Rowville
One number defines Rowville's character: 91.9% of its 33,571 residents live in a detached house, making it one of Melbourne's most consistently suburban postcodes. Household income sits at the 83.8th percentile nationally, yet the median age of 41 runs a year above the national figure, and internal migration is draining residents at 148 per year. This is a mature, high-ownership suburb where stability is the draw, not momentum.
Population
33,571
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,205/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
42
Median House
$1.1M
Apr-Jun 2024
The median house price reached $1,054,100 in Apr-Jun 2024, down 9.1% from the July 2023 peak of $1.16M, giving buyers entry below the recent high. Mortgage repayments at $2,055 per month translate to 21.5% of household income, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. Over 53% of dwellings have 4 or more bedrooms, well above typical Melbourne proportions, and 37.5% of homes are owned outright, which signals long tenure and low forced-sale pressure compared to higher-density suburbs.
For Buyers
The median house price reached $1,054,100 in Apr-Jun 2024, down 9.1% from the July 2023 peak of $1.16M, giving buyers entry below the recent high. Mortgage repayments at $2,055 per month translate to 21.5% of household income, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. Over 53% of dwellings have 4 or more bedrooms, well above typical Melbourne proportions, and 37.5% of homes are owned outright, which signals long tenure and low forced-sale pressure compared to higher-density suburbs.
For Investors
Rental yield potential is moderate: weekly rent of $441 against a $1.05M median produces a gross yield near 2.2%, below Melbourne's broader investment suburbs. Vacancy sits at 4.0%, above the 3% tightness benchmark, and renters make up only 15.7% of households. On the upside, 22 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, and overseas migration contributes a net 89 arrivals per year, providing a slow but steady renter pipeline. Internal outflow of 148/yr suggests limited capital growth pressure compared to outer-growth corridors.
Development Activity
Total DAs
76
Last 12 Months
42
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+250.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Rowville iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Heany Park Primary School
Prep-6 · 314 students
St Simon's School
Prep-6 · 366 students
Karoo Primary School
Prep-6 · 422 students
Park Ridge Primary School
Prep-6 · 527 students
Rowville Primary School
Prep-6 · 439 students
Demographics
Rowville's overseas-born share of 35.8% sits 14.2 percentage points above the national average, with Chinese ancestry (4,500 residents) ranking third behind English and Irish communities. Mandarin speakers number 1,037, Cantonese 461, and Sinhala 364, reflecting layered migration waves rather than a single dominant group. University-educated residents at 42.5% exceed the national rate by 12.4 percentage points, skewing the suburb toward professional and white-collar households. Average household size of 2.9 is 0.4 above national, consistent with the high family-with-children share.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
91.9%
Houses
7.2%
Townhouse
0.9%
Apartment
Tenure
Prices have risen 84.9% since 2013 from $570,000 to $1,054,100, a 4.5% compound annual rate over 14 years. The market peaked at $1.16M in July-September 2023 and has since corrected 9.1%, bringing buyers back to mid-2023 entry levels. Ownership structure is unusually stable: 37.5% of households own outright and 46.8% hold mortgages, leaving only 15.7% as renters, compared to the Melbourne metro average closer to 30%. Over 53% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms, reinforcing the family-detached character that dominates 91.9% of the housing stock.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,055
Rent / wk
$441
HH Size
2.9
Personal Income / wk
$839
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.0%
Unoccupied
471
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
21.6%
Couples, no children
29,994
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads employment at 16.2% of workers (1,961 residents), followed by Education at 11.2% and Construction at 10.6%, a mix that reflects a suburb that largely exports its workforce to the broader south-east corridor. Professionals are the top occupation group at 4,212 workers, ahead of Clerical/Admin at 2,777 and Managers at 2,598. Full-time employment runs at 65.5%, above average, and the unemployment rate of 4.6% is close to the national benchmark. SEIFA IRSD sits at decile 8, confirming low deprivation relative to 80% of Australian suburbs.
Unemployment
3.5%
Labour Force
9,253
Unemployed
321
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
65.5%
Part-time
29.9%
Participation
64.4%
Employed
17,169
Occupations
Top Industries
University
42.5%
Postgraduate
11.0%
Born Overseas
35.8%
Dwellings
11,392
Transport to Work
Public transport usage at 1.6% is exceptionally low, with 91.9% of residents commuting by car, so proximity to Stud Road and the Eastlink/Monash corridor matters more than train access. Six schools serve the suburb: ICSEA scores across the primaries range from 1,060 to 1,090, all above the national 1,000 benchmark, and Rowville Secondary College has an enrolment of 1,887 with an ICSEA of 1,028. Crime sits at 52.6 incidents per 1,000 residents, with property and deception offences comprising 62% of all crime, typical of a suburban area with low violent crime relative to inner-city peers. IRSAD decile 7 confirms above-average socioeconomic conditions.
Drive
91.9%
Public Transport
1.6%
Walk / Cycle
0.8%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.03%/yr
(+2 people/yr)
EstablishedPopulation growth is effectively flat at 0.03% annually, just 2 additional persons per year in trend terms. The 10-year population change of -2.1% reflects an aging trajectory where the senior age share has grown 6.6 percentage points and the young adult share has fallen by the same amount. Net internal outflow averages 148 per year, partially offset by 89 overseas arrivals. Gentrification score of 6 places the suburb outside any transformative change cycle, and affordability has barely moved from 53.1% in 2011 to 52.8% in 2021, suggesting price appreciation has tracked income growth closely.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+89
Net Internal / yr
-148
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -148/yr
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
1,766
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
52.6
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 Rowville compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rowville a good suburb to live in?
Yes, for families who prefer detached housing and car-based living. Household income sits at the 83.8th percentile nationally, mortgage stress is below 30%, and SEIFA deprivation scores place the suburb in the top 20-30% of Australian postcodes. The trade-off is low walkability and minimal public transport, with 91.9% of residents driving to work.
What is the median house price in Rowville?
The median house price was $1,054,100 in Apr-Jun 2024, down from the $1.16M peak in July-September 2023. Over 14 years from 2013, prices have grown at a 4.5% annual compound rate, roughly doubling from $570,000. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,055.
What schools are in Rowville?
Rowville has 6 schools. Primary schools include Heany Park (ICSEA 1090, 314 students), St Simon's Catholic (1087, 366 students), Karoo (1086, 422 students), Park Ridge (1067, 527 students) and Rowville Primary (1060, 439 students). Rowville Secondary College is the sole secondary school, with 1,887 students and an ICSEA of 1,028, all above the national 1,000 benchmark.
Is Rowville safe?
Crime runs at 52.6 incidents per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences account for 1,102 of 1,766 total incidents, or 62%, meaning most crime is non-violent. Crimes against the person totalled 263 cases, lower than many Melbourne inner suburbs on a per-capita basis. The SEIFA IRSD decile of 8 correlates with lower vulnerability and crime exposure.
Is Rowville good for property investment?
Yield-focused investors face headwinds: gross yield sits near 2.2% on a $441 weekly rent against a $1.05M median, and the 4.0% vacancy rate is above the 3% tightness threshold. Renters are only 15.7% of households. The suburb suits longer-hold investors banking on stable suburban demand rather than rapid capital growth, with CAGR of 4.5% over 14 years.
How is Rowville's population changing?
Growth is nearly flat at 0.03% annually. Internal migration shows a net outflow of 148 residents per year, partly offset by 89 overseas arrivals. The 10-year population change is -2.1%, driven by an aging shift where senior residents grew by 6.6 percentage points over the decade. Medium forecasts project the area's SA2 population at around 8,020-8,032 by 2026-2031.
What languages are spoken in Rowville?
With 35.8% of residents born overseas, Rowville is significantly more multicultural than the national average of 21.6%. Mandarin is the most spoken non-English language at 1,037 speakers, followed by Cantonese at 461 and Sinhala at 364. Greek (266) and Arabic (253) reflect older migration waves, while the Chinese community of 4,500 is the largest non-English ancestry group.
What development activity is happening in Rowville?
22 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, primarily two-lot subdivisions and verandah additions rather than medium or high-density projects. This low-intensity activity reflects the suburb's established character, where 91.9% of dwellings are already detached houses. Large-scale apartment development is not a current feature of the pipeline.
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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