Warragul

Warragul is noticeably older than the rest of Australia, with a typical resident aged 41 and a high proportion of seniors. This trend has grown since 2011, with those aged 65 and over now making up 21.3% of the population.

The community is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 81.3% born here. Only 13.2% of residents were born overseas, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%.

English is the dominant tongue, used by 88.7% of people at home. Only 6.1% use another language, a figure far below the Victorian average of 27.6%.

A significant number of residents—47.1%—report having no religion. This is well above the national figure and reflects a sharp rise of 21 percentage points since 2011.

About 19.9% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, which is well below the state average. While Year 12 completion has risen to 49% since 2011, it remains far below the Victorian figure of 61.8%.

Typical weekly household income is $1,590, slightly lower than the national figure. However, there has been a steady rise in prosperity, with the proportion of households earning $3,000 or more a week climbing 11 points since 2011.

Health challenges are more common here than in most areas. This includes a much higher rate of long-term health conditions (33.4%) and mental health conditions (11.3%) compared to the rest of the country.

Residents are more likely to volunteer and provide unpaid care than those in most other areas. This is consistent with a higher-than-average 14% of people providing unpaid care for others.

First Nations people make up 1.1% of the population. Those in this community are more likely to speak a First Nations language than the state average, though unemployment is well above the Victorian figure at 13.7%.

Family life is typical for the region, with 56% of homes consisting of couples with children and 25.7% of people living alone.

Large detached houses dominate the landscape, making up 89% of all homes. Home ownership is strong, with 38.5% of dwellings owned outright, which is well above the national average.

The area is heavily dependent on cars, with 62.7% of people driving to work and very few using public transport. A tiny 0.6% of residents commute via public transport, much lower than most areas.

Warragul is attracting new residents, with 44.3% of people having moved here in the last five years. This is well above the national average and includes a rise in recent arrivals from overseas.

The workforce is largely employed in health care, construction, and education. The unemployment rate is 3.9%, which is a little lower than both the state and national figures.

The area has a strong business presence with 2,566 enterprises. While it sits around the middle for overall advantage, it has seen much higher population growth since 2021 compared to most other areas.

The local climate is quite wet, with annual rainfall far above the Victorian average. Average maximum temperatures are also a little lower than the state figure.

Getting around without a car is difficult, as only 34.6% of homes have a '15-minute-city' walkshed. This is far below the state average, with many residents living well over 10 minutes' walk from public transport.