Suburbs Colac

Victoria · Suburb Profile

Colac VIC — Suburb Profile

Population, median income, rent prices, housing costs and demographics for Colac, Victoria. ABS Census 2021.

The population of Colac VIC is 9,243 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Colac is $661 per week ($34,372 per year). Median rent in Colac is $260 per week ($1,127 per month). Colac has a median age of 44 years, older than the national median of 38. Colac has a population density of 245.7 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Colac is China. The most common religion is No Religion (47% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is Mandarin. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Colac is $1,213.

There were 1,274 recorded offences in Colac in 2025-25, a rate of 138 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was justice procedures (361 offences).

Colac Map

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📍 Colac, Victoria — 38.3096°S, 143.5889°E

Crime: Low Med High 🏫 Schools (4)

Colac Population

0
residents (Census 2021)

Colac Median Income & Rent

💰
Median Income
$661/wk
$34,372 per year
#6140 of 14,663
🏠
Median Rent
$260/wk
$1,127 per month
#5884 of 14,663
👤
Median Age
44years
6 years older than national median
🏡
Mortgage
$1,213/mo
Avg household size: 2.2 · 0.7 per bedroom

Colac Demographics

Gender Split

Male 48.6% (4,492) Female 51.4% (4,751)

Population Density

245.7
people per km²
9,243 people · 37.6 km²

Households

2.2
Avg household size
0.7
Persons per bedroom
$1,541
Family income/wk

Colac Age Distribution

0-4
5-9
10-14
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60-64
65-69
70-74
75-79
80-84
85+
♂ Male ♀ Female

Source: ABS Census 2021 — Suburb & Locality (SAL)

Colac Housing Tenure

🏠
Owned outright
58.0% 1,481 dwellings
🏦
Owned with mortgage
42.0% 1,071 dwellings

Source: ABS Census 2021 — Suburb & Locality (SAL)

Colac Country of Birth

Australia
94.6%
China
1.9%
England
1.6%
India
0.8%
Afghanistan
0.4%
Germany
0.3%
Bangladesh
0.1%
Greece
0.1%
Fiji
0.1%
Hong Kong
0.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G09 — Country of Birth by SAL

Colac Religion

No Religion
47.4%
Catholic
23.9%
Anglican
8.9%
Not stated
8.2%
Uniting Church
5.7%
Christinty Prsbytrin Refrmd
3.4%
Christian (other)
1.5%
Pentecostal
1.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Colac Education Level

Year 12 or equivalent
45.7%
Year 10 or equivalent
23.7%
Year 11 or equivalent
19.6%
Year 9 or equivalent
11.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G16 — Highest Year of School by SAL

Colac Languages Spoken at Home

Mandarin
37.1%
Other
27.4%
SAL Tot
8.5%
Samoan
7.9%
Other Chinese
5.7%
IAL Nepali
5.0%
IAL Punjabi
4.4%
SAL Oth
4.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G13 — Language Spoken at Home by SAL

Colac Employment

💼
Employed full-time
33.0% 2,305 people
⏰
Employed part-time
20.4% 1,427 people
🔍
Unemployed
1.9% 132 people
🏠
Not in labour force
44.7% 3,125 people

Source: ABS Census 2021 G46 — Labour Force Status by SAL

Colac Qualifications

Certificate III/IV
52.4%
Bachelor Degree
19.9%
Advanced Diploma/Diploma
17.8%
Postgraduate Degree
4.1%
Certificate I/II
3.2%
Graduate Diploma/Certificate
2.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G49 — Non-School Qualification by SAL

Colac Occupation

Community & Personal Service
18.4%
Technicians & Trade Workers
18.2%
Labourers
17.1%
Professionals
15.9%
Managers
10.8%
Clerical & Administrative
8.4%
Machinery Operators & Drivers
5.9%
Sales Workers
5.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G51 — Industry of Employment by Occupation

Colac Field of Study

Society & Culture
18.8%
Management & Commerce
16.3%
Engineering
15.6%
Health
10.8%
Food, Hospitality & Personal Services
10.5%
Architecture & Building
8.5%
Education
8.4%
Agriculture & Environment
4.7%
Creative Arts
2.5%
Natural & Physical Sciences
2.1%
Information Technology
1.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G51 — Field of Study by SAL

Colac Dwelling Types

Separate house
87.1%
Semi-detached (1 storey)
12.7%
Semi-detached (2+ storey)
0.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Colac Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk
2.1%
$1-$149/wk
1.1%
$150-$299/wk
2.3%
$300-$399/wk
3.9%
$400-$499/wk
11.3%
$500-$649/wk
7.0%
$650-$799/wk
8.6%
$800-$999/wk
9.7%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
9.3%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
8.8%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
6.1%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
5.6%
$2,000-$2,499/wk
10.2%
$2,500-$2,999/wk
5.5%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
3.5%
$3,500-$3,999/wk
1.7%
$4,000+/wk
3.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Colac Marital Status

💍
Married
38.0% 2,954
↔️
Separated
3.9% 303
📋
Divorced
10.4% 807
🕊️
Widowed
9.3% 720
👤
Never married
38.5% 2,990

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Colac Ancestry

Australian
32.7%
English
32.0%
Irish
10.9%
Scottish
9.6%
Other
4.2%
German
2.7%
Italian
2.2%
Chinese
2.1%
Aboriginal Australianralian
1.3%
Dutch
1.2%
Filipino
0.6%
Indian
0.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Colac School & University Attendance

Primary — Government
25.7%
Primary — Catholic
18.3%
Secondary — Government
15.4%
Secondary — Catholic
15.1%
Vocational Education
12.2%
Pre-school
12.2%
Secondary — Other Non-Govt
0.6%
Primary — Other Non-Govt
0.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G15 — Type of Educational Institution by SAL

Colac Need for Assistance

♿
Needs assistance
11.0% 1,910
✅
No need for assistance
89.0% 15,453

Source: ABS Census 2021 G18 — Core Activity Need for Assistance by SAL

Colac Volunteering

🤝
Volunteer
14.9% 1,082
—
Not a volunteer
85.1% 6,177

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Colac Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo
4.0%
$300-$449/mo
3.1%
$450-$599/mo
3.3%
$600-$799/mo
7.8%
$800-$999/mo
12.6%
$1,000-$1,399/mo
35.9%
$1,400-$1,799/mo
19.5%
$1,800-$2,399/mo
9.2%
$2,400-$2,999/mo
3.0%
$3,000-$3,999/mo
1.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Colac How People Get to Work

Car (driver)
72.1%
Did not go to work
12.2%
Car (passenger)
7.6%
Walked only
5.6%
Bicycle
0.9%
Taxi/Rideshare
0.6%
Other
0.5%
Truck
0.3%
Train
0.1%
Bus
0.1%
Motorbike/Scooter
0.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G62 — Method of Travel to Work by SAL

Colac Car Ownership

0 vehicles
10.0%
1 vehicle
41.6%
2 vehicles
33.3%
3 vehicles
10.4%
4+ vehicles
4.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G34 — Motor Vehicles per Dwelling by SAL

Colac Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom
4.3%
2 bedrooms
18.0%
3 bedrooms
58.4%
4 bedrooms
17.1%
5 bedrooms
1.9%
6+ bedrooms
0.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G41 — Number of Bedrooms by SAL

Colac Population Mobility

13.1%
moved in the last year
38.2%
moved in the last 5 years
3.3%
unemployment rate (Census)
53.9%
labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Colac Indigenous Population

1.8%
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
309
Indigenous residents
17,235
Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Colac Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health
994
Arthritis
408
Asthma
340
Diabetes
281
Heart disease
277
Lung condition
268
Stroke
154
Cancer
140
Kidney disease
126
Dementia
52

Source: ABS Census 2021 G19 — Long-term Health Conditions by SAL

Colac Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk
8.3%
$1-$149/wk
4.4%
$150-$299/wk
7.3%
$300-$399/wk
5.4%
$400-$499/wk
6.2%
$500-$649/wk
4.6%
$650-$799/wk
11.3%
$800-$999/wk
15.2%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
15.9%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
8.5%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
5.2%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
3.0%
$2,000-$2,999/wk
3.4%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
0.6%
$3,500+/wk
0.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Colac Family Structure

Couple — children under 15
35.0%
Couple — no children
31.9%
Couple — no children under 15
12.7%
One parent — children under 15
12.2%
One parent — no children under 15
8.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Colac Military Service

🏅
Previously served
2.5% 181
👤
Never served
97.5% 7,109

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Colac Unpaid Carers

🤲
Provided unpaid assistance
14.4% 1,043
—
Did not provide
85.6% 6,205

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Colac Children Ever Born

No children
30.5%
1 child
10.9%
2 children
25.0%
3 children
19.1%
4 children
10.6%
5+ children
3.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G28 — Children Ever Born by SAL

Colac When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951
26
1951–1960
78
1961–1970
85
1971–1980
46
1981–1990
55
1991–2000
48
2001–2010
154
2011–2015
111
2016
39
2017
68
2018
111
2019
103
2020
29
2021
24

Source: ABS Census 2021 G10 — Year of Arrival by SAL

Colac Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours
19.3%
5–14 hours
25.0%
15–29 hours
12.1%
30+ hours
9.9%
Did not do domestic work
33.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G24 — Unpaid Domestic Work by SAL

Colac Household Size

1 person
38.7%
2 persons
32.2%
3 persons
12.0%
4 persons
10.1%
5 persons
4.8%
6+ persons
2.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Colac Where Residents Moved From

Same address
7,422
Moved — same area (SA2)
572
Moved from VIC
404
Moved from overseas
60
Moved from NSW
27
Moved from QLD
18
Moved from SA
7
Moved from TAS
7
Moved from NT
6

Source: ABS Census 2021 G44 — Address 1 Year Ago by SAL

Colac Family Blending

Intact family — no other children
86.8%
Step family — no other children
8.9%
Blended family — no other children
2.8%
Other couple — children only
0.8%
Intact family — other children present
0.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Colac Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-25 — 1,274 total

Justice Procedures
361
Theft
281
Assault
220
Property Damage
113
Drug Offences
92
Fraud
87
Break & Enter
59
Weapons
33
Public Order
24
Robbery
2
Other
2

Offence trend by year:

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria — crimestatistics.vic.gov.au

Colac Schools

4
schools nearby
3
government
951
avg ICSEA score
574
total students
St Mary's School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 266 students
1025
ICSEA
Colac Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 164 students
946
ICSEA
Lake Colac School Government
Combined · U · 82 students
933
ICSEA
Colac West Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 62 students
899
ICSEA

Source: ACARA — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2025. ICSEA = Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (national average 1000).

View all schools in Colac with map →

Colac Rent Prices & Affordability

23%
of income
Affordable
Household Income $1,108/wk
Median Rent $260/wk
Rent-to-Income 23.5%

Rent is under 25% of household income — generally considered affordable.

If you earn X in Colac

≈ $4,801/month
Median rent $260/wk
Left after rent $848/wk
Rent share 23.5%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Merbein
Income: $608/wk Rent: $210/wk Save: $50/wk
Tatura
Income: $715/wk Rent: $245/wk Save: $15/wk
Briagolong
Income: $705/wk Rent: $250/wk Save: $10/wk
Carisbrook
Income: $603/wk Rent: $223/wk Save: $37/wk
Newborough
Income: $626/wk Rent: $230/wk Save: $30/wk
Hamilton (Vic.)
Income: $693/wk Rent: $235/wk Save: $25/wk
East Bairnsdale
Income: $551/wk Rent: $250/wk Save: $10/wk
Ararat
Income: $681/wk Rent: $250/wk Save: $10/wk

Colac vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in VIC

Beveridge
Pop: 4,642 Income: $978/wk Rent: $400/wk
Newcomb
Pop: 4,704 Income: $672/wk Rent: $320/wk
Korumburra
Pop: 4,749 Income: $611/wk Rent: $270/wk
Croydon South
Pop: 4,759 Income: $843/wk Rent: $410/wk
Laverton (Vic.)
Pop: 4,760 Income: $738/wk Rent: $330/wk
Warranwood
Pop: 4,820 Income: $954/wk Rent: $423/wk

Compare Colac

Colac vs Beveridge →Colac vs Newcomb →Colac vs Korumburra →Colac vs Croydon South →

Frequently Asked Questions About Colac

What is the population of Colac VIC?

The population of Colac VIC is 9,243 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 245.7 people per km².Colac is ranked #731 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Colac?

The median personal income in Colac VIC is $661 per week, or $34,372 per year.The median household income is $1,108 per week.Family income is $1,541 per week.Colac is ranked #6,140 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Colac?

Median rent in Colac VIC is $260 per week ($1,127 per month).Rent represents 23.5% of household income, which is considered affordable.Colac ranks #5,884 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Colac?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Colac VIC is $1,213. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Colac?

The median age in Colac VIC is 44 years.This is older than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Colac a good suburb to live in?

Colac is a suburb in Victoria with a population of 9,243.The median income is $661/wk, which is below the VIC average of $779/wk.Rent affordability is rated as affordable (23.5% of household income). See the full suburb profile above for detailed statistics.

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Data: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021. SA2 area: 20607. All dollar figures in AUD.