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Victoria

Housing loan quartiles

In Victoria, the 'medium highest group' was the largest quartile, comprising of 26% of households with mortgages in 2021.

Mortgage repayments in Victoria are directly related to house prices, length of occupancy and the level of equity of home owners. When viewed with Household Income data it may also indicate the level of housing stress in the community.

The quartile method is the most objective method of comparing change in the mortgage payment profile of a community over time.

A detailed explanation of how Housing Loan Repayment quartiles are calculated and interpreted is available in specific data notes.

Please note, interest rates at the 2021 Census were at a record low in Australia. The first interest rate rises by the Reserve Bank began an upward cycle from May 2022. Please use mortgage payment data with caution as data from the 2021 Census pre-dates all official rate rises in the current cycle.

Derived from the Census questions:

'How much does your household pay for this dwelling?' and 'Is this dwelling (owned outright, owned with a mortgage etc.)'

Households with a mortgage

Housing loan quartiles
Victoria - Households (Enumerated)20212016Change
Loan repayment quartile groupNumber%Regional VIC %Number%Regional VIC %2016 to 2021
Lowest group203,61925.139.4192,46326.937.1+11,156
Medium lowest201,60624.931.1192,68626.931.2+8,921
Medium highest211,52626.117.4175,81924.619.9+35,707
Highest group194,16923.912.0154,47021.611.9+39,699

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).

Housing loan - Quartile group dollar ranges
Calculated from loan repayment data for [theQBMQuartile] Monthly housing loan repayments by Census year
Housing loan repayment ranges
2021
2016
2011
2006
2001
Lowest group $0 to $1,254 $0 to $1,184 $0 to $1,159 $0 to $850 $0 to $613
Medium lowest $1,255 to $1,873 $1,185 to $1,784 $1,160 to $1,804 $851 to $1,305 $614 to $891
Medium highest $1,874 to $2,675 $1,785 to $2,518 $1,805 to $2,596 $1,306 to $1,931 $892 to $1,261
Highest group $2,676 and over $2,519 and over $2,597 and over $1,932 and over $1,262 and over

Housing loan quartiles, 2021
Housing loan quartiles, 2021 Highest group, Regional VIC: 12.0% Medium highest, Regional VIC: 17.4% Medium lowest, Regional VIC: 31.1% Lowest group, Regional VIC: 39.4% Highest group, Victoria: 23.9% Medium highest, Victoria: 26.1% Medium lowest, Victoria: 24.9% Lowest group, Victoria: 25.1%
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (Enumerated data)
Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id (informed decisions).
Change in housing loan quartiles, 2016 to 2021
Change in housing loan quartiles, 2016 to 2021 Highest group, Victoria: +39,699 Medium highest, Victoria: +35,707 Medium lowest, Victoria: +8,921 Lowest group, Victoria: +11,156
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing, 2016 and 2021 (Enumerated data)
Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id (informed decisions).

Dominant groups

Housing loan repayment quartiles allow us to compare relative repayment liabilities across time. Analysis of the distribution of households by housing loan repayment quartiles in Victoria compared to Regional VIC shows that there was a larger proportion of households in the highest repayment quartile, and a smaller proportion in the lowest repayment quartile.

Emerging groups

The total number of households with a mortgage in Victoria decreased by 715,439 between 2016 and 2021. The most significant change in Victoria during this period was in the highest quartile which showed an increase of 39,699 households.

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