Historic terrace houses with detailed ironwork balconies
The quick read on
VIC 3053 · Melbourne
What homes cost, how rents have moved, and a feel for the people who call it home.
latest suburb median
latest suburb median
ABS 2021
Carlton, Victoria
Median sale price and rental income of properties in Carlton (Vic.) VIC
Based on 76 sales in the preceding 12 months
$1,250,000
Down 8.1% over 12 months
Based on 98 rental listings in the preceding 12 months
$850 per week
Up 17.2% over 12 months
Market data updated September 2026.
The median house price in Carlton (Vic.), VIC is currently $1,250,000, based on the latest 12 months of sales. Carlton (Vic.) has a 12-month growth rate of -8.1% for houses and 0.8% for units.
Two-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,100,000, Three-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,810,000, Four-bedroom houses have a median sale price of $1,700,000, Larger houses have a median sale price of $2,000,000 in Carlton (Vic.).
If you're looking to lease, the median rent for houses in Carlton (Vic.) is $850 per week. The median house rent has increased 17.2% over the last 12 months.
The median price of apartments and units for sale in Carlton (Vic.) is $360,000, which has increased 0.8% since the same time last year. One-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $219,000, Two-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $538,000, Three-bedroom apartments and units have a median sale price of $1,000,000 in Carlton (Vic.). The median rent for units and apartments in Carlton (Vic.) is $600 per week and has remained unchanged over the last 12 months.
Crime and safety
The overall rate for Carlton is 15,007 offences per 100,000 residents — 275% above the Greater Melbourne benchmark.
That is the clearest suburb-wide answer. Open the detailed profile to see how the pattern changes across offence types and different parts of Carlton.
Overall crime rate
15,007
offences per 100,000 residents
275% aboveGreater Melbourne
Suburb-wide estimate from Microburbs' public crime model; it is not an address-level measure.
The people behind the postcode
Carlton VIC 3053 is in Victoria, within Greater Melbourne.
16,055 people call Carlton home, with an average of 1.8 people per household and a median household income of $1,292 a week.
Public ABS 2021 Census figures. The bars compare the local share with the capital-region benchmark.
Share of residents in each age band.
Share of occupied private dwellings.
Share of homes with a stated ownership or rental status.
Vehicles available to occupied households.
Selected ways residents worked or travelled on Census day.
35.8% of workers in Carlton worked from home on Census day — noticeably more common than across Greater Melbourne.
14.0% of Carlton residents were born in China, about twice the rate across Greater Melbourne.
51.6% of people in Carlton described themselves as having no religion in the 2021 Census.
A closer look at the Census
Open any question for a plain-English reading of the public 2021 Census for Carlton VIC 3053.
5.4% of Carlton's residents were children under 15 in the 2021 Census. That is about half the Greater Melbourne rate.
2,533 family households lived in Carlton; 18.9% were couple families and 13.8% were one-parent families.
20.3% of local families included children under 15. That is about half the Greater Melbourne rate.
These are suburb-wide household figures, not school or childcare ratings.
Carlton had 16,055 residents at the 2021 Census.
44.6% of residents were aged 25 to 44.
13.4% were 55 or older. That is about half the Greater Melbourne rate.
Age shares use the suburb’s total Census population.
Separate houses made up 1.3% of occupied private dwellings in Carlton.
Townhouses and other attached homes represented 17.1% of occupied private dwellings.
Flats and apartments accounted for 80.7% of occupied private dwellings.
All three shares use occupied private dwellings as the denominator.
13.9% of households with a stated tenure owned their home outright. That is about half the Greater Melbourne rate.
10.5% were buying their home with a mortgage.
75.6% rented their home. That is about twice the Greater Melbourne rate.
Tenure shares include households that stated one of these three arrangements.
The average household in Carlton had 1.8 people.
One-person households made up 45.3% of occupied homes. That is about twice the Greater Melbourne rate.
Two-person households represented 37.1%, while 7.4% had four or more usual residents.
Household size counts usual residents in occupied homes.
35.8% of workers worked from home on Census day. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
14.4% drove a car as their only travel method. That is about half the Greater Melbourne rate.
11.3% used only a train, tram or bus, while 16.6% walked or cycled.
Travel figures are a 2021 Census-day snapshot.
48.6% of occupied households had no motor vehicle available. That is about twice the Greater Melbourne rate.
One-car households formed 40.0% of the total.
11.3% of households had two or more vehicles.
Vehicle counts refer to occupied households, not individual residents.
24.6% were at the same address five years earlier, while 75.4% reported a different address.
54.9% of residents were born outside Australia. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Mobility figures cover residents who answered the relevant Census question.
46.2% of residents used only English at home.
47.7% used a language other than English at home.
16.6% spoke Mandarin at home, 3.3% spoke Cantonese and 1.6% spoke Hindi.
Home language is separate from English proficiency.
54.9% of Carlton's population was born outside Australia, while roughly 45.1% was born in Australia.
14.0% of residents were born in China.
5.0% were born in India, while Australian citizenship across the whole suburb stood at 54.9%.
Birthplace, citizenship and ancestry describe different parts of identity.
English ancestry accounted for 19.4% of ancestry responses in Carlton.
Australian ancestry made up 13.3% of responses.
Chinese ancestry represented 24.7% of responses.
People may nominate more than one ancestry, so these are shares of responses.
41.3% of employed residents worked in professional occupations. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Managers accounted for 9.8% of employed residents, while clerical and administrative workers made up 10.0%.
Health care and social assistance employed 11.9% of workers, and education and training employed 11.4%.
Occupation and industry figures describe employed residents of the suburb.
The labour-force participation rate was 63.2%, compared with 64.1% across Greater Melbourne.
28.3% of residents aged 15 and over worked full time, while 23.2% worked part time.
Unemployment was 11.4%, compared with 5.3% across Greater Melbourne.
Labour-force figures come from the 2021 Census.
67.8% reported no selected long-term health condition.
10.3% reported a long-term mental health condition, including depression or anxiety.
7.3% reported asthma, 3.4% arthritis and 2.0% diabetes excluding gestational diabetes.
These are self-reported suburb-wide Census figures, not address-level health risks.
42.8% of people in the qualifications table held a bachelor degree. That is well above the Greater Melbourne average.
Postgraduate degrees accounted for 25.8% of qualification responses.
Diploma-level qualifications represented 9.0%, while certificate-level qualifications represented 7.6%.
Qualification categories are reported separately and are not school ratings.
Median household income was $1,292 per week in the 2021 Census.
The median monthly mortgage repayment reported by local households was $1,898.
Occupied renting households reported a median rent of $365 per week.
These household figures are from 2021; current sale and asking-rent medians appear in the market section.
Working from home was 35.8% in Carlton, compared with 28.8% across Greater Melbourne.
Outright ownership was 13.9% locally and 30.7% across Greater Melbourne. That is about half the Greater Melbourne rate.
Renting accounted for 75.6% in Carlton, against 31.1% across Greater Melbourne.
Capital-region comparisons use the same Census definitions and year.
Three useful questions
The median house price is $1,250,000, while units and apartments sit at $360,000. Bedroom count, land and condition still create a wide range around those suburb medians.
The Census counted 2,533 local families, and 5.4% of residents were under 15. That describes the community; school quality, travel times and the right fit for a particular family need separate research.
4-bedroom houses have a median around $1,700,000, the closest bedroom benchmark we hold to a $1.5m budget. Individual homes can differ substantially with block size, renovation and location.
Medians describe recorded market activity across the suburb; they are historical context, not a valuation or forecast for an individual home.
Explore the area
Open a free street report for local prices, rents and recorded sale history.
Compare nearby suburb prices, rents and five-year market trends.
Keep exploring
Use the finders to compare places and properties, or open the full report when you need the street, risk, schools and growth research.
Figures update as new market and census data arrives. This suburb overview is general information, not a valuation or financial advice.