# St Helens vs Scamander — 2021 Census comparison

Urban Centre comparison · about 13 km apart

St Helens and Scamander (L) are two nearby Tasmanian towns with different layouts and populations. St Helens is noticeably older, with 38.7% of people aged 65 and over and a typical resident aged 59. It is more walkable, with 57.4% of homes in a 15-minute-city walkshed and 50.9% within a 15-minute walk of a school. In contrast, Scamander (L) has a younger feel; children under 15 are well more common there, and more people are in de facto relationships. While Scamander (L) lacks nearby schools, it has much better access to public transport, with 84.2% of homes within a 10-minute walk.

The gap in the typical age of residents has narrowed since 2016, falling from nine years to seven. Both areas share very similar typical weekly personal incomes, around $490, and almost half of all homes in both towns are owned outright. They also have similar proportions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents. However, the number of people who claim no religion has grown faster in Scamander (L), where the gap between the two towns has widened since 2016.

## Where they differ most

- Population: 934 larger in St Helens
- Recent arrivals: 6.7 pts higher in St Helens
- No religion: 14.7 pts higher in Scamander
- Limited English: 0.3 pts higher in St Helens
- Median age: 7 yrs older in St Helens

## Demographics & Identity

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population | 1,573 | 639 | 934 larger in St Helens | gap widening |
| Median age | 59 yrs | 52 yrs | 7 yrs older in St Helens | gap narrowing |
| First Nations | 4.6% | 4.4% | 0.3 pts higher in St Helens | gap narrowing |
| Aged 65+ | 38.7% | 28.6% | 10.0 pts higher in St Helens | gap narrowing |
| Under 15 | 11.1% | 14.9% | 3.7 pts higher in Scamander | gap steady |
| De facto | 12.8% | 19.9% | 7.1 pts higher in Scamander | gap narrowing |

### Age structure

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Seniors (65+) | 38.7% | 28.6% | +10.0 |
| Older adults (45–64) | 27.1% | 29.9% | -2.7 |
| Young adults (25–44) | 16.5% | 21.8% | -5.3 |
| Children (0–14) | 11.1% | 14.9% | -3.7 |
| Youth (15–24) | 6.3% | 5.5% | +0.8 |

### Marital status

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Married | 41.5% | 45.1% | -3.5 |
| Never married | 27.0% | 29.3% | -2.3 |
| Divorced | 17.4% | 14.8% | +2.6 |
| Widowed | 10.3% | 6.0% | +4.3 |
| Separated | 3.9% | 3.7% | +0.3 |

### Age profile

Share of each region's population by age band and sex.

| Age band | St Helens male | St Helens female | Scamander male | Scamander female |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 0–4 | 2.4% | 1.9% | 3.0% | 2.5% |
| 5–9 | 1.4% | 1.8% | 1.7% | 2.2% |
| 10–14 | 1.8% | 1.9% | 3.6% | 2.8% |
| 15–19 | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.9% |
| 20–24 | 1.4% | 2.1% | 1.6% | 1.1% |
| 25–29 | 2.5% | 1.6% | 1.1% | 2.2% |
| 30–34 | 1.6% | 2.3% | 3.3% | 2.7% |
| 35–39 | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% |
| 40–44 | 1.4% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 4.6% |
| 45–49 | 1.9% | 2.3% | 3.2% | 1.6% |
| 50–54 | 2.1% | 3.1% | 2.7% | 2.7% |
| 55–59 | 3.8% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 2.2% |
| 60–64 | 4.4% | 5.9% | 4.3% | 7.9% |
| 65–69 | 4.6% | 5.0% | 6.6% | 4.1% |
| 70–74 | 6.0% | 5.3% | 3.8% | 2.4% |
| 75–79 | 3.2% | 3.7% | 3.6% | 2.5% |
| 80–84 | 3.0% | 2.9% | 1.7% | 1.7% |
| 85+ | 1.7% | 2.8% | 0.5% | 0.5% |

## Ancestry & Birthplace

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Born overseas | 15.1% | 9.1% | 6.1 pts higher in St Helens | gap steady |

### Country of birth

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Australia | 76.5% | 82.5% | -5.9 |
| England | 5.8% | 4.4% | +1.4 |
| New Zealand | 1.6% | 1.4% | +0.2 |
| Nepal | 1.1% | 0.0% | +1.1 |
| Philippines | 1.0% | 0.5% | +0.5 |
| South Africa | 0.5% | 0.0% | +0.5 |
| India | 0.4% | 0.0% | +0.4 |
| China | 0.2% | 0.0% | +0.2 |
| Italy | 0.2% | 0.0% | +0.2 |
| Vietnam | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

### Ancestry

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| English | 47.4% | 47.7% | -0.4 |
| Australian | 38.5% | 38.3% | +0.2 |
| Scottish | 10.4% | 13.1% | -2.7 |
| Irish | 11.1% | 10.2% | +1.0 |
| German | 3.8% | 4.5% | -0.7 |
| Dutch | 1.4% | 1.6% | -0.2 |
| Italian | 1.2% | 1.4% | -0.2 |
| Filipino | 1.0% | 0.8% | +0.2 |
| Chinese | 0.7% | 0.0% | +0.7 |
| Greek | 0.5% | 0.0% | +0.5 |
| Indian | 0.4% | 0.0% | +0.4 |
| Vietnamese | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

## Language

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Other language | 4.1% | 2.3% | 1.8 pts higher in St Helens | gap widening |
| Limited English | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3 pts higher in St Helens | gap steady |

### Language used at home

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| English only | 88.6% | 91.7% | -3.1 |
| Tagalog | 0.4% | 0.0% | +0.4 |
| Mandarin | 0.2% | 0.0% | +0.2 |
| Arabic | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Vietnamese | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Cantonese | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Punjabi | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Greek | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Italian | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Hindi | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

## Religion

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| No religion | 41.0% | 55.7% | 14.7 pts higher in Scamander | gap widening |

### Religious affiliation

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| No religion | 41.0% | 55.7% | -14.7 |
| Christianity | 45.6% | 35.1% | +10.6 |
| Not stated | 9.7% | 7.5% | +2.2 |
| Buddhism | 1.8% | 0.9% | +0.9 |
| Hinduism | 1.5% | 0.0% | +1.5 |
| Other religions | 0.7% | 0.0% | +0.7 |
| Islam | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Judaism | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

## Education & Qualifications

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Year 12 | 31.0% | 36.7% | 5.7 pts higher in Scamander | gap widening |
| Bachelor+ | 11.5% | 12.8% | 1.3 pts higher in Scamander | gap narrowing |

### Highest year of school

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Year 12 | 31.0% | 36.7% | -5.7 |
| Year 10 | 30.8% | 32.4% | -1.6 |
| Year 9 or below | 18.9% | 11.7% | +7.2 |
| Year 11 | 9.8% | 8.4% | +1.4 |

### Highest qualification level

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate III / IV | 37.2% | 40.1% | -2.9 |
| Bachelor degree | 16.5% | 13.6% | +3.0 |
| Advanced diploma / diploma | 12.3% | 12.1% | +0.2 |
| Postgraduate degree | 4.5% | 5.3% | -0.8 |
| Certificate I / II | 3.4% | 2.7% | +0.7 |
| Graduate diploma / certificate | 1.7% | 1.8% | -0.1 |

### Field of qualification

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Engineering & related | 14.3% | 13.9% | +0.4 |
| Management & commerce | 14.0% | 9.4% | +4.6 |
| Society & culture | 11.0% | 9.4% | +1.6 |
| Architecture & building | 6.4% | 10.6% | -4.3 |
| Health | 10.2% | 8.3% | +1.9 |
| Food, hospitality & personal services | 7.6% | 9.1% | -1.5 |
| Education | 8.1% | 8.8% | -0.8 |
| Agriculture & environment | 2.5% | 3.8% | -1.3 |
| Natural & physical sciences | 1.0% | 2.9% | -2.0 |
| Information technology | 1.0% | 1.2% | -0.2 |
| Creative arts | 0.8% | 1.2% | -0.3 |

## Income

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Personal income | $487 | $496 | $9 higher in Scamander | gap narrowing |
| Household income | $779 | $870 | $91 higher in Scamander | gap narrowing |
| Family income | $1,090 | $1,154 | $64 higher in Scamander | gap narrowing |
| High earners | 2.7% | 4.9% | 2.2 pts higher in Scamander | gap steady |
| High-income homes | 3.6% | 5.8% | 2.2 pts higher in Scamander | gap steady |

### Household income distribution

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $650–$1,499 | 39.3% | 38.9% | +0.3 |
| Under $650 | 37.3% | 34.9% | +2.4 |
| $1,500–$2,999 | 12.7% | 13.8% | -1.1 |
| $3,000–$3,999 | 1.9% | 4.4% | -2.4 |
| $4,000 or more | 1.7% | 1.5% | +0.2 |

### Personal income distribution

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Under $650 | 59.2% | 55.3% | +3.9 |
| $650–$1,499 | 26.3% | 24.9% | +1.4 |
| $1,500–$2,999 | 5.4% | 9.3% | -4.0 |
| $3,000 or more | 1.1% | 0.9% | +0.2 |

## Health & Disability

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Health condition | 42.7% | 35.5% | 7.1 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Mental health | 13.2% | 10.6% | 2.6 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Needs assistance | 13.8% | 6.9% | 6.9 pts higher in St Helens | gap widening |

### Long-term health conditions reported

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Arthritis | 20.9% | 13.3% | +7.5 |
| Mental health | 13.2% | 10.6% | +2.6 |
| Other condition | 12.3% | 8.0% | +4.3 |
| Asthma | 9.3% | 6.6% | +2.7 |
| Diabetes | 8.5% | 4.9% | +3.6 |
| Heart disease | 7.6% | 4.7% | +2.9 |
| Cancer | 6.3% | 3.6% | +2.7 |
| Lung condition | 4.6% | 4.4% | +0.3 |
| Stroke | 2.2% | 0.8% | +1.4 |
| Dementia | 1.5% | 0.5% | +1.0 |

### Number of long-term health conditions

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| None | 48.0% | 53.1% | -5.1 |
| One condition | 23.5% | 24.6% | -1.1 |
| Two conditions | 10.4% | 5.8% | +4.6 |
| Three or more | 8.8% | 4.7% | +4.1 |

## Community Participation

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteering | 19.7% | 17.9% | 1.8 pts higher in St Helens | gap widening |
| Unpaid carers | 15.6% | 13.0% | 2.6 pts higher in St Helens | gap widening |
| Unpaid child care | 15.5% | 21.6% | 6.1 pts higher in Scamander | gap steady |
| Defence service | 5.9% | 3.1% | 2.8 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Housework 15h+ | 24.6% | 26.9% | 2.3 pts higher in Scamander | gap widening |

## Family & Households

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Household size | 1.9 | 2.0 | 0.1 larger in Scamander | gap narrowing |
| One-parent | 18.2% | 11.9% | 6.3 pts higher in St Helens | gap widening |
| Living alone | 42.6% | 34.9% | 7.7 pts higher in St Helens | gap steady |

### Family composition

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Couples without children | 47.9% | 44.1% | +3.9 |
| Couples with children | 33.2% | 45.0% | -11.8 |
| One-parent families | 18.2% | 11.9% | +6.3 |
| Other families | 0.9% | 0.7% | +0.2 |

### Household size

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 person | 42.6% | 34.9% | +7.7 |
| 2 people | 39.1% | 41.1% | -2.0 |
| 3 people | 9.4% | 11.6% | -2.3 |
| 4 people | 4.8% | 8.7% | -3.9 |
| 5 people | 2.1% | 3.3% | -1.2 |
| 6 or more | 1.1% | 0.0% | +1.1 |

## Housing & Dwellings

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Rent | $230 | $275 | $45 higher in Scamander | gap widening |
| Mortgage | $1,000 | $1,200 | $200 higher in Scamander | gap widening |
| People / bedroom | 0.70 | 0.80 | 0.10 higher in Scamander | gap steady |
| Renting | 30.7% | 23.6% | 7.1 pts higher in St Helens | gap steady |
| Owned outright | 48.1% | 48.7% | 0.7 pts higher in Scamander | gap narrowing |
| Separate houses | 83.2% | 89.8% | 6.6 pts higher in Scamander | gap widening |
| 3+ bedrooms | 60.5% | 63.6% | 3.2 pts higher in Scamander | gap narrowing |

### How homes are owned or rented

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Owned outright | 48.1% | 48.7% | -0.7 |
| Rented | 30.7% | 23.6% | +7.1 |
| Owned with a mortgage | 18.0% | 21.8% | -3.8 |
| Not stated | 0.8% | 2.5% | -1.7 |
| Other tenure | 1.8% | 1.1% | +0.7 |

### Types of homes

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Separate house | 83.2% | 89.8% | -6.6 |
| Flat or apartment | 9.5% | 4.7% | +4.8 |
| Other dwelling | 1.7% | 5.8% | -4.2 |
| Townhouse / semi-detached | 5.0% | 0.0% | +5.0 |

### Bedrooms per home

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 3 bedrooms | 50.3% | 45.1% | +5.2 |
| 2 bedrooms | 31.1% | 25.8% | +5.3 |
| 4 bedrooms | 8.7% | 17.1% | -8.4 |
| 1 bedroom | 5.8% | 7.6% | -1.9 |
| Studio / none | 1.2% | 1.8% | -0.6 |
| 5 or more | 1.5% | 1.5% | +0.1 |

### Weekly rent distribution

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $200–$349 | 66.8% | 56.9% | +9.9 |
| Under $200 | 29.6% | 16.9% | +12.7 |
| $350–$549 | 1.8% | 26.2% | -24.4 |
| $550–$749 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| $750 or more | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

### Monthly mortgage distribution

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Under $1,000 | 48.1% | 31.7% | +16.4 |
| $1,000–$1,799 | 44.3% | 43.3% | +0.9 |
| $1,800–$2,999 | 5.3% | 11.7% | -6.3 |
| $3,000 or more | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

## Transport & Vehicles

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| No car | 8.8% | 5.2% | 3.6 pts higher in St Helens | gap widening |
| Work from home | 7.5% | 10.9% | 3.4 pts higher in Scamander | gap widening |
| PT commute | 0.0% | 0.0% |  | gap steady |

### How people get to work

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Car (driver) | 55.2% | 71.6% | -16.4 |
| Worked at home | 7.5% | 10.9% | -3.4 |
| Walked | 9.4% | 5.7% | +3.7 |
| Car (passenger) | 6.5% | 3.5% | +3.0 |
| Bicycle | 1.0% | 0.0% | +1.0 |
| Train | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Bus | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

### Motor vehicles per home

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 vehicle | 46.5% | 34.3% | +12.2 |
| 2 vehicles | 29.0% | 42.2% | -13.2 |
| 3 vehicles | 11.0% | 12.7% | -1.7 |
| No vehicle | 8.8% | 5.2% | +3.6 |
| 4 or more | 4.4% | 6.0% | -1.6 |

## Migration & Movement

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Recent movers | 40.7% | 42.1% | 1.4 pts higher in Scamander | gap steady |
| Recent arrivals | 6.7% | 0.0% | 6.7 pts higher in St Helens | gap narrowing |

## Jobs & Industry

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Unemployment | 7.3% | 8.1% | 0.8 pts higher in Scamander | gap narrowing |
| Participation | 37.2% | 45.2% | 8.0 pts higher in Scamander | gap narrowing |
| Full-time | 40.6% | 48.9% | 8.3 pts higher in Scamander | gap widening |

### Industries people work in

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Accommodation & food | 17.9% | 10.0% | +7.9 |
| Health care & social assistance | 16.9% | 15.3% | +1.6 |
| Construction | 9.2% | 12.2% | -3.1 |
| Retail trade | 11.9% | 8.7% | +3.1 |
| Education & training | 5.8% | 10.9% | -5.1 |
| Agriculture, forestry & fishing | 5.4% | 7.4% | -2.0 |
| Public administration & safety | 6.7% | 2.6% | +4.0 |
| Manufacturing | 2.5% | 6.1% | -3.6 |
| Transport & warehousing | 3.3% | 4.4% | -1.0 |
| Administrative & support | 4.0% | 4.4% | -0.4 |
| Professional & technical | 3.1% | 3.1% | +0.1 |
| Other services | 2.7% | 0.0% | +2.7 |

### Occupations people work in

| Category | St Helens % | Scamander % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Community & personal service | 18.3% | 11.8% | +6.5 |
| Labourers | 17.1% | 14.0% | +3.1 |
| Professionals | 11.3% | 17.0% | -5.8 |
| Technicians & trades | 14.4% | 17.0% | -2.7 |
| Managers | 12.5% | 14.0% | -1.5 |
| Sales workers | 10.6% | 7.0% | +3.6 |
| Clerical & administrative | 10.2% | 10.5% | -0.3 |
| Machinery operators & drivers | 4.2% | 7.0% | -2.8 |

## Walkability

| Statistic | St Helens | Scamander | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Walk score | 4.8 | 4.0 | 0.8 higher in St Helens |  |
| Types ≤15 min | 5.0 | 3.8 | 1.2 more in St Helens |  |
| 15-min city | 57.4% | 30.3% | 27.1 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Walk to shops | 58.5% | 55.2% | 3.3 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Walk to transit | 34.6% | 84.2% | 49.5 pts higher in Scamander |  |
| Walk to school | 50.9% | 0.0% | 50.9 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Walk to a park | 93.3% | 96.4% | 3.0 pts higher in Scamander |  |
| Walk to health | 57.0% | 54.8% | 2.2 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Amenities/1k | 25.4 | 17.2 | 8.2 more in St Helens |  |
| Intersections/km² | 49 | 17 | 32 higher in St Helens |  |
| Mean slope | 6.3% | 8.1% | 1.7 pts higher in Scamander |  |

Interactive comparison: https://censusatlas.au/compare/ucl/UCL615026/st-helens/vs/UCL621024/scamander