Council (LGA) · Area profile
Charles Sturt
55 km²
A diverse mix of cultures and backgrounds defines Charles Sturt, where nearly 30% of residents were born overseas. This larger-than-average community is noticeably older than the national figure, with a typical age of 41. It is a highly educated and relatively affluent area, which helps explain the high proportion of residents with university degrees. The community is evolving quickly, with significant growth in population and typical incomes since 2011.
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The total population has grown 16% since 2011 to 121,840 people. While the typical age is 41, the number of seniors aged 65 and over rose to 19.7% over the last decade.
People born overseas make up 28.3% of the population, which is well above the South Australian figure. English, Australian, and Italian are the most common ancestries.
Language diversity is much higher than in most areas, with 26.9% of people using a language other than English at home. This is well above the state and national figures.
Christianity is the most common faith at 48.7%, though the number of people reporting no religion rose by 16 percentage points since 2011 to reach 37.4%.
Education levels are high, with 60.5% of residents completing Year 12 and 26.1% holding a bachelor degree or higher, both of which are well above the state average.
Typical weekly family income is $2,072, which is a little above the state figure. Weekly personal income rose by $262 since 2011 to reach $786.
The proportion of people needing help with daily activities is 7.0%, which is much higher than in most similar areas.
Unpaid care is common here, with 13.2% of people providing such support. However, the percentage of volunteers fell slightly since 2011 to 13.9%.
There are 2,005 First Nations people in the area. Year 12 completion among this group is 44.3%, which is well above the national figure.
About 30.1% of people live alone, and one-parent families make up 14.8% of the community, which is higher than in most areas.
Renters make up 31.7% of households, well above the state average. Detached houses are less common here than elsewhere, making up 65.5% of dwellings.
Public transport use is much higher than in most areas, with 5.2% commuting this way. Most residents live just one minute from the nearest stop.
The area is quite mobile, with 38.4% of people moving house in the last five years. Recent overseas arrivals account for 14.9% of the population.
Working or looking for work is more common here than in most areas, at 62.4%. The most common industries are health care and social assistance.
The area has a strong overall advantage score of 8 out of 10. It is a major economic hub with 10,708 businesses.
The local climate sees an average maximum temperature of 22.6 degrees, which is well below the South Australian average.
This is a very walkable area, with 99.2% of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport and 100% within 15 minutes of a park.