Grenfell

Grenfell is an older community where 30.1% of people are 65 or over, far above the national figure of 17.2%. In contrast, children under 15 make up only 15.4% of the population, which is much lower than most similar areas.

The area is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 85.7% born here and only 5.6% born overseas, a figure far below the New South Wales average.

English is the primary language for 91.4% of residents, and the proportion of people using another language at home is among the lowest in the country at 1.5%.

Christianity remains the most common faith at 63.5%, though the share of people reporting no religion has risen 15 points since 2011 to reach 27.4%.

Education levels are lower than most areas, with only 11.3% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher and 34.9% having completed Year 12.

Incomes are well below the national figure, with a typical weekly household income of $1,043 and only 8.6% of households earning $3,000 or more per week.

Health needs are high here, with 37% of people living with a long-term health condition and 7.8% needing help with daily activities, which is higher than most areas.

Volunteerism is very strong, with 24.3% of people volunteering, far above the state figure of 13%. Unpaid care for others is also common, affecting 14.4% of the community.

First Nations people make up 4.7% of the population, and 9.5% speak a First Nations language, which is well above the state average.

Many residents live alone, accounting for 34.3% of homes, and typical households are smaller than usual with only 2.2 people per home.

Housing is dominated by separate houses, with 51.6% owned outright and very low typical rents of $198 per week.

The community is almost entirely car-dependent, with 0% of people commuting by public transport and most homes owning at least one vehicle.

The population is relatively stable, as only 25.9% of people moved in the last five years, far below the national average of 40.7%.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing is the biggest employer for 32.6% of the workforce, though only 51.2% of adults are currently working or looking for work.

The area is ranked as having low overall advantage, scoring 3 out of 10, and has seen a population decline of 0.8% since 2021.

The area receives 689mm of annual rainfall, which is well above the New South Wales average of 515mm.

Walking is difficult for most, with a walkability score of 3.8 and only 18.2% of homes within a 10 minute walk of public transport.