Drewvale
Drewvale runs on big houses for big families. Some 94.5% of dwellings are separate houses and 85.7% carry four or more bedrooms, the kind of stock that draws households averaging 3.5 people, a full person above the national average. Nearly half the residents, 49.4%, were born overseas, which is 27.8 points above national, and 43.8% hold university qualifications, 13.7 points above national. At a $570,000 median house price the market stays affordable despite an income in the 84.8th percentile, and 60.0% of households carry a mortgage. The median age of 35 sits 5 years below the national figure, marking a younger family belt rather than an aging one.
Population
4,779
Median Age
35.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,243/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
2
Median House
$570K
Estimated from rent (2025)
A $570,000 median house price keeps Drewvale within reach of dual-income families, which matters because 60.0% of local households already carry a mortgage and only 18.7% own outright. The buying experience here is about space: 94.5% of homes are detached and 85.7% have four or more bedrooms, with just 2.9% in the two-bedroom range, so small footprints are scarce. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,993, and against the household income in the 84.8th percentile that produces a mortgage-to-income ratio of only 20.5%, well below the 30% stress threshold. The combination of large detached stock, affordable entry price and low repayment burden explains why mortgaged owner-occupiers, not renters or outright owners, dominate the suburb.
For Buyers
A $570,000 median house price keeps Drewvale within reach of dual-income families, which matters because 60.0% of local households already carry a mortgage and only 18.7% own outright. The buying experience here is about space: 94.5% of homes are detached and 85.7% have four or more bedrooms, with just 2.9% in the two-bedroom range, so small footprints are scarce. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,993, and against the household income in the 84.8th percentile that produces a mortgage-to-income ratio of only 20.5%, well below the 30% stress threshold. The combination of large detached stock, affordable entry price and low repayment burden explains why mortgaged owner-occupiers, not renters or outright owners, dominate the suburb.
For Investors
Renters make up just 21.3% of Drewvale households, a shallow tenant pool compared with the mortgage-heavy 60.0% owner profile, so the suburb suits owner-occupiers more than landlords. Weekly rent of $460 against the $570,000 median implies a gross yield near 4.2%, healthier than inner-city averages, and the 4.6% vacancy rate points to steady but not tight demand. Development is almost nonexistent at 2 applications in 12 months, both minor referral-agency siting matters rather than new dwellings, so supply will not expand quickly. Demand support leans on overseas migration adding 271 residents a year while internal migration removes 125, leaving net population growth of 1.44% annually. With four-bedroom houses at 85.7% of stock, the rental case targets larger families rather than yield-chasing volume.
Development Activity
Total DAs
4
Last 12 Months
2
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
0.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 35 sits 5 years below the national figure, and the family structure reinforces a young-household profile: average household size is 3.5, a full person above national, and couples with children number 2,506 against just 604 couples with no children. Overseas-born residents reach 49.4%, which is 27.8 points above national, the clearest single marker of Drewvale's character. Ancestry is led by English (903), Chinese (692) and Indian (654), and the top non-English languages are Mandarin (223 speakers), Malayalam (124) and Punjabi (102). University qualifications at 43.8% run 13.7 points above national. Islam (346) and Hinduism (335) follow Christianity (2,069), a religious mix consistent with the strong South and East Asian migrant intake.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
94.5%
Houses
5.5%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts heavily toward mortgaged owners: 60.0% hold a mortgage, 18.7% own outright and 21.3% rent, a structure typical of a younger family belt still paying down recent purchases. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 94.5%, with semi-detached homes at only 5.5% and four-plus bedroom houses at 85.7%, so Drewvale offers space rather than density. The $570,000 median house price stays affordable relative to a household income in the 84.8th percentile, and both mortgage-to-income and rent-to-income sit at 20.5%, comfortably below the 30% stress line. That affordability, against incomes well above the national midpoint, is why the suburb supports large families on standard mortgages rather than stretching budgets the way premium markets do.
Mortgage / mo
$1,993
Rent / wk
$460
HH Size
3.5
Personal Income / wk
$833
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.6%
Unoccupied
64
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.5%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
13.9%
Couples, no children
4,351
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare dominates local employment at 22.8% (353 workers), more than double the next sector, with Education at 10.5% (162), Manufacturing at 7.6% (118), Professional/Tech at 7.4% (115) and Construction at 7.2% (111). By occupation, Professionals lead at 507, followed by Clerical and Admin (338) and Community and Personal Service (255), a profile that aligns with the healthcare and education concentration. Unemployment runs at 5.8% with a 64.9% full-time rate and 64.4% participation. SEIFA places Drewvale in decile 7 on IRSAD and IRSD and decile 7 on education and occupation, but decile 9 on economic resources, a higher reading driven by the 60.0% mortgage base and large dwellings that lift household resource scores above the suburb's education ranking.
Unemployment
3.3%
Labour Force
9,693
Unemployed
322
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.9%
Part-time
29.3%
Participation
64.4%
Employed
2,111
Occupations
Top Industries
University
43.8%
Postgraduate
12.1%
Born Overseas
49.4%
Dwellings
1,332
Transport to Work
Drewvale is built around the car: 89.4% of residents drive to work while only 4.3% use public transport and 0.4% walk or cycle, a reliance well above the national norm and typical of a low-density outer suburb at 1,089 people per km2. No schools are recorded inside the 4.39 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families with the suburb's 2,506 couples-with-children households rely on institutions nearby. SEIFA scores of decile 7 on IRSAD and IRSD signal a moderately advantaged area with limited disadvantage, and only 4.6% of residents, 214 people, need daily assistance. Residential turnover of 19.9% points to a settled population, with 80.1% of residents staying put year to year.
Drive
89.4%
Public Transport
4.3%
Walk / Cycle
0.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.44%/yr
(+247 people/yr)
EstablishedDrewvale is classified as an established suburb growing at 1.44% a year, with population up 11.7% over the past decade, steady expansion rather than a boom. The driver is clear: overseas migration adds 271 residents annually while net internal migration removes 125, so newcomers from abroad more than replace those leaving for elsewhere in Australia. The gentrification score reads 15, firmly in the not gentrifying band, which fits a suburb whose appeal is affordable family housing rather than upgrading demographics. The trajectory is labelled aging, with the senior share up 4.9 points and the working-age share down 2.0 points over the decade, though the median age of 35 still runs 5 years below national. Real income growth was negative at -6.4%, a headwind that keeps the affordable positioning intact.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+271
Net Internal / yr
-125
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +15% since 2011, Net internal outflow -125/yr, Strong overseas inflow +271/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Drewvale compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Drewvale a good suburb to live in?
Drewvale scores decile 7 on the IRSAD and IRSD advantage indexes and decile 9 on economic resources, a moderately advantaged outer suburb. Household income sits in the 84.8th percentile, the $570,000 median house price stays affordable, and 94.5% of homes are detached, which suits families. The main trade-off is car dependence, with 89.4% driving to work.
What is the median house price in Drewvale?
The median house price is $570,000, affordable relative to a household income in the 84.8th percentile. Weekly rent averages $460 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,993, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 20.5%, well below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Drewvale?
No schools are recorded inside the 4.39 km2 Drewvale boundary in this dataset, so the suburb's 2,506 couples-with-children households rely on schools in neighbouring areas. The local population is well educated, with university qualifications at 43.8%, which is 13.7 points above the national figure.
Is Drewvale safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Drewvale in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 7 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage and only 4.6% of its residents, 214 people, need daily assistance, both consistent with a moderately advantaged, low-disadvantage area.
Is Drewvale good for property investment?
Rent of $460 a week against a $570,000 median gives a gross yield near 4.2%, healthier than inner-city averages, and the vacancy rate is 4.6%. Renters are only 21.3% of households, a shallow pool, so the case favours larger family homes, with 85.7% of stock carrying four or more bedrooms.
How is Drewvale's population changing?
Population is growing 1.44% a year, up 11.7% over the past decade. The driver is overseas migration adding 271 residents annually, while net internal migration removes 125. The trajectory is aging, with the senior share up 4.9 points, though the median age of 35 stays 5 years below national.
What languages are spoken in Drewvale?
About 49.4% of residents were born overseas, 27.8 points above the national figure. English is the dominant language, with Mandarin (223 speakers), Malayalam (124), Punjabi (102) and Hindi (78) the most common non-English languages, reflecting a strong South and East Asian migrant presence.
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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