Pakenham, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Pakenham is a suburb on the south-eastern edge of Melbourne, about 53 km from the central business district and the most populous town in the Shire of Cardinia. It lies in the traditional Country of the Kulin nation, with the Boon Wurrung people recognised as local custodians. The town was named after Sir Edward Pakenham, a British major general who served in the Peninsular War and was killed at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. European families took up large land selections in the district from the late 1830s, and a railway station opened in 1877 on the line linking Melbourne to Gippsland. Over recent decades Pakenham has become one of the city's major growth areas, its population and infrastructure expanding rapidly through estates such as Lakeside, Heritage Springs and Cardinia Lakes. The suburb sits on the Princes Highway, with a bypass carrying through-traffic around the centre, and is served by several railway stations marking the end of Melbourne's electrified suburban network.
Less advantaged than the national average
Pakenham is more socio-economically advantaged than about 33% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 958, 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.
Pakenham at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 54,118
- Median age
- 33
- Median weekly household income
- $1,664
- SEIFA score
- 958
- Coordinates
- -38.0708, 145.4878
Pakenham demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Pakenham 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 33%, 31% of homes are rented, and 29% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 13,030 | 24% |
| Youth (15–24) | 6,377 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 18,011 | 33% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 10,286 | 19% |
| Seniors (65+) | 6,418 | 12% |
Share of the 54,122 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 3,445 | 19% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 8,536 | 46% |
| Rented | 5,679 | 31% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 15,936 | 86% |
| Townhouses & semis | 2,349 | 13% |
| Flats & apartments | 105 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 18,451 occupied private dwellings in Pakenham.
- Median weekly rent
- $351
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Average household size
- 2.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,879
- Median weekly personal income
- $783
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 15,142 (29%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 12,577 (24%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 637 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 21,188 (54%)
- Labour-force participation
- 65.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.3%
- Employed full-time
- 15,582
- Employed part-time
- 8,044
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 Pakenham
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Pakenham is January (average daytime high around 26.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 13°C). The area receives roughly 944 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.9°C | 15°C | 68 mm |
| Feb | 25.7°C | 14.4°C | 43 mm |
| Mar | 23.8°C | 13.6°C | 57 mm |
| Apr | 19.9°C | 11°C | 76 mm |
| May | 16.1°C | 9.2°C | 84 mm |
| Jun | 13.6°C | 7.1°C | 84 mm |
| Jul | 13°C | 6.8°C | 74 mm |
| Aug | 13.9°C | 6.9°C | 89 mm |
| Sep | 16.6°C | 8°C | 88 mm |
| Oct | 19.7°C | 9.4°C | 102 mm |
| Nov | 21.6°C | 11.1°C | 104 mm |
| Dec | 24.6°C | 12.7°C | 75 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Pakenham
Where is Pakenham?
Pakenham is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Pakenham?
At the 2021 Census, Pakenham had a population of about 54,118.
Is Pakenham an advantaged area?
Pakenham has an ABS SEIFA score of 958, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 33 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 33% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Pakenham?
Pakenham has average daytime highs of about 19.6°C and overnight lows of about 10.4°C, with roughly 944 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Pakenham?
Pakenham is one of the most populous suburbs in Australia — the 5th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 54,118 usual residents).
Where Pakenham ranks
Pakenham appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Australia#5 of 25
- Largest suburbs in Victoria#5 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Victoria
More suburb guides in Victoria
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.