Bellingen

The community is noticeably older than the rest of Australia, with a typical age of 46 and 21.9% of people aged 65 and over. Population grew by 8.2% since 2011, and de facto relationships are much more common here than in most other areas.

Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a far lower proportion of overseas-born people (15.4%) compared to the New South Wales average of 29.3%. English and Australian are the most common ancestries.

English is the primary language for 87% of the community. The use of other languages at home is far below the national figure, and very few people speak little or no English.

A striking 60.4% of residents report no religion, a figure far above the national average of 38.9%. This represents a significant increase of 20 percentage points since 2011.

The area is well-qualified, with 28.2% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. There are more schools per 1,000 children here than in most similar areas.

Typical incomes are well below the state and national figures, with the usual weekly household income sitting at $1,317. Only 12.1% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.

Mental health conditions are reported more often here than in most areas, affecting 10.4% of the population. Other health indicators, such as the need for help with daily activities, are around the national middle.

Volunteering is very common, with 24.5% of people helping out, far above the national figure. Unpaid care and housework are also more frequent here than in most other areas.

First Nations people make up 3.9% of the population. While the median age is slightly younger than the national average, the community sees a very low unemployment rate of 0.0% among First Nations people.

One-parent families are much more common here than in most areas. About 26.3% of people live alone, and typical household sizes are about the same as the national average.

Housing is dominated by separate houses (95.3%), and many people own their homes outright (44.8%), which is far above the national figure. Renting is much less common here than in the rest of the state.

The area is heavily reliant on cars, with only 0.3% of people commuting by public transport. However, 21.1% of the workforce now works from home, an increase of 9.1 percentage points since 2011.

The population is relatively stable, with a lower proportion of recent overseas arrivals (4.1%) compared to the national average.

Full-time employment is far below the national average, and the unemployment rate of 5.8% is higher than most similar areas. Many residents work in health, education, and retail.

The area's overall advantage score is around the middle for its level. Population growth has been much slower than the state average since 2021.

Bellingen is a very wet area, with average annual rainfall of 1,746mm, which is far above the New South Wales average.

The terrain is steeper than the state average, and most residents are car-dependent. Only 39.4% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of basic amenities.