Federal Electorate · Area profile
Werriwa
171 km²
A population growth of 23% since 2011 has seen Werriwa evolve into a large, young community. It is a place of significant cultural variety, where more than half of all residents speak a language other than English at home. This diversity is matched by a strong family focus, with a very high proportion of children and homes that are larger than the national average. These factors create a residential character defined by multi-generational households and a youthful energy.
Werriwa has many young families but fewer schools per child than most areas.
Families are well catered for: 63 schools serve Werriwa.
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The area is noticeably younger than the rest of the state, with a typical resident aged 34 and 22.6% of the population being children under 15. This high number of children helps explain why 69.3% of households are couples with children.
Born overseas, 44.3% of residents come from outside Australia, a figure far above the national average. The most common ancestries include Australian, English, Vietnamese, Indian, and Chinese.
Language diversity is very high here, with 56.0% of people using a language other than English at home, though this is down 11 points since 2011. Arabic is the most common non-English language, spoken by 11.4% of the community.
Religious affiliation is common in Werriwa, as the 13.3% of people reporting no religion is far below the national figure of 38.9%. Christianity is the most prevalent faith at 47.4%, followed by Islam at 16.0%.
While 59.9% of residents have completed Year 12, the 20.0% with a bachelor degree or higher is well below the state average. This qualification rate has risen 4.8 points since 2016.
Typical household income is $1,875 a week, which is about the same as the national figure. However, personal income is much lower than in most areas, with the typical person earning $671 weekly.
Long-term health conditions are less common here than elsewhere, affecting 21.3% of people. Mental health conditions are also well below the state and national averages at 5.0%.
Volunteering is low, with only 6.9% of people participating, which is well below the national average. Unpaid care for children is around the middle for similar areas at 25.9%.
Homes in Werriwa are crowded, with an average of 3.3 people per home. This is well above the national figure of 2.5, and one-parent families are much more common here than in most areas.
Most residents live in separate houses, and 87.9% of homes have three or more bedrooms. The typical monthly mortgage payment is $2,200, which is much higher than in most areas.
Working from home is very common at 27.9%, which is well above the national average. Most people rely on cars, with 38% of homes owning two vehicles.
The community is relatively stable, as the 34.3% of people who moved in the last five years is much lower than most areas. Recent overseas arrivals have also fallen to 7.7% since 2011.
The unemployment rate is 6.7%, which is a little above the national average. Only 52.6% of adults are working or looking for work, a figure well below most similar areas.
The area is somewhat walkable, with most homes within a short walk of a school or public transport. However, access to health services is far below the state average, with only 30.6% of homes within a 15-minute walk.