Kensington
At 5,027.4 people per sq km, Kensington packs 10,745 residents into 2.14 sq km, giving it a particularly compact inner-city pattern compared with nearby Flemington and North Melbourne. Its 11.6% vacancy rate points to a large and flexible rental market, while 65.2% of residents hold university qualifications, 35.1 percentage points above the national figure. The compact housing mix and 55.2% work-from-home rate suit professionals, because local demand is shaped by access, smaller households and attached dwellings.
Population
10,745
Median Age
35.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,216/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
114
Median House
$1.1M
October to December 2025
Semi-detached homes make up 53.4% of stock, compared with 29.3% apartments and only 17.2% separate houses, so buyers should expect compact lots and shared walls. Mortgage costs are $2,162 per month and equal to 22.5% of household income, with no mortgage stress flag. Compared with larger-lot options around Flemington, Kensington is better suited to buyers trading space for location.
For Buyers
Semi-detached homes make up 53.4% of stock, compared with 29.3% apartments and only 17.2% separate houses, so buyers should expect compact lots and shared walls. Mortgage costs are $2,162 per month and equal to 22.5% of household income, with no mortgage stress flag. Compared with larger-lot options around Flemington, Kensington is better suited to buyers trading space for location.
For Investors
Investors get a renter-heavy inner-city market, with 49.6% of households renting and weekly rent at $416. The 11.6% vacancy rate is a higher vacancy setting than tightly held markets, so rental demand should be tested against leasing volatility rather than assumed from the location alone. Rents have grown 26.9%, while 119 development items were recorded over 12 months, creating potential for both renovation activity and additional supply. Internal migration is the primary growth driver, which can support tenant demand because people moving within the region often value proximity to employment and services. Rent costs equal 18.8% of household income, below the mortgage burden of 22.5%.
Development Activity
Total DAs
179
Last 12 Months
114
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+75.4%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
$40.6M
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Kensington
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Holy Rosary School
Kensington Primary School
Kensington Community High School
Demographics
With a median age of 35, Kensington is 5.0 years younger than the national comparison, and its 65.2% university-educated share is 35.1 percentage points higher. Overseas-born residents account for 32.2%, 10.6 points above the national figure, with English ancestry recorded for 3,257 people, Irish for 1,637, Scottish for 1,157 and Chinese for 1,128. Canton is the most common listed language at 158 speakers, followed by Mandarin at 149. Households average 2.1 people, 0.4 below the national comparison, helping explain the 48.2% share of couples without children. Compared with Flemington and North Melbourne, Kensington has a highly educated and compact profile, while 31.6% turnover indicates a mobile population. No religion is recorded for 6,041 people, compared with 2,913 identifying Christianity.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
17.2%
Houses
53.4%
Townhouse
29.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Kensington's housing market has delivered long-run growth but recent volatility. Tenure is renter-led: 49.6% rent, 30.9% have a mortgage and 18.3% own outright. The dwelling mix is more attached than detached, with 53.4% semi-detached homes, 29.3% apartments and 17.2% separate houses. Two-bedroom dwellings account for 42.5%, while 16.8% are studios or one-bedroom. This supports smaller households, but means buyers are paying above the 2013 baseline for compact inner-urban housing. Mortgage costs at 22.5% of household income remain below the stress flag.
Mortgage / mo
$2,162
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (year ending Sep 2025), Homes Victoria bond data (year-ending median). Census 2021 median: $416.
$570
Bond data year ending Sep 2025 · houses $760 · units $560
HH Size
2.1
Personal Income / wk
$1,246
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
11.6%
Unoccupied
623
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
35.7%
Couples with children
48.2%
Couples, no children
13.3%
Single parent
2,683
Total families
Economy & Employment
Kensington's economic base is professional and service-led. Professional and Tech industries account for 19.1% of employment, followed by Healthcare at 16.4%, Education at 12.6%, Public Administration at 9.0% and Finance at 7.1%. Professionals number 2,852 and managers 1,119, reinforcing a higher-skilled profile than many outer suburban labour markets. Participation is 74.8%, unemployment is 4.3% and 65.9% of employed residents work full time, supporting a household income percentile of 84.2. SEIFA results are uneven but informative: IEO sits in decile 10 and IRSAD in decile 9, above the national midpoint, while IER is decile 3 and IRSD decile 7. That gap suggests strong education and opportunity alongside less even economic resources, because high-earning professionals share a dense, renter-heavy market.
Unemployment
4.3%
Labour Force
6,869
Unemployed
298
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
65.9%
Part-time
28.4%
Participation
74.8%
Employed
6,571
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
65.2%
Postgraduate
22.2%
Born Overseas
32.2%
Dwellings
4,722
Transport to Work
Kensington's livability comes from compact access rather than a suburban layout. Public transport is used by 7.6% of residents, 27.1% drive, 8.4% walk or cycle, and 55.2% work from home, so daily routines are split between local trips and inner-city commuting. Three local schools provide government primary, Catholic primary and government secondary options; families should check enrolment zones against the exact address. Kensington recorded 913 offences, or 85.0 per 1,000 residents, including 647 property and deception offences, 125 crimes against the person and 94 justice procedures offences. Because property offences dominate, lighting, parking and building security deserve attention. An IRSAD decile of 9 places Kensington above the national midpoint on relative advantage, but 5,027.4 people per sq km means noise, parking and shared-space trade-offs are more relevant than in lower-density settings.
Drive
27.1%
Public Transport
7.6%
Walk / Cycle
8.4%
Work from Home
55.2%
Population Forecast
+2.23%/yr
(+133 people/yr)
EstablishedKensington has an established but still expanding trajectory. The forecast annual trend is 2.23%, compared with the suburb's 2.8% long-run house-price CAGR, and the primary growth driver is internal migration. Population change across the wider area is 38.4% over 10 years, while the shift trajectory is Mixed rather than a single-direction cycle. Gentrification is rated Active, with a score of 44, and the separate shift score is 51. Rents have grown 26.9%, which helps explain continued investor interest, although an 11.6% vacancy rate can temper near-term competition. Affordability improved from 54.7 in 2011 to 46.2 in 2021, so Kensington is attracting demand while remaining more expensive than its earlier baseline.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+10
Net Internal / yr
+97
Gentrification Signal
Active
Population +50% since 2011, Net internal migration +97/yr, Accelerating: 20% → 25%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
913
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
85.0
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 Kensington compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kensington a good suburb to live in?
Kensington can suit residents who value inner-city access, compact housing and professional employment. It has 10,745 residents, a median age of 35 and an IRSAD decile of 9. The trade-offs are a 49.6% rental share, 11.6% vacancy and crime of 85.0 offences per 1,000 people, so it compares better for access than for space or quiet.
What schools are in Kensington?
Three schools are located in Kensington: a government primary school, a Catholic primary school and a government secondary school. Families should verify the catchment for each address, because enrolment zones can cross local boundaries. The suburb has 10,745 residents and a 42.5% share of two-bedroom dwellings, relevant to family space decisions.
Is Kensington safe?
Kensington recorded 913 offences, or 85.0 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences made up 647 cases, compared with 125 crimes against the person. Treat the rate as a practical due-diligence signal rather than a verdict on every street, and compare the exact address, building access and lighting before renting or buying.
Is Kensington good for property investment?
It can suit investors seeking a renter-heavy inner-city market: 49.6% of households rent, weekly rent is $416 and vacancy is 11.6%. Rents have grown 26.9%, while 119 development items in 12 months may add supply. Internal migration is the main growth driver, so returns should be tested against higher vacancy risk and property-specific costs.
How is Kensington's population changing?
Kensington's wider-area population change is forecast at 38.4% over 10 years, with an annual trend of 2.23% and internal migration as the primary driver. The trajectory is Mixed, while gentrification is Active with a score of 44. These signals point to continuing change rather than a settled, no-growth market, although the suburb itself should be assessed street by street.
What languages are spoken in Kensington?
Overseas-born residents make up 32.2% of Kensington's population, 10.6 percentage points above the national comparison. The most common listed languages are Canton at 158 speakers and Mandarin at 149, followed by Italian at 70 and Arabic at 59. No religion is recorded for 6,041 people, compared with 2,913 identifying Christianity.
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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