Glen Waverley, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Glen Waverley lies about 19 km south-east of central Melbourne and is the council seat of the City of Monash. Once orchard and farming country settled from the mid-nineteenth century, its post office opened in 1885 under the name Black Flat before the suburb was renamed Glen Waverley in 1921; the 'Waverley' is borrowed from a Sir Walter Scott novel. Rapid post-war development through the 1950s to 1970s filled it with houses on generously sized blocks, many now being renewed through subdivision. It was also home to Victoria's first McDonald's, opened in 1973 and for a time the longest-surviving in the country. Today Glen Waverley is a busy commercial and transport hub, anchored by The Glen shopping centre and the terminus of the Glen Waverley railway line.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Glen Waverley is more socio-economically advantaged than about 92% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1079, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Glen Waverley at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 42,642
- Median age
- 40
- Median weekly household income
- $1,918
- SEIFA score
- 1079
- Coordinates
- -37.8823, 145.1698
Glen Waverley demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Glen Waverley using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 26%, 27% of homes are rented, and 61% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 7,081 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 5,799 | 14% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 10,891 | 26% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 10,450 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 8,423 | 20% |
Share of the 42,644 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 5,928 | 41% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 4,092 | 28% |
| Rented | 3,914 | 27% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 11,428 | 79% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,534 | 11% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,469 | 10% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 14,443 occupied private dwellings in Glen Waverley.
- Median weekly rent
- $480
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,500
- Average household size
- 2.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,158
- Median weekly personal income
- $707
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 25,032 (61%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 25,919 (63%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 70 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 25,745 (76%)
- Labour-force participation
- 57.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.9%
- Employed full-time
- 11,484
- Employed part-time
- 6,820
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Glen Waverley
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Glen Waverley is January (average daytime high around 26.6°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.8°C). The area receives roughly 898 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.6°C | 14.9°C | 64 mm |
| Feb | 25.3°C | 14.3°C | 44 mm |
| Mar | 23.5°C | 13.6°C | 58 mm |
| Apr | 19.7°C | 11.1°C | 72 mm |
| May | 15.9°C | 9.1°C | 81 mm |
| Jun | 13.4°C | 7.1°C | 81 mm |
| Jul | 12.8°C | 6.7°C | 71 mm |
| Aug | 13.6°C | 6.8°C | 85 mm |
| Sep | 16.2°C | 7.9°C | 83 mm |
| Oct | 19.3°C | 9.3°C | 95 mm |
| Nov | 21.2°C | 11°C | 96 mm |
| Dec | 24.2°C | 12.7°C | 68 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Glen Waverley
Where is Glen Waverley?
Glen Waverley is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Glen Waverley?
At the 2021 Census, Glen Waverley had a population of about 42,642.
Is Glen Waverley an advantaged area?
Glen Waverley has an ABS SEIFA score of 1079, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 92 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 92% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Glen Waverley?
Glen Waverley has average daytime highs of about 19.3°C and overnight lows of about 10.4°C, with roughly 898 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Glen Waverley?
Glen Waverley is one of the most populous suburbs in Victoria — the 9th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 42,642 usual residents).
Where Glen Waverley ranks
Glen Waverley appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Victoria#9 of 25
- Largest suburbs in Australia#12 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Victoria
More suburb guides in Victoria
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.