Leneva
A 69.7% share of Leneva homes has four or more bedrooms, a useful marker of its family-oriented, detached housing base. The suburb has 1,317 residents, a median age of 33 that is 7 years below the national figure, and household income of $2,305 a week at the 88.2nd percentile. Compared with established Wodonga, Leneva is more strongly shaped by separate houses and recent growth, with 100% detached dwellings and a 3.59% annual forecast trend. The trade-off is car dependence: 80.4% drive to work while only 0.5% use public transport. This family orientation follows from the large homes and three-person average household size, although an aging trajectory and a 5.0-point rise in the senior share suggest demand will broaden over time.
Local council: Wodonga
Population
1,317
Median Age
33.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,305/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
17
Median House
$712K
October to December 2025
That mix gives buyers some relief from the peak while keeping the entry point well above the suburb's earlier market. The 100% separate-house profile and 69.7% share of four-bedroom-plus homes suit buyers seeking space, especially families, because new residential areas are predominantly detached. Financing pressure appears contained: the indicative mortgage is $1,733 monthly and mortgage payments equal 17.4% of household income, with 59.2% of households carrying a mortgage. Affordability has worsened from 36.6 in 2011 to 39.4 in 2021, so buyers should compare fixed costs and future rate buffers rather than rely on the lower-than-peak price alone.
For Buyers
That mix gives buyers some relief from the peak while keeping the entry point well above the suburb's earlier market. The 100% separate-house profile and 69.7% share of four-bedroom-plus homes suit buyers seeking space, especially families, because new residential areas are predominantly detached. Financing pressure appears contained: the indicative mortgage is $1,733 monthly and mortgage payments equal 17.4% of household income, with 59.2% of households carrying a mortgage. Affordability has worsened from 36.6 in 2011 to 39.4 in 2021, so buyers should compare fixed costs and future rate buffers rather than rely on the lower-than-peak price alone.
For Investors
Leneva presents a growth-and-supply case rather than a deep-rental-market case. Only 16.3% of households rent, below the 59.2% with mortgages and 24.5% owning outright, so the tenant pool is smaller than the owner base. Weekly rent is $390 and vacancy is 5.5%, a comparatively useful buffer for leasing but also a reason to test achievable rent carefully. Twelve development applications were recorded over 12 months, including a five-townhouse proposal and a 50-lot subdivision, which can expand competing stock. The long-run price CAGR is 3.6% across 19 years, while rents have grown 48.1%; that supports a yield-focused review, but internal migration and a 3.59% annual growth trend are more important than a simple yield-only case. New construction may improve amenity because supply is being added, yet it can moderate rent rises if completions outpace demand.
Development Activity
Total DAs
35
Last 12 Months
17
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+70.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Leneva
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Grace Christian College Wodonga
Demographics
Leneva's profile is younger than the national pattern but is not immune to demographic aging. Median age is 33, or 7 years below national, while university attainment is 32.0%, 1.9 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents account for 11.4%, 10.2 points below national, and ancestry counts are led by English 543, Irish 169 and Scottish 144, giving the suburb an Anglo-leaning composition. Families are prominent: couples with children make up 56.7% of families, average household size is 3.0, and 31.0% of families are couples without children. No religion and Christianity are almost level at 619 and 614 people. Compared with nearby Wodonga, Leneva's detached, family-heavy form helps explain its three-person average household size, while the 5.0-point senior-share increase points to rising demand for age-related services.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
100.0%
Houses
0.0%
Townhouse
0.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Detached housing defines Leneva: 100.0% of dwellings are separate houses, with 69.7% containing four or more bedrooms and 27.9% containing three. Ownership is mortgage-led, with 59.2% paying a mortgage, 24.5% owning outright and 16.3% renting. This structure suits larger households because land and room count dominate the stock, while the 5.5% vacancy rate and 16.9% rent-to-income ratio suggest rental conditions are less pressured than the mortgage-heavy ownership profile.
Mortgage / mo
$1,733
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$390
Census 2021
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$1,074
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.5%
Unoccupied
25
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.4%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
56.7%
Couples with children
31.0%
Couples, no children
12.1%
Single parent
365
Total families
Economy & Employment
Leneva combines high household earning power with a service-and-trades employment base. Weekly household income is $2,305, placing it at the 88.2 percentile, while participation is 76.2% and unemployment is 1.6%. Healthcare leads local industry at 22.5% or 117 workers, followed by Education at 13.3% and 69, Construction at 11.7% and 61, Public Administration at 11.2% and 58, and Manufacturing at 9.2% and 48. Occupations are led by Professionals at 183, Trades at 108 and Managers at 105, which helps explain why income sits above the national middle. SEIFA reinforces that advantage unevenly: IER is decile 9, higher than IEO decile 7, while IRSD and IRSAD sit at deciles 8 and 7. The pattern suggests strong economic resources, with less uniform advantage across education and access dimensions because construction and manufacturing sit alongside professional sectors.
Unemployment
1.6%
Labour Force
739
Unemployed
12
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
62.3%
Part-time
32.6%
Participation
76.2%
Employed
727
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
32.0%
Postgraduate
6.5%
Born Overseas
11.4%
Dwellings
428
Transport to Work
Leneva is practical for drivers but less convenient for people without a car. Car drivers account for 80.4% of commuting, compared with 0.5% using public transport, 1.8% walking or cycling and 12.2% working from home. School access is practical but narrow in the immediate area: Grace Christian College Wodonga is a nearby independent Pri/Sec option, so families should check enrolment zones and travel times against the exact address. Recorded crime totals 49 incidents, including 26 property and deception offences and 10 crimes against the person; property offences are higher than person offences, while the overall rate is 37.2 per 1,000 residents. Social conditions are comparatively advantaged, with IRSAD at decile 7 and 4.6% needing assistance. The low public-transport share reflects a spread-out, detached setting, making vehicle access a more important daily factor than in denser Wodonga.
Drive
80.4%
Public Transport
0.5%
Walk / Cycle
1.8%
Work from Home
12.2%
Growth Outlook
Leneva's growth outlook is strong, with a 3.59% annual trend that sits just below its 3.6% long-run price CAGR. Internal migration is the primary driver, and population change across the wider area has reached 98.4% over 10 years, supporting continued demand for new housing. The development pipeline includes 12 applications in 12 months, including a five-townhouse proposal and a 50-lot subdivision, so supply is expanding alongside demand. The shift profile is labelled Aging, with the senior share up 5.0 points and rent growth of 48.1%, meaning growth is not purely a young-family story. Gentrification is at the Early signs stage with a score of 31, while the current development stage is New development with a score of 0. Compared with a mature, supply-constrained market, Leneva's momentum is more likely to be shaped by internal migration and staged construction than by established-suburb turnover.
Population trend: Wodonga council area
Leneva sits in the Wodonga council area. These are the council area's residents, not Leneva's.
Residents 2025
44,717
Growth, 5 yr average
+0.9%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+1.2%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
49
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
37.2
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 Leneva compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Leneva a good suburb to live in?
Leneva suits households wanting space and a newer detached setting: 100.0% of dwellings are separate houses and 69.7% have four or more bedrooms. Compared with denser Wodonga areas, daily life is more car dependent, with 80.4% driving to work and only 0.5% using public transport.
What schools are in Leneva?
Grace Christian College Wodonga is the nearby listed school, offering Pri/Sec education in the Independent sector. Families should compare the exact address with current enrolment zones and travel times, because 1 nearby listed option is not the same as having all year levels or sectors inside Leneva.
Is Leneva safe?
Leneva recorded 49 offences, equal to 37.2 incidents per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences were 26, higher than the 10 crimes against the person. Treat this as a broad local indicator, then check the exact street and recent conditions before deciding.
Is Leneva good for property investment?
It can suit investors who accept a small rental base and ongoing new supply. Renting accounts for 16.3%, weekly rent is $390 and vacancy is 5.5%, while 12 development applications were recorded over 12 months. Internal migration and a 3.59% annual growth trend are more important than a simple yield-only case, but new stock may increase competition.
How is Leneva's population changing?
Population change across the wider area has been 98.4% over 10 years, while the annual growth trend is 3.59% and internal migration is the primary driver. Leneva is also on an Aging trajectory, with the senior share up 5.0 points. Compared with a purely young-growth profile, this suggests continued expansion alongside gradually older household demand.
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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