Statistical Area 2 (SA2) · Area profile
Tweed Heads South
8 km²
Tweed Heads South is a high-rainfall coastal area in New South Wales where a large population of seniors resides. It is a predominantly older community, with a typical resident aged 54 and over a third of the population aged 65 or more. This age profile is reflected in the high number of people who own their homes outright and a lower percentage of children. While the area is mostly residential, it is marked by significant levels of long-term health needs and lower typical incomes compared to the rest of the state.
Tweed Heads South is well supplied with schools for its relatively small share of children.
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The area has a strong First Nations presence, with 6.9% of people identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, well above the national figure of 3.2%. It is a far older community than the state average, with 36.8% of residents aged 65 and over.
English and Australian are the most common ancestries, making up 43.5% and 35.7% respectively. About 19.8% of people were born overseas, which is well below the New South Wales average of 29.3%.
English is the primary language for 87% of the community, meaning the 7.1% who use another language at home is far below the state average. Only 0.8% of residents speak little or no English.
Over half of the population identifies as Christian, while 36.2% report no religion. This figure for no religion has risen by 11 points since 2016.
Educational qualifications are much lower than in most similar areas, with only 10.8% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Only 37.4% of residents completed Year 12, which is far below the national figure of 58.8%.
Incomes are among the lowest at this level, with a typical weekly household income of $949, far below the state's $1,829. Just 6.9% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.
Health challenges are common here; 42.2% of people have a long-term health condition and 12.2% need help with daily activities, both of which are far above the national average.
Participation in unpaid care is higher than most areas, though 11.1% of residents volunteering is well below the national figure of 14.1%. Interestingly, 4.9% of the community served in the Defence Force, which is much higher than most areas.
The First Nations community consists of 583 people, a count larger than about 84% of similar areas. The typical age for First Nations residents is 27, which is noticeably older than the state average of 23.
Homes are smaller than usual, with only 2.1 people per home. There is a high number of people living alone (37.8%) and one-parent families (22.0%), both of which are far above national figures.
Ownership is high, with 45.4% of homes owned outright, far above the national figure of 31.0%. However, separate houses are less common here than in other areas, making up just 50.5% of dwellings.
Most people drive to work, and 10.9% of homes have no motor vehicle, which is well above the national figure of 7.4%. Only 1% of residents commute using public transport.
The area has seen a fair amount of movement, with 42.2% of people moving house in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas account for 7.5% of the population.
Employment levels are among the lowest for its level, with only 42.8% of adults working or looking for work. The unemployment rate is 6.2%, which is a little above the national average of 5.1%.
The area faces significant disadvantage, ranking in the bottom 20% of similar areas for overall advantage and access to resources.
The climate is wet and mild, with an average annual rainfall of 2,021mm, which is far above the New South Wales average of 515mm.
The area is somewhat walkable, and 93% of homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport. However, access to health services is poor, with only 44.6% of homes within a 15-minute walk.