# St Helens vs Swansea — 2021 Census comparison

Urban Centre comparison · about 89 km apart

St Helens and Swansea (L) are both older Tasmanian towns with a high share of residents aged 65 and over. Swansea (L) is more walkable and has a higher proportion of detached houses at 93.6%, compared to 83.2% in St Helens. Access to amenities is also far higher in Swansea (L), where more homes are within a 15-minute walk of public transport (66.4% versus 34.6% in St Helens) and groceries (72.3% versus 58.5%).

Daily life in both places is very similar in other ways, with nearly identical numbers of people born overseas (around 15%) and the same typical household size of 1.9 people. Both areas are far older than the national figure, and a high number of residents in both towns live with long-term health conditions. While St Helens has a well higher share of renters at 30.7%, Swansea (L) has more people who own their homes outright (54.8% versus 48.1%).

## Where they differ most

- Population: 862 larger in St Helens
- Limited English: 0.3 pts higher in St Helens
- Unpaid carers: 3.6 pts higher in St Helens
- One-parent: 7.2 pts higher in St Helens
- Separate houses: 10.4 pts higher in Swansea

## Demographics & Identity

| Statistic | St Helens | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population | 1,573 | 711 | 862 larger in St Helens |  |
| Median age | 59 yrs | 63 yrs | 4 yrs older in Swansea |  |
| First Nations | 4.6% | 3.2% | 1.4 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Aged 65+ | 38.7% | 46.0% | 7.3 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Under 15 | 11.1% | 7.2% | 4.0 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| De facto | 12.8% | 10.5% | 2.2 pts higher in St Helens |  |

### Age structure

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Seniors (65+) | 38.7% | 46.0% | -7.3 |
| Older adults (45–64) | 27.1% | 29.0% | -1.8 |
| Young adults (25–44) | 16.5% | 14.3% | +2.1 |
| Children (0–14) | 11.1% | 7.2% | +4.0 |
| Youth (15–24) | 6.3% | 4.6% | +1.7 |

### Marital status

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Married | 41.5% | 53.0% | -11.5 |
| Never married | 27.0% | 18.8% | +8.2 |
| Divorced | 17.4% | 13.8% | +3.6 |
| Widowed | 10.3% | 12.5% | -2.1 |
| Separated | 3.9% | 2.4% | +1.5 |

### Age profile

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

| Age band | St Helens male | St Helens female | Swansea male | Swansea female |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 0–4 | 2.4% | 1.9% | 1.5% | 1.9% |
| 5–9 | 1.4% | 1.8% | 1.5% | 1.2% |
| 10–14 | 1.8% | 1.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| 15–19 | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0.7% | 1.9% |
| 20–24 | 1.4% | 2.1% | 1.2% | 1.4% |
| 25–29 | 2.5% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 1.6% |
| 30–34 | 1.6% | 2.3% | 1.0% | 0.5% |
| 35–39 | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.3% |
| 40–44 | 1.4% | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.4% |
| 45–49 | 1.9% | 2.3% | 1.6% | 0.8% |
| 50–54 | 2.1% | 3.1% | 3.8% | 3.1% |
| 55–59 | 3.8% | 4.0% | 3.4% | 4.0% |
| 60–64 | 4.4% | 5.9% | 6.5% | 6.3% |
| 65–69 | 4.6% | 5.0% | 5.4% | 7.4% |
| 70–74 | 6.0% | 5.3% | 5.6% | 4.6% |
| 75–79 | 3.2% | 3.7% | 4.5% | 3.7% |
| 80–84 | 3.0% | 2.9% | 2.3% | 2.5% |
| 85+ | 1.7% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 5.3% |

## Ancestry & Birthplace

| Statistic | St Helens | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Born overseas | 15.1% | 15.0% | 0.1 pts higher in St Helens |  |

### Country of birth

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Australia | 76.5% | 77.4% | -0.8 |
| England | 5.8% | 4.8% | +1.0 |
| Philippines | 1.0% | 1.8% | -0.9 |
| New Zealand | 1.6% | 0.7% | +0.9 |
| Nepal | 1.1% | 1.3% | -0.2 |
| India | 0.4% | 1.0% | -0.5 |
| China | 0.2% | 0.7% | -0.5 |
| Italy | 0.2% | 0.7% | -0.5 |
| South Africa | 0.5% | 0.0% | +0.5 |
| Vietnam | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

### Ancestry

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| English | 47.4% | 49.1% | -1.7 |
| Australian | 38.5% | 37.3% | +1.3 |
| Scottish | 10.4% | 13.1% | -2.7 |
| Irish | 11.1% | 11.3% | -0.1 |
| German | 3.8% | 2.8% | +1.0 |
| Filipino | 1.0% | 2.1% | -1.2 |
| Italian | 1.2% | 1.7% | -0.5 |
| Dutch | 1.4% | 0.4% | +1.0 |
| Chinese | 0.7% | 0.6% | +0.1 |
| 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 | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Other language | 4.1% | 4.8% | 0.6 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Limited English | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3 pts higher in St Helens |  |

### Language used at home

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| English only | 88.6% | 89.3% | -0.7 |
| Tagalog | 0.4% | 0.6% | -0.1 |
| Mandarin | 0.2% | 0.4% | -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 | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| No religion | 41.0% | 34.5% | 6.5 pts higher in St Helens |  |

### Religious affiliation

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Christianity | 45.6% | 53.6% | -7.9 |
| No religion | 41.0% | 34.5% | +6.5 |
| Not stated | 9.7% | 9.4% | +0.2 |
| Hinduism | 1.5% | 2.0% | -0.5 |
| Buddhism | 1.8% | 0.4% | +1.4 |
| 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 | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Year 12 | 31.0% | 29.2% | 1.8 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Bachelor+ | 11.5% | 13.4% | 1.8 pts higher in Swansea |  |

### Highest year of school

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Year 10 | 30.8% | 37.4% | -6.6 |
| Year 12 | 31.0% | 29.2% | +1.8 |
| Year 9 or below | 18.9% | 19.1% | -0.2 |
| Year 11 | 9.8% | 6.8% | +3.0 |

### Highest qualification level

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate III / IV | 37.2% | 34.3% | +2.9 |
| Advanced diploma / diploma | 12.3% | 18.6% | -6.3 |
| Bachelor degree | 16.5% | 14.3% | +2.3 |
| Postgraduate degree | 4.5% | 6.0% | -1.5 |
| Graduate diploma / certificate | 1.7% | 4.9% | -3.2 |
| Certificate I / II | 3.4% | 2.9% | +0.5 |

### Field of qualification

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Management & commerce | 14.0% | 16.3% | -2.3 |
| Engineering & related | 14.3% | 14.0% | +0.3 |
| Health | 10.2% | 11.4% | -1.2 |
| Society & culture | 11.0% | 8.9% | +2.2 |
| Architecture & building | 6.4% | 10.3% | -3.9 |
| Education | 8.1% | 8.9% | -0.8 |
| Food, hospitality & personal services | 7.6% | 8.0% | -0.4 |
| Agriculture & environment | 2.5% | 3.1% | -0.6 |
| Creative arts | 0.8% | 3.1% | -2.3 |
| Natural & physical sciences | 1.0% | 1.1% | -0.2 |
| Information technology | 1.0% | 1.1% | -0.2 |

## Income

| Statistic | St Helens | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Personal income | $487 | $556 | $69 higher in Swansea |  |
| Household income | $779 | $913 | $134 higher in Swansea |  |
| Family income | $1,090 | $1,307 | $217 higher in Swansea |  |
| High earners | 2.7% | 1.5% | 1.2 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| High-income homes | 3.6% | 1.9% | 1.7 pts higher in St Helens |  |

### Household income distribution

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $650–$1,499 | 39.3% | 39.8% | -0.6 |
| Under $650 | 37.3% | 29.6% | +7.7 |
| $1,500–$2,999 | 12.7% | 25.5% | -12.8 |
| $3,000–$3,999 | 1.9% | 1.0% | +1.0 |
| $4,000 or more | 1.7% | 1.0% | +0.7 |

### Personal income distribution

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Under $650 | 59.2% | 50.9% | +8.3 |
| $650–$1,499 | 26.3% | 32.1% | -5.7 |
| $1,500–$2,999 | 5.4% | 6.4% | -1.0 |
| $3,000 or more | 1.1% | 0.0% | +1.1 |

## Health & Disability

| Statistic | St Helens | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Health condition | 42.7% | 47.7% | 5.0 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Mental health | 13.2% | 12.8% | 0.4 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Needs assistance | 13.8% | 12.7% | 1.1 pts higher in St Helens |  |

### Long-term health conditions reported

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Arthritis | 20.9% | 24.8% | -3.9 |
| Mental health | 13.2% | 12.8% | +0.4 |
| Other condition | 12.3% | 10.7% | +1.6 |
| Diabetes | 8.5% | 9.4% | -1.0 |
| Asthma | 9.3% | 8.0% | +1.3 |
| Heart disease | 7.6% | 6.9% | +0.7 |
| Cancer | 6.3% | 6.3% | 0.0 |
| Lung condition | 4.6% | 3.7% | +1.0 |
| Dementia | 1.5% | 4.4% | -2.9 |
| Stroke | 2.2% | 1.4% | +0.8 |

### Number of long-term health conditions

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| None | 48.0% | 45.0% | +3.0 |
| One condition | 23.5% | 26.3% | -2.8 |
| Two conditions | 10.4% | 12.5% | -2.2 |
| Three or more | 8.8% | 7.5% | +1.3 |

## Community Participation

| Statistic | St Helens | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteering | 19.7% | 22.3% | 2.6 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Unpaid carers | 15.6% | 12.0% | 3.6 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Unpaid child care | 15.5% | 14.0% | 1.5 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Defence service | 5.9% | 6.5% | 0.7 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Housework 15h+ | 24.6% | 25.1% | 0.5 pts higher in Swansea |  |

## Family & Households

| Statistic | St Helens | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Household size | 1.9 | 1.9 |  |  |
| One-parent | 18.2% | 11.0% | 7.2 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Living alone | 42.6% | 34.7% | 7.8 pts higher in St Helens |  |

### Family composition

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Couples without children | 47.9% | 63.4% | -15.4 |
| Couples with children | 33.2% | 25.8% | +7.3 |
| One-parent families | 18.2% | 11.0% | +7.2 |
| Other families | 0.9% | 0.9% | +0.0 |

### Household size

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2 people | 39.1% | 52.2% | -13.1 |
| 1 person | 42.6% | 34.7% | +7.8 |
| 3 people | 9.4% | 6.4% | +3.0 |
| 4 people | 4.8% | 5.4% | -0.6 |
| 5 people | 2.1% | 2.9% | -0.8 |
| 6 or more | 1.1% | 1.0% | +0.1 |

## Housing & Dwellings

| Statistic | St Helens | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Rent | $230 | $240 | $10 higher in Swansea |  |
| Mortgage | $1,000 | $1,079 | $79 higher in Swansea |  |
| People / bedroom | 0.70 | 0.70 |  |  |
| Renting | 30.7% | 22.6% | 8.1 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Owned outright | 48.1% | 54.8% | 6.7 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Separate houses | 83.2% | 93.6% | 10.4 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| 3+ bedrooms | 60.5% | 62.7% | 2.3 pts higher in Swansea |  |

### How homes are owned or rented

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Owned outright | 48.1% | 54.8% | -6.7 |
| Rented | 30.7% | 22.6% | +8.1 |
| Owned with a mortgage | 18.0% | 17.2% | +0.8 |
| Other tenure | 1.8% | 3.8% | -2.0 |
| Not stated | 0.8% | 2.5% | -1.7 |

### Types of homes

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Separate house | 83.2% | 93.6% | -10.4 |
| Flat or apartment | 9.5% | 0.0% | +9.5 |
| Townhouse / semi-detached | 5.0% | 5.4% | -0.5 |
| Other dwelling | 1.7% | 2.2% | -0.6 |

### Bedrooms per home

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 3 bedrooms | 50.3% | 46.2% | +4.1 |
| 2 bedrooms | 31.1% | 28.7% | +2.5 |
| 4 bedrooms | 8.7% | 12.4% | -3.7 |
| 1 bedroom | 5.8% | 5.7% | +0.1 |
| 5 or more | 1.5% | 4.1% | -2.6 |
| Studio / none | 1.2% | 0.0% | +1.2 |

### Weekly rent distribution

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $200–$349 | 66.8% | 60.6% | +6.3 |
| Under $200 | 29.6% | 21.1% | +8.5 |
| $350–$549 | 1.8% | 0.0% | +1.8 |
| $550–$749 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| $750 or more | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

### Monthly mortgage distribution

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Under $1,000 | 48.1% | 35.2% | +12.9 |
| $1,000–$1,799 | 44.3% | 37.0% | +7.2 |
| $1,800–$2,999 | 5.3% | 9.3% | -3.9 |
| $3,000 or more | 0.0% | 9.3% | -9.3 |

## Transport & Vehicles

| Statistic | St Helens | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| No car | 8.8% | 4.2% | 4.6 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Work from home | 7.5% | 8.8% | 1.3 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| PT commute | 0.0% | 0.0% |  |  |

### How people get to work

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Car (driver) | 55.2% | 53.6% | +1.6 |
| Walked | 9.4% | 12.6% | -3.3 |
| Worked at home | 7.5% | 8.8% | -1.3 |
| Car (passenger) | 6.5% | 5.4% | +1.1 |
| 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 % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 vehicle | 46.5% | 39.1% | +7.4 |
| 2 vehicles | 29.0% | 45.0% | -16.0 |
| 3 vehicles | 11.0% | 6.8% | +4.2 |
| No vehicle | 8.8% | 4.2% | +4.6 |
| 4 or more | 4.4% | 6.8% | -2.4 |

## Migration & Movement

| Statistic | St Helens | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Recent movers | 40.7% | 37.7% | 3.0 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Recent arrivals | 6.7% | 12.1% | 5.4 pts higher in Swansea |  |

## Jobs & Industry

| Statistic | St Helens | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Unemployment | 7.3% | 4.7% | 2.6 pts higher in St Helens |  |
| Participation | 37.2% | 41.6% | 4.4 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Full-time | 40.6% | 41.4% | 0.8 pts higher in Swansea |  |

### Industries people work in

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Accommodation & food | 17.9% | 26.4% | -8.5 |
| Health care & social assistance | 16.9% | 15.7% | +1.2 |
| Retail trade | 11.9% | 9.2% | +2.7 |
| Construction | 9.2% | 8.4% | +0.7 |
| Agriculture, forestry & fishing | 5.4% | 7.3% | -1.9 |
| Public administration & safety | 6.7% | 4.2% | +2.5 |
| Education & training | 5.8% | 4.6% | +1.2 |
| Manufacturing | 2.5% | 5.4% | -2.9 |
| Transport & warehousing | 3.3% | 5.0% | -1.6 |
| Administrative & support | 4.0% | 3.1% | +0.9 |
| Professional & technical | 3.1% | 0.0% | +3.1 |
| Other services | 2.7% | 0.0% | +2.7 |

### Occupations people work in

| Category | St Helens % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Labourers | 17.1% | 22.6% | -5.5 |
| Managers | 12.5% | 18.8% | -6.3 |
| Community & personal service | 18.3% | 13.0% | +5.3 |
| Technicians & trades | 14.4% | 13.4% | +1.0 |
| Professionals | 11.3% | 4.6% | +6.7 |
| Sales workers | 10.6% | 7.7% | +3.0 |
| Clerical & administrative | 10.2% | 7.3% | +2.9 |
| Machinery operators & drivers | 4.2% | 8.8% | -4.6 |

## Walkability

| Statistic | St Helens | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Walk score | 4.8 | 5.8 | 1.0 higher in Swansea |  |
| Types ≤15 min | 5.0 | 6.0 | 1.0 more in Swansea |  |
| 15-min city | 57.4% | 72.7% | 15.3 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Walk to shops | 58.5% | 72.3% | 13.8 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Walk to transit | 34.6% | 66.4% | 31.8 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Walk to school | 50.9% | 65.8% | 14.9 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Walk to a park | 93.3% | 100.0% | 6.7 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Walk to health | 57.0% | 62.4% | 5.4 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Amenities/1k | 25.4 | 39.4 | 14.0 more in Swansea |  |
| Intersections/km² | 49 | 48 | 1 higher in St Helens |  |
| Mean slope | 6.3% | 5.0% | 1.4 pts higher in St Helens |  |

Interactive comparison: https://censusatlas.au/compare/ucl/UCL615026/st-helens/vs/UCL621030/swansea