Murray Bridge

The typical resident is 43, making the area older than most of Australia. Seniors aged 65 and over make up 22.4% of the population, a figure that rose 5.1 percentage points since 2011. First Nations people represent 5.6% of the community, which is well above the South Australian average.

Most residents were born in Australia, and 12.7% were born overseas, which is far below the national figure. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, with German and Scottish following.

English is the main language for 83.8% of the community. While 8.1% use another language at home, this is far below the national average, and the number of people who speak little or no English fell to 1.5% since 2016.

Nearly half the population (48.1%) now report having no religion, a significant increase of 20 percentage points since 2011. This is well above the national figure of 38.9%.

Educational attainment is much lower than in most areas, with only 8.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Year 12 completion rose 8.8 percentage points since 2011 to reach 36.2%, though this remains far below the national average.

Incomes are much lower than in most areas; the typical household earns $1,109 a week, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. Only 7.3% of households earn $3,000 or more per week, among the lowest for its level.

Health challenges are more common here, with 34.5% of people living with a long-term health condition. This includes 11.4% with a mental health condition and 8.6% needing help with daily activities, both of which are higher than most areas.

Unpaid care is a common part of life, as 13.7% of people provide unpaid care, which is much higher than most areas. Volunteering stands at 17.4%, which is well above the national figure.

There are 1,217 First Nations people in the area, and 13.1% speak a First Nations language, which is much higher than most areas. The unemployment rate for this group is 13.6%, a little above the national average.

One-parent families are much more common here than in most areas, making up 18.4% of households. Additionally, 31.3% of people live alone, which is well above the national figure.

The area is dominated by separate houses (88.6%), and 80.2% of homes have three or more bedrooms. Renting is more common than usual at 31.8%, though the typical weekly rent of $240 is well below the national figure.

The community is heavily reliant on cars, with 69.5% of workers driving to work. Public transport use is very low, with only 0.3% of people commuting this way, and only 6.3% of people working from home.

About 35.7% of residents moved in the last five years, which is around the middle for its level. Recent overseas arrivals make up 14.7% of the population, though this fell 9.6 percentage points since 2011.

Working or looking for work is much less common here than in most areas, at 51.8%. The unemployment rate is 6.4%, which is a little above the national average, and the largest employers are in health care and retail.

The area faces significant challenges, ranking among the smallest for overall advantage and job skills. There are 1,464 businesses in the region, and population growth has remained steady at 5.4% since 2021.

The area is drier than most, with average annual rainfall far above the state average. Both maximum and minimum temperatures are lower than the state typicals.

The community is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score of 3.6, well below the state average. Only 40.1% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of lapped amenities, far below the South Australian figure of 67.0%.