Statistical Area 2 (SA2) · Area profile
Riverwood
3 km²
Over half of the people in Riverwood were born overseas, making it a highly diverse community. The area has grown quickly, adding about 2,151 people since 2011. It is a place where many residents speak a language other than English at home, particularly Mandarin and Cantonese. While it is a very walkable suburb with easy access to services, it is also an area where typical incomes are much lower than the national figure.
Riverwood's schools draw a more advantaged community than local incomes would suggest.
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The typical resident is 40, and there are more seniors here than in most similar areas. Children under 15 make up 15% of the population, which is well below the national figure of 18.2%.
Born overseas, 55.6% of the population hails from another country, a figure far above the Australian average of 27.7%. Chinese is the most common ancestry at 33.2%.
Language diversity is very high, with 62.5% of people using another language at home. This is far above the national figure, and nearly 20% of residents speak little or no English.
Christianity is the most common faith at 39.2%, while 31.2% of people report no religion. This last figure has risen by 13 points since 2011.
Educational attainment has improved, with the share of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher rising to 25.2% since 2011. Most residents have completed Year 12, which is a little above the national figure.
Incomes are much lower than usual, with a typical weekly household earning $1,208, well below the national figure of $1,746. Only 14.3% of households earn $3,000 or more a week.
People needing help with daily activities are much more common here at 8.5%, which is higher than the national average of 5.8%.
Volunteer rates are among the lowest at this level at 6.9%, well below the national figure of 14.1%.
There are 93 First Nations people in the area, and those who speak a First Nations language are more common here than in most of the state.
One-parent families are much more common here than in other areas, making up 20.1% of households. About 30.6% of people live alone.
Renters are the majority at 56%, far above the national figure of 30.6%. Most people live in flats or apartments, and homes are typically smaller than in other areas.
Public transport use is high, and 23.1% of homes have no motor vehicle, far above the national figure. However, 31.3% of people now work from home, a huge increase since 2011.
The population is quite mobile, with 38.3% of people moving in the last five years. Recent overseas arrivals make up 12.9% of the community.
Fewer adults are working or looking for work compared to other areas, at 46.5%. The unemployment rate is 8.0%, which is well above the national figure of 5.1%.
Overall advantage is very low, ranking in the bottom 20% of similar areas. This is reflected in an overall advantage score of 922, which is below the national average.
The area receives a high amount of rainfall, averaging 1,156mm annually, which is far above the New South Wales average.
Riverwood is very walkable, with 100% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a park or school. Almost all residents can walk to groceries and health services within 15 minutes.