Collingwood
With 9,179 residents in 1.27 square kilometres, Collingwood reaches 7,245.2 people per square kilometre, making density its defining feature. The median age is 33, 7 years below the national comparison, while 65.1% rent and 68.2% of dwellings are apartments. Its compact form differs from nearby Abbotsford and Fitzroy, with less detached housing and more demand for small, well-located homes. Household income is $2,130 a week, at the 81.3rd percentile, yet a 16.0% vacancy rate and 42.8% turnover point to a mobile market. The profile suits singles, couples without children and professionals who value inner-city access over space.
Population
9,179
Median Age
33.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,130/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
96
Median House
$1.3M
October to December 2025
Choice is concentrated in apartments at 68.2% and semi-detached homes at 25.6%, while separate houses account for 5.8%. Two-bedroom homes make up 50.7% and 0 or 1-bedroom dwellings 29.5%, so the market suits buyers prioritising location and manageable space. Compared with a detached-house market, Collingwood requires closer attention to building quality, owners corporation costs and resale demand.
For Buyers
Choice is concentrated in apartments at 68.2% and semi-detached homes at 25.6%, while separate houses account for 5.8%. Two-bedroom homes make up 50.7% and 0 or 1-bedroom dwellings 29.5%, so the market suits buyers prioritising location and manageable space. Compared with a detached-house market, Collingwood requires closer attention to building quality, owners corporation costs and resale demand.
For Investors
Collingwood's investment case is shaped by renters, vacancy and redevelopment rather than detached-house scarcity. Renting accounts for 65.1%, versus 10.9% owning outright and 22.8% with a mortgage, so tenant demand is central to asset performance. Weekly rent is $425 and vacancy is 16.0%, creating more leasing risk than a tighter market. Ninety-three development applications in 12 months increase the importance of apartment quality, construction timing and competing supply. Growth is 3.17% annually and driven by internal migration, supporting turnover but not removing vacancy risk.
Development Activity
Total DAs
101
Last 12 Months
96
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+3100.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Collingwood
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Collingwood English Language School
Collingwood College
St Joseph's School
Demographics
Collingwood has a young, highly educated and internationally connected profile. The median age is 33, 7 years below the national comparison, and 63.6% have university qualifications, 33.5 points above the national comparison. The overseas-born share is 37.4%, 15.8 points above the national figure, with Mandarin, Canton, Arabic, Greek and French among reported languages. English ancestry numbers 2,749, followed by Other at 1,806 and Irish at 1,285. No religion is the largest affiliation at 5,324, compared with Christianity at 1,809 and Islam at 653. Average household size is 1.9, 0.6 below the national comparison, helping explain the apartment focus and 42.8% turnover. Its compact profile contrasts with the lower-density pockets of nearby Abbotsford and Fitzroy.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
5.8%
Houses
25.6%
Townhouse
68.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing is concentrated in compact formats. Apartments make up 68.2% of dwellings, semi-detached homes 25.6% and separate houses just 5.8%; 50.7% have 2 bedrooms, while 29.5% have 0 or 1. Tenure is renter-led at 65.1%, compared with 22.8% paying a mortgage and 10.9% owning outright, a pattern consistent with the average 1.9-person household. Compared with larger-home markets around Abbotsford and Fitzroy, Collingwood trades floor area for inner-urban access. Household income is $2,130 weekly, at the 81.3rd percentile, while mortgage-to-income is 23.5%.
Mortgage / mo
$2,167
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (year ending Sep 2025), Homes Victoria bond data (year-ending median). Census 2021 median: $425.
$650
Bond data year ending Sep 2025 · houses $950 · units $695
HH Size
1.9
Personal Income / wk
$1,338
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
16.0%
Unoccupied
859
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
19.3%
Couples with children
62.5%
Couples, no children
14.9%
Single parent
2,109
Total families
Economy & Employment
Collingwood's workforce is concentrated in knowledge and service industries. Professional and Tech accounts for 23.2% of employment, followed by Healthcare at 15.4%, Education at 10.0%, Public Admin at 7.9% and Retail at 6.4%. That mix aligns with 2,806 Professionals and 1,020 Managers; 70.1% of employed residents work full time, participation is 74.8% and unemployment is 4.9%. Household income is $2,130 a week, at the 81.3rd percentile. The SEIFA pattern is uneven: IEO is decile 9 and IRSAD decile 7, but IER is decile 1 and IRSD decile 3. Compared with its strong education and occupation profile, the lower economic-resources deciles suggest financial capacity is not evenly shared across the dense renter base.
Unemployment
4.9%
Labour Force
6,194
Unemployed
302
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
70.1%
Part-time
24.2%
Participation
74.8%
Employed
5,892
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
63.6%
Postgraduate
20.3%
Born Overseas
37.4%
Dwellings
4,489
Transport to Work
Inner-city convenience comes with density and a need to check the immediate street context. Work from home is common at 55.3%, while 21.8% drive and 14.8% walk or cycle; public transport is recorded at 7.1%. Three local schools provide a practical mix of Catholic primary, government primary and secondary, and government language education. Safety needs attention: 2,321 offences are recorded at 252.9 per 1,000 residents, including 1,579 property and deception offences, 252 crimes against the person, 232 justice procedures offences and 142 drug offences. Social conditions are mixed, with IRSAD in decile 7, higher than IRSD in decile 3, while 4.2% need assistance. Compared with driving, walking and cycling are less common, so the suburb suits residents who can use its compact setting and local services.
Drive
21.8%
Public Transport
7.1%
Walk / Cycle
14.8%
Work from Home
55.3%
Population Forecast
+3.17%/yr
(+473 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth indicators point to continued change, but not a single clean trajectory. The annual trend is 3.17%, slightly below the 3.2% long-run house-price CAGR, and internal migration is the primary driver. Population change across the wider area is 50.8% over 10 years, while the shift trajectory is Mixed, with rent growth of 13.3% and affordability moving from 48.9 in 2011 to 43.8 in 2021. Gentrification is reported as Active at score 40, yet the shift measure records score 4 and Not gentrifying. This combination suggests redevelopment and household turnover are real, while the 42.8% turnover rate keeps the resident mix fluid. A 1.8-point rise in senior share and 0.2-point fall in young share indicate gradual age change rather than a purely youth-led expansion.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+106
Net Internal / yr
+491
Gentrification Signal
Active
Net internal migration +491/yr, Accelerating: 10% → 70%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
2,321
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
252.9
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 Collingwood compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Collingwood a good suburb to live in?
Collingwood suits people who value inner-city access, apartments and a strong professional base. It has 9,179 residents, a median age of 33, 55.3% working from home and 3 local schools, but the crime rate is 252.9 per 1,000 and 65.1% rent, so the experience depends heavily on the building and street.
What schools are in Collingwood?
Collingwood has 3 local schools spanning a Catholic primary school, a government primary and secondary setting, and a government language school. Families should check the exact enrolment zone and year-level availability because access can vary across nearby streets and school stages.
Is Collingwood safe?
Safety is mixed rather than uniform. The suburb recorded 2,321 offences, equal to 252.9 offences per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences accounted for 1,579, compared with 252 crimes against the person. Check lighting, entrances and activity around the specific building, particularly when buying or renting an apartment.
Is Collingwood good for property investment?
Collingwood can suit investors targeting a renter-majority market, with 65.1% renting, weekly rent of $425 and 93 development applications in 12 months. The 16.0% vacancy rate is high, while annual growth is forecast at 3.17% and internal migration is the primary driver. Compare building quality, owners corporation costs and competing supply before relying on headline demand.
How is Collingwood's population changing?
Growth is active but mixed. Population change across the wider area is 50.8% over 10 years, with an annual trend of 3.17% driven primarily by internal migration. The shift trajectory is Mixed, while gentrification signals show score 40, stage Active, versus score 4, Not gentrifying. Household turnover is 42.8%, so change is visible through resident mix and redevelopment.
What languages are spoken in Collingwood?
More than 30% of residents were born overseas, at 37.4%. Reported languages include Mandarin with 95 people, Canton with 61, Arabic and Greek with 52 each, and French with 38. No religion is the largest reported affiliation at 5,324, compared with 1,809 identifying with Christianity.
Is there significant development in Collingwood?
Development activity is substantial, with 93 applications lodged in the past 12 months. Recent examples include internal alterations to a dwelling and changes involving a restaurant and caretaker's residence. Because apartment living accounts for 68.2% of dwellings, buyers and renters should check whether nearby works could affect access, noise or future competing supply.
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), Valuer-General Victoria (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), 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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