Forster

The area is far older than the state and national average, with seniors making up 38% of the population. This shift has continued since 2011, while the proportion of children under 15 has fallen to 13%, which is much lower than most similar areas.

Forster is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 81.6% born here and a much lower proportion of overseas-born residents (11.6%) compared to the state and national figures. English is the most common ancestry at 45.5%.

English is the dominant language, spoken by 90.1% of the community. The proportion of people using another language at home is 3.7%, which is far below the national figure.

Over half the community identifies as Christian, though those with no religion now make up 35.4% of the population. This figure has risen by 19 percentage points since 2011.

Educational attainment is much lower than in most similar areas, with only 13.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher and 35.8% completing Year 12, both of which are far below the national figures.

Incomes are among the lowest for this level, with a typical household earning $1,015 a week, far below the national figure of $1,746. Only 8.7% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.

Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 40.5% of people reporting a long-term health condition. Nearly 10% of residents need help with daily activities, which is well above the national average.

The community is more likely to provide unpaid care (13.5%) and has a higher rate of former Defence Force members (4.2%) than most areas. However, the number of people caring for children unpaid is well below the national figure.

First Nations people make up 6.3% of the population, which is much higher than most areas. This group faces significant economic gaps, with a typical personal income of $521, well below the state average.

Living arrangements are smaller than usual, with only 2.1 people per home. A high proportion of residents live alone (34.7%), and one-parent families are much more common here than in most similar areas.

Home ownership is very high, with 48.6% of homes owned outright, far above the national figure. Typical weekly rents are $340, which is a little below the national average.

Most people rely on cars, with 64.8% driving to work and very few (0.4%) using public transport. While there are many bus stops available, the typical walk to the nearest stop takes 31 minutes.

About 39% of residents moved in the last five years, a figure that is about the same as the national average. Recent overseas arrivals have increased to 9.8% since 2011.

A smaller proportion of the population is working or looking for work (41.7%) compared to the state. The local workforce is concentrated in health care and social assistance, which accounts for 21.2% of jobs.

The area ranks low for overall advantage and job skills compared to other similar areas. Population growth since 2021 has been 2.4%, which is well below the New South Wales average.

Forster is much wetter than most of the state, with average annual rainfall of 1,475mm. Minimum temperatures are also well above the state average.

The area is somewhat walkable, though many homes are far from schools and health services. Notably, 96.7% of homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport, far above the state average.