Suburbs Essendon

Victoria · Suburb Profile

Essendon VIC — Suburb Profile

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

The population of Essendon VIC is 21,240 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Essendon is $1,067 per week ($55,484 per year). Median rent in Essendon is $380 per week ($1,647 per month). Essendon has a median age of 39 years, older than the national median of 38. Essendon has a population density of 3448.6 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Essendon is India. The most common religion is Catholic (40% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is Italian. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Essendon is $2,275.

There were 1,446 recorded offences in Essendon in 2025-25, a rate of 68 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was theft (729 offences).

Essendon Map

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📍 Essendon, Victoria — 37.7492°S, 144.9123°E

Crime: Low Med High 🏫 Schools (33)

Essendon Population

0
residents (Census 2021)

Essendon Median Income & Rent

💰
Median Income
$1,067/wk
$55,484 per year
#841 of 14,663
🏠
Median Rent
$380/wk
$1,647 per month
#2445 of 14,663
👤
Median Age
39years
1 years older than national median
🏡
Mortgage
$2,275/mo
Avg household size: 2.4 · 0.9 per bedroom

Essendon Demographics

Gender Split

Male 48.5% (10,299) Female 51.5% (10,941)

Population Density

3448.6
people per km²
21,240 people · 6.2 km²

Households

2.4
Avg household size
0.9
Persons per bedroom
$2,946
Family income/wk

Essendon 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)

Essendon Housing Tenure

🏠
Owned outright
52.2% 2,760 dwellings
🏦
Owned with mortgage
47.8% 2,527 dwellings

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

Essendon Country of Birth

Australia
89.6%
India
4.1%
England
2.2%
China
1.3%
Greece
0.9%
Hong Kong
0.5%
Iran
0.4%
Germany
0.4%
Croatia
0.3%
Canada
0.3%

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

Essendon Religion

Catholic
40.2%
No Religion
34.7%
Eastern Orthodox
5.6%
Not stated
5.4%
Anglican
5.3%
Hinduism
3.9%
Islam
2.6%
Buddhism
2.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Essendon Education Level

Year 12 or equivalent
80.6%
Year 11 or equivalent
9.5%
Year 10 or equivalent
7.6%
Year 9 or equivalent
2.4%

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

Essendon Languages Spoken at Home

Italian
26.2%
Other
16.1%
Greek
14.8%
Mandarin
10.4%
IAL Nepali
9.0%
Vietnamese
8.5%
Arabic
8.3%
Hindi
6.7%

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

Essendon Employment

💼
Employed full-time
44.2% 7,358 people
⏰
Employed part-time
23.1% 3,838 people
🔍
Unemployed
3.1% 523 people
🏠
Not in labour force
29.5% 4,911 people

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

Essendon Qualifications

Bachelor Degree
43.5%
Advanced Diploma/Diploma
16.7%
Postgraduate Degree
16.2%
Certificate III/IV
15.4%
Graduate Diploma/Certificate
7.2%
Certificate I/II
1.1%

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

Essendon Occupation

Professionals
41.2%
Managers
18.7%
Clerical & Administrative
12.7%
Technicians & Trade Workers
9.0%
Community & Personal Service
8.2%
Sales Workers
5.2%
Labourers
3.5%
Machinery Operators & Drivers
1.6%

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

Essendon Field of Study

Management & Commerce
28.4%
Society & Culture
13.4%
Health
13.3%
Engineering
10.8%
Education
8.7%
Creative Arts
5.9%
Architecture & Building
5.5%
Information Technology
5.3%
Natural & Physical Sciences
4.5%
Food, Hospitality & Personal Services
3.1%
Agriculture & Environment
1.2%

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

Essendon Dwelling Types

Separate house
70.7%
Semi-detached (2+ storey)
22.8%
Semi-detached (1 storey)
6.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Essendon Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk
1.7%
$1-$149/wk
0.7%
$150-$299/wk
1.3%
$300-$399/wk
1.8%
$400-$499/wk
4.2%
$500-$649/wk
3.3%
$650-$799/wk
4.1%
$800-$999/wk
4.8%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
6.6%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
6.7%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
5.9%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
5.9%
$2,000-$2,499/wk
11.4%
$2,500-$2,999/wk
7.0%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
7.3%
$3,500-$3,999/wk
4.5%
$4,000+/wk
22.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Essendon Marital Status

💍
Married
45.4% 8,196
↔️
Separated
2.8% 509
📋
Divorced
7.1% 1,282
🕊️
Widowed
4.5% 807
👤
Never married
40.3% 7,273

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Essendon Ancestry

English
21.7%
Australian
19.3%
Italian
13.3%
Other
11.3%
Irish
11.1%
Scottish
6.7%
Greek
4.1%
Chinese
3.6%
Indian
2.9%
German
2.6%
Maltese
2.1%
Vietnamese
1.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Essendon School & University Attendance

Primary — Government
16.7%
Primary — Catholic
16.1%
Secondary — Catholic
15.1%
Secondary — Government
12.2%
Vocational Education
11.6%
Secondary — Other Non-Govt
10.7%
Pre-school
10.1%
Primary — Other Non-Govt
7.5%

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

Essendon Need for Assistance

♿
Needs assistance
4.9% 1,991
✅
No need for assistance
95.1% 38,922

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

Essendon Volunteering

🤝
Volunteer
13.4% 2,317
—
Not a volunteer
86.6% 14,989

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Essendon Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo
7.3%
$300-$449/mo
1.9%
$450-$599/mo
1.8%
$600-$799/mo
2.8%
$800-$999/mo
3.8%
$1,000-$1,399/mo
12.4%
$1,400-$1,799/mo
14.6%
$1,800-$2,399/mo
21.8%
$2,400-$2,999/mo
14.5%
$3,000-$3,999/mo
19.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Essendon How People Get to Work

Car (driver)
63.4%
Did not go to work
18.9%
Train
4.9%
Car (passenger)
4.2%
Walked only
2.7%
Tram/Light Rail
2.3%
Bicycle
1.1%
Other
0.8%
Bus
0.7%
Truck
0.4%
Motorbike/Scooter
0.4%
Taxi/Rideshare
0.3%

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

Essendon Car Ownership

0 vehicles
9.0%
1 vehicle
44.5%
2 vehicles
31.9%
3 vehicles
9.2%
4+ vehicles
5.4%

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

Essendon Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom
10.9%
2 bedrooms
31.9%
3 bedrooms
31.7%
4 bedrooms
19.7%
5 bedrooms
5.0%
6+ bedrooms
0.7%

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

Essendon Population Mobility

16.0%
moved in the last year
42.7%
moved in the last 5 years
4.2%
unemployment rate (Census)
69.0%
labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Essendon Indigenous Population

0.4%
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
166
Indigenous residents
40,984
Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Essendon Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health
1,716
Asthma
818
Arthritis
533
Heart disease
454
Diabetes
393
Cancer
284
Lung condition
239
Stroke
159
Kidney disease
155
Dementia
51

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

Essendon Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk
9.7%
$1-$149/wk
3.9%
$150-$299/wk
4.7%
$300-$399/wk
2.5%
$400-$499/wk
2.4%
$500-$649/wk
2.7%
$650-$799/wk
7.2%
$800-$999/wk
8.2%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
10.3%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
8.6%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
8.4%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
6.8%
$2,000-$2,999/wk
12.9%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
3.4%
$3,500+/wk
8.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Essendon Family Structure

Couple — children under 15
40.9%
Couple — no children
25.8%
Couple — no children under 15
23.5%
One parent — no children under 15
5.6%
One parent — children under 15
4.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Essendon Military Service

🎖️
Current ADF — Regular
0.1% 9
🛡️
Current ADF — Reserves
0.1% 14
🏅
Previously served
1.3% 231
👤
Never served
98.5% 17,122

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Essendon Unpaid Carers

🤲
Provided unpaid assistance
14.5% 2,504
—
Did not provide
85.5% 14,798

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Essendon Children Ever Born

No children
44.7%
1 child
11.3%
2 children
26.7%
3 children
13.2%
4 children
3.4%
5+ children
0.7%

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

Essendon When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951
68
1951–1960
449
1961–1970
645
1971–1980
388
1981–1990
485
1991–2000
459
2001–2010
848
2011–2015
702
2016
240
2017
238
2018
260
2019
283
2020
86
2021
28

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

Essendon Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours
24.5%
5–14 hours
31.2%
15–29 hours
12.6%
30+ hours
7.4%
Did not do domestic work
24.3%

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

Essendon Household Size

1 person
32.2%
2 persons
30.0%
3 persons
14.7%
4 persons
15.8%
5 persons
5.9%
6+ persons
1.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Essendon Where Residents Moved From

Same address
17,092
Moved from VIC
2,399
Moved — same area (SA2)
514
Moved from overseas
154
Moved from NSW
53
Moved from QLD
41
Moved from WA
22
Moved from SA
15
Moved from ACT
11
Moved from TAS
10
Moved from NT
4

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

Essendon Family Blending

Intact family — no other children
94.3%
Step family — no other children
4.2%
Blended family — no other children
1.3%
Intact family — other children present
0.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Essendon Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-25 — 1,446 total

Theft
729
Assault
133
Property Damage
112
Break & Enter
111
Drug Offences
97
Fraud
90
Justice Procedures
74
Weapons
72
Public Order
14
Robbery
10
Other
3
Traffic
1

Offence trend by year:

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

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

Essendon Schools

33
schools nearby
16
government
1105
avg ICSEA score
15,887
total students
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School Independent
Combined · Prep-12 · 859 students
1161
ICSEA
Moonee Ponds Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 290 students
1145
ICSEA
St Mary's School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 374 students
1144
ICSEA
Ascot Vale Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 265 students
1140
ICSEA
Essendon Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 387 students
1137
ICSEA
Moonee Ponds West Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 289 students
1136
ICSEA
St Monica's Primary School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 512 students
1129
ICSEA
St Margaret's Primary School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 441 students
1125
ICSEA
St Vincent de Paul's School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 431 students
1124
ICSEA
Essendon North Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 629 students
1116
ICSEA
Strathmore North Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 632 students
1116
ICSEA
St Therese's School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 529 students
1116
ICSEA
Our Lady of the Nativity School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 364 students
1111
ICSEA
Pascoe Vale South Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 308 students
1108
ICSEA
Aberfeldie Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 374 students
1108
ICSEA

Showing 15 of 33 schools

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

View all schools in Essendon with map →

Essendon Rent Prices & Affordability

18%
of income
Affordable
Household Income $2,132/wk
Median Rent $380/wk
Rent-to-Income 17.8%

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

If you earn X in Essendon

≈ $9,239/month
Median rent $380/wk
Left after rent $1,752/wk
Rent share 17.8%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Gardenvale
Income: $1,087/wk Rent: $301/wk Save: $79/wk
Manifold Heights
Income: $984/wk Rent: $310/wk Save: $70/wk
Batesford
Income: $952/wk Rent: $325/wk Save: $55/wk
Highton
Income: $889/wk Rent: $360/wk Save: $20/wk
Nichols Point
Income: $885/wk Rent: $225/wk Save: $155/wk
Quarry Hill
Income: $863/wk Rent: $298/wk Save: $82/wk
East Geelong
Income: $943/wk Rent: $350/wk Save: $30/wk
Newtown (Greater Geelong - Vic.)
Income: $1,001/wk Rent: $360/wk Save: $20/wk

Essendon vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in VIC

Burwood East
Pop: 10,675 Income: $676/wk Rent: $439/wk
Kurunjang
Pop: 10,711 Income: $702/wk Rent: $321/wk
Kensington (Vic.)
Pop: 10,745 Income: $1,246/wk Rent: $416/wk
Ringwood East
Pop: 10,764 Income: $865/wk Rent: $380/wk
Forest Hill (Vic.)
Pop: 10,780 Income: $706/wk Rent: $396/wk
Brookfield (Vic.)
Pop: 10,782 Income: $706/wk Rent: $350/wk

Compare Essendon

Essendon vs Burwood East →Essendon vs Kurunjang →Essendon vs Kensington (Vic.) →Essendon vs Ringwood East →

Frequently Asked Questions About Essendon

What is the population of Essendon VIC?

The population of Essendon VIC is 21,240 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 3448.6 people per km².Essendon is ranked #128 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Essendon?

The median personal income in Essendon VIC is $1,067 per week, or $55,484 per year.The median household income is $2,132 per week.Family income is $2,946 per week.Essendon is ranked #841 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Essendon?

Median rent in Essendon VIC is $380 per week ($1,647 per month).Rent represents 17.8% of household income, which is considered affordable.Essendon ranks #2,445 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Essendon?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Essendon VIC is $2,275. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Essendon?

The median age in Essendon VIC is 39 years.This is older than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Essendon a good suburb to live in?

Essendon is a suburb in Victoria with a population of 21,240.The median income is $1,067/wk, which is above the VIC average of $779/wk.Rent affordability is rated as affordable (17.8% 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: 20885. All dollar figures in AUD.