3888, VIC

The area is far older than the national figure, with 30.5% of people aged 65 and over. It also has a much higher Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population (5.1%) than Victoria (1.0%), while the number of children has fallen since 2011.

Most residents were born in Australia, and those born overseas make up only 9.1%, which is far below the national figure. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, totaling about 81% of the population.

Language is very uniform here, with 87.4% of people speaking only English at home. This is far below the state and national figures for people using another language.

More than half of the population (51.0%) report no religion, a figure that rose 15 points since 2011 and is far above the national average.

Qualifications are much lower than in most areas, with only 12.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. While 34.3% finished Year 12, this is far below the Victorian average of 61.8%.

Incomes are very low, with the typical weekly household earning $892, which is far below the national figure of $1,746. Only 6.3% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.

Health challenges are more common here, as 35.8% of people have a long-term condition and 8.2% need help with daily activities, both of which are much higher than in most areas.

Volunteerism is high at 20.6%, well above the national figure. More people provide unpaid care (15.4%) or do significant housework than in most other areas.

This is a place of small households, with 38.4% of people living alone. This high number of single residents helps explain why there are only 2.1 people per home on average.

Housing is dominated by separate houses (95.0%), and a striking 54.7% are owned outright, which is far above the national average. Rents and mortgage payments are also much lower than the state typicals.

The area is heavily reliant on cars, with only 0.2% of people commuting by public transport. Most homes have at least one vehicle, and very few people live within walking distance of a transport stop.

The population is quite stable, with fewer people moving in the last five years (28.9%) compared to the national average of 40.7%. Recent overseas arrivals are also very rare at 2.5%.

Fewer adults are working or looking for work (46.3%) than in most areas. Jobs are concentrated in agriculture, health care, and education.

The area ranks very low for overall advantage, with scores for access to money and job skills both falling in the bottom 20% of similar regions.

Crime is low, with only 29 recorded offences per 100,000 people, which is lower than most areas.

The region is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score of 3.4. Residents are far less likely to live within a 15-minute walk of groceries, health services, or schools than those in the rest of Victoria.