Cairnlea

The typical resident is 36, making the area a little younger than the national figure. It is a family-heavy community where children under 15 make up 19.2% of the population, though the number of seniors has more than doubled since 2011 to reach 10.3%.

Diversity is a defining feature here, as 51.4% of people were born overseas, a figure far above the national average. Vietnamese (30.0%) and Chinese (12.4%) are the most common ancestries after Australian.

Language diversity is very high, with 69.2% of people using a language other than English at home, far exceeding the Victorian average. About 15.1% of residents speak little or no English, which is much higher than across the rest of the country.

Religious life is varied, with 40.1% of people identifying as Christian and 19.5% as Buddhist. The proportion of people reporting no religion is 21.6%, which is far below the national figure of 38.9%.

Many residents have completed Year 12, at 67.5%, which is well above the national average. However, the 23.0% of adults with a bachelor degree or higher is well below the state figure.

Typical household income is $2,062 a week, a little above the national figure. While 25.0% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly—a significant rise since 2011—typical personal incomes remain a little below the state average.

Residents report fewer long-term health conditions (21.0%) and mental health conditions (4.5%) than most other areas. Conversely, 6.0% of people need help with daily activities, which is about the same as the state average.

Volunteer rates are quite low at 7.3%, well below the national figure of 14.1%. About 12.1% of the community provide unpaid care, and 27.0% are unpaid carers for children.

The First Nations community is small, with 16 people. This group has a typical personal income of $725, which is well above the national figure.

Homes here are much larger than usual, with 3.4 people per household compared to the national figure of 2.5. This is consistent with a high rate of couples with children, who make up 69.2% of families.

The area is dominated by separate houses (88.3%), with 94.1% of homes having three or more bedrooms. Renting is much less common here than elsewhere, with only 15.0% of households renting.

Most people rely on cars, with 57.9% driving to work and 2.8% of homes having no vehicle. Working from home has become much more common, rising from 2.3% in 2011 to 19.0% in 2021.

The population is relatively stable, as only 23.4% of people moved in the last five years, far below the national figure. Recent overseas arrivals make up 7.0% of the community.

About 62.1% of adults are working or looking for work, with many employed in retail trade, healthcare, and manufacturing. The unemployment rate is 6.6%, which is a little above the national average.

The area has a moderate advantage score of 4 out of 10. While it ranks well for access to money and resources, it sits around the middle for education and job skills.

The local climate is slightly warmer than the state average, with a typical minimum temperature of 10.7 degrees. Annual rainfall is 570mm, which is a little above the Victorian average.

Cairnlea is very walkable, with 96.0% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a '15-minute-city' zone. Residents have excellent access to parks, health services, and groceries, all of which are within a 15-minute walk for the vast majority of homes.