Sunshine West, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Sunshine West is more socio-economically advantaged than about 13% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 906, 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.
Sunshine West at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 18,552
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $1,416
- SEIFA score
- 906
- Coordinates
- -37.7997, 144.8113
Sunshine West demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Sunshine West 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 31%, 28% of homes are rented, and 54% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 3,093 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,191 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 5,658 | 31% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 4,226 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,380 | 18% |
Share of the 18,548 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,418 | 39% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,824 | 29% |
| Rented | 1,727 | 28% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 5,134 | 83% |
| Townhouses & semis | 883 | 14% |
| Flats & apartments | 200 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 6,223 occupied private dwellings in Sunshine West.
- Median weekly rent
- $346
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,700
- Average household size
- 2.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,533
- Median weekly personal income
- $565
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 9,461 (54%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 11,485 (66%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 97 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 8,161 (55%)
- Labour-force participation
- 53.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 8.7%
- Employed full-time
- 4,464
- Employed part-time
- 2,497
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 Sunshine West
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Sunshine West is January (average daytime high around 26.6°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.9°C). The area receives roughly 658 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.6°C | 14.8°C | 57 mm |
| Feb | 25.5°C | 14.2°C | 29 mm |
| Mar | 23.8°C | 13.3°C | 42 mm |
| Apr | 19.9°C | 10.8°C | 57 mm |
| May | 16.1°C | 8.6°C | 53 mm |
| Jun | 13.4°C | 6.8°C | 58 mm |
| Jul | 12.9°C | 6.2°C | 46 mm |
| Aug | 13.6°C | 6.3°C | 52 mm |
| Sep | 16.2°C | 7.3°C | 57 mm |
| Oct | 19.4°C | 8.8°C | 71 mm |
| Nov | 21.5°C | 10.7°C | 70 mm |
| Dec | 24.2°C | 12.5°C | 66 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Sunshine West
Where is Sunshine West?
Sunshine West is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Sunshine West?
At the 2021 Census, Sunshine West had a population of about 18,552.
Is Sunshine West an advantaged area?
Sunshine West has an ABS SEIFA score of 906, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 13 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 13% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Sunshine West?
Sunshine West has average daytime highs of about 19.4°C and overnight lows of about 10°C, with roughly 658 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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