Fairfield

The typical resident is 39 years old, and the population has grown by 11% since 2011. While the number of seniors has risen to 16.8%, the proportion of children under 15 has fallen slightly to 17.9%.

Fairfield is a major hub for migration, with 56.0% of people born overseas, a figure far above the national average. Vietnamese and Chinese are the most common ancestries after Australian and English.

Language diversity is very high, with 69.7% of people using another language at home. This is far above the national figure, and 22.9% of residents speak little or no English.

Religious affiliation is more common here than in most similar areas; only 14.8% of people report no religion, which is far below the national figure of 38.9%.

Adults with a bachelor degree or higher make up 13.3% of the population, which is far below the national average. However, Year 12 completion rose to 51.4% since 2011.

Typical weekly personal income is $485, which is far below the national figure. Typical family income is also much lower than most areas at $1,482 per week.

Daily living challenges are more common here, as 9.3% of people need help with daily activities, which is well above the national average. Conversely, rates of mental health conditions are much lower than most areas.

Volunteer rates are among the lowest at this level at 5.4%. Similarly, far fewer people provide unpaid childcare (18.7%) or housework compared to the rest of the state.

There are 1,525 First Nations people in the area. While their typical income is lower than the national figure, their unemployment rate at 7.9% is well below the Australian average.

Homes here are larger than usual, with 3.2 people per household. One-parent families are much more common than in most areas, making up 19.9% of households.

Renting is much more common than in other areas, with 38.1% of households renting. Typical weekly rent is $390, which is about the same as the national figure.

Public transport infrastructure is extensive, with 1,102 stops and a very short 2-minute walk to the nearest stop. Working from home has jumped to 23.5% since 2011.

The community is relatively stable, with only 30.0% of people moving in the last five years, which is far below the national figure. Recent overseas arrivals make up 12.2% of the population.

Job challenges are more frequent here, with an unemployment rate of 8.7%, which is well above the national average. Only 40.8% of adults are working or looking for work.

Fairfield has a high number of businesses (19,113), but it ranks low for overall advantage and access to resources compared to most other areas.

The area is much wetter than the rest of the state, with an average annual rainfall of 1,030mm, which is far above the New South Wales average of 515mm.

Overall recorded offences are lower than most areas. While motor vehicle theft is higher than usual, the rates of theft and sexual offences are much lower.

The area is very walkable, with 86.4% of homes within a 15-minute walk of key amenities. Nearly all homes (98.3%) are within 10 minutes of public transport.