West Wimmera

The area is far older than the national figure, with the typical resident aged 52 and 27.7% of the population aged 65 or over. Children under 15 make up 16.7%, which is a little below the national figure and has fallen since 2011.

Most residents were born in Australia, and only 7.0% were born overseas, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, each at 40.9%.

English is the main language for 88.4% of people, and only 2.5% use another language at home, far below the national figure of 22.3%. Very few people, just 0.2%, speak little or no English.

Over half the community identifies as Christian, while 36.3% report no religion. The share of people with no religion has risen 15 points since 2011.

Qualifications are lower than in most areas, with only 11.8% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is far below the national figure of 26.3%, though the share of people completing Year 12 rose to 36.2% since 2011.

Typical household incomes are well below the national figure, with a typical weekly income of $1,176. Only 12.0% of households earn $3,000 or more a week, though this has risen since 2011.

Long-term health conditions are more common here than in most areas, affecting 31.7% of residents. Arthritis is the most reported condition at 13.7%.

Volunteering is very common, with 31.3% of people volunteering, far above the national figure of 14.1%. Unpaid care for others is also higher than most areas.

There are 35 First Nations people in the area. The typical personal income for this group is $450, which is a little below the national figure.

Living arrangements are often smaller, with people per home at 2.1. A high number of people live alone—36.7%, which is far above the national figure of 25.6%.

The area is dominated by separate houses (95.9%), and a far higher share of people own their homes outright (53.6%) compared to the national figure of 31.0%. Typical weekly rent is very low at $150.

Public transport is almost unused, and 0.0% of people commute by it. Almost everyone relies on cars, with 34.8% of homes having two vehicles.

The community is very stable, with only 26.2% of people moving in the last five years, far below the national figure of 40.7%. However, recent arrivals from overseas have risen to 22.1%.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing is the main industry, employing 46.3% of the workforce. Full-time employment is at 60.1%, which is a little above the national figure.

The area has an overall advantage score of 967, which is smaller than about 62% of similar areas. Population growth has been negative since 2021, falling by 3.4%.

Annual rainfall is 525mm, and the average maximum temperature is 20.6 degrees, both of which are much lower than in most other areas.

The area is mostly car-dependent with a walkability score of 3.0. Only 36.0% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries, far below the state figure of 74.0%.