Federal Electorate · Area profile
La Trobe
1,329 km²
A young and fast-growing population sets La Trobe apart from the rest of the state, where the typical resident is just 34. This expansive area has seen a 32% increase in people since 2011, with a particularly high proportion of children under 15. It is a place of large, detached family homes and a workforce that is more likely to be employed full-time than the national average. The community is increasingly diverse, with a significant rise in residents born overseas and those using languages other than English at home.
La Trobe has many young families but fewer schools per child than most areas.
Families are well catered for: 60 schools serve La Trobe.
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This is a noticeably young community where children under 15 make up 23.4% of the population, well above the national figure of 18.2%. Conversely, seniors aged 65 and over are much fewer here than in most other areas, making up only 11.7%.
International diversity has grown rapidly, with the share of overseas-born residents rising 21 points since 2011 to reach 29.4%. While English and Australian are the most common ancestries, there is a significant Indian presence at 7.1%.
The use of languages other than English at home has climbed 19 points since 2011 to 25.1%, which is a little above the national average. Punjabi is the most common non-English language spoken here.
About 39.1% of residents report having no religion, a figure that rose 17 points since 2011 and is about the same as the state and national averages. Christianity remains common at 38.8%.
The area has seen a big increase in school completion, with 59.3% of people finishing Year 12, up 29 points since 2011. However, the share of adults with a bachelor degree or higher is well below the state average at 22.4%.
Typical weekly household incomes are a little above the national figure at $1,976, and have risen by over $1,100 since 2011. High earners are also more common, with 22% of households earning $3,000 or more per week.
Residents are generally healthier than those in most other areas, with only 4.4% needing help with daily activities. This is a little below the national figure of 5.8%.
Unpaid childcare is very common here, with 33.7% of people caring for children—a rate well above the national average. However, volunteering has fallen 16 points since 2011 to 11.4%.
Homes here are larger than usual, with an average of 2.9 people per household. This is consistent with the high number of couples with children (67.2%) and a very low rate of people living alone.
The area is dominated by separate houses, which make up 91.1% of all dwellings. These are typically large, with 89.2% of homes having three or more bedrooms, far above the national figure of 73.8%.
Car reliance is very high, as only 2.5% of homes have no motor vehicle. Public transport use is low, with only 1.5% of people using it to commute, and a typical drive time to the city of 45 minutes.
The community is highly mobile, with 49.6% of people having moved in the last five years—well above the national rate of 40.7%.
Job activity is strong, with 68% of adults working or looking for work, which is well above the national average. Full-time employment is also higher than usual at 61.1%.
The area is only somewhat walkable, with many homes far from basic services. Only 33.1% of residents can walk to health services within 15 minutes, which is far below the state average of 64.2%.