Suburbs Preston (Vic.)

Victoria · Suburb Profile

Preston VIC — Suburb Profile

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

The population of Preston VIC is 33,790 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Preston is $872 per week ($45,344 per year). Median rent in Preston is $392 per week ($1,699 per month). Preston has a median age of 37 years, younger than the national median of 38. Preston has a population density of 2962.2 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Preston is China. The most common religion is No Religion (50% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is Greek. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Preston is $2,000.

There were 6,932 recorded offences in Preston in 2025-25, a rate of 205 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was theft (3,428 offences).

Preston Map

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📍 Preston, Victoria — 37.7418°S, 145.0086°E

Crime: Low Med High 🏫 Schools (40)

Preston Population

0
residents (Census 2021)

Preston Median Income & Rent

💰
Median Income
$872/wk
$45,344 per year
#2475 of 14,663
🏠
Median Rent
$392/wk
$1,699 per month
#2239 of 14,663
👤
Median Age
37years
1 years younger than national median
🏡
Mortgage
$2,000/mo
Avg household size: 2.4 · 0.9 per bedroom

Preston Demographics

Gender Split

Male 48.6% (16,417) Female 51.4% (17,376)

Population Density

2962.2
people per km²
33,790 people · 11.4 km²

Households

2.4
Avg household size
0.9
Persons per bedroom
$2,345
Family income/wk

Preston 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)

Preston Housing Tenure

🏠
Owned outright
47.4% 3,711 dwellings
🏦
Owned with mortgage
52.6% 4,110 dwellings

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

Preston Country of Birth

Australia
84.0%
China
3.9%
India
3.9%
Greece
3.4%
England
3.3%
Germany
0.4%
Bangladesh
0.3%
Canada
0.3%
France
0.3%
Egypt
0.3%

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

Preston Religion

No Religion
49.5%
Catholic
20.5%
Eastern Orthodox
10.1%
Not stated
6.0%
Islam
5.2%
Buddhism
3.4%
Anglican
2.7%
Hinduism
2.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Preston Education Level

Year 12 or equivalent
81.9%
Year 10 or equivalent
7.4%
Year 11 or equivalent
7.3%
Year 9 or equivalent
3.4%

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

Preston Languages Spoken at Home

Greek
23.3%
Italian
17.1%
Mandarin
15.1%
Other
12.0%
Vietnamese
10.5%
Arabic
9.3%
Macedon
7.3%
Cantonese
5.3%

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

Preston Employment

💼
Employed full-time
41.0% 10,759 people
⏰
Employed part-time
24.0% 6,300 people
🔍
Unemployed
4.1% 1,065 people
🏠
Not in labour force
31.0% 8,142 people

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

Preston Qualifications

Bachelor Degree
42.1%
Postgraduate Degree
17.1%
Certificate III/IV
16.5%
Advanced Diploma/Diploma
16.0%
Graduate Diploma/Certificate
6.9%
Certificate I/II
1.4%

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

Preston Occupation

Professionals
41.6%
Managers
15.0%
Clerical & Administrative
11.0%
Technicians & Trade Workers
10.6%
Community & Personal Service
10.0%
Sales Workers
5.1%
Labourers
4.2%
Machinery Operators & Drivers
2.4%

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

Preston Field of Study

Management & Commerce
19.2%
Society & Culture
17.5%
Creative Arts
13.1%
Health
11.0%
Engineering
9.9%
Education
8.4%
Information Technology
5.4%
Natural & Physical Sciences
4.8%
Architecture & Building
4.7%
Food, Hospitality & Personal Services
4.3%
Agriculture & Environment
1.6%

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

Preston Dwelling Types

Separate house
69.1%
Semi-detached (1 storey)
17.4%
Semi-detached (2+ storey)
13.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Preston Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk
2.3%
$1-$149/wk
0.7%
$150-$299/wk
1.7%
$300-$399/wk
2.8%
$400-$499/wk
6.0%
$500-$649/wk
3.7%
$650-$799/wk
5.3%
$800-$999/wk
5.3%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
6.1%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
7.1%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
6.6%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
6.3%
$2,000-$2,499/wk
12.5%
$2,500-$2,999/wk
7.8%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
7.4%
$3,500-$3,999/wk
5.0%
$4,000+/wk
13.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Preston Marital Status

💍
Married
36.0% 10,355
↔️
Separated
2.8% 791
📋
Divorced
7.5% 2,142
🕊️
Widowed
4.5% 1,306
👤
Never married
49.2% 14,131

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Preston Ancestry

English
20.0%
Australian
17.9%
Other
12.5%
Italian
10.6%
Irish
9.2%
Greek
7.5%
Scottish
6.8%
Chinese
5.9%
German
2.5%
Indian
2.5%
Vietnamese
2.4%
Macedonian
2.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Preston School & University Attendance

Primary — Government
30.7%
Secondary — Government
19.4%
Vocational Education
17.4%
Pre-school
12.2%
Secondary — Catholic
8.2%
Primary — Catholic
6.6%
Primary — Other Non-Govt
2.9%
Secondary — Other Non-Govt
2.8%

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

Preston Need for Assistance

♿
Needs assistance
6.7% 4,306
✅
No need for assistance
93.3% 60,351

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

Preston Volunteering

🤝
Volunteer
12.5% 3,432
—
Not a volunteer
87.5% 24,004

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Preston Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo
5.3%
$300-$449/mo
1.6%
$450-$599/mo
1.4%
$600-$799/mo
2.8%
$800-$999/mo
3.9%
$1,000-$1,399/mo
14.1%
$1,400-$1,799/mo
16.3%
$1,800-$2,399/mo
24.2%
$2,400-$2,999/mo
15.0%
$3,000-$3,999/mo
15.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Preston How People Get to Work

Car (driver)
58.1%
Did not go to work
20.1%
Train
4.1%
Car (passenger)
3.7%
Bicycle
3.6%
Walked only
3.3%
Tram/Light Rail
3.3%
Bus
1.5%
Motorbike/Scooter
0.8%
Other
0.7%
Truck
0.4%
Taxi/Rideshare
0.3%

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

Preston Car Ownership

0 vehicles
13.0%
1 vehicle
47.9%
2 vehicles
28.9%
3 vehicles
7.1%
4+ vehicles
3.2%

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

Preston Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom
8.9%
2 bedrooms
36.3%
3 bedrooms
39.6%
4 bedrooms
12.4%
5 bedrooms
2.3%
6+ bedrooms
0.5%

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

Preston Population Mobility

16.7%
moved in the last year
43.5%
moved in the last 5 years
5.5%
unemployment rate (Census)
67.4%
labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Preston Indigenous Population

1.0%
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
646
Indigenous residents
64,646
Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Preston Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health
3,923
Asthma
1,316
Diabetes
793
Arthritis
743
Heart disease
634
Lung condition
379
Cancer
343
Stroke
279
Kidney disease
272
Dementia
87

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

Preston Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk
9.9%
$1-$149/wk
3.3%
$150-$299/wk
6.0%
$300-$399/wk
4.5%
$400-$499/wk
3.6%
$500-$649/wk
3.5%
$650-$799/wk
7.8%
$800-$999/wk
9.3%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
10.7%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
9.0%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
8.4%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
6.5%
$2,000-$2,999/wk
11.5%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
2.6%
$3,500+/wk
3.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Preston Family Structure

Couple — children under 15
41.2%
Couple — no children
28.4%
Couple — no children under 15
16.6%
One parent — no children under 15
8.3%
One parent — children under 15
5.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Preston Military Service

🎖️
Current ADF — Regular
0.1% 17
🛡️
Current ADF — Reserves
0.0% 13
🏅
Previously served
0.9% 248
👤
Never served
99.0% 27,234

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Preston Unpaid Carers

🤲
Provided unpaid assistance
13.7% 3,752
—
Did not provide
86.3% 23,613

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Preston Children Ever Born

No children
50.8%
1 child
13.3%
2 children
23.0%
3 children
9.0%
4 children
2.8%
5+ children
1.1%

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

Preston When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951
44
1951–1960
617
1961–1970
1,471
1971–1980
1,010
1981–1990
1,229
1991–2000
1,197
2001–2010
1,787
2011–2015
1,335
2016
377
2017
431
2018
501
2019
499
2020
145
2021
33

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

Preston Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours
23.1%
5–14 hours
32.5%
15–29 hours
11.8%
30+ hours
7.0%
Did not do domestic work
25.7%

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

Preston Household Size

1 person
29.7%
2 persons
33.3%
3 persons
16.5%
4 persons
14.3%
5 persons
4.3%
6+ persons
1.9%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Preston Where Residents Moved From

Same address
26,702
Moved from VIC
4,050
Moved — same area (SA2)
737
Moved from overseas
242
Moved from QLD
80
Moved from NSW
76
Moved from SA
42
Moved from WA
24
Moved from ACT
19
Moved from TAS
15
Moved from NT
13

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

Preston Family Blending

Intact family — no other children
93.4%
Step family — no other children
4.3%
Blended family — no other children
1.5%
Intact family — other children present
0.5%
Other couple — children only
0.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Preston Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-25 — 6,932 total

Theft
3,428
Assault
596
Justice Procedures
582
Break & Enter
553
Property Damage
496
Drug Offences
452
Fraud
424
Weapons
225
Public Order
110
Robbery
56
Other
6
Traffic
4

Offence trend by year:

2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

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

Preston Schools

40
schools nearby
24
government
1079
avg ICSEA score
18,457
total students
Northcote Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 303 students
1166
ICSEA
Bell Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 440 students
1165
ICSEA
Brunswick East Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 279 students
1162
ICSEA
St Bernadette's School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 191 students
1149
ICSEA
Newlands Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 437 students
1146
ICSEA
Wales Street Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 616 students
1140
ICSEA
Preston West Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 670 students
1135
ICSEA
Preston South Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 397 students
1127
ICSEA
Preston Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 646 students
1113
ICSEA
Santa Maria College Catholic
Secondary · 7-12 · 779 students
1110
ICSEA
Holy Spirit School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 129 students
1107
ICSEA
Preston High School Government
Secondary · 7-12 · 1,275 students
1104
ICSEA
St Raphael's School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 287 students
1096
ICSEA
Thornbury Primary School Government
Primary · Prep-6 · 308 students
1093
ICSEA
Sacred Heart School Catholic
Primary · Prep-6 · 117 students
1090
ICSEA

Showing 15 of 40 schools

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

View all schools in Preston with map →

Preston Rent Prices & Affordability

21%
of income
Affordable
Household Income $1,844/wk
Median Rent $392/wk
Rent-to-Income 21.3%

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

If you earn X in Preston

≈ $7,991/month
Median rent $392/wk
Left after rent $1,452/wk
Rent share 21.3%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

North Bendigo
Income: $707/wk Rent: $285/wk Save: $107/wk
Canadian
Income: $749/wk Rent: $300/wk Save: $92/wk
White Hills (Vic.)
Income: $750/wk Rent: $300/wk Save: $92/wk
Mount Clear
Income: $728/wk Rent: $310/wk Save: $82/wk
Darley
Income: $821/wk Rent: $320/wk Save: $72/wk
Ardeer
Income: $698/wk Rent: $340/wk Save: $52/wk
Lovely Banks
Income: $798/wk Rent: $350/wk Save: $42/wk
Belmont (Vic.)
Income: $802/wk Rent: $350/wk Save: $42/wk

Preston vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in VIC

Caulfield North
Pop: 16,903 Income: $1,144/wk Rent: $422/wk
Templestowe
Pop: 16,966 Income: $781/wk Rent: $513/wk
Footscray
Pop: 17,131 Income: $916/wk Rent: $355/wk
Seaford (Vic.)
Pop: 17,215 Income: $809/wk Rent: $351/wk
Hillside (Melton - Vic.)
Pop: 17,331 Income: $805/wk Rent: $380/wk
Lilydale (Vic.)
Pop: 17,348 Income: $798/wk Rent: $369/wk

Compare Preston (Vic.)

Preston (Vic.) vs Caulfield North →Preston (Vic.) vs Templestowe →Preston (Vic.) vs Footscray →Preston (Vic.) vs Seaford (Vic.) →

Frequently Asked Questions About Preston

What is the population of Preston VIC?

The population of Preston VIC is 33,790 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 2962.2 people per km².Preston is ranked #28 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Preston?

The median personal income in Preston VIC is $872 per week, or $45,344 per year.The median household income is $1,844 per week.Family income is $2,345 per week.Preston is ranked #2,475 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Preston?

Median rent in Preston VIC is $392 per week ($1,699 per month).Rent represents 21.3% of household income, which is considered affordable.Preston ranks #2,239 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Preston?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Preston VIC is $2,000. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Preston?

The median age in Preston VIC is 37 years.This is younger than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Preston a good suburb to live in?

Preston is a suburb in Victoria with a population of 33,790.The median income is $872/wk, which is above the VIC average of $779/wk.Rent affordability is rated as affordable (21.3% 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: 22121. All dollar figures in AUD.