Victoria · Postcode 3922

Cowes postcode and suburb data

Victoria · Phone area code 03 · 75 km from Melbourne

Inner Regional
6,593
Population (2021)
$1,026
Household income/wk
$331
Median rent/wk
55
Median age
3/10
SEIFA advantage

Suburb snapshot

Cowes at a glance vs VIC

Fast facts and benchmark bars show the suburb's key postcode, Census, SEIFA, school and LGA signals in context.

Quick facts

3922 Postcode See every suburb sharing this postcode
6,593 People Resident population, Census 2021
Bass Coast Council area 51 suburbs, 12 postcodes
55 Median age Years, Census 2021
$1,026/wk Household income Suburb median, Census 2021 dollars
Decile 3/10 SEIFA advantage Lower SEIFA advantage
2 Schools ACARA 2025 profiles in this suburb

Benchmarks against VIC

Household income
$1,026/wk
44% below VIC average
Suburb median, Census 2021
Weekly rent
$331/wk
12% below VIC average
Suburb median, Census 2021
SEIFA advantage
3/10
3.0 deciles below VIC average
IRSAD decile, higher means more advantage
Median age
55 years
9.0 years older than VIC average
Resident median age
Unemployment
4.4%
0.6 pts below VIC average
Census labour-force rate

Income, rent and SEIFA figures are from the ABS 2021 Census and are reported in 2021 dollars, not adjusted for subsequent inflation.

Where Cowes ranks: household income sits in the bottom 25% of VIC suburbs.

ABS Census 2021 · SEIFA 2021

Detailed comparison table

Cowes vs the VIC average and the national average, using population-weighted 2021 Census data.

MetricCowesVIC avgAU avg
Household income/wk $1,026 -VIC $1,817 $1,836
Rent/wk $331 -VIC $375 $390
Mortgage/month $1,550 -VIC $1,933 $1,958
Median age 55 46.0 45.0
SEIFA decile 3/10 -VIC 6.0/10 6.0/10
Unemployment 4.4% -VIC 5.0% 5.0%

Green pill = at least 10% above the VIC average; red = at least 10% below; grey = within 10%. For unemployment, colour polarity is inverted: lower is better.

Cowes is a locality 75 km from Melbourne in Victoria, classified as inner regional by the ABS. The postcode is 3922. It falls within the Latrobe - Gippsland region. The local government area is Bass Coast.

According to the 2021 Census, Cowes has a population of 6,593 with a median age of 55. The median weekly household income is $1,026, below the VIC average. The unemployment rate is 4.4%, lower than the VIC average. The Indigenous population is 69 (1.0% of residents).

Housing in Cowes includes a median weekly rent of $331, median monthly mortgage repayment of $1,550, with 2,747 total dwellings. Housing costs in the area sit below the VIC average. Owner-occupied dwellings (owned or mortgaged) make up 72.1% of housing.

On the SEIFA Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, Cowes scores in decile 3 out of 10, which is below the national average.

Schools in Cowes include Cowes Primary School and Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School.

Cowes is part of the Gippsland - South West statistical area in Victoria.

Cowes details

Location, Census, housing, SEIFA and geography fields used across this profile.

Postcode3922
StateVictoria (VIC)
Phone Area Code03
Population (2021)6,593
Median Age55 years
Median Household Income (Census 2021)$1,026/week
Median Personal Income (Census 2021)$586/week
Median Weekly Rent (Census 2021)$331
Median Monthly Mortgage (Census 2021)$1,550
Average Household Size2.1 persons
Area20.9 km²
Population Density316/km²
Total Dwellings2,747
Australian Citizens87.1%
Indigenous Population69 (1.0%)
Unemployment Rate4.4%
SEIFA IRSAD Decile3/10 (below average)
Latitude-38.451111
Longitude145.241944
Distance from Melbourne75 km
Region (SA4)Latrobe - Gippsland
Area (SA3)Gippsland - South West
Local GovernmentBass Coast
Federal ElectorateMonash
State ElectorateBass (Eastern Victoria)
Time ZoneAEST (UTC+10), Australia/Melbourne (standard time)

Age Profile

0–14 (14.2%) 15–24 (6.4%) 25–44 (17.6%) 45–64 (26.8%) 65+ (34.9%)
Show counts
0–14 years934 (14.2%)
15–24 years419 (6.4%)
25–44 years1,159 (17.6%)
45–64 years1,768 (26.8%)
65+ years2,299 (34.9%)

Housing Tenure

Owned outright (48.8%) Mortgaged (23.3%) Rented (27.9%)

SEIFA socio-economic index

Cowes is in SEIFA IRSAD decile 3 of 10. Higher deciles indicate more relative socio-economic advantage. This is an area-level index, not a score for individual households.
More disadvantagedMiddle rangeMore advantaged

Health Conditions (2021 Census)

Arthritis975 (14.8%)
Asthma593 (9.0%)
Heart Disease445 (6.7%)
Diabetes424 (6.4%)
Cancer330 (5.0%)
Lung Condition204 (3.1%)
Dementia80 (1.2%)

Long-term health conditions self-reported in the 2021 Census. Persons may report more than one condition.

Motor Vehicles per Dwelling

No vehicle155 (5.8%)
1 vehicle1,207 (44.9%)
2 vehicles981 (36.5%)
3+ vehicles345 (12.8%)

Schools in Cowes

ACARA 2025 school profiles for schools located in Cowes. ICSEA is shown where ACARA publishes it.

Cowes Primary School
Primary · Gov · ICSEA 1019 · 523 students
Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School
Primary · Cat · ICSEA 995 · 110 students

Suburbs Near Cowes

Same Postcode (3922)

More Cowes Data

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 IRSAD, ACARA school profiles 2025. How this data is sourced.