Dungog

Dungog is noticeably older than most areas, with 22.1% of people aged 65 and over, well above the national figure. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population has also risen significantly since 2011, now making up 7.2% of the community.

The community is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 89% born here and only 5.5% born overseas, which is far below the state and national averages. Most residents claim Australian, English, or Irish ancestry.

English is the dominant language, spoken by 94.6% of people at home. Only 1.0% of residents use another language, a figure that is far below the New South Wales average.

Christianity remains the most common faith at 55.8%, though the number of people reporting no religion rose sharply by 21 percentage points since 2011 to reach 37.5%.

While 15.3% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, this is far below the national figure. However, the proportion of people who completed Year 12 rose by 7.7 percentage points since 2011.

Typical weekly family incomes are a little below the national figure at $1,856. There has been a notable increase in wealth, with the share of households earning $3,000 or more a week rising 11 percentage points since 2011.

Long-term health conditions are much more common here than in most areas, affecting 34.1% of residents. Mental health conditions are also more frequent, at 10.4%.

Residents are very active in unpaid work, with 29.2% doing 15 or more hours of housework weekly. The area also has a high rate of volunteers and former Defence Force members compared to most regions.

First Nations residents are generally younger than the national average, with a typical age of 23. While unemployment for this group is lower than the national figure, Year 12 completion is far below at 25.7%.

Families with children make up the majority of households at 55.7%. People are less likely to live alone here than in most other areas.

The area is dominated by large, owned homes, with 80.3% having three or more bedrooms and 41.8% owned outright. Renting is very uncommon, occurring in only 15% of households.

Car dependence is very high, with 97.5% of homes owning at least one vehicle. Very few people use public transport to commute, and the drive time to the city is among the longest for similar areas.

About a third of residents have moved in the last five years, though recent arrivals from overseas are very rare, at just 1.3%.

The local workforce is heavily concentrated in construction, health, and agriculture. Unemployment is much lower than the national figure, sitting at 3.4%.

Dungog ranks well for overall advantage, scoring higher than about 70% of all areas. This is supported by a strong score for access to money and resources.

The area is much wetter than the rest of the state, with average annual rainfall of 932mm, far above the New South Wales figure of 515mm.

Dungog is a very safe area, with recorded offences per 100,000 people being much lower than in most other regions. Drug offences are among the lowest in the country.

The area is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score far below the state average. Only 33.7% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of basic amenities like shops or parks.