Rye
Rye's 54.5% vacancy rate is the most extreme in this dataset, reflecting the Mornington Peninsula's holiday-home character where more than half of dwellings sit empty on any census night. The median age of 51, fully 11 years above the national median, makes it the oldest suburb in this batch. Labour participation at 44.8% is well below the national average, consistent with a semi-retired population where 47.2% own outright and mortgage stress at 31.2% breaches the threshold.
Population
9,438
Median Age
51.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,334/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
12
Median House
$950K
October to December 2025
Detached houses at 94.8% dominate, with three-bedroom homes comprising 53.0% and 4+ bedrooms at 31.4%. Mortgage-to-income at 31.2% breaches the 30% stress threshold, the only suburb in this batch to do so, reflecting the gap between local incomes (33.9 percentile) and prices driven by external demand. The 47.2% outright ownership rate is high, indicating many properties purchased decades ago. Buyers should be aware the 54.5% vacancy rate means many neighbours are absent much of the year.
For Buyers
Detached houses at 94.8% dominate, with three-bedroom homes comprising 53.0% and 4+ bedrooms at 31.4%. Mortgage-to-income at 31.2% breaches the 30% stress threshold, the only suburb in this batch to do so, reflecting the gap between local incomes (33.9 percentile) and prices driven by external demand. The 47.2% outright ownership rate is high, indicating many properties purchased decades ago. Buyers should be aware the 54.5% vacancy rate means many neighbours are absent much of the year.
For Investors
Renters at 21.9% form a moderate pool, but the 54.5% vacancy rate tells the real story: this is primarily a holiday-home market. The vacancy figure makes traditional buy-to-rent strategies unreliable. Construction employs 17.9% of workers (466), the highest sector share, consistent with renovation and build activity. Short-stay rental platforms may offer better returns than long-term tenancies.
Development Activity
Total DAs
19
Last 12 Months
12
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+200.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Rye
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Rye Primary School
Demographics
English (3,895), Irish (1,259), Scottish (1,057) and Italian (592) ancestry dominate, with just 16.7% born overseas, 4.9 points below the national average. University qualifications at 26.1% sit 4.0 points below national. The median age of 51 is 11 years above national, the highest in this batch by a wide margin. Couples without children (38.1%) significantly outnumber couples with children (2,233 families), a retiree-heavy composition. Average household size of 2.2 is below national, and participation rate at 44.8% reflects the semi-retired population. Greek (102) and Italian (87) lead non-English languages.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
94.8%
Houses
3.8%
Townhouse
0.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Owner-occupiers total 78.1% (47.2% outright + 30.9% mortgage), with renters at 21.9%. The 54.5% vacancy rate means over half of dwellings are unoccupied on census night, the defining characteristic of this market. Stock is 94.8% detached houses, 3.8% semi-detached and just 0.2% apartments. Three-bedroom homes at 53.0% dominate. Turnover at 20.4% is moderate.
Mortgage / mo
$1,800
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$372
Census 2021
HH Size
2.2
Personal Income / wk
$702
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
54.5%
Unoccupied
4,452
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
31.2% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
33.3%
Couples with children
50.3%
Couples, no children
15.0%
Single parent
2,532
Total families
Economy & Employment
Construction dominates at 17.9% (466 workers), the highest sector share, reflecting the Peninsula's ongoing build and renovation economy. Healthcare at 15.1%, Education at 11.8%, Professional/Tech at 9.0% and Hospitality at 8.1% follow. The 8.1% Hospitality share is well above the national average, consistent with a tourist-service economy. Professionals (752) and Managers (583) lead occupations, but Community/Personal (448) and Sales (364) form a significant service-worker base. Full-time employment at 55.2% is low, and participation at 44.8% is the lowest in this batch, consistent with the retiree demographic.
Unemployment
3.6%
Labour Force
4,049
Unemployed
146
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
49.1%
Part-time
39.9%
Participation
50.2%
Employed
3,903
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
26.1%
Postgraduate
5.4%
Born Overseas
16.7%
Dwellings
3,724
Transport to Work
Car driving at 90.5% dominates, with public transport at just 0.7%, reflecting the Peninsula's isolation from Melbourne's transit network. Walking/cycling at 2.8% reflects the coastal lifestyle. Rye Primary School (ICSEA 1,026, Government, 416 students) sits above the 1,000 national benchmark. The crime rate of 88.5 per 1,000 is above average: property offences (474), justice procedures (128), crimes against the person (92) and drug offences (79). The 54.5% vacancy rate shapes community cohesion, as over half of properties are unoccupied year-round. Mortgage stress at 31.2% exceeds the 30% threshold.
Drive
66.1%
Public Transport
0.5%
Walk / Cycle
2.0%
Work from Home
27.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
835
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
88.5
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 Rye compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rye a good suburb to live in?
Rye suits retirees and sea-changers who value the coastal Mornington Peninsula lifestyle. The median age of 51 is 11 years above national, 47.2% own outright, and 38.1% of families are couples without children. The tradeoff is that 54.5% of dwellings are vacant (holiday homes), limited public transport (0.7%), and a crime rate of 88.5 per 1,000.
What schools are in Rye?
Rye hosts Rye Primary School, a government school with an ICSEA of 1,026 and 416 students, sitting above the 1,000 national benchmark. No secondary school is located within the suburb, requiring secondary students to travel to Rosebud or other Peninsula towns.
Is Rye safe?
The recorded crime rate is 88.5 per 1,000 residents (835 total offences). Property offences (474) dominate, followed by justice procedures (128), crimes against the person (92) and drug offences (79). The seasonal holiday population likely inflates per-capita figures. The 54.5% vacancy rate means many properties are unattended.
Is Rye good for property investment?
The 54.5% vacancy rate reflects a holiday-home market where traditional rental strategies are unreliable. Short-stay platforms may offer higher returns than long-term tenancies.
How is Rye's population changing?
Rye's permanent population dynamics are distorted by the 54.5% vacancy rate (holiday homes). The median age of 51 is 11 years above national, the oldest in this batch. Labour participation at 44.8% is the lowest in the dataset. The senior share expanded 2.7 points over the decade, consistent with the retiree profile.
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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