Forest Hill
A 43.8% overseas-born share is Forest Hill's standout feature, 22.2 percentage points above the national figure. The suburb has 10,780 residents across 4.07 square kilometres, giving a density of 2,648.5 people per square kilometre, while its median age of 42 is 2 years above national. Its 52.8% university-educated share is 22.7 points above national, yet annual growth is only 0.41%. The suburb is established and detached-dominant, with 72.0% of dwellings being separate houses. Compared with nearby Nunawading and Burwood East, Forest Hill has a settled, family-oriented profile, with household income at the 57.4th percentile and work-from-home at 38.6%.
Population
10,780
Median Age
42.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,658/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
19
Median House
$1.3M
October to December 2025
Forest Hill suits buyers prioritising established detached housing, but the entry price is substantial. Monthly mortgage cost is $2,123, equal to 29.6% of household income, so borrowing capacity matters even without a mortgage-stress flag. Separate houses comprise 72.0% of dwellings, with semi-detached homes at 24.9% and apartments at 3.1%. Three-bedroom homes account for 48.0%, while 31.4% have four or more bedrooms. Compared with denser, apartment-led areas, Forest Hill's appeal is space because its housing mix favours family-sized dwellings.
For Buyers
Forest Hill suits buyers prioritising established detached housing, but the entry price is substantial. Monthly mortgage cost is $2,123, equal to 29.6% of household income, so borrowing capacity matters even without a mortgage-stress flag. Separate houses comprise 72.0% of dwellings, with semi-detached homes at 24.9% and apartments at 3.1%. Three-bedroom homes account for 48.0%, while 31.4% have four or more bedrooms. Compared with denser, apartment-led areas, Forest Hill's appeal is space because its housing mix favours family-sized dwellings.
For Investors
Forest Hill has an established rental market with a clear owner-occupier base. Renting accounts for 26.0% of households, below outright ownership at 38.6% and mortgage tenure at 33.2%; weekly rent is $396. Vacancy is 7.3%, which may give tenants more choice than a tightly constrained market, so investors should test holding costs rather than assume automatic rent growth. Eighteen development matters in 12 months, including an application for 3 double-storey dwellings, suggest incremental infill rather than a major pipeline. Compared with a high-turnover rental suburb, the 83.7% resident-stay rate points to a more settled market, while overseas migration is the primary growth driver.
Development Activity
Total DAs
32
Last 12 Months
19
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+533.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Forest Hill
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Parkmore Primary School
Demographics
Forest Hill has an older and more highly educated profile than Australia overall: median age is 42, 2 years above national, and 52.8% have university qualifications, 22.7 points above national. Overseas-born residents comprise 43.8%, 22.2 points above national, with Chinese ancestry recorded for 2,870 people and English ancestry for 2,415. Mandarin is spoken by 702 residents and Canton by 374, alongside Greek, Sinhal and Hindi speakers. Households average 2.5 people, matching the national comparison, while couples with children represent 47.7% of families and couples without children 34.3%. A strong 83.7% stayed at the same address, so the suburb combines cultural diversity with residential stability. Compared with nearby Nunawading and Burwood East, Forest Hill's profile is more established than transient, supporting enduring local networks.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
72.0%
Houses
24.9%
Townhouse
3.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Forest Hill's long-run price story is strong but not linear. Tenure is comparatively settled: 38.6% own outright, 33.2% have a mortgage and 26.0% rent. The dwelling mix explains the family appeal, with 72.0% separate houses, 24.9% semi-detached homes and 48.0% three-bedroom stock. Compared with apartment-led suburbs, Forest Hill carries more land and upkeep exposure because detached and semi-detached homes dominate. Household mortgage costs are $2,123 monthly against weekly household income of $1,658.
Mortgage / mo
$2,123
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (year ending Sep 2025), Homes Victoria bond data (year-ending median). Census 2021 median: $396.
$650
Bond data year ending Sep 2025 · houses $630 · units $578
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$706
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.3%
Unoccupied
320
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
29.6%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
47.7%
Couples with children
34.3%
Couples, no children
15.8%
Single parent
2,928
Total families
Economy & Employment
Forest Hill's economy is anchored by healthcare, professional and technical work, and education. Healthcare is the largest industry at 16.6% with 608 workers, followed by Professional/Tech at 13.9% and 507, then Education at 12.2% and 447. The occupation mix reinforces this base, led by 1,527 professionals, followed by clerical and administrative workers at 695 and managers at 652. Labour-force participation is 57.8%, full-time employment is 58.4%, and unemployment is 5.4%, while 3,477 people are not in the labour force. SEIFA adds nuance: education and occupation sit in decile 8, above the national midpoint; economic resources are decile 5, disadvantage decile 6, and advantage/disadvantage decile 7. That spread suggests qualifications and professional roles do not translate into uniformly high resources, consistent with household income at the 57.4th percentile. Compared with a retail-oriented suburb, Forest Hill has a broader skilled-services base because healthcare, education and professional work lead employment.
Unemployment
5.4%
Labour Force
5,213
Unemployed
280
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
58.4%
Part-time
35.4%
Participation
57.8%
Employed
4,933
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
52.8%
Postgraduate
16.2%
Born Overseas
43.8%
Dwellings
4,083
Transport to Work
Forest Hill suits households that drive or work from home. Car drivers account for 52.8% of commuters and 38.6% work from home, while public transport is 3.1% and walking or cycling 1.9%. That makes daily travel more car-oriented than transit-led because home-based work and private vehicles dominate. School access is modest within the suburb, with 1 nearby government primary school identified; families should check enrolment zones and secondary options against the exact address. The crime rate is 75.9 offences per 1,000 residents, with 818 total incidents, including 499 property and deception offences and 116 crimes against the person. SEIFA's IRSAD decile 7 is above the national midpoint, indicating relatively favourable conditions overall. Compared with a transit-rich inner suburb, Forest Hill trades transport intensity for lower-density housing and work-from-home flexibility.
Drive
52.8%
Public Transport
3.1%
Walk / Cycle
1.9%
Work from Home
38.6%
Population Forecast
+0.41%/yr
(+46 people/yr)
EstablishedForest Hill is an established, slow-growth suburb rather than a rapid expansion area. Forecast annual growth is 0.41%, above zero but modest, while population change across the wider area is 7.2% over 10 years. The trajectory is Stable and overseas migration is the primary driver, so demand is more likely to build through established-area interest than a greenfield surge. Gentrification remains at the Early signs stage, with a score of 20, while the related shift measure is 24. Rents have grown 27.3%, affordability is labelled Improving, and real income growth is 7.7%. The area recovered from a 3.0% COVID dip with a 2.9% recovery. Compared with high-growth corridors, Forest Hill's 0.41% pace points to gradual change, so investors should value resilience over a sudden uplift.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+238
Net Internal / yr
-136
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Net internal outflow -136/yr, Strong overseas inflow +238/yr, COVID recovered (-3% dip → full recovery)
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
818
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
75.9
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 Forest Hill compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
What schools are in Forest Hill?
Forest Hill has 1 identified local school: Parkmore Primary School, a government primary school. School choice is address-sensitive, and families should confirm enrolment zones and secondary options before buying. The suburb's 48.0% share of three-bedroom homes indicates a substantial family market, but housing size does not indicate school performance.
Is Forest Hill safe?
Safety needs a balanced reading. Forest Hill recorded 818 offences, or 75.9 per 1,000 residents, with 499 property and deception offences and 116 crimes against the person. Those figures make the exact street and property type important, so buyers and renters should inspect local conditions and check current official crime information before deciding.
How is Forest Hill's population changing?
Forest Hill's population is 10,780 today. The wider area's forecast trend is 0.41% annual growth and 7.2% population change over 10 years, with overseas migration the primary driver. The trajectory is Stable, while the median age of 42 and 83.7% resident-stay rate point to gradual change in an established suburb rather than rapid turnover.
What languages are spoken in Forest Hill?
Forest Hill has a strong Mandarin-speaking presence, with 702 residents recorded, followed by Canton at 374. Greek accounts for 137 speakers, while Sinhal and Hindi account for 84 and 77. This aligns with an overseas-born share of 43.8%, which is 22.2 percentage points above the national figure, so services and community connections may need to work across several language groups.
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.
Explore Forest Hill on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map