Rutherglen, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Rutherglen sits in north-eastern Victoria near the Murray River, about 270 kilometres from Melbourne, and takes its name from a town near Glasgow in Scotland. It began as a gold settlement in the 1850s — the post office opened in 1860 — but it is wine, not gold, that made the district famous. Rutherglen is best known for rich fortified styles, the dark Muscat and the Topaque once called Tokay, made by long-established family wineries. All Saints, founded in 1864, is described as the largest winery in the area, and its castle-like cellar door is a landmark. Each year the town fills for food-and-wine weekends such as Tastes of Rutherglen, drawing visitors into the cellars along the Murray.
Less advantaged than the national average
Rutherglen is more socio-economically advantaged than about 27% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 945, 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.
Rutherglen at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,579
- Median age
- 48
- Median weekly household income
- $1,306
- SEIFA score
- 945
- Coordinates
- -36.0639, 146.4849
Rutherglen demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Rutherglen 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 mid-life (45–64) at 27%, 19% of homes are rented, and 8% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 430 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 238 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 522 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 695 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 693 | 27% |
Share of the 2,578 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 445 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 359 | 34% |
| Rented | 197 | 19% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 966 | 93% |
| Townhouses & semis | 63 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,042 occupied private dwellings in Rutherglen.
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,816
- Median weekly personal income
- $722
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 186 (8%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 51 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 58 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 863 (42%)
- Labour-force participation
- 56.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.3%
- Employed full-time
- 686
- Employed part-time
- 389
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.
Common questions about Rutherglen
Where is Rutherglen?
Rutherglen is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Rutherglen?
At the 2021 Census, Rutherglen had a population of about 2,579.
Is Rutherglen an advantaged area?
Rutherglen has an ABS SEIFA score of 945, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 27 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 27% of Australian suburbs.
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