Federal Electorate · Area profile
Cowan
95 km²
More than four in ten people were born overseas in Cowan, making it a diverse community that has grown by 30% since 2011. It is a place of large households and big homes, where many residents speak a language other than English. While the typical resident is 38, the area is marked by a high number of one-parent families. This multicultural hub in Greater Perth is now home to over 180,000 people.
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The typical resident is 38, which is about the same as the national figure. While the population grew by 30% since 2011, there are now far fewer de facto relationships here than in most similar areas.
People born overseas make up 40.2% of the population, a figure far above the Australian average of 27.7%. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, followed by Italian, Irish, and Scottish.
Language diversity is very high, with 34.7% of people using a language other than English at home. This is far above the national figure and reflects a significant increase of 20 percentage points since 2011.
The community is more religious than most, as those with no religion make up 32.2% of the population, which is well below the national figure of 38.9%. Christianity remains the most common affiliation at 45.5%.
About 20.4% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, though this is well below the national figure. Since 2011, the proportion of residents who completed Year 12 has fallen by 15 percentage points.
Incomes are generally lower than in other areas, with a typical weekly household income of $1,545. This is a little below the national figure and represents a drop of $295 since 2011.
Long-term health conditions affect 26.2% of residents, which is about the same as the state average. Those needing help with daily activities rose to 5.5% in 2021.
Volunteering has fallen significantly, dropping 11 percentage points since 2011 to 11.8%. This is well below the state figure of 15.9%.
Homes tend to be larger with 2.6 people per household. One-parent families are much more common here than in most areas, rising 7 percentage points since 2011 to 16.5%.
Large homes are the norm, with 88.5% of dwellings having three or more bedrooms, far above the national figure. Separate houses make up 78.5% of the housing stock.
Public transport access is excellent, with 1,053 stops and a very high number of weekly departures per 1,000 people. However, only 5.9% of people work from home, which is far below the national figure.
The community is relatively stable, as the proportion of people who moved in the last five years is much lower than in most areas. Recent arrivals from overseas fell 19 percentage points since 2011.
More adults are working or looking for work here than in most similar areas. The unemployment rate is 6.2%, which is a little above both the state and national figures.
Most residents can walk to a park, school, or grocery store within 15 minutes. Access to public transport is particularly strong, with 99.1% of homes within a 10-minute walk of a stop.