Ballarat East - Warrenheip

The area is noticeably older than the state and national averages, with a high proportion of seniors and far fewer children under 15 than most areas. About 2.5% of the population is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, which is a little above the Victorian average.

English and Australian ancestries are the most common, but the area is far less diverse than the rest of the state, with only 10.4% of people born overseas.

English is the dominant language, with 89% of people using it only. This is consistent with the low overseas birth rate, as the proportion of people using another language at home is far below the national figure.

Nearly half of the community (49.9%) reports having no religion, a figure that is far above both the state and national averages.

Year 12 completion is far below the Victorian average at 49.3%, and the proportion of adults with a bachelor degree or higher is also well below the national figure.

Incomes are much lower than in most areas; the typical household earns $1,209 a week, which is well below the state and national figures.

Health challenges are common here, with long-term health conditions affecting 39.5% of people and mental health conditions affecting 15.7%—both figures are far above the national average.

Unpaid care is a significant part of local life, with 14.6% of people providing unpaid care, which is much higher than in most similar areas.

There are 238 First Nations people in the area, though they face significant challenges with an unemployment rate of 19.3%, well above the state average.

Living arrangements are unusual compared to other areas, as 36.8% of people live alone and one-parent families are much more common than the state average.

Most people live in separate houses, and while 31.3% own their home outright, the proportion of renters is well above the national average. Typical rents are $288 a week, which is well below the state figure.

While the area has more public transport stops than most similar places, only 1.3% of people use it to commute, and the drive time to the city is much higher than in most areas.

The community has seen some movement, with 40.1% of residents moving in the last five years and 13.7% arriving from overseas.

Fewer people are working or looking for work compared to the state average, and the full-time employment rate is well below the national figure.

The area is ranked low for overall advantage and access to resources, and population growth since 2021 has been much lower than across Victoria.

The area is cooler than the state average, with a low average minimum temperature of 7.8 degrees and annual rainfall that is far above the Victorian average.

The area is very walkable, with 88.9% of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport, though access to health services within 15 minutes is far below the state average.