6224, WA

The community is aging, with the typical resident now 44 and the proportion of seniors rising to 20.3% since 2011. About 4.5% of residents are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, which is a little above the national figure.

Most residents were born in Australia (77%), and the area has far fewer overseas-born people than the state or national averages. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, with English making up 48.3% of the population.

English is the dominant language, used by 87.4% of the community. Only 3.4% of people use another language at home, a figure far below the national average, and no one reported speaking little or no English.

About 43% of residents identify as having no religion, which is well above the national figure and has risen 16 points since 2011. Christianity is the most common faith at 46.2%.

Education levels are among the lowest for similar areas, with only 7% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. While 33.1% completed Year 12—which is far below the national average—this has risen 7.6 points since 2011.

Typical weekly household income is $1,349, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. This trend is reflected in personal incomes, where the typical weekly amount is $608, far lower than most other areas.

Long-term health conditions are more common here than elsewhere, affecting 31.4% of the population. Mental health conditions are also a little more common than the national average, reported by 10.4% of residents.

Volunteering is more common here than in most areas, with 20.6% of people helping out, though this is down from 2011. A high proportion of residents, 27.2%, spend 15 or more hours a week on unpaid housework.

Families are larger than usual, with an average of 2.5 people per home. About 52.4% of households are couples with children, and one-parent families (14.6%) are slightly more common than in most areas.

Separate houses are very common, making up 90.9% of dwellings, and 80.9% of homes have three or more bedrooms. Rent is well below the national average at $250 a week, and 34.6% of homes are owned outright.

The area is heavily car-dependent, with 64.2% of people driving to work and only 1.5% using public transport. This reliance is highlighted by the long 110-minute drive time to the city.

About 32.6% of people moved here in the last five years, which is well below the national rate. There were no recent arrivals from overseas recorded in the 2021 census.

Only 53.6% of adults are working or looking for work, which is far below the state average. The unemployment rate is 5.6%, slightly higher than the national figure, with many people working in construction and health care.

The area faces significant challenges, ranking very low for education and job skills. Overall, its advantage score of 912 is lower than about 83% of other similar areas.

The area is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score well below the state average. While many people live within walking distance of health services, far fewer are close to public transport or parks compared to the rest of the state.