Echuca
Echuca stands out as an older, detached-house river centre where the median age is 45, which is 5 years above the national benchmark, and 86.4% of dwellings are separate houses. The $588,000 median house price sits at its Apr-Jun 2024 peak after 106.3% growth from 2013, so buyers are paying for a mature regional market rather than a cheap fringe play. Compared with Moama across the Murray, Echuca carries the larger Victorian service role, reflected in 6 schools and healthcare employing 23.8% of local workers. The trade-off is a high recorded crime rate of 159.7 per 1,000.
Population
15,056
Median Age
45.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,335/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
18
Median House
$588K
Apr-Jun 2024
Homebuyers get a strongly house-led market: 86.4% of dwellings are separate houses, while apartments are only 0.3%, well below an urban-style mix. The $588,000 median house price is at the Apr-Jun 2024 peak, with no fall from peak to latest, so negotiation depends more on individual property quality than a broad downturn. Housing costs look manageable because mortgage payments average $1,468 a month and mortgage stress is flagged at 25.4% of income. Family-sized stock dominates, with 47.3% of homes having 3 bedrooms and 32.2% having 4 or more.
For Buyers
Homebuyers get a strongly house-led market: 86.4% of dwellings are separate houses, while apartments are only 0.3%, well below an urban-style mix. The $588,000 median house price is at the Apr-Jun 2024 peak, with no fall from peak to latest, so negotiation depends more on individual property quality than a broad downturn. Housing costs look manageable because mortgage payments average $1,468 a month and mortgage stress is flagged at 25.4% of income. Family-sized stock dominates, with 47.3% of homes having 3 bedrooms and 32.2% having 4 or more.
For Investors
Investors face a mixed profile. Renting accounts for 29.3% of households, below the combined 70.7% owner-occupier base, so demand is present but not inner-city deep. Weekly rent is $285 and rent growth in the shift indicators is 42.5%, which helps income returns, but the 9.2% vacancy rate is higher than a tight-market setting and can lengthen leasing time. Only 17 development applications over 12 months point to measured supply growth. Migration is also uneven, with overseas migration adding 52 people a year while internal migration averages -94.
Development Activity
Total DAs
33
Last 12 Months
18
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+125.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Echuca iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Mary's School
Prep-6 · 568 students
St Joseph's College - Brigidine Campus
7-12 · 1134 students
Echuca Primary School
Prep-6 · 525 students
Echuca College
7-12 · 584 students
Echuca East Primary School
Prep-6 · 294 students
Demographics
Echuca is older and more locally rooted than the national average. The median age of 45 is 5 years above national, and the average household size of 2.3 is 0.2 below national, which aligns with smaller households and an aging resident base. Overseas-born residents are 8.9%, 12.7 percentage points below national, while university attainment is 21.9%, 8.2 points lower. English ancestry is the largest count at 6,464, followed by Irish at 1,805 and Scottish at 1,680, so the suburb leans more Anglo than many metropolitan Victorian areas.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
86.4%
Houses
12.5%
Townhouse
0.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Echuca's housing market has moved from $285,000 in 2013 to a $588,000 median in Apr-Jun 2024, a 106.3% rise across 15 price observations and a 5.3% compound annual growth rate over 14 years. The latest price is also the peak, with peak-to-latest change at 0.0%, so momentum has held better than a market below its high. Ownership is mature: 39.1% own outright, above the 31.6% with a mortgage and 29.3% renting. Against $1,335 weekly household income, the median house price is about 8.5 times annual household income, which explains the importance of deposit size.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,468
Rent / wk
$285
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$710
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.2%
Unoccupied
605
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.4%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
32.8%
Couples, no children
11,213
Total families
Economy & Employment
Echuca's economy is service-heavy but not high-income, with household income in the 33.9 percentile and SEIFA deciles below the state-style middle: IEO 3, IER 4, IRSD 3 and IRSAD 3. Healthcare leads employment at 23.8% and 1,008 workers, followed by construction at 11.6%, education at 10.7%, manufacturing at 9.1% and retail at 7.3%. Professionals are the largest occupation group at 1,145, ahead of community and personal service workers at 984 and labourers at 860. Unemployment is 4.0%, but participation is 52.5% because 4,589 residents are not in the labour force.
Unemployment
2.5%
Labour Force
7,822
Unemployed
192
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.9%
Part-time
35.1%
Participation
52.5%
Employed
6,309
Occupations
Top Industries
University
21.9%
Postgraduate
3.6%
Born Overseas
8.9%
Dwellings
5,920
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-oriented: 86.6% drive to work, while public transport use is only 0.2% and walking or cycling is 6.0%, so convenience depends heavily on road access. Education coverage is stronger than many towns of similar scale, with 6 local schools across Catholic and Government sectors and an ICSEA range from 902 to 1041. St Mary's School leads on ICSEA at 1041, followed by St Joseph's College at 1022 and Echuca Primary School at 997. Safety is the main caution, with 2,404 recorded offences and a crime rate of 159.7 per 1,000, above what many family buyers target.
Drive
86.6%
Public Transport
0.2%
Walk / Cycle
6.0%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.59%/yr
(+91 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is steady rather than speculative. The forecast trend adds 0.59% a year, or about 91 people annually, taking the medium population path from 15,765 in 2026 to 16,222 in 2031. Migration is not a simple inflow story: the primary driver is overseas migration, averaging +52 people a year, while internal migration is -94 a year. The shift profile is aging, with senior share up 6.0 points and young share down 4.0 points, so demand should skew toward established homes and services. Gentrification is scored 0 and labelled Not gentrifying, below an early renewal profile.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+52
Net Internal / yr
-94
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
2,404
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
159.7
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 Echuca compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Echuca a good suburb to live in?
Echuca suits buyers wanting a regional service centre with 6 schools, mostly detached housing and a median age of 45. It is car-dependent, with 86.6% driving to work, and the recorded crime rate of 159.7 per 1,000 is a key consideration.
What is the median house price in Echuca?
The median house price in Echuca is $588,000 for Apr-Jun 2024. That is also the recorded price peak, with a 0.0% fall from peak to latest and a 106.3% rise from the 2013 median of $285,000.
What schools are in Echuca?
Echuca has 6 local schools across Catholic and Government sectors. The highest ICSEA entries are St Mary's School at 1041, St Joseph's College at 1022 and Echuca Primary School at 997, with the full range running from 902 to 1041.
Is Echuca safe?
Echuca has a recorded crime rate of 159.7 offences per 1,000 residents, with 2,404 total offences. Property and deception offences are the largest category at 1,331, so buyers should compare micro-locations carefully.
Is Echuca good for property investment?
Echuca has useful investor traits, including 29.3% of households renting and weekly rent of $285. However, the 9.2% vacancy rate is elevated, so cash flow planning should allow for leasing risk and property selection matters.
How is Echuca's population changing?
Echuca is forecast to grow slowly at 0.59% a year, or about 91 people annually. The medium path reaches 16,222 residents by 2031, while migration is mixed with +52 overseas and -94 internal net movement per year.
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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