Footscray
VICFootscray is a growing suburb in VIC with 17,131 residents.
- SAL code
- 20935
- SA2
- 213031348
- Population
- 17,131
- LGA
- Maribyrnong
Footscray, VIC had 17,131 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 15.4% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 34. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,940 a month. Around 41.3% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 55.9%. Most dwellings are flats or apartments, making up 52.8% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 32 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Footscray, VIC at a glance
Footscray sits ~5 km west of Melbourne CBD on the Maribyrnong River, in the City of Maribyrnong. Inner-city character with a dense unit/apartment stock layered over Victorian-era cottages, anchored by Footscray Market, a major rail interchange, and Victoria University. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council context they don't.
For homebuyers
Footscray works for buyers who want inner-west density without Yarra-side prices. Stock skews heavily to apartments and townhouses around the station core, with pockets of weatherboard Victorians on the Seddon-facing fringe. Footscray Market and the Little Saigon strip drive the day-to-day life, and the Maribyrnong River parklands at Footscray Park give the suburb its main green lung. Footscray Station is a major interchange (Sunbury, Werribee, Williamstown metro plus Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong V/Line), so the CBD is ~10 minutes by rail. Victoria University's Footscray Park campus sits 520 m from the station. Schools include the multi-campus Footscray Learning Precinct (Footscray High School) and Footscray Primary. The trade-off is you're swapping space for proximity. In short: a dense, multicultural inner-west suburb with strong transport, a serious food scene, and apartment-heavy stock you'll need to walk before you buy.
For investors
Footscray is a yield-and-tenant-pool play, not a near-term growth one. Median house ~$922,500 against ~$620/week house rent gives a ~3.45% gross yield; units sit around $455,000 with rents tracking a higher unit yield (htag, March 2026). 12-month house growth was -3.91% and units -17.27% on htag's series — the apartment correction is doing real work. ~170 house and ~333 unit sales in the 12 months to January 2026; days-on-market 35 (houses) / 43 (units). SQM vacancy ~1.26%.
Strengths
- Tight rental market with vacancy ~1.26% (SQM, March 2026) underpinning rent stability.
- Major rail interchange + Victoria University Footscray Park campus on the doorstep — structural tenant demand from students and CBD commuters.
- Sales liquidity: ~503 combined house + unit sales in the 12 months to January 2026 (htag) — easy entry and exit at the unit end.
- Heavy renter concentration (~56% renter share per htag) keeps the market firmly tenant-led.
Trade-offs
- Unit values fell ~17.27% over 12 months (htag, March 2026) — apartment supply and post-2024 build cohorts are still repricing.
- House yield ~3.45% is thin for an inner-city market carrying body-corporate-heavy comparables.
- Days-on-market 35-43 (htag) is meaningfully slower than tight outer corridors — pricing matters.
- Heavy apartment exposure means stratified supply (Joseph Road precinct, station-adjacent towers) competes directly with any new investor stock.
What's coming
Maribyrnong's 2025/26 budget commits ~$64m to capital works. Footscray-specific items include the next phase of the Joseph Road precinct upgrades, $2.3m for the Footscray Library refurbishment (precursor to the planned ~$10m cultural-hub redevelopment), the demolition of RecWest Footscray with the $2.57m Shorten Reserve upgrade, and ongoing activity around the Civic Precinct and Community Hub at the Town Hall (opened February 2025).
Bottom line
For homebuyers: an inner-west transport hub with serious cultural depth if you're comfortable with apartment-dominant stock. For investors: a tenant-rich, liquid market currently being repriced — yield over near-term growth.
Population
?17,131
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+15.4%
3yr: +15.9% · 10yr: +24.6%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,763/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
34
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?4/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?5.9%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
6
5 primary, 1 secondary
Hospitals
?4
Within suburb
Childcare services
?16
8 long day, 5 OSHC, 3 family
Parks & green space
?32
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?186
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?84
Maribyrnong · Feb 2026
Median Weekly Rent
Based on rental bond lodgements recorded by the state government.
Median House Sale Price
Source: Valuer-General Victoria (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from VIC police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Footscray (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Footscray suburb alone is ~17,131 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 11,564 to 20,882 over 24 years, averaging 2.5% per year.
Schools
6 in suburbSector
4 public · 2 private
Type
5 primary · 1 secondary
Total enrolment
3,603
Avg per school
601
Government school catchment
Catchment data is not yet available for VIC.
Source when available: Victorian Department of Education / Vicmap School Zones.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 5.5%Predominantly apartments (52.8%), rental-heavy (55.9% renting), built for families (46% are 2 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
VIC 29%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
This suburb falls outside every bushfire polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: Vicmap Planning — Bushfire Prone Area + Vicmap flood overlays.
Flood risk
Source: VIC DTP Vicmap Planning Overlay (flood codes)
As of Apr 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Planning zones
21 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACZ1 | Activity Centre Zone Schedule 1Business | 20.1% | 1.02 km² |
| PPRZ | Public Park and Recreation ZoneRecreation | 13.4% | 0.68 km² |
| HCTZ2 | HCTZ2Other | 10.1% | 0.51 km² |
| GRZ1 | General Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 9.8% | 0.49 km² |
| TRZ2 | TRZ2Special use | 7.0% | 0.35 km² |
| HCTZ1 | HCTZ1Other | 4.3% | 0.22 km² |
| NRZ1 | Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 1Residential | 4.1% | 0.21 km² |
| IN3Z | Industrial 3 ZoneIndustrial | 4.1% | 0.21 km² |
| PUZ2 | Public Use Zone Schedule 2Special use | 4.0% | 0.20 km² |
| TRZ1 | TRZ1Special use | 3.9% | 0.19 km² |
| IN1Z | Industrial 1 ZoneIndustrial | 2.9% | 0.14 km² |
| MUZ | Mixed Use ZoneResidential | 2.5% | 0.12 km² |
| RGZ1 | Residential Growth Zone Schedule 1Residential | 2.4% | 0.12 km² |
| TRZ3 | TRZ3Special use | 2.4% | 0.12 km² |
| PUZ3 | Public Use Zone Schedule 3Special use | 2.2% | 0.11 km² |
| SUZ1 | Special Use Zone Schedule 1Special use | 2.2% | 0.11 km² |
| PZ | PZOther | 1.9% | 0.10 km² |
| SUZ3 | Special Use Zone Schedule 3Special use | 1.5% | 0.08 km² |
| C2Z | Commercial 2 ZoneBusiness | 0.5% | 0.03 km² |
| GRZ3 | General Residential Zone Schedule 3Residential | 0.4% | 0.02 km² |
| PUZ6 | Public Use Zone Schedule 6Special use | 0.3% | 0.01 km² |
Source: VIC DTP Vicmap Planning Zones (ZONE_VIC/2026-04-29/08783d2926383881) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.