Officer vs Pakenham

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Officer, most households are couple families. In Pakenham, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Officer tends to suit couples.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Officer has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 1)
  • Pakenham has more parks and reserves (26 vs 11)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Pakenham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($525,000 vs $711,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Pakenham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($351/wk vs $396/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Officer sits closer to the CBD (53.9 km vs 62.4 km)
  • Pakenham is more walkable (94/100 vs 50/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Pakenham

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (94/100 vs 50/100)
  • has more GPs (13 vs 9)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Officer

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (159.4% vs 16.6%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Officer and Pakenham drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Officer Pakenham
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Officer Pakenham
Walkability 50 / 94
Officer — Walkability: 50/100 Pakenham — Walkability: 94/100
Safety 27 / 26
Officer — Safety: 27/100 Pakenham — Safety: 26/100
Low fire risk 32 / 44
Officer — Low fire risk: 32/100 Pakenham — Low fire risk: 44/100
Low flood risk 39 / 22
Officer — Low flood risk: 39/100 Pakenham — Low flood risk: 22/100

Demographics

Pakenham has more residents (54,118 vs 18,503); Officer has higher household incomes ($110,500 vs $86,528).

Officer Pakenham
Population 18,503 54,118
+192% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +159.4% +16.6%
Median age 31 33
Median household income $110,500/yr
+22% vs other
 $86,528/yr
Median weekly rent $396/wk
+11% vs other
 $351/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Officer Pakenham
0-4 10.1% / 8.3%
Officer — 0-4: 10.1% Pakenham — 0-4: 8.3%
5-14 15.0% / 15.7%
Officer — 5-14: 15.0% Pakenham — 5-14: 15.7%
15-19 5.6% / 5.7%
Officer — 15-19: 5.6% Pakenham — 15-19: 5.7%
20-24 6.3% / 6.1%
Officer — 20-24: 6.3% Pakenham — 20-24: 6.1%
25-34 20.8% / 17.6%
Officer — 25-34: 20.8% Pakenham — 25-34: 17.6%
35-44 18.1% / 15.7%
Officer — 35-44: 18.1% Pakenham — 35-44: 15.7%
45-54 10.6% / 11.0%
Officer — 45-54: 10.6% Pakenham — 45-54: 11.0%
55-64 6.7% / 8.0%
Officer — 55-64: 6.7% Pakenham — 55-64: 8.0%
65-74 5.0% / 6.3%
Officer — 65-74: 5.0% Pakenham — 65-74: 6.3%
75-84 1.7% / 4.1%
Officer — 75-84: 1.7% Pakenham — 75-84: 4.1%
85+ 0.2% / 1.5%
Officer — 85+: 0.2% Pakenham — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Officer 58.8% couple families
Officer — Couple Families: 58.8% Officer — Lone Person: 20.5% Officer — One Parent Families: 16.6% Officer — Group Household: 2.8% Officer — Other Families: 1.2%
Pakenham 47.9% couple families
Pakenham — Couple Families: 47.9% Pakenham — Lone Person: 27.6% Pakenham — One Parent Families: 19.5% Pakenham — Group Household: 3.6% Pakenham — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Officer 28.5% renting
Officer — Owned Outright: 13.5% Officer — Mortgage: 58.0% Officer — Renting: 28.5%
Pakenham 32.2% renting
Pakenham — Owned Outright: 19.5% Pakenham — Mortgage: 48.3% Pakenham — Renting: 32.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Officer Pakenham
India 8.9% / 6.0%
Officer — India: 8.9% Pakenham — India: 6.0%
Sri Lanka 5.1% / 2.0%
Officer — Sri Lanka: 5.1% Pakenham — Sri Lanka: 2.0%
England 2.9% / 3.2%
Officer — England: 2.9% Pakenham — England: 3.2%
New Zealand 1.7% / 1.9%
Officer — New Zealand: 1.7% Pakenham — New Zealand: 1.9%
Philippines 1.6% / 1.2%
Officer — Philippines: 1.6% Pakenham — Philippines: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.9%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Officer Pakenham
Certificate III & IV 13.9% / 15.7%
Officer — Certificate III & IV: 13.9% Pakenham — Certificate III & IV: 15.7%
Bachelor Degree 13.6% / 9.0%
Officer — Bachelor Degree: 13.6% Pakenham — Bachelor Degree: 9.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.1% / 8.3%
Officer — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.1% Pakenham — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3%
Postgraduate Degree 5.6% / 3.2%
Officer — Postgraduate Degree: 5.6% Pakenham — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.9% / 1.4%
Officer — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9% Pakenham — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Officer 94.6% houses
Officer — Houses: 94.6% Officer — Townhouses: 5.0% Officer — Flats / Apartments: 0.4%
Pakenham 86.4% houses
Pakenham — Houses: 86.4% Pakenham — Townhouses: 12.7% Pakenham — Flats / Apartments: 0.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Officer Pakenham
Median house price $755,000 $700,000
Median unit price $552,500 $515,000
Median land price $711,000 $525,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 35 days
from 429 sales
 28 days
from 638 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Officer Pakenham
2 bed $565K / $535K
Officer — 2 bed: $565K (25 sales) Pakenham — 2 bed: $535K (41 sales)

25 vs 41 sales

3 bed $670K / $662K
Officer — 3 bed: $670K (196 sales) Pakenham — 3 bed: $662K (767 sales)

196 vs 767 sales

4 bed $790K / $750K
Officer — 4 bed: $790K (325 sales) Pakenham — 4 bed: $750K (598 sales)

325 vs 598 sales

5 bed $1.01M / $855K
Officer — 5 bed: $1.01M (49 sales) Pakenham — 5 bed: $855K (39 sales)

49 vs 39 sales

Zoning mix

Pakenham has more rural and farming land (45% vs 10%); Officer has more land zoned for conservation (21% vs 3%).

Officer Pakenham
Residential 57% 29%
Rural and farming 10% 45%
Environmental 21% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 4% 8%
Parks and recreation 7% 3%
Other and special use 0% 6%
Industrial 0% 5%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Officer Pakenham
New dwellings approved 1,323
across Cardinia
same for both
Approvals change year on year +13%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Officer Pakenham
Houses 4.2%
$620/wk on $765K
 4.2%
$580/wk on $718K
Units — 4.9%
$510/wk on $545K

Ranking within VIC

Officer Pakenham
House price Higher than 48% of VIC Higher than 41% of VIC
Income Higher than 83% of VIC Higher than 56% of VIC
Schools Higher than 41% of VIC Higher than 34% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 86% of VIC Higher than 98% of VIC
Affordability Higher than 84% of VIC Higher than 67% of VIC
EV adoption Higher than 88% of VIC Higher than 69% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 97% of VIC Higher than 87% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 81% of VIC Higher than 80% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 54% of VIC

Liveability

Pakenham is more walkable (94 vs 50); Officer scores higher overall (42 vs 36).

Officer Pakenham
Grade C
same for both
Score 42/100 36/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Pakenham carries more flood risk (78 vs 61); Officer carries more bushfire risk (68 vs 56).

Officer Pakenham
Bushfire Moderate
68/100
 Moderate
56/100
Crime High
73/100
 High
74/100
Flood Moderate
61/100
 High
78/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 2
within 5 km
 9
within 5 km

Schools

Officer Pakenham
Inside the suburb 15
same for both
Rated above peers 2 1
Rated at peers 5 7
Rated below peers 1 4
Universities within 10 km 1
Federation University Berwick, 5.8 km
 None

Schools in Officer

  • Officer Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Officer Secondary College Government · Secondary above peers
  • Bridgewood Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Kurrun Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Orchard Park Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Brigid's School Catholic · Primary at peers

Schools in Pakenham

  • Beaconhills College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Kuyim Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Lakeside College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Pakenham Consolidated School Government · Primary at peers
  • Pakenham Primary School Government · Primary at peers
  • Pakenham Secondary College Government · Secondary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Officer Pakenham
Supermarkets 2 9
Cafes & restaurants 8 18
Parks & reserves 11 26
Childcare 30 39
GPs 9 13
Pharmacies 3 8
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 6
Fuel stations 7 10
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 33 43

Mobility

Pakenham sits further from the CBD (62.4 km vs 53.9 km).

Officer Pakenham
Walkability score 50/100 94/100
Distance to Melbourne 53.9 km 62.4 km
+16% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 50 min 53 min
Public transport score 80/100
Rail · Bus
 83/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 51.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 229.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 1.5%
postcode 3809
 0.8%
postcode 3810
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 3809
 43
postcode 3810

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Officer Pakenham
Car (driver) 66.8% / 71.5%
Officer — Car (driver): 66.8% Pakenham — Car (driver): 71.5%
Worked from Home 25.3% / 18.4%
Officer — Worked from Home: 25.3% Pakenham — Worked from Home: 18.4%
Car (passenger) 3.5% / 4.9%
Officer — Car (passenger): 3.5% Pakenham — Car (passenger): 4.9%
Train 3.5% / 3.5%
Officer — Train: 3.5% Pakenham — Train: 3.5%
Walked Only 0.7% / 1.0%
Officer — Walked Only: 0.7% Pakenham — Walked Only: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (71.5%).

Setting

Officer Pakenham
Elevation 45 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 34 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 18.1 km 16.4 km

NBN connectivity

Officer Pakenham
Connectivity score 95/100 77/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 92%
6,447 premises
 59%
21,915 premises

Climate

Officer Pakenham
Annual rainfall 781 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Officer Pakenham
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 20.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.98 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Officer Pakenham
Average residential rate $1,880/yr
same for both
Council Cardinia
same for both

Federal electorate

Officer Pakenham
Division La Trobe
same for both
Member Jason Wood
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Officer Pakenham
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Officer

Family Large Blocks Outer Trains Transport Hub Young Families

Pakenham

Family Large Blocks Parks Regional Centre River Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Officer

Officer vs Berwick Officer vs Clyde North Officer vs Beaconsfield Officer vs Beaconsfield Upper Officer vs Officer South

Other comparisons with Pakenham

Pakenham vs Beaconsfield Upper Pakenham vs Pakenham Upper Pakenham vs Officer South Pakenham vs Nar Nar Goon Pakenham vs Nar Nar Goon North Pakenham vs Pakenham South
Full data on Officer Full data on Pakenham
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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