Horsham Surrounds

The community is far older than the national figure, with the typical resident aged 46 and 18.9% of the population aged 65 or over. While the number of children under 15 has fallen since 2011, the proportion of seniors has risen by 3.9 percentage points.

The area is very homogeneous, with 87.2% of people born in Australia. Those born overseas make up only 5.7% of the population, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%.

English is the primary language for 92.2% of residents. Only 1.8% of people use another language at home, a figure far below the Victorian average of 27.6%.

A large number of residents report no religion, at 43.1%, which is well above the national figure. This represents a significant shift since 2011, when the figure was only 21%.

Educational qualifications are lower than in most areas, with only 15.6% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. However, the number of people who completed Year 12 rose by 8.0 percentage points since 2011 to reach 44.8%.

Typical weekly household income is $1,567, which is a little below the national figure. While incomes have risen since 2011, the proportion of households earning $3,000 or more a week remains lower than in most areas.

About 29.4% of residents have a long-term health condition, which is a little above the national figure. Arthritis is the most common reported condition at 10.5%.

Community spirit is high, with 32.8% of people volunteering, a figure far above the national average of 14.1%. Unpaid care is also common, as 13.9% of people provide unpaid care and 26.1% do significant housework.

There are 25 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the area. The typical age for First Nations residents is 35, which is far older than the state and national figures of 24.

Families tend to be stable, with 57.2% being couples with children. One-parent families make up only 9.0% of the population, which is much lower than in most other areas.

Housing is overwhelmingly dominated by separate houses (98.2%), and 53.6% of homes are owned outright. This high rate of ownership helps explain why typical weekly rents of $185 and monthly mortgage payments of $1,134 are far below the national figures.

The area is heavily reliant on cars, with 0% of people commuting by public transport. Most homes have multiple vehicles, and 22.5% of the workforce operates from home.

The population is very stable, as only 23.6% of people moved in the last five years, far below the national figure of 40.7%.

The local economy is driven by agriculture, forestry, and fishing, which employ 27.2% of the workforce. Unemployment is very low at 2.2%, well below the national figure of 5.1%.

Residents generally have good access to money and resources, ranking in the top 20% of similar areas. Overall advantage is slightly above the national average.

The climate is drier than the state average, with annual rainfall of 449mm. Minimum temperatures are also much lower than in most other areas.

The area is highly car-dependent, with a walkability score of 1.5, far below the Victorian average of 6.4. Only 15.2% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries or a city-style walkshed.