroke900.7%

19.8% of residents report one condition, 5.4% report two, and 2.6% report three or more.

Community and care

How residents of South Melbourne contribute to their community (share of residents aged 15 and over).

Community activityShare
Volunteers for an organisation or group15.2%
Provides unpaid assistance to a person with a disability or health condition10.5%
Provides unpaid child care35.8%
Does 15 or more hours of unpaid domestic work14.6%
Has served or is serving in the Australian Defence Force1.6%

Moving and stability

MobilityShare of residents
Same address 1 year ago74.7%
Moved within Victoria in the last year17.0%
Moved interstate in the last year1.9%
Moved from overseas in the last year1.9%
Same address 5 years ago43.3%
Moved within Victoria in the last 5 years32.8%
Moved interstate in the last 5 years6.9%
Moved from overseas in the last 5 years11.6%

Photo: South Melbourne, Victoria. Credit: Donaldytong / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Crime and safety

Victoria Police recorded 3,561 offences in South Melbourne in the 12 months to March 2026.

Offence divisionRecorded offences
A Crimes against the person434
B Property and deception offences2,489
C Drug offences157
D Public order and security offences174
E Justice procedures offences294
F Other offences13

That is a calculated rate of 308.4 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 Port Phillip local government area recorded 13,917 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
2,237
2023
2,409
2024
2,650
2025
3,113
2026
3,561

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=144.9443%2C-37.8430%2C144.9683%2C-37.8250&layer=mapnik&marker=-37.833984%2C144.956288" width="100%" height="320" style="border:0;border-radius:12px;max-width:100%;" loading="lazy" title="Map of South Melbourne, Victoria"></iframe>

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby suburbs

Browse more suburbs in Port Phillip, 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 11548
Median Age 39
Average Household Size 1.9
Median Weekly Household Income $2101
Median Weekly Rent $421
Median Monthly Mortgage $2200
Unemployment Rate 5.2%
Participation Rate 73.4%
Born Overseas 35.3%
Separate House 3.8%
Worked at Home 46.9%
SEIFA IRSD Decile 6
SEIFA IRSD Percentile 59
SEIFA IRSAD Decile 10
Median Weekly Family Income $3073
Postcode 3205

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South Melbourne, Victoria 3205, Australia
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