Brunswick West
Apartment living sets the tone in Brunswick West: 41.3% of dwellings are apartments, slightly ahead of 38.0% separate houses, and renters account for 48.7% of households. The suburb is dense at 4,583.2 people per sq km but still more residential in feel than neighbouring Brunswick's Sydney Road core and less detached-house oriented than Pascoe Vale South. Its 14,746 residents are younger and highly educated, with a median age of 34 and university attainment 29.1 percentage points above the national level, because small households and inner-city professional employment dominate demand.
Population
14,746
Median Age
34.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,797/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
26
Median House
$1.2M
Apr-Jun 2024
Homebuyers are paying for inner-north access rather than land size. The median house price is $1,250,000 in Apr-Jun 2024, which is 13.6% below the $1,446,000 peak recorded in Oct-Dec 2023 but still 67.8% above the 2013 level. Housing choice is split between 41.3% apartments, 38.0% separate houses and 20.2% semi-detached homes, so buyers can trade space for location. Two-bedroom homes dominate at 42.4%, while mortgage costs sit at 25.7% of income, below stress settings because many households have strong professional incomes.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are paying for inner-north access rather than land size. The median house price is $1,250,000 in Apr-Jun 2024, which is 13.6% below the $1,446,000 peak recorded in Oct-Dec 2023 but still 67.8% above the 2013 level. Housing choice is split between 41.3% apartments, 38.0% separate houses and 20.2% semi-detached homes, so buyers can trade space for location. Two-bedroom homes dominate at 42.4%, while mortgage costs sit at 25.7% of income, below stress settings because many households have strong professional incomes.
For Investors
Investors get a large renter base, but not a simple scarcity story. Renting is 48.7%, nearly matching the 51.3% owner-occupier share, and median rent is $366 a week against household income of $1,797. The 13.4% vacancy rate is higher than a tight rental setting, so yield pressure may depend on presentation, location and apartment quality. Development is moderate at 15 applications over 12 months, while overseas migration adds 404 people annually, because new arrivals help absorb apartments despite net internal movement of -84 a year.
Development Activity
Total DAs
44
Last 12 Months
26
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+188.9%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Brunswick West iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Brunswick South West Primary School
Prep-6 · 430 students
Brunswick North Primary School
Prep-6 · 441 students
Brunswick North West Primary School
Prep-6 · 375 students
St Joseph's School
Prep-6 · 186 students
Demographics
Brunswick West skews young, educated and internationally linked. The median age is 34, which is 6.0 years below the national benchmark, while 59.2% hold a university qualification, 29.1 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents are 31.0%, 9.4 points higher than national, with English, Irish, Italian and Scottish ancestry prominent at 4,108, 2,003, 1,887 and 1,435 people. Greek and Italian remain the largest non-English languages, because older migrant layers sit alongside newer professional households.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
38.0%
Houses
20.2%
Townhouse
41.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Brunswick West's housing market has reset from its recent high rather than fallen back to bargain levels. Prices rose from $745,000 in 2013 to $1,250,000 in Apr-Jun 2024, a 67.8% gain and 3.8% compound annual growth over 14 years, but the latest median is 13.6% below the Oct-Dec 2023 peak. Tenure is mixed, with 24.0% owned outright, 27.3% mortgaged and 48.7% renting. The price-to-income ratio is about 13.4 times annual household income, so affordability depends heavily on dual incomes, apartment options and the 42.4% share of 2-bedroom dwellings.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wk
$366
HH Size
2.1
Personal Income / wk
$1,004
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
13.4%
Unoccupied
1,023
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
33.0%
Couples, no children
9,503
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce profile is strongly professional. Healthcare leads at 16.6% of workers, followed by education at 15.5%, professional and tech at 14.5%, public admin at 8.1% and retail at 6.3%. Professionals number 3,406 and managers 1,224, which helps explain household income sitting in the 63.9th percentile nationally. SEIFA is mixed: IEO decile 9 and IRSAD decile 8 sit above average, IRSD decile 7 is still solid, but IER decile 3 is lower. That gap reflects high qualifications alongside more renters and smaller households with less accumulated economic resources.
Unemployment
7.7%
Labour Force
10,679
Unemployed
820
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
63.8%
Part-time
31.2%
Participation
67.7%
Employed
8,282
Occupations
Top Industries
University
59.2%
Postgraduate
20.0%
Born Overseas
31.0%
Dwellings
6,608
Transport to Work
Daily life is practical but car-heavy for an inner suburb. Car driving accounts for 77.1% of journeys, far higher than the 3.6% public transport share, while 14.6% walk or cycle. Education is a clear strength: 4 local primary schools span Government and Catholic sectors, with ICSEA scores from 1124 to 1168. Brunswick South West Primary at 1168 and 430 enrolments, plus Brunswick North Primary at 1151 and 441 enrolments, sit at the higher end. Safety is more mixed, with 1,184 offences and 80.3 per 1,000 residents, mainly 836 property and deception offences, while IRSAD decile 8 is above average.
Drive
77.1%
Public Transport
3.6%
Walk / Cycle
14.6%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.86%/yr
(+137 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is steady rather than explosive. The trend forecast adds 0.86% a year, or about 137 residents annually, with the medium path rising from 15,717 people in 2026 to 16,403 in 2031. Migration is the main driver: overseas migration averages +404 people a year, compared with net internal movement of -84. The gentrification score is 40 and the stage is Active, while the broader shift is Stable. The suburb has recovered from a -2.4% COVID dip and is 7.2% above that low, because overseas inflow and apartment demand offset some local outflow.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+404
Net Internal / yr
-84
Gentrification Signal
Active
Population +15% since 2011, Strong overseas inflow +404/yr, Accelerating: 5% → 10%, COVID recovered (-2% dip → full recovery)
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
1,184
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
80.3
Offence Categories
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Brunswick West compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brunswick West a good suburb to live in?
Yes, especially for people wanting inner-north density rather than a detached-house suburb. It has 14,746 residents, a median age of 34, 59.2% university attainment and 4 local primary schools, but car driving is high at 77.1%.
What is the median house price in Brunswick West?
The median house price in Brunswick West is $1,250,000 for Apr-Jun 2024. That is 13.6% below the Oct-Dec 2023 peak of $1,446,000, but still 67.8% higher than the 2013 median of $745,000.
What schools are in Brunswick West?
Brunswick West has 4 local primary schools: Brunswick South West Primary, Brunswick North Primary, Brunswick North West Primary and St Joseph's School. ICSEA scores range from 1124 to 1168, with enrolments from 186 to 441.
Is Brunswick West safe?
Brunswick West recorded 1,184 offences, equal to 80.3 per 1,000 residents. The main issue is property and deception crime with 836 offences, while crimes against the person were lower at 125.
Is Brunswick West good for property investment?
It can suit selective investors because 48.7% of households rent and overseas migration adds about 404 people a year. The caution is vacancy: 13.4% is higher than a tight market, so asset quality matters.
How is Brunswick West's population changing?
Population growth is stable, with the forecast adding 0.86% a year or about 137 people annually. The medium scenario reaches 16,403 residents by 2031, driven by +404 overseas migration versus -84 internal migration each year.
What languages are spoken in Brunswick West?
English is dominant, but 31.0% of residents were born overseas, which is 9.4 percentage points above the national level. The largest listed non-English languages are Greek at 297 speakers, Italian at 292 and Arabic at 154.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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