Inverell

The community is older than most, with the typical resident aged 41 and seniors making up 23.2% of the population. First Nations people represent 10.9% of the population, a figure that is well above the national average and has risen since 2011.

Most residents were born in Australia, and those born overseas make up just 7.3%, which is far below the state and national figures. Australian and English are the most common ancestries, together accounting for over 83% of the population.

English is the primary language for 86.7% of the community. Only 5.0% use another language at home, which is far below the national figure, and very few people speak little or no English.

Christianity is the most common faith at 57.4%. Those reporting no religion make up 31.5% of the population, a figure that has risen sharply by 19 percentage points since 2011.

Educational attainment is much lower than in most areas, with only 10.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Year 12 completion is also far below the national average at 36.0%, though this has risen since 2011.

Typical weekly household income is $1,187, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. High earners are rare here, with only 9.8% of households earning $3,000 or more per week.

Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 32.2% of people living with a long-term condition. This is reflected in the 7.0% of residents who need help with daily activities.

Participation in unpaid care is higher than most areas, with 12.8% providing such support. Local volunteering is around the middle for similar areas at 15.3%, though this has fallen since 2011.

The First Nations community is large and relatively young, with a typical age of 21. However, this group faces significant challenges, including an unemployment rate of 18.5% and typical personal incomes well below the national average.

One-parent families are much more common here than in most areas, at 20.9%. A large number of people also live alone, accounting for 30.7% of all households.

Detached houses dominate the landscape at 87.3%, and 78.0% of homes have three or more bedrooms. While weekly rents are well below the national average at $270, 32.4% of households are renting.

The community relies heavily on cars, with 68.4% of workers driving to work. Public transport use is almost non-existent at 0.2%, and the average walk to the nearest stop is much longer than in most areas.

While the proportion of people moving recently is typical for the region, Inverell has a very high rate of recent overseas arrivals at 26.2%, which is far above the national figure.

Full-time employment is slightly higher than the national average, but the overall rate of people working or looking for work is much lower at 52.7%. Many locals work in health care, manufacturing, or retail.

The area faces significant economic hurdles, ranking in the bottom 20% for overall advantage. This is linked to low scores for education and job skills, which are among the lowest in the country.

The area is wetter than much of New South Wales, with average annual rainfall of 780mm. It also experiences much lower minimum temperatures than most other areas.

The town is only somewhat walkable, with a score of 4.5. Many residents lack easy access to essentials, as only 42.1% can walk to groceries and 32.3% can walk to health services within 15 minutes.