Broken Hill

The typical resident is 44, making the community noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Seniors aged 65 and over make up 23.2% of the population, a figure that has risen since 2011.

The area is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 86% born here. Only 5.2% of residents were born overseas, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%.

English is the primary language for 88% of the community. Only 3.4% of people use another language at home, which is far below the New South Wales average.

Nearly half of the population (49.3%) now report having no religion. This is far above the national figure of 38.9% and represents a jump of 23 points since 2011.

Educational qualifications are much lower than most areas, with only 29.1% of residents completing Year 12. Just 10.4% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, far below the national average of 26.3%.

Typical household incomes are well below the national figure, with the usual household earning $1,173 a week. However, there has been a rise in higher earners, with the share of households earning over $3,000 a week increasing since 2011.

Health challenges are common here, as 38.2% of people have a long-term health condition, which is far above the national figure. This is reflected in the 8.3% of residents who need help with daily activities.

Unpaid care for others is slightly more common than in most areas, but volunteering is much lower than elsewhere. Roughly 13.3% of people volunteer, a figure that has fallen since 2011.

First Nations people make up 10% of the population. The community is quite young, with a typical age of 23, though Year 12 completion is far below the national figure at 24.9%.

Homes here are smaller than usual, with 2.2 people per dwelling. This is linked to a high number of people living alone (37.1%) and a high rate of one-parent families.

Detached houses are the norm for 94.6% of residents. Housing is very affordable, with typical weekly rents at $220 and monthly mortgage payments at $867, both far below the national figures.

The community relies heavily on cars, with 70.2% of people driving to work. Almost no one (0.1%) commutes by public transport, and very few people work from home compared to the rest of the state.

Residents are less likely to move than people in other areas, with only 28.6% moving in the last five years. Despite this, recent arrivals from overseas have increased since 2011.

Full-time employment is higher than the national average, though only 52% of adults are working or looking for work. The workforce is led by health services and mining.

Broken Hill faces significant disadvantage, scoring 2 out of 10 for overall advantage compared to all areas. Population growth is also very low, falling 0.8% since 2021.

The area is very dry, with an average annual rainfall of 231mm, which is far below the state average. Summer temperatures are generally higher than in most of New South Wales.

Crime rates are much higher than most areas across several categories, including assault, burglary, and drug offences. Recorded offences total 17,506 per 100,000 people.

The town is very walkable, with 92.8% of homes having a 15-minute-city walkshed. Most residents can easily walk to groceries, parks, and health services.