Wagga Wagga - East

The population has grown by 6.4% since 2011 to 16,921 people. It is a community with a high proportion of children under 15 (20.8%) and a rising number of seniors, with those aged 65 and over now making up 19.5% of the area.

The area is much less diverse than the rest of the state, with only 10.0% of people born overseas. Most residents claim Australian or English ancestry, which is far below the national trend for overseas birthplaces.

English is the primary language for 89.0% of the community. Only 7.0% of people use another language at home, a figure far below the national average of 22.3%.

Christianity is the dominant faith at 60.6%. While the number of people with no religion has risen 16 points since 2011 to reach 31.2%, this is still well below the national figure.

The area has more schools per 1,000 children than most similar places. However, Year 12 completion is well below the state average at 49.5%, and only 20.4% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher.

Typical personal weekly income is $851, which is higher than most similar areas. Typical household incomes are about the same as the national figure, though 20.1% of homes now earn $3,000 or more a week.

Long-term health conditions are much more common here than in most areas, affecting 32.7% of residents. Mental health conditions are also more frequent than the national average.

Residents are more likely to volunteer (18.0%) and provide unpaid care than those in most similar areas. There is also a notably high proportion of people who have served in the Defence Force.

First Nations people make up 5.5% of the population, which is much higher than most areas. This community is very young, with a typical age of just 19 years.

Families with children are common, and households are slightly larger than the national average with 2.6 people per home. One-parent families are also more frequent here than in most similar areas.

Large homes are the standard, with 84.6% of dwellings having three or more bedrooms and 87.9% being separate houses. This helps explain why there are very few people per bedroom (0.70) compared to the rest of the state.

The area relies heavily on cars, with 71.8% of people driving to work and only 0.6% using public transport. This is consistent with a very long walk to the nearest transport stop for most residents.

Recent arrivals from overseas make up 21.1% of the population, which is well above the national average. About 38.8% of residents have moved house in the last five years.

The local workforce is active, with 63.7% of adults working or looking for work. Unemployment is much lower than most similar areas, sitting at 3.6%.

The area is home to 1,539 businesses and has an overall advantage score of 984, which is slightly below the national average.

The area receives much more annual rainfall (651mm) than the state average. Minimum temperatures are a little lower than the New South Wales figure.

The area is only somewhat walkable, with far fewer people within a 15-minute walk of groceries or health services than in the rest of the state. However, 90.7% of homes are near a park.