Suburbs Forest Hill (Vic.)

Victoria · Suburb Profile

Forest Hill VIC — Suburb Profile

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

The population of Forest Hill VIC is 10,780 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Forest Hill is $706 per week ($36,712 per year). Median rent in Forest Hill is $396 per week ($1,716 per month). Forest Hill has a median age of 42 years, older than the national median of 38. Forest Hill has a population density of 2648.5 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Forest Hill is China. The most common religion is No Religion (46% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is Mandarin. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Forest Hill is $2,123.

There were 958 recorded offences in Forest Hill in 2025-25, a rate of 89 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was theft (526 offences).

Forest Hill Map

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📍 Forest Hill, Victoria — 37.8414°S, 145.1710°E

Crime: Low Med High 🏫 Schools (33)

Forest Hill Population

0
residents (Census 2021)

Forest Hill Median Income & Rent

💰
Median Income
$706/wk
$36,712 per year
#5380 of 14,663
🏠
Median Rent
$396/wk
$1,716 per month
#2191 of 14,663
👤
Median Age
42years
4 years older than national median
🏡
Mortgage
$2,123/mo
Avg household size: 2.5 · 0.8 per bedroom

Forest Hill Demographics

Gender Split

Male 47.7% (5,139) Female 52.3% (5,636)

Population Density

2648.5
people per km²
10,780 people · 4.1 km²

Households

2.5
Avg household size
0.8
Persons per bedroom
$2,120
Family income/wk

Forest Hill 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)

Forest Hill Housing Tenure

🏠
Owned outright
53.8% 1,555 dwellings
🏦
Owned with mortgage
46.2% 1,336 dwellings

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

Forest Hill Country of Birth

Australia
72.1%
China
13.7%
India
4.7%
England
2.8%
Hong Kong
2.5%
Greece
1.3%
Iran
1.3%
Cambodia
0.7%
Germany
0.6%
Indonesia
0.5%

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

Forest Hill Religion

No Religion
46.0%
Catholic
21.2%
Buddhism
8.1%
Anglican
6.3%
Not stated
6.0%
Eastern Orthodox
5.2%
Hinduism
3.7%
Baptist
3.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Forest Hill Education Level

Year 12 or equivalent
77.9%
Year 10 or equivalent
9.5%
Year 11 or equivalent
8.5%
Year 9 or equivalent
4.1%

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

Forest Hill Languages Spoken at Home

Mandarin
42.6%
Cantonese
22.7%
Greek
8.3%
Other
7.8%
IAL Sinhal
5.1%
Vietnamese
5.0%
Hindi
4.7%
Persian ED
3.7%

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

Forest Hill Employment

💼
Employed full-time
34.4% 2,879 people
⏰
Employed part-time
20.8% 1,741 people
🔍
Unemployed
3.3% 277 people
🏠
Not in labour force
41.5% 3,479 people

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

Forest Hill Qualifications

Bachelor Degree
41.7%
Postgraduate Degree
18.4%
Advanced Diploma/Diploma
18.1%
Certificate III/IV
15.8%
Graduate Diploma/Certificate
5.2%
Certificate I/II
0.8%

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

Forest Hill Occupation

Professionals
38.4%
Managers
14.9%
Clerical & Administrative
13.8%
Technicians & Trade Workers
10.1%
Community & Personal Service
10.0%
Sales Workers
6.5%
Labourers
4.0%
Machinery Operators & Drivers
2.4%

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

Forest Hill Field of Study

Management & Commerce
28.9%
Engineering
13.2%
Society & Culture
11.3%
Health
10.8%
Information Technology
9.5%
Education
7.3%
Natural & Physical Sciences
5.1%
Architecture & Building
4.8%
Creative Arts
4.4%
Food, Hospitality & Personal Services
3.6%
Agriculture & Environment
1.0%

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

Forest Hill Dwelling Types

Separate house
74.4%
Semi-detached (1 storey)
19.1%
Semi-detached (2+ storey)
6.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Forest Hill Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk
2.7%
$1-$149/wk
0.9%
$150-$299/wk
1.7%
$300-$399/wk
3.3%
$400-$499/wk
7.0%
$500-$649/wk
5.3%
$650-$799/wk
5.5%
$800-$999/wk
6.6%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
6.7%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
6.9%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
5.2%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
5.8%
$2,000-$2,499/wk
10.4%
$2,500-$2,999/wk
7.6%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
6.8%
$3,500-$3,999/wk
4.4%
$4,000+/wk
13.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Forest Hill Marital Status

💍
Married
51.2% 4,621
↔️
Separated
2.6% 239
📋
Divorced
8.2% 745
🕊️
Widowed
6.8% 615
👤
Never married
31.1% 2,812

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Forest Hill Ancestry

Chinese
22.6%
English
19.0%
Australian
18.3%
Other
11.0%
Irish
6.3%
Scottish
5.9%
Greek
3.9%
Indian
3.7%
Italian
3.6%
German
2.8%
Vietnamese
1.8%
Sri Lankan
1.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Forest Hill School & University Attendance

Primary — Government
32.2%
Secondary — Government
20.2%
Pre-school
11.9%
Vocational Education
11.6%
Secondary — Catholic
8.0%
Secondary — Other Non-Govt
6.4%
Primary — Catholic
6.1%
Primary — Other Non-Govt
3.5%

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

Forest Hill Need for Assistance

♿
Needs assistance
8.1% 1,683
✅
No need for assistance
91.9% 19,123

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

Forest Hill Volunteering

🤝
Volunteer
14.9% 1,287
—
Not a volunteer
85.1% 7,363

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Forest Hill Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo
9.3%
$300-$449/mo
1.4%
$450-$599/mo
2.0%
$600-$799/mo
3.4%
$800-$999/mo
3.8%
$1,000-$1,399/mo
10.9%
$1,400-$1,799/mo
13.8%
$1,800-$2,399/mo
20.6%
$2,400-$2,999/mo
16.1%
$3,000-$3,999/mo
18.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Forest Hill How People Get to Work

Car (driver)
69.3%
Did not go to work
17.8%
Car (passenger)
4.7%
Train
2.7%
Walked only
2.2%
Bus
1.3%
Other
0.8%
Motorbike/Scooter
0.4%
Truck
0.4%
Bicycle
0.3%
Taxi/Rideshare
0.1%
Tram/Light Rail
0.1%

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

Forest Hill Car Ownership

0 vehicles
7.4%
1 vehicle
40.6%
2 vehicles
37.9%
3 vehicles
9.9%
4+ vehicles
4.2%

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

Forest Hill Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom
4.2%
2 bedrooms
16.4%
3 bedrooms
48.0%
4 bedrooms
25.7%
5 bedrooms
5.0%
6+ bedrooms
0.7%

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

Forest Hill Population Mobility

10.2%
moved in the last year
34.1%
moved in the last 5 years
5.4%
unemployment rate (Census)
57.7%
labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Forest Hill Indigenous Population

0.3%
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
57
Indigenous residents
20,874
Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Forest Hill Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health
923
Asthma
395
Arthritis
307
Diabetes
298
Heart disease
272
Lung condition
155
Stroke
136
Cancer
134
Kidney disease
117
Dementia
57

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

Forest Hill Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk
14.4%
$1-$149/wk
5.0%
$150-$299/wk
7.2%
$300-$399/wk
4.5%
$400-$499/wk
3.7%
$500-$649/wk
3.4%
$650-$799/wk
6.8%
$800-$999/wk
9.0%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
10.3%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
7.7%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
6.9%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
5.5%
$2,000-$2,999/wk
10.2%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
2.1%
$3,500+/wk
3.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Forest Hill Family Structure

Couple — children under 15
41.8%
Couple — no children
24.0%
Couple — no children under 15
20.6%
One parent — no children under 15
8.9%
One parent — children under 15
4.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Forest Hill Military Service

🎖️
Current ADF — Regular
0.0% 4
🛡️
Current ADF — Reserves
0.0% 3
🏅
Previously served
1.8% 159
👤
Never served
98.1% 8,500

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Forest Hill Unpaid Carers

🤲
Provided unpaid assistance
14.1% 1,211
—
Did not provide
85.9% 7,405

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Forest Hill Children Ever Born

No children
33.4%
1 child
17.2%
2 children
31.5%
3 children
12.3%
4 children
4.2%
5+ children
1.3%

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

Forest Hill When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951
37
1951–1960
213
1961–1970
262
1971–1980
334
1981–1990
627
1991–2000
498
2001–2010
1,096
2011–2015
731
2016
135
2017
127
2018
144
2019
195
2020
45
2021
31

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

Forest Hill Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours
20.6%
5–14 hours
27.5%
15–29 hours
13.6%
30+ hours
8.5%
Did not do domestic work
29.6%

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

Forest Hill Household Size

1 person
27.5%
2 persons
30.2%
3 persons
16.7%
4 persons
18.1%
5 persons
5.2%
6+ persons
2.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Forest Hill Where Residents Moved From

Same address
9,246
Moved from VIC
836
Moved — same area (SA2)
92
Moved from overseas
88
Moved from TAS
9
Moved from WA
5
Moved from NSW
4
Moved from QLD
3
Moved from SA
3

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

Forest Hill Family Blending

Intact family — no other children
94.6%
Step family — no other children
3.7%
Blended family — no other children
0.9%
Intact family — other children present
0.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Forest Hill Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-25 — 958 total

Theft
526
Assault
103
Break & Enter
76
Fraud
64
Justice Procedures
64
Property Damage
53
Drug Offences
42
Weapons
13
Public Order
12
Robbery
5

Offence trend by year:

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

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

Forest Hill Schools

33
schools nearby
22
government
1111
avg ICSEA score
13,671
total students
Blackburn Lake Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 542 students
1170
ICSEA
Vermont Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 752 students
1161
ICSEA
Glendal Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 886 students
1157
ICSEA
Camelot Rise Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 426 students
1150
ICSEA
Highvale Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 368 students
1148
ICSEA
Burwood East Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 520 students
1147
ICSEA
Mount Waverley North Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 541 students
1142
ICSEA
Livingstone Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 612 students
1142
ICSEA
St Christopher's School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 148 students
1141
ICSEA
Weeden Heights Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 154 students
1141
ICSEA
Blackburn Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 440 students
1141
ICSEA
Mount Pleasant Road Nunawading Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 388 students
1133
ICSEA
Orchard Grove Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 592 students
1130
ICSEA
St Thomas the Apostle School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 185 students
1130
ICSEA
Vermont Secondary College Government
Secondary · 7-12 · 1,650 students
1122
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 Forest Hill with map →

Forest Hill Rent Prices & Affordability

24%
of income
Affordable
Household Income $1,658/wk
Median Rent $396/wk
Rent-to-Income 23.9%

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

If you earn X in Forest Hill

≈ $7,185/month
Median rent $396/wk
Left after rent $1,262/wk
Rent share 23.9%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Yallourn North
Income: $659/wk Rent: $220/wk Save: $176/wk
Shepparton East
Income: $780/wk Rent: $231/wk Save: $165/wk
Maffra (Vic.)
Income: $669/wk Rent: $250/wk Save: $146/wk
Wendouree
Income: $571/wk Rent: $250/wk Save: $146/wk
Sale
Income: $701/wk Rent: $280/wk Save: $116/wk
Kennington
Income: $744/wk Rent: $290/wk Save: $106/wk
North Wonthaggi
Income: $584/wk Rent: $300/wk Save: $96/wk
Bell Post Hill
Income: $674/wk Rent: $350/wk Save: $46/wk

Forest Hill vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in VIC

Balaclava (Vic.)
Pop: 5,392 Income: $1,172/wk Rent: $386/wk
Chelsea Heights
Pop: 5,393 Income: $805/wk Rent: $412/wk
Maiden Gully
Pop: 5,407 Income: $897/wk Rent: $380/wk
Delacombe
Pop: 5,408 Income: $652/wk Rent: $310/wk
Maddingley
Pop: 5,491 Income: $895/wk Rent: $366/wk
Eaglehawk
Pop: 5,538 Income: $629/wk Rent: $265/wk

Compare Forest Hill (Vic.)

Forest Hill (Vic.) vs Balaclava (Vic.) →Forest Hill (Vic.) vs Chelsea Heights →Forest Hill (Vic.) vs Maiden Gully →Forest Hill (Vic.) vs Delacombe →

Frequently Asked Questions About Forest Hill

What is the population of Forest Hill VIC?

The population of Forest Hill VIC is 10,780 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 2648.5 people per km².Forest Hill is ranked #559 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Forest Hill?

The median personal income in Forest Hill VIC is $706 per week, or $36,712 per year.The median household income is $1,658 per week.Family income is $2,120 per week.Forest Hill is ranked #5,380 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Forest Hill?

Median rent in Forest Hill VIC is $396 per week ($1,716 per month).Rent represents 23.9% of household income, which is considered affordable.Forest Hill ranks #2,191 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Forest Hill?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Forest Hill VIC is $2,123. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Forest Hill?

The median age in Forest Hill VIC is 42 years.This is older than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Forest Hill a good suburb to live in?

Forest Hill is a suburb in Victoria with a population of 10,780.The median income is $706/wk, which is below the VIC average of $779/wk.Rent affordability is rated as affordable (23.9% 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: 20937. All dollar figures in AUD.