Canterbury-Bankstown

The area is noticeably younger than the national figure, with a typical resident aged 36 and 19.8% of the population being children. It is one of the largest LGAs in the region, with the total population growing by 7.1% to 371,006 people since 2016.

International migration is a defining feature here, with 44.6% of people born overseas, which is far above the national figure of 27.7%. The most common ancestries include Australian, Chinese, English, Vietnamese, and Greek.

Language diversity is very high, as 59.1% of residents use a language other than English at home—far above the 22.3% national average. Arabic is the most common non-English language, used by 17.2% of the community.

Religious affiliation is more common here than in most of Australia, where only 17.7% of people report having no religion. Christianity is the most common faith at 41.7%, followed by Islam at 23.6%.

Education levels are rising, with 23.6% of adults now holding a bachelor degree or higher. Year 12 completion is also high at 61.3%, which is a little above the national figure.

Typical weekly household incomes are $1,556, which is a little below the national figure of $1,746. While typical personal incomes are much lower than in most areas at $625, the number of households earning over $3,000 a week rose by 7.4% since 2016.

A higher number of residents need help with daily activities compared to most areas. However, the rate of people with a long-term health condition is well below the national figure, at 21.4%.

Volunteer rates are among the lowest at this level, with only 7.7% of people volunteering. Similarly, the proportion of people providing unpaid care is lower than in most other areas.

The First Nations community here is older than the national average, with a typical age of 27. It is a high-achieving group, with Year 12 completion at 43.4%, which is well above the national figure.

Homes are typically larger than average, with 2.9 people per home. This is consistent with the area having a higher number of one-parent families and a lower percentage of people living alone compared to the state.

Rental properties are very common, with 38.1% of households renting—well above the national average. The area has fewer detached houses and smaller homes than most, with 62.5% of dwellings having three or more bedrooms.

The area is very well connected, with 99.7% of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport. Interestingly, 32.3% of people now work from home, a massive increase from just 2.8% in 2016.

The population is relatively stable, with 34.2% of people moving in the last five years, which is well below the national figure of 40.7%. Recent overseas arrivals make up 12.4% of the community.

Job market challenges are evident, as the unemployment rate of 7.2% is a little above the national average. Only 48.4% of adults are working or looking for work, which is far below the national figure.

The region is a major economic hub with 44,017 businesses. While it ranks well for education and job skills, it scores lower than most areas for general access to money and resources.

The area receives much more rain than the state average, with an annual own average of 1,106mm. Temperatures are typical for the region, with an average maximum of 24.4 degrees.

Overall crime is lower than in most areas, and the recorded offence rate has fallen by 10.7% over the last five years. Motor vehicle theft remains higher than in most other areas.

The area is very walkable, with 95.7% of homes having a 15-minute-city walkshed. Almost every home is within a 15-minute walk of a park or school, and 89% are near groceries.