Tumut

Tumut is noticeably older than the rest of the country, with a typical resident aged 42 and 22.3% of the population aged 65 or over. The First Nations population is much higher than most areas at 7.7%, and this figure has risen since 2011.

The community is overwhelmingly Australian or British in heritage, with 83.4% born in Australia. Only 9.4% of residents were born overseas, which is far below the state and national figures.

English is the dominant language, spoken by 87.9% of the population. Only 5.3% of people use another language at home, and very few residents speak little or no English.

About 60.1% of residents identify as Christian, while 28.9% have no religion. The proportion of people with no religion has risen by 18 percentage points since 2011, though it remains well below the national figure.

Educational attainment is much lower than in most areas, with only 36.6% of residents completing Year 12. The proportion of adults with a bachelor degree or higher is 11.7%, which is far below the national average.

Incomes are well below state and national levels, with a typical family earning $1,615 per week. Only 11.4% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, though this is up from 4.1% in 2011.

Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 34.6% of people living with a long-term health condition. Additionally, 7.5% of residents need help with daily activities, a figure that has risen since 2011.

Volunteering is more common in Tumut than in most areas, with 16.6% of the population contributing their time. Other participation rates, such as providing unpaid care, are about the same as the national average.

The First Nations community is larger than in most similar areas, with 514 people. This group is younger than the general population, with a typical age of 21, but experiences lower personal and household incomes.

Single-person households are very common, making up 31.8% of the community. One-parent families are also much more frequent than in most areas, accounting for 18.2% of households.

Most people live in separate houses, and 36.9% of homes are owned outright, which is well above the national figure. Both weekly rents ($245) and mortgage payments ($1,300) are much lower than typical state figures.

Cars are essential here, with 70.1% of workers driving to work and only 0.5% using public transport. Very few people work from home, at just 5.1%.

About 35.8% of the population moved in the last five years, which is well below the national average. Recent overseas arrivals make up 15.1% of the community, though this is down 13 points since 2011.

About 56.1% of adults are working or looking for work, which is lower than in most areas. The local workforce is concentrated in manufacturing, health care, and retail trade.

Tumut faces significant disadvantage, ranking in the bottom 20% of areas for overall advantage and access to money and resources. Population growth has also been among the lowest at its level since 2021.

The area is cooler and wetter than the state average, with an average minimum temperature of 8.1 degrees and annual rainfall far above the NSW average.

Most residents can walk to a park, school, or grocery store within 15 minutes. However, the town is far less walkable for public transport, with only 24.9% of homes within a 10-minute walk of a stop.