Kariong

The area is younger than most, with 21.9% of the population being children under 15, a figure well above the national average. Conversely, seniors aged 65 and over make up only 10.4%, which is well below the state and national figures.

Most residents were born in Australia (78.8%), and the area has far fewer overseas-born residents than the state average. English and Irish are the most common ancestries after Australian.

English is the main language for 86% of the community. Only 10.8% of people use another language at home, which is far below the national figure of 22.3%.

A large portion of the community reports having no religion (42.5%), a figure well above the national average. This trend has grown significantly, rising 23 points since 2011.

The area has a high number of schools and a high rate of schools per 1,000 children. While 56.8% of adults completed Year 12, the proportion with a bachelor degree or higher is well below the state average.

Incomes are generally high, with typical weekly household earnings of $2,200, which is well above the national figure. The number of households earning $3,000 or more a week has risen 18 points since 2011.

Mental health conditions are more common here than in most areas, affecting 10.2% of residents. However, the proportion of people needing help with daily activities is lower than in most other areas.

Unpaid care for children is much more common here than elsewhere, with 31.1% of people providing this support. Volunteering has fallen 5 points since 2011 to 12.1%.

The First Nations community in Kariong is notably young, with a typical age of 20. Unemployment among First Nations residents is 4.5%, which is well below the national rate of 12.3%.

Households are larger than usual, with an average of 3.0 people per home. Very few people live alone (15.1%), which is far below the national average of 25.6%.

The housing stock is dominated by detached houses (91.9%), with 95.4% of homes having three or more bedrooms. Rent is much higher than in most areas, with a typical weekly cost of $450.

Car ownership is very high, with 43.9% of homes having two vehicles, and only 2.4% having none. Working from home is much more common here than across Australia, at 25.4%.

The community is relatively stable, as the proportion of people who moved in the last five years is much lower than in most areas. Recent arrivals from overseas are also among the lowest for this level.

A high proportion of adults are working or looking for work (69.1%), which is far above the state average. The most common industries for local workers are health care, construction, and retail.

Residents generally have good access to money and resources, scoring an 8 out of 10. Overall advantage is higher than in 60% of similar areas.

Kariong is a high-rainfall area, with an annual average of 1,421mm, which is far above the New South Wales average of 515mm.

Most homes are within a 15-minute walk of a park, school, or health service. However, no homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries, which is far below the state average.