East Melbourne, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
East Melbourne is more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1156, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
East Melbourne at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 4,896
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $2,345
- SEIFA score
- 1156
- Coordinates
- -37.8154, 144.9826
East Melbourne demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile East Melbourne using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 39%, 53% of homes are rented, and 29% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 286 | 6% |
| Youth (15–24) | 367 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,930 | 39% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,215 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,094 | 22% |
Share of the 4,892 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 645 | 27% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 428 | 18% |
| Rented | 1,264 | 53% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 77 | 3% |
| Townhouses & semis | 538 | 23% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,762 | 74% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,389 occupied private dwellings in East Melbourne.
- Median weekly rent
- $480
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,383
- Average household size
- 1.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,733
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,532
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,348 (29%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 689 (15%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 12 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 3,726 (82%)
- Labour-force participation
- 69%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.2%
- Employed full-time
- 2,095
- Employed part-time
- 833
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in East Melbourne
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in East Melbourne is January (average daytime high around 27°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.9°C). The area receives roughly 724 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27°C | 14.9°C | 62 mm |
| Feb | 25.8°C | 14.1°C | 32 mm |
| Mar | 24°C | 13.3°C | 47 mm |
| Apr | 20°C | 10.5°C | 62 mm |
| May | 16°C | 8.4°C | 63 mm |
| Jun | 13.4°C | 6.5°C | 63 mm |
| Jul | 12.9°C | 6.1°C | 50 mm |
| Aug | 13.7°C | 6.2°C | 59 mm |
| Sep | 16.3°C | 7.3°C | 65 mm |
| Oct | 19.6°C | 8.8°C | 76 mm |
| Nov | 21.6°C | 10.8°C | 79 mm |
| Dec | 24.5°C | 12.6°C | 66 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about East Melbourne
Where is East Melbourne?
East Melbourne is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of East Melbourne?
At the 2021 Census, East Melbourne had a population of about 4,896.
Is East Melbourne an advantaged area?
East Melbourne has an ABS SEIFA score of 1156, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 99 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in East Melbourne?
East Melbourne has average daytime highs of about 19.6°C and overnight lows of about 10°C, with roughly 724 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
Where East Melbourne ranks
East Melbourne appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
Nearby suburbs in Victoria
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Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.