Northcote, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Northcote is an established inner-northern suburb of Melbourne, about six kilometres north-east of the city in the City of Darebin, on the land of the Wurundjeri Willam people of the Kulin nation. Its high ground around Ruckers Hill takes its name from a mansion built there in the 1840s by the early settler William Rucker. The suburb itself was named after the British parliamentarian Sir Stafford Northcote, and grew quickly through the gold-rush decades along its spine of High Street. The Northcote Picture Theatre, which opened in 1912, is among the oldest surviving cinemas in Victoria and now serves as a live-music venue. Nearby stands a handsome Carnegie library of 1911, one of only a handful built in Australia. The Victorian premiers John Cain, father and son, both came from the suburb.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Northcote is more socio-economically advantaged than about 97% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1117, 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.
Northcote at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 25,276
- Median age
- 37
- Median weekly household income
- $2,287
- SEIFA score
- 1117
- Coordinates
- -37.7723, 145.0009
Northcote demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Northcote 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 36%, 37% of homes are rented, and 25% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 3,789 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,523 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 9,185 | 36% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 6,459 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,321 | 13% |
Share of the 25,277 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 3,081 | 30% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 3,091 | 30% |
| Rented | 3,838 | 37% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 5,023 | 49% |
| Townhouses & semis | 2,801 | 27% |
| Flats & apartments | 2,333 | 23% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 10,236 occupied private dwellings in Northcote.
- Median weekly rent
- $475
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,400
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,181
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,166
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 6,167 (25%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 4,904 (20%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 151 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 16,496 (80%)
- Labour-force participation
- 72.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 4%
- Employed full-time
- 9,125
- Employed part-time
- 4,922
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 Northcote
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Northcote 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 Northcote
Where is Northcote?
Northcote is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Northcote?
At the 2021 Census, Northcote had a population of about 25,276.
Is Northcote an advantaged area?
Northcote has an ABS SEIFA score of 1117, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 97 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 97% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Northcote?
Northcote 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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