Statistical Area 2 (SA2) · Area profile
Broken Hill
170 km²
A stark difference in typical income and education sets Broken Hill apart from the rest of the state. This regional centre is an older community, where nearly a quarter of residents are seniors and the population has shrunk by 5% since 2011. It is a place of contrasts, combining a high proportion of First Nations people and a very walkable town layout with a population that is far less likely to hold a university degree than the national average. The community is largely Australian-born and increasingly secular.
Explore Broken Hill by topic
Broken Hill is noticeably older than most areas, with a typical resident aged 44 and 23.2% of the population aged 65 and over. There is a strong First Nations presence, with 10% of residents identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, which is well above the national figure of 3.2%.
The community is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 86% born here and only 5.2% born overseas. This is far below the national average of 27.7%, and the population has barely changed in its birthplace composition since 2011.
English is the dominant language, spoken at home by 88% of residents. Only 3.4% use another language at home, which is far below the national figure of 22.3%.
A large number of residents report having no religion, at 49.3%. This is far above the national figure of 38.9% and has risen by 23 points since 2011.
Education levels are much lower than most areas, with only 10.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Only 29.1% of residents completed Year 12, which is far below the national average of 58.8%.
Typical incomes are well below national figures, with the typical household earning $1,173 a week. Only 12.2% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, compared to 22.6% across Australia.
Health challenges are more common here, with 38.2% of people living with a long-term health condition. This is far above the national average of 27.7%, and 11.8% of residents report a mental health condition.
Unpaid care is common, with 13% of people providing unpaid care, which is a little above the national figure. However, volunteering has fallen by 4.1 points since 2011 to 13.3%.
The area has one of the largest First Nations populations at this level, though household income for this group is a little below the national average at $1,292. Year 12 completion is far below the national average at 24.9%.
Homes here are smaller on average, with 2.2 people per home. There is a very high proportion of people living alone (37.1%) and one-parent families (23.1%), both of which are far above national figures.
The town is dominated by separate houses, making up 94.6% of all dwellings. A high 42% of homes are owned outright, and typical weekly rents are much lower than the national average at $220.
Cars are the primary way to get around, with 70.2% of people driving to work. Public transport use is very low at 0.1%, and only 4.2% of people work from home, which is far below the national average.
While 28.6% of the population moved in the last five years, which is far below the national figure, there has been a rise in recent overseas arrivals, now making up 20.5% of the community.
More people here work full-time (61.7%) than in most similar areas, though the overall percentage of adults working or looking for work is well below the national average. Major industries include health care, mining, and retail.
The area faces significant disadvantage, ranking in the lowest 10% for overall advantage and education and job skills. Population growth is also among the lowest at -0.8%.
Broken Hill is a hot, dry place with an average maximum temperature of 25.6 degrees. Its annual rainfall of 231mm is far below the New South Wales average of 515mm.
The town is very walkable, with a score of 6.8. Most residents are within a 15-minute walk of groceries (87.6%), parks (97.1%), and health services (71.7%).