Laurieton - Bonny Hills

The population is far older than the national figure, with children under 15 making up only 13.0%. First Nations people represent 4.4% of the community, a figure that has risen since 2011.

The area is overwhelmingly Australian-born, at 84.5%, and far fewer people were born overseas compared to the state average. English and Australian are the most common ancestries.

English is the primary language for 93.8% of the community. Very few people use another language at home, and only 0.2% of residents speak little or no English.

Over half the population identifies as Christian, while those with no religion make up 37.4%. The proportion of people reporting no religion rose by 18 points since 2011.

Education levels are lower than the national average, with 37.6% of people completing Year 12. However, the number of adults with a bachelor degree or higher rose by 5.3 points since 2011.

Typical weekly household incomes are well below the state and national figures, at $1,089. Only 9.8% of households earn $3,000 or more per week, though this has risen since 2011.

Long-term health issues are common, with 41.6% of people reporting a condition, far above the national average. About 9.1% of residents need help with daily activities, which is among the highest for similar areas.

Volunteering is much higher here than in most areas, with 18.3% of people pitching in. There is also a strong presence of former Defence Force members, at 4.9%.

There are 815 First Nations people in the area. The unemployment rate for this group is 5.8%, which is well below the national figure of 12.3%.

Homes are typically smaller than average, with 2.2 people per household. This is consistent with the older population, as 28.6% of people live alone.

Home ownership is very high, with 52.7% of homes owned outright, far above the national figure. Most people live in separate houses, which make up 84.4% of all dwellings.

The area is heavily reliant on cars, as only 0.6% of people commute by public transport. Most homes have at least one vehicle, and very few (3.7%) have none.

About 39.5% of residents moved here in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas are much less common than in other areas, at 4.4%.

The proportion of adults working or looking for work is far below the national average, at 42.6%. Many of the remaining workers are employed in health care and social assistance.

The area has a general advantage score of 3, which is lower than about 70% of similar places. However, the population has grown by 8.6% since 2021, which is a little above the state rate.

The area is very wet, with average annual rainfall of 1,513mm, far above the New South Wales average. Temperatures are typical for the region.

Most of the area is car-dependent, with a walkability score of 3.8. Only 43.3% of homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport.