Council (LGA) · Area profile
Greater Bendigo
3,000 km²
Separate houses make up 91.4% of the dwellings in Greater Bendigo, making it a landscape dominated by detached homes. The population has grown by 21% since 2011 to reach 121,470 people. It is a place where the typical resident is now 40, and the number of seniors has risen significantly over the last decade. With a high proportion of large family homes and a workforce heavily employed in health and retail, it serves as a major regional hub with a stable, aging community.
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The population is a little older than the state and national figures, with nearly 20% of residents aged 65 and over. This senior group has grown by 4.0 percentage points since 2011.
Most residents were born in Australia (84.6%), and the area has far fewer overseas-born residents than the national figure of 27.7%. English and Australian are the most common ancestries.
English is the main language for 87.8% of the community, which is far above the national average. However, the use of other languages at home rose by 3.3 percentage points since 2011.
A large proportion of the community reported having no religion, at 47.2%. This is well above the national figure and represents a 20 percentage point increase since 2011.
Adults with a bachelor degree or higher make up 19.7% of the population, which is much higher than most similar areas, though still well below the state average.
Typical weekly household income is $1,448, which is a little below the state and national figures. Since 2011, the typical household income has risen by $457.
Long-term health conditions are much more common here than in most areas, affecting 34.6% of people. Mental health conditions are among the highest at this level, reported by 12.6% of residents.
Unpaid care is a significant part of local life, with 14.5% of people providing care, which is among the highest rates for similar areas.
The First Nations community is relatively young, with a typical age of 22. The unemployment rate for First Nations people is 9.6%, which is a little below the national figure.
One-parent families make up 16.3% of households, which is well above the state average. About 28.7% of residents live alone.
Homes here are typically large, with 80.6% having three or more bedrooms. Typical weekly rent is $295, which is well below the state and national figures.
Cars are the primary way to get around, with 63.6% of people driving to work. Very few people use public transport for their commute, at just 0.8%.
The area is relatively mobile, with 39.3% of people moving in the last five years. Recent overseas arrivals make up 15.5% of the population.
Health care and social assistance is the largest industry, employing 19.1% of the workforce. Full-time employment is much lower here than in most similar areas, at 56.0%.
The region has a high number of businesses (9,171) and is larger than about 87% of similar areas by population.
Annual rainfall is 586mm, which is a little above the state average. The average maximum and minimum temperatures are both much lower than in most similar areas.
The overall recorded offence rate is lower than in most areas. However, theft and robbery rates are higher than the usual figures.
Walkability is somewhat low, with a score of 5.1. Only about half of the homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries or health services, which is far below the state average.