Statistical Area 2 (SA2) · Area profile
Benalla Surrounds
2,105 km²
An aging population has become a defining feature of Benalla Surrounds, with the typical resident now 52 years old. This rural community has grown by 12% since 2011, though it remains much older than the national average. It is a place where nearly half of the homes are owned outright and the workforce is heavily tied to the land, with over 22% working in agriculture. The area feels steady and traditional, with very few overseas arrivals and a strong presence of long-term residents.
Plenty of schools here relative to how few children live in the area.
Explore Benalla Surrounds by topic
The community is far older than the state and national average, with a quarter of residents aged 65 and over. This senior population has risen by 9.2 percentage points since 2011, while the proportion of children has fallen.
The area is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 82.9% born here and only 7.9% born overseas, a figure far below the national average. English, Australian, and Irish are the most common ancestries.
English is the primary language for nearly 90% of the population. Only 2.2% of people use another language at home, which is far below the national figure.
People with no religion make up 44.3% of the community, a figure that has risen by 19 percentage points since 2011. This is well above the national and state averages.
Educational qualifications are lower than most areas, with only 16.2% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is far below the national average of 26.3%.
Typical weekly household incomes are much lower than the national figure at $1,363. However, the number of households earning $3,000 or more a week rose by 9.4 percentage points since 2011.
Long-term health conditions are much more common here than in most areas, affecting 32.5% of residents. Arthritis is the most reported condition at 11.8%.
Volunteerism is very high at 22.8%, well above the national average. There is also a strong history of service, with 3.9% of people having served in the Defence Force.
About 1.7% of the population identifies as First Nations. Among this group, 7.7% speak a First Nations language, which is higher than the state average.
Family structures are traditional, with 49.8% of households consisting of couples with children. One-parent families are much less common here than in most other areas.
Housing is dominated by separate houses, making up 98.9% of all homes. Nearly half are owned outright, and typical weekly rents are far below the national figure at $220.
The area is almost entirely car-dependent, with 0.7% of homes having no vehicle. Public transport use is very low, with only 0.2% of people using it for commuting.
The population is very stable, as only 26.4% of people moved in the last five years, far lower than the national average of 40.7%.
Agriculture, forestry and fishing is a major employer for 22.6% of the workforce. The unemployment rate is very low at 2.5%, which is well below the state average.
The area has a good level of access to money and resources, ranking higher than 80% of similar areas. However, overall population growth since 2021 has been much lower than the state average.
The climate is characterized by average annual rainfall of 634mm, which is a little above the Victorian average. Minimum temperatures are slightly lower than the state figure.
The area is highly car-dependent with a walkability score of 0.4. No one lives within a 15-minute walk of a health service, and very few can walk to groceries or schools.
Nearby areas
Compare Benalla Surrounds with nearby areas
Related areas
Overlapping areas from other classifications.