Federal Electorate · Area profile
Gorton
223 km²
Daily life in Gorton centres on large family homes and a growing population of young families. This is a noticeably younger community than most, with the typical resident aged just 35. Since 2011, the population has grown by 35% to reach 178,100 people. It is a diverse place where nearly half of the residents speak a language other than English at home, contributing to a multicultural character that stands out against the state average.
Gorton has many young families but fewer schools per child than most areas.
Families are well catered for: 44 schools serve Gorton.
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Children under 15 make up 21% of the population, a figure that has risen since 2011. Meanwhile, seniors aged 65 and over are well below the national figure at 11.8%.
The area is far more diverse than the rest of Australia, with 42.5% of people born overseas. This has risen significantly since 2011, and common ancestries include Australian, English, Italian, Vietnamese and Indian.
Almost half of residents (49.9%) use a language other than English at home, which is far above the national figure. Those who speak little or no English also rose to 8.1% by 2021.
Religious affiliation is common here, with 52.7% identifying as Christian. Only 18.6% of people report no religion, which is far below the state and national figures.
Year 12 completion is slightly higher than the state average at 63%, though the proportion of adults with a bachelor degree or higher fell to 23% since 2016.
Typical household income is a little above the national figure at $1,927 a week. However, the typical personal income is about the same as the national figure at $742.
Residents generally report fewer health issues, with the rate of long-term health conditions (22.2%) and mental health conditions (5.6%) both being much lower than in most areas.
Unpaid childcare is common, with 28.6% of people providing this care. In contrast, volunteering is well below the national figure at 7.1%.
Homes here are larger than usual, with a typical 3.1 people per household. This is consistent with a high number of couples with children (68.4%) and a very low number of people living alone.
Most people live in separate houses (87.4%), and 92.4% of homes have three or more bedrooms, which is far above the national average. Renting is much less common here than elsewhere, at only 19.8%.
Cars are essential for most, as only 3.7% of homes have no motor vehicle. While 20.7% of people work from home, public transport use for commuting has fallen sharply since 2016.
The community is relatively stable, as those who moved in the last five years (33.2%) are well below the national figure. Recent overseas arrivals also fell to 10.5% since 2011.
Full-time employment is slightly above the national average at 60.5%, though the unemployment rate of 6.4% is a little above the state and national figures.
While almost every home is within a short walk of a park, other amenities like groceries and health services are far less accessible than in other Victorian areas.