Dubbo - West

This is a young community where the typical resident is 34, making it noticeably younger than the New South Wales average. It has a very high First Nations population of 19.7%, far above the state and national figures, and a high proportion of children under 15 at 23%.

Most residents were born in Australia, with only 10% born overseas, which is far below the national figure. However, this has risen from 5.1% in 2011, reflecting a trend of increasing international arrivals.

English is the main language for 83.2% of the community. While the proportion of people using another language at home is far below the national figure, it has more than doubled since 2011 to reach 7.8%.

Christianity remains the most common faith at 56.2%. Those reporting no religion make up 29.2% of the population, a figure that has risen by 18 points since 2011, though it remains well below the national average.

Educational attainment is lower than in most areas, with 42.9% of residents completing Year 12, which is far below the national figure. Only 16.1% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, though this has risen since 2011.

Typical weekly household income is $1,626, which is a little below the state and national figures. While 18% of households earn $3,000 or more a week, this is still well below the New South Wales average.

Long-term health conditions are more common here than in most areas, affecting 31% of the population. Additionally, 6.2% of residents need help with daily activities, which is slightly higher than the national figure.

More people here provide unpaid childcare than in most areas, with 29.8% of the community involved. However, volunteering has fallen since 2011 and is now lower than the national average at 12.8%.

The First Nations community is a significant presence, with 2,028 people living in the area. This group is notably younger than the national average, with a typical age of 21, and an unemployment rate of 8.6% which is well below the national figure.

Families tend to be larger here, with 2.6 people per home. There is a much higher rate of one-parent families compared to most areas, accounting for 19.7% of all households.

The area is dominated by separate houses, making up 85.9% of dwellings. While 81% of homes have three or more bedrooms, typical weekly rent is $320, which is well below the state average.

Cars are essential for most, as only 0.2% of people commute by public transport. Working from home is also rare at 7%, which is far below the national average.

The area is seeing significant movement, with 42.6% of residents having moved in the last five years. This is partly driven by a surge in recent overseas arrivals, which rose to 22.7% since 2011.

Full-time employment is much higher here than in most areas, at 65.1%. The unemployment rate is 4.1%, which is slightly lower than the national figure.

The area's overall advantage score is 953, which is lower than about 68% of similar areas. It has a lower ranking for education and job skills, scoring 3 out of 10.

The local climate is warm, with an average maximum temperature of 25.4 degrees. Annual rainfall is 654mm, which is well above the New South Wales average.

Most residents can easily walk to a park or public transport stop, but fewer can reach groceries or health services within 15 minutes compared to the state average. The overall walkability score is 5.0, or somewhat walkable.