Maitland

Maitland is a young area, with children under 15 making up 21.4% of the population. This is well above the national figure of 18.2%. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population has also grown, now sitting at 7.5%, which is well above the New South Wales average.

Most residents were born in Australia, and only 9.2% were born overseas, which is far below the state and national figures. Australian and English are the most common ancestries, though there has been a slight rise in overseas births since 2011.

English is the primary language for 90.6% of the community. While the proportion of people using another language at home has risen to 5.5% since 2011, this remains far below the New South Wales average.

Christianity remains the most common religion at 53.6%. However, the number of people reporting no religion has risen sharply by 23 points since 2011 to reach 38.5%, which is about the same as the national figure.

Qualifications have improved, with the proportion of people who completed Year 12 rising to 44.3% since 2011. Despite this, the 15.4% of adults with a bachelor degree or higher is far below the state and national averages.

Typical weekly household incomes are $1,766, which is about the same as the national figure. The area has seen a significant rise in wealthier households, with 20.3% now earning $3,000 or more a week, up 10 points since 2011.

Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 34.2% of people living with a long-term health condition. Mental health conditions are particularly high, affecting 13.2% of residents, which is well above the national figure.

A high proportion of the community provides unpaid care, with 32.0% caring for children, one of the highest rates for its level. However, the number of volunteers has fallen since 2011 to 11.1%, which is well below the national average.

Maitland has one of the largest First Nations populations at this level. This community is noticeably younger than the national average, with a typical age of 20, and typical household incomes are a little above those seen across Australia.

Homes tend to be large, with 2.7 people per home. This is consistent with the high number of families with children, while the proportion of people living alone is well below the national average.

Most people live in separate houses, and 84.7% of homes have three or more bedrooms, far above the national figure. Renting is more common than in most areas, and typical weekly rents have risen to $370.

Cars are essential for most, with 59.0% of people driving to work and 41.1% of homes having two vehicles. Very few people use public transport for commuting, though the area has a high number of bus stops and routes.

The area is seeing significant movement, as 43.7% of residents moved house in the last five years. This is well above the national average, though the number of recent overseas arrivals has fallen slightly since 2011.

A high proportion of adults are working or looking for work, at 64.0%. The most common industries for local workers are health care and social assistance, followed by retail trade and construction.

Maitland is growing rapidly, with a population increase of 10.8% since 2021, well above the state average. It is generally considered more advantaged than 60% of similar areas.

The area receives 857mm of annual rainfall, which is far above the New South Wales average. Typical maximum temperatures are around 25.2 degrees.

Motor vehicle theft and sexual offences are much higher than in most areas. However, the overall crime rate has fallen by 10.3% over the last five years, a trend that is much lower than in most other areas.

While many homes are near parks and public transport, others struggle for convenience. Only 47.0% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries, which is far below the state average.