Hawthorn (Vic.), VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Hawthorn is a leafy, affluent inner suburb in Melbourne's east, about six kilometres from the city centre within the City of Boroondara. Its name — gazetted in 1840 as 'Hawthorne' — is thought to have come from a remark by Charles La Trobe that the native shrubs resembled flowering hawthorn bushes, though it may instead derive from 'The Hawthorns', a bluestone house of the 1840s that still stands. The suburb expanded rapidly in the 1880s land boom, when grand Victorian houses on subdivisions like the Grace Park Estate gave it an upper-class air, reinforced by its many independent schools and grand churches. The 1889 town hall, designed by John Beswicke, has been restored as the Hawthorn Arts Centre, and the Glenferrie Road strip remains a busy shopping and dining street. Hawthorn is also the spiritual home of its famous AFL football club.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Hawthorn (Vic.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 98% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1128, 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.
Hawthorn (Vic.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 22,322
- Median age
- 34
- Median weekly household income
- $2,145
- SEIFA score
- 1128
- Coordinates
- -37.8259, 145.0304
Hawthorn (Vic.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Hawthorn (Vic.) 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 37%, 46% of homes are rented, and 29% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,746 | 12% |
| Youth (15–24) | 3,505 | 16% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 8,167 | 37% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 4,709 | 21% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,200 | 14% |
Share of the 22,327 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,602 | 27% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,422 | 25% |
| Rented | 4,423 | 46% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,361 | 24% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,558 | 16% |
| Flats & apartments | 5,741 | 59% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 9,704 occupied private dwellings in Hawthorn (Vic.).
- Median weekly rent
- $400
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,259
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,279
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,207
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 6,319 (29%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 4,643 (22%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 56 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 16,052 (85%)
- Labour-force participation
- 70.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.7%
- Employed full-time
- 8,227
- Employed part-time
- 4,143
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 Hawthorn (Vic.)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Hawthorn (Vic.) 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 Hawthorn (Vic.)
Where is Hawthorn (Vic.)?
Hawthorn (Vic.) is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Hawthorn (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, Hawthorn (Vic.) had a population of about 22,322.
Is Hawthorn (Vic.) an advantaged area?
Hawthorn (Vic.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 1128, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 98 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 98% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Hawthorn (Vic.)?
Hawthorn (Vic.) 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).
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