Council (LGA) · Area profile
Tumby Bay
2,669 km²
A growing older population has shaped the recent trajectory of Tumby Bay, where the number of residents rose by 8.9% since 2011. It is a distinctively mature community, with a typical resident aged 52 and over 30% of the population now aged 65 or older. This shift toward a senior demographic is reflected in a high rate of home ownership and a strong spirit of volunteering. The town remains a quiet, predominantly English-speaking area with deep roots in agriculture and a very low rate of overseas migration.
Tumby Bay's schools draw a more advantaged community than local incomes would suggest.
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Tumby Bay is far older than the national figure, with the typical resident aged 52. Seniors make up 30.8% of the population, a figure that rose 7.0 points since 2011.
The community is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with only 5.4% born overseas, which is far below both the state and national figures.
English is the dominant language here, as only 1.2% of people use another language at home, among the lowest rates for similar areas.
A large proportion of residents report having no religion, at 46.3%. This figure is well above the national average and rose 19 points since 2011.
Education levels are lower than most areas, with only 10.8% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher, though this rose 3.2 points since 2011.
Typical household incomes are well below the national figure, at $1,139 per week. High-earners are also rare, with only 9.1% of households earning $3,000 or more weekly.
Long-term health conditions are much more common than in most areas, affecting 33.7% of people. This is consistent with the older population, as 7% of residents need help with daily activities.
Volunteering is very common here, with 34.4% of people helping out, far above the national figure of 14.1%. Unpaid care is also common, with 15.1% of the community providing such support.
First Nations residents are generally young, with a typical age of 18. While their household incomes are much lower than most areas, Year 12 completion is very high at 74.1%.
Many people live alone, accounting for 33.6% of households, which is well above the national average. This helps explain why there are only 2.2 people per home on average.
Home ownership is very high, with 51.4% of homes owned outright, far above the national figure. Renting is much less common than in most areas, at 19.1%.
The town is heavily reliant on cars, with 61% of workers driving to work and only 0.6% using public transport.
The population is relatively stable, as only 29.4% of people moved in the last five years, which is far below the national figure of 40.7%.
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing are the primary industries, employing 28.8% of the workforce. The unemployment rate is very low at 2.5%.
The area has a moderate level of overall advantage, ranking higher than about 60% of similar areas.
The area is quite dry, with average annual rainfall of 414mm, which is far above the state average.
Most of the town is car-dependent, with a walkability score of 2.6. Only 35.3% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of basic amenities like groceries.