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Sunshine West

Brimbank Greater Melbourne
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Sunshine West, Victoria
ABS Census 2021 Greater Melbourne

About

Sunshine West (VIC 3020): population 18,552, median age 38, median household income $1,416/week, SEIFA IRSD decile 1. Victorian suburb guide with housing, jobs and community insights.

Sunshine West is a suburb in Brimbank, Victoria (postcode 3020), located in the Greater Melbourne region. At the ABS Census 2021 it had a population of 18,552 people.

At a glance

Population (2021)
18,552
Median age
38
Household income
$1,416/wk
Weekly rent
$346
Unemployment
8.7%
SEIFA IRSD decile
1 / 10

Age distribution

0-4
5.6%
5-14
11.1%
15-19
5.3%
20-24
6.5%
25-34
16.5%
35-44
14.0%
45-54
12.2%
55-64
10.6%
65-74
9.3%
75-84
6.7%
85+
2.2%

Housing tenure

Owned
38.9%
Mortgage
29.4%
Rented
27.8%
Other
1.7%

Key statistics

IndicatorValue
Postcode3020
Population (2021)18,552
Males9,373 (50.5%)
Females9,173 (49.4%)
Median age38 years
Average household size2.8
Median weekly household income$1,416
Median weekly family income$1,533
Median weekly rent$346
Median monthly mortgage$1,700
Labour force8,213
Unemployment rate8.7%
Participation rate56.9%
Born overseas51.0%
Separate houses76.3%
Worked at home17.9%
SEIFA IRSD decile1 of 10
Bachelor degree or higher47.6%
Completed Year 12 or equivalent59.8%
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander residents0.6%
Residents needing assistance with core activities8.8%
Households with 2+ vehicles54.5%
Distance from Melbourne CBD13.4 km (straight line)

Age profile

Median age: 38 years. Residents under 15: 16.7%. Residents aged 65 and over: 18.2%.

Age groupPeopleShare of population
0-41,0345.6%
5-142,05911.1%
15-199885.3%
20-241,2036.5%
25-343,06616.5%
35-442,59214.0%
45-542,25512.2%
55-641,97110.6%
65-741,7339.3%
75-841,2356.7%
85 and over4122.2%

Households and families

Household typeCountShare of households
Total households6,214
Average household size2.8
One person1,33721.5%
Two persons1,87730.2%
Three persons1,12718.1%
Four persons1,04916.9%
Five persons4477.2%
Six or more persons3846.2%
Family typeCountShare of families
Total families4,821
Couples with children1813.8%
Couples without children1,49230.9%
One-parent families1,10122.8%
Other families1222.5%

Children ever born

MeasureValue
Average children per woman aged 15+1.67
Women with no children32.8%
Women with three or more children27.3%

Of the 2,107 couple families with children in Sunshine West, 8.4% are step or blended families.

Marital status

Marital status of residents aged 15 and over in Sunshine West.

StatusShare of adults
Married (registered marriage)42.2%
Married (de facto)7.7%
Not married50.1%

Housing

DwellingsCountShare of dwellings
Total dwellings6,733
Occupied6,21492.3%
Unoccupied5227.8%
Dwelling structureCountShare of dwellings
Separate house5,13476.3%
Semi-detached or townhouse88313.1%
Flat or apartment2003.0%
Other dwelling00.0%
TenureCountShare of households
Owned outright2,41838.9%
Owned with a mortgage1,82429.4%
Rented1,72727.8%
Other tenure1051.7%

Weekly rent

Rent bandShare of renting households
Under $350 per week51.3%
$350 to $549 per week47.1%
$550 or more per week1.6%

10.5% of renting households rent through a state or community housing provider.

Monthly mortgage repayments

Repayment bandShare of mortgaged households
Under $1,00021.0%
$1,000 to $1,79934.7%
$1,800 to $2,99936.0%
$3,000 or more8.2%

Bedrooms per dwelling

BedroomsShare of dwellings
None or one bedroom1.9%
Two bedrooms8.8%
Three bedrooms63.8%
Four or more bedrooms25.4%

Employment

Labour force statusCountShare
Labour force8,213
Employed7,49991.3%
Unemployed7158.7%
Not in the labour force6,215
Unemployment rate8.7%
Participation rate56.9%

35.9% of employed residents work part time, fewer than 35 hours per week.

Household income

Household incomes in Sunshine West are distributed across the following weekly bands.

Weekly household incomeShare of households
Under $65020.3%
$650 to $1,49932.7%
$1,500 to $2,99931.5%
$3,000 or more15.5%

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

Weekly personal incomeShare of residents 15+
Under $50046.8%
$500 to $99924.6%
$1,000 to $1,99923.4%
$2,000 or more5.2%

Travel to work

MethodCountShare of workers
Car driver4,27557.0%
Car passenger3795.1%
Train1662.2%
Bus821.1%
Tram30.0%
Bicycle350.5%
Walked only510.7%
Worked at home1,34417.9%

Religious affiliation

ReligionCountShare of residents
Christianity8,44145.5%
No religion4,09622.1%
Islam1,7779.6%
Hinduism4992.7%
Buddhism2,18311.8%
Judaism100.1%
Other or not stated1,5468.3%

Socio-economic profile (SEIFA 2021)

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

IndexScoreDecilePercentile
IRSD (disadvantage)88417
IRSAD (advantage and disadvantage)9062
IER (economic resources)9392
IEO (education and occupation)9223

Where residents were born

45.7% of residents were born in Australia and 54.3% were born overseas. The most common overseas birthplaces in Sunshine West are listed below.

Country of birthPeopleShare of residents
Vietnam2,56214.7%
India5353.1%
Malta5223.0%
Philippines4492.6%
Greece4362.5%
North Macedonia3301.9%

When overseas-born residents arrived

Year of arrivalShare of overseas-born residents
2016 to 202113.7%
2011 to 201514.9%
2001 to 201016.5%
Before 200154.8%

Languages spoken at home

33.8% of residents speak only English at home. The most common other languages in Sunshine West are listed below. Across all households, 16.5% of residents speak English not well or not at all.

LanguagePeopleShare of residents
Vietnamese3,77121.7%
Greek8815.1%
Chinese: Cantonese4382.5%
Macedonian4232.4%
Turkish3742.2%
Arabic3532.0%

Ancestry

Residents of Sunshine West most commonly report the following ancestries.

AncestryResponsesShare of responses
Vietnamese3,60117.6%
Australian2,16810.6%
English1,9449.5%
Chinese1,3506.6%
Greek9894.8%
Maltese9804.8%

Work and industry

The largest employment sectors for Sunshine West residents are listed below.

Industry of employmentWorkersShare of workers
Health Care and Social Assistance79211.4%
Transport, Postal and Warehousing75910.9%
Manufacturing73110.5%
Retail Trade72310.4%
Construction6369.2%
Accommodation and Food Services4837.0%

The most common occupations among Sunshine West residents are listed below.

OccupationWorkersShare of workers
Professionals1,24917.2%
Labourers1,10115.1%
Machinery Operators and Drivers1,03614.3%
Technicians and Trades Workers95613.2%
Clerical and Administrative Workers92612.7%
Community and Personal Service Workers76710.6%

Education

Of residents attending an education institution in Sunshine West, 18.4% are at university or higher education, 11.3% are at TAFE or vocational education, and 62.6% are at school.

59.8% of residents aged 15 and over have completed Year 12 or equivalent.

The most common fields of study among Sunshine West residents with qualifications are listed below.

Field of studyPeopleShare
Management and Commerce1,47424.5%
Engineering and Related Technologies1,01816.9%
Society and Culture80613.4%
Health5529.2%
Information Technology4437.4%
Food, Hospitality and Personal Services4207.0%

Long-term health conditions

56.8% of residents report no long-term health condition. The most commonly reported conditions in Sunshine West are listed below.

Health conditionPeopleShare of residents
Asthma1,4287.0%
Arthritis1,3796.8%
Diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes)1,3186.5%
Mental health condition (including depression or anxiety)1,2446.1%
Heart disease (including heart attack or angina)7123.5%
Cancer (including remission)3721.8%
Lung condition (including COPD or emphysema)2291.1%
Kidney disease2231.1%
Stroke2201.1%
Dementia (including Alzheimer's)1600.8%

18.8% of residents report one condition, 5.8% report two, and 3.6% report three or more.

Community and care

How residents of Sunshine West contribute to their community (share of residents aged 15 and over).

Community activityShare
Volunteers for an organisation or group6.8%
Provides unpaid assistance to a person with a disability or health condition12.5%
Provides unpaid child care42.6%
Does 15 or more hours of unpaid domestic work16.5%
Has served or is serving in the Australian Defence Force0.7%

Moving and stability

MobilityShare of residents
Same address 1 year ago90.1%
Moved within Victoria in the last year6.4%
Moved interstate in the last year0.4%
Moved from overseas in the last year0.8%
Same address 5 years ago68.9%
Moved within Victoria in the last 5 years16.9%
Moved interstate in the last 5 years1.6%
Moved from overseas in the last 5 years7.0%

Photo: Sunshine West, Victoria. Credit: Presste / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Crime and safety

Victoria Police recorded 1,270 offences in Sunshine West in the 12 months to March 2026.

Offence divisionRecorded offences
A Crimes against the person163
B Property and deception offences856
C Drug offences53
D Public order and security offences57
E Justice procedures offences140
F Other offences1

That is a calculated rate of 68.5 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 Brimbank local government area recorded 9,443 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
1,123
2023
1,299
2024
1,302
2025
1,527
2026
1,270

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=144.7993%2C-37.8082%2C144.8233%2C-37.7902&layer=mapnik&marker=-37.799216%2C144.811298" width="100%" height="320" style="border:0;border-radius:12px;max-width:100%;" loading="lazy" title="Map of Sunshine West, Victoria"></iframe>

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby suburbs

Browse more suburbs in Brimbank, 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 18552
Median Age 38
Average Household Size 2.8
Median Weekly Household Income $1416
Median Weekly Rent $346
Median Monthly Mortgage $1700
Unemployment Rate 8.7%
Participation Rate 56.9%
Born Overseas 51%
Separate House 76.3%
Worked at Home 17.9%
SEIFA IRSD Decile 1
SEIFA IRSD Percentile 7
SEIFA IRSAD Decile 2
Median Weekly Family Income $1533
Postcode 3020

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Sunshine West, Victoria 3020, Australia
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