6218, WA

The community has aged over the last decade, with the typical resident now 44 and the proportion of seniors rising to 18.9%. About 19.6% of the population are children, which is much higher than in most similar areas.

Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has far fewer overseas-born people (12.8%) than the state or national averages. English and Australian are the most common ancestries.

English is the main language for 90.6% of the community. Only 3.5% use another language at home, a figure far below the national average, and no one reported speaking little or no English.

More than half the population (51.6%) report having no religion, which is far above the national figure. This is a significant increase from 2011, when 32.8% identified this way.

Educational attainment is among the lowest in the region, with only 6.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree. However, more people have finished Year 12 than in 2011, rising to 31.1%.

Incomes are much lower than usual, with a typical weekly household earning $1,093, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. Only 9.2% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.

Health challenges are common here, as 38.4% of people have a long-term health condition, among the highest for its level. About 8.3% need help with daily activities, which is well above the state average.

This is a helpful community where 20.5% of people volunteer, well above the national figure. Unpaid care is also common, with 15.2% providing support to others.

Nearly half of all households consist of couples with children. One-parent families are much more common here (17.0%) than in most other areas.

Housing is dominated by separate houses (96.6%), and 35.9% of homes are owned outright. Renting is more common than usual at 27.7%, though this is a large drop from 2011.

The area is heavily car-dependent, with 98.5% of homes owning at least one vehicle. The drive time to the city is very long at 90 minutes, and most people commute by car.

The population is quite mobile, with 42.5% of people moving house in the last five years. Conversely, recent arrivals from overseas have fallen to 4.3%.

Fewer adults are working or looking for work (51.8%) compared to the state average. Jobs are spread across agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, with a higher than average unemployment rate of 5.8%.

The area faces significant disadvantage, ranking among the lowest in the nation for overall advantage, job skills, and access to resources.

The area is almost entirely car-dependent, with a very low walkability score. No homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries or health services.