Heywood
Household income sits in just the 16.5th percentile nationally, yet mortgage-to-income at 22.0% and rent-to-income at 16.7% both remain below stress thresholds because prices are low relative to the coast. The economy runs on Healthcare (21.0% of workers) and Agriculture (18.8%), two sectors that explain why residents stay put: 85.3% did not move in the five years to the last census.
Local council: Glenelg
Population
1,815
Median Age
48.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,077/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
2
Median House
$418K
October to December 2025
Only a handful of houses sold here in this period, so this median can jump sharply from one quarter to the next for reasons that have nothing to do with the market. Treat it as a rough guide, not a settled price.
Separate houses account for 95.0% of stock, and the three-bedroom format dominates at 60.5%, with 4-plus bedroom homes at 20.8%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,025, putting the mortgage-to-income ratio at 22.0%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. Outright ownership at 45.6% is high compared to metropolitan averages, signalling a stable, long-settled owner base with limited forced selling.
For Buyers
Separate houses account for 95.0% of stock, and the three-bedroom format dominates at 60.5%, with 4-plus bedroom homes at 20.8%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,025, putting the mortgage-to-income ratio at 22.0%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. Outright ownership at 45.6% is high compared to metropolitan averages, signalling a stable, long-settled owner base with limited forced selling.
For Investors
The 9.0% vacancy rate is elevated and warrants caution: supply exceeds demand in a town of 1,815 people. Renters make up 20.7% of households, a thinner pool than metropolitan markets.
Development Activity
Total DAs
6
Last 12 Months
2
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Heywood
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Heywood Consolidated School
Heywood District Secondary College
Demographics
The median age of 48 sits 8 years above the national average, making Heywood one of the older rural communities in VIC. Overseas-born residents at 8.2% are 13.4 percentage points below the national figure, and ancestry skews heavily Anglo-Celtic: English (728), Scottish (174) and Irish (165) lead. University qualifications reach only 9.1%, which is 21 percentage points below national, consistent with a trades and agriculture employment base. Average household size is 2.2, marginally below the national 2.5, and couples without children (34.7%) slightly outnumber couples with children (34.3%), reflecting the aging profile. The volunteering rate of 18.4% is notable for a community of this size.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
95.0%
Houses
3.4%
Townhouse
0.4%
Apartment
Tenure
The stock is almost entirely separate houses (95.0%), with virtually no apartments (0.4%), making the market simpler to read than denser suburban markets. Outright owners at 45.6% substantially outnumber mortgage holders at 33.7%, a tenure pattern typical of long-settled country towns where debt has been paid down over decades. Rent at $180 a week is low in absolute terms. The 252.99 sq km area and density of 7.2 people per sq km confirm this is rural in character, not a peri-urban fringe.
Mortgage / mo
$1,025
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$180
Census 2021
HH Size
2.2
Personal Income / wk
$622
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.0%
Unoccupied
72
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.7%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.0%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
31.5%
Couples with children
47.3%
Couples, no children
19.7%
Single parent
457
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads local employment at 21.0% (77 workers), followed by Agriculture at 18.8% (69 workers), then Public Admin at 9.3%, Manufacturing at 7.6% and Construction at 7.6%. By occupation, Managers (118), Labourers (103) and Machinery/Drivers (97) form the top three, reflecting a farm and trades economy rather than a professional services hub. The unemployment rate of 5.4% is marginally above the national average, and the participation rate of 45.6% is low because 589 residents are not in the labour force, consistent with the older median age of 48. Full-time employment represents 60.2% of those working. Income sits in the 16.5th household income percentile nationally, largely because rural healthcare and agriculture wages trail metropolitan professional salaries.
Unemployment
5.0%
Labour Force
740
Unemployed
37
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
55.2%
Part-time
36.4%
Participation
49.5%
Employed
703
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
9.1%
Postgraduate
1.0%
Born Overseas
8.2%
Dwellings
738
Transport to Work
Car dependence is extreme here: 90.4% of residents drive to work, well above the national average, with 5.1% walking or cycling. Public transport usage recorded as null in this dataset, consistent with the lack of rail or frequent bus services typical of rural VIC towns of this size. Crime sits at 86.5 incidents per 1,000 residents, with property and deception offences (55 incidents) and justice procedures offences (58 incidents) the two largest categories. The 9.6% of residents needing daily assistance is above the state average for regional towns, linked to the older resident base. Rent-to-income at 16.7% is low, meaning tenants face less financial pressure than in metropolitan markets, which contributes to the residential stability shown by the 85.3% who stayed put.
Drive
77.1%
Public Transport
N/A
Walk / Cycle
4.4%
Work from Home
14.7%
Growth Outlook
Population of 1,815 across a 253 sq km footprint gives a density of just 7.2 per sq km, lower than most VIC rural towns of comparable population. Residential stability is high: 85.3% of residents had not moved in the five years to census, a turnover rate of 14.7% compared to higher figures in growth corridors. No forecast migration data is available for Heywood at this granularity, but the aging demographic (median 48) and a 9.6% rate of residents needing assistance suggest natural population pressure from an older cohort over the next decade.
Population trend: Glenelg council area
Heywood sits in the Glenelg council area. These are the council area's residents, not Heywood's.
Residents 2025
19,908
Growth, 5 yr average
-0.1%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+0.0%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
157
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
86.5
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 Heywood compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Heywood a good suburb to live in?
Heywood suits buyers seeking affordable, low-density rural living. The main trade-offs are car dependence (90.4% drive to work), limited services for a town of 1,815 people, and a 9.0% vacancy rate that reflects modest rental demand.
What schools are in Heywood?
No schools are recorded inside the Heywood statistical boundary in this dataset. Families in the area typically access schools in Hamilton (approximately 35 km northeast) or other nearby Glenelg Shire towns. The local university qualification rate is 9.1%, which is 21 percentage points below the national average.
Is Heywood safe?
Heywood recorded 157 total crimes in the latest period, a rate of 86.5 per 1,000 residents. The two largest categories were justice procedures offences (58) and property and deception offences (55). The crime rate is higher than suburban VIC averages, though population is small and raw counts can move the rate significantly with a handful of incidents.
Is Heywood good for property investment?
The 9.0% vacancy rate and weekly rent of $180 produce a thin rental market.
How is Heywood's population changing?
Heywood has 1,815 residents across a 253 sq km area. The community is stable but aging: median age is 48, which is 8 years above the national average. Residential turnover is low at 14.7%, with 85.3% of residents having not moved in the five years to census. The 9.6% rate of residents needing daily assistance signals growing aged-care demand over the coming decade.
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).
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