Maffra
A $401,000 median house price sits 11.9% below the suburb's own 2024 peak of $455,000, and that pullback defines the current Maffra market more than any single number. The 5,384 residents place household income in the 29.8th percentile nationally, while the median age of 42 runs 2.0 years above the national figure and is climbing. SEIFA scores read decile 3 on both IEO and IRSAD, below the national midpoint, yet the economic-resources index (IER) reaches decile 5, a gap that reflects high outright ownership rather than high incomes. Separate houses make up 93.2% of dwellings across a sparse 78.82 km2 footprint at 68.3 residents per km2.
Population
5,384
Median Age
42.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,285/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
11
Median House
$401K
Apr-Jun 2024
At a $401,000 median, Maffra is one of Victoria's more affordable markets, well below the metropolitan benchmark and 11.9% under its January 2024 peak of $455,000, so buyers are entering on a softer footing than two years ago. The stock is overwhelmingly detached, with separate houses at 93.2% and apartments just 6.3%, and family-sized homes dominate: 50.4% have three bedrooms and 30.6% have four or more. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,300, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite incomes sitting in the 29.8th percentile. That affordability is the core appeal, because owner-occupiers can buy a four-bedroom house here for less than the deposit on a comparable metro home.
For Buyers
At a $401,000 median, Maffra is one of Victoria's more affordable markets, well below the metropolitan benchmark and 11.9% under its January 2024 peak of $455,000, so buyers are entering on a softer footing than two years ago. The stock is overwhelmingly detached, with separate houses at 93.2% and apartments just 6.3%, and family-sized homes dominate: 50.4% have three bedrooms and 30.6% have four or more. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,300, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite incomes sitting in the 29.8th percentile. That affordability is the core appeal, because owner-occupiers can buy a four-bedroom house here for less than the deposit on a comparable metro home.
For Investors
Weekly rent of $250 against the $401,000 median implies a gross yield near 3.2%, higher than most metropolitan markets where prices have outrun rents. Rent has grown 47.1% over the measured period, a strong signal that tenant demand is outpacing the modest 22.3% renter share. The 8.5% vacancy rate is elevated and warrants caution, suggesting supply is not tight despite the rent growth. Development is thin at only 10 applications in 12 months, mostly small subdivisions of two lots, so new competing supply is limited. Net internal migration of about 100 people a year plus 62 from overseas gives balanced, if modest, demand support. The case rests on yield and rent escalation rather than rapid capital growth, given the median is still below its 2024 high.
Development Activity
Total DAs
27
Last 12 Months
11
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+83.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Maffra iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Mary's School
Prep-6 · 176 students
Maffra Primary School
Prep-6 · 230 students
Maffra Secondary College
7-12 · 549 students
Demographics
The median age of 42 is 2.0 years above national and the trajectory is aging: the senior share rose 5.7 points while the working-age share fell 2.7 points over the decade. The population is notably Anglo-leaning, with only 8.6% born overseas, 13.0 points below the national figure, and ancestry led by English (2,347), Irish (662) and Scottish (612). University qualifications reach 19.8%, which is 10.3 points below national, consistent with a workforce weighted toward trades and services rather than professional knowledge work. Average household size is 2.3, just 0.2 below national, and 32.4% of families are couples without children, a share inflated by the older age profile. Christianity dominates religious affiliation at 2,435 residents, far ahead of any other group.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
93.2%
Houses
N/A
Townhouse
6.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure leans heavily toward ownership: 41.0% own outright and 36.7% carry a mortgage, leaving only 22.3% renting, a split that explains why the IER economic-resources index reaches decile 5 while income sits in the 29.8th percentile. Debt-free ownership stores wealth that incomes alone would not predict. The stock is 93.2% separate houses, with three-bedroom homes at 50.4% and four-plus at 30.6%, a profile built for families rather than downsizers. The median house price has tracked from $229,000 in 2013 to $401,000 today, a 75.1% rise at a 4.1% compound annual rate over 14 years, though it has slipped 11.9% from the $455,000 peak. Mortgage-to-income at 23.4% and rent-to-income at 19.5% both sit well under the 30% stress line.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,300
Rent / wk
$250
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$669
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
8.5%
Unoccupied
199
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.5%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.4%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
32.4%
Couples, no children
4,071
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the dominant employer at 20.7% of the workforce (308 workers), followed by Construction at 13.0% (193) and Education at 12.5% (186), with Public Admin at 7.5% and Agriculture at 6.6%, a mix typical of a regional service town rather than an industrial centre. By occupation, Professionals (368) lead but are closely trailed by Community and Personal Service workers (321) and Labourers (291), which aligns with the below-average university rate of 19.8%. Unemployment is low at 4.2% and the full-time employment rate is 61.1%, though participation reads just 50.4% because the aging profile leaves 1,706 residents out of the labour force. The IEO education-occupation index sits at decile 3, below the national midpoint, reflecting the trade and service weighting of local jobs.
Unemployment
3.0%
Labour Force
7,794
Unemployed
230
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
61.1%
Part-time
34.7%
Participation
50.4%
Employed
2,103
Occupations
Top Industries
University
19.8%
Postgraduate
3.7%
Born Overseas
8.6%
Dwellings
2,123
Transport to Work
Maffra is car-dependent, with 89.1% of commuters driving and only 4.5% walking or cycling, a pattern expected at 68.3 residents per km2 across a 78.82 km2 rural footprint. The crime rate of 83.8 per 1,000 residents is elevated for the population of 5,384, though 174 of the 451 recorded offences are justice-procedure matters rather than crimes against people, and only 97 fall into the against-the-person category. SEIFA places the suburb at decile 3 on IRSAD and decile 4 on IRSD, both below the national midpoint, indicating more relative disadvantage than a metro average. Volunteering runs at 21.0%, well above typical urban rates, and only 7.9% of residents need daily assistance despite the older median age of 42.
Drive
89.1%
Public Transport
N/A
Walk / Cycle
4.5%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.84%/yr
(+131 people/yr)
EstablishedMaffra is an established, slow-growth area: the trend points to roughly 0.84% annual population gain, about 131 people a year, after a 10.1% rise over the past decade. Migration is balanced, with net internal arrivals near 100 a year and overseas migration adding about 62, so growth is steady but unspectacular. The gentrification reading is early signs, scoring 44 on one measure and 32 on another, supported by accelerating internal migration and a population up 14% since 2011. Real incomes grew 16.1% over the decade and rent climbed 47.1%, both faster than the modest house-price recovery, which hints that demand pressure is building ahead of prices. Affordability has stayed stable, moving only from 36.2% in 2011 to 37.3% in 2021.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+62
Net Internal / yr
+100
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +14% since 2011, Net internal migration +100/yr, Accelerating: 3% → 11%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
451
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
83.8
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 Maffra compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Maffra a good suburb to live in?
Maffra suits buyers wanting affordability and space: the $401,000 median house price is well below metro levels and 93.2% of homes are separate houses. Volunteering runs at 21.0%, above urban norms. The trade-offs are SEIFA decile 3 on IRSAD, below the national midpoint, and heavy car reliance at 89.1%.
What is the median house price in Maffra?
The median house price is $401,000 as of Apr-Jun 2024, down 11.9% from the $455,000 peak in early 2024. Over 14 years prices rose 75.1% from $229,000 in 2013, a compound rate of 4.1% a year. Weekly rent averages $250 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,300.
What schools are in Maffra?
No schools are recorded inside the 78.82 km2 Maffra boundary in this dataset, so families may rely on schools nearby. Education is a major local employer at 12.5% of the workforce (186 workers), though the resident university rate of 19.8% sits 10.3 points below the national figure.
Is Maffra safe?
Maffra records 451 offences a year, a crime rate of 83.8 per 1,000 residents, elevated for its 5,384 population. However, 174 of these are justice-procedure offences and only 97 are crimes against the person, so violent crime is a smaller share. SEIFA reads decile 4 on the IRSD disadvantage index.
Is Maffra good for property investment?
Rent of $250 a week against the $401,000 median gives a gross yield near 3.2%, higher than most metro markets. Rent grew 47.1% over the period, but the 8.5% vacancy rate is elevated. With only 10 development applications in 12 months, new competing supply stays limited.
How is Maffra's population changing?
The population is growing about 0.84% a year, roughly 131 people, after a 10.1% rise over the decade. The profile is aging: the senior share rose 5.7 points while the working-age share fell 2.7 points. Net internal migration adds about 100 residents a year, with 62 more from overseas.
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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