Census 2021: the numbers are out!

Published on 15 July 2022

The numbers are out!

The first set of 2021 Census data has been released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, giving a snapshot into how much our city has changed and grown since the last Census.

Some relevant Hume City statistics include:   

• Hume City’s residential population grew by 18% to almost 244,000 people between 2016-2021.
• India is now the most common country of birth outside Australia for Hume City residents, surpassing both Turkey and Iraq since the last Census.
• Almost one in ten (9.3%) Hume City residents speak Arabic at home, increasing from 8.3% in 2016. This is followed by Turkish (6.1%) and then Punjabi (5.2%).
• Just over half of all people (48.8%) speak a language other than English. This is significantly higher than Greater Melbourne, where 37.7% of households have at least one person who speaks a non-English language.
• Hume City continues to be more religious than the rest of Greater Melbourne; 19% of our community identified as having no religion, compared to 36.9% for Greater Melbourne.
• Hume City’s median personal income was $665 per week, compared to $841 for Greater Melbourne, and $803 for Victoria.
• Hume City residents were more likely to be homeowners, with 25% renting compared with 30% for Greater Melbourne. Unfortunately, residents are much more likely to experience rental and mortgage stress (defined as more than 30% of income spent on housing).
• Hume City’s housing market continues to primarily service younger households with children. Family households make up 80 per cent of all households, compared to 71 per cent for Greater Melbourne.
• One in ten (9%) of households in Hume City have two bedrooms or less, compared to almost one in four (24.5%) for Greater Melbourne.
• For the first time, the Census collected long-term health conditions. 68 per cent of Hume City residents reported no long-term health conditions. This is higher than both the Victorian and Greater Melbourne averages.
• Hume City residents were slightly more likely to experience diabetes and slightly less likely to experience mental health conditions compared with Greater Melbourne. Most other conditions were comparable to the Greater Melbourne averages.

For a more detailed look at the census data, we’ve developed an infographic of key statistics too. Read more about the profile of Hume City.