Tamworth - West

The area has a very high Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population at 26.4%, which is far above the national figure. It is also remarkably young, with children under 15 making up 26.0% of the community.

Most residents were born in Australia, and those born overseas make up only 8.9% of the population, which is far below the state average. Filipino ancestry is the most common non-European heritage here at 3.4%.

English is the main language for 80.2% of people, and only 7.3% use another language at home, far below the New South Wales figure. This low linguistic diversity is consistent with the small percentage of overseas-born residents.

No religion is common here at 38.5%, which is about the same as the national figure. This is a significant increase from 2011, when only 16.3% reported having no religion.

Education levels are among the lowest for similar areas, with only 6.1% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. About 28.8% of residents finished Year 12, which is far below the national figure of 58.8%.

Typical weekly household incomes are much lower than most areas at $1,233, well below the national figure of $1,746. Only 8.9% of households earn $3,000 or more per week, among the lowest for similar areas.

Mental health conditions are much more common here than in most areas, affecting 11.6% of residents. Long-term health conditions are also a little above the national figure, affecting 29.8% of the community.

Volunteer rates are among the lowest for similar areas at 7.5%, well below the national average. Around 11.8% of people provide unpaid care, which is about the same as the state average.

The First Nations community is large, with 1,584 people, but faces tough challenges. Unemployment is well above the national rate at 19.2%, and the typical personal income is a little below the national figure at $508.

One-parent families are far more common here than in most areas, making up 31.5% of households. Homes tend to be larger, with an average of 2.7 people per dwelling.

The area is dominated by separate houses, which make up 94.4% of all homes. Renting is far more common here than nationally, with 46.3% of households renting, though typical weekly rents of $290 are much lower than the national figure.

Reliance on cars is high, with 66.3% of people driving to work and only 0.6% using public transport. Very few people work from home, at just 5.7%, which is far below the state average.

The area has seen a big jump in recent overseas arrivals, who now make up 33.9% of the community. This is far above the national figure and represents a 20 point increase since 2011.

While full-time employment is higher than most areas at 61.8%, the overall unemployment rate is well above the national figure at 9.7%. Many residents work as labourers, who make up 28.1% of occupations.

The area is ranked among the most disadvantaged for its level, scoring 1 out of 10 for overall advantage. This is consistent with the low typical incomes and low levels of higher education in the community.

The area is warmer than average with a maximum temperature of 25.6 degrees. Annual rainfall is 737mm, which is well above the New South Wales figure.

The area is only somewhat walkable, with a score of 4.4. Residents have good access to parks, but are far more likely to be more than 15 minutes' walk from groceries or health services compared to the state average.