Buloke

The typical resident is 52, making Buloke far older than the Victorian average. Seniors aged 65 and over make up 28.8% of the population, a figure far above the national average, while children under 15 have fallen to 15.1% since 2011.

People born overseas make up only 6.5% of the community, which is far below the national figure. Most residents have Australian (41.3%) or English (39.1%) ancestry.

English is the primary language for 88% of the population, and the proportion of people using another language at home is much lower than in most other areas.

Over half the community identifies as Christian (52.8%), though the number of people with no religion has risen significantly to 35.9% since 2011.

Academic qualifications are much lower than most areas, with only 11.2% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Year 12 completion is also far below the national average at 36.3%.

Typical weekly household income is $1,089, which is well below the national figure. Only 8.7% of households earn $3,000 or more a week, although this has risen since 2011.

Long-term health conditions are much more common here than in most areas, affecting 35.7% of residents. Consequently, 8.4% of people need help with daily activities, which is a little above the state average.

Volunteering is very common, with 33.1% of people helping out, a figure far above the national average. Unpaid care is also more frequent here, with 15.4% of the community providing support.

There are 92 First Nations people in the area. This group is far older than the national average, with a typical age of 34, and experiences much higher unemployment at 17.1%.

The area has a high number of people living alone (34.6%) and fewer people per home than the state average. One-parent families make up 11.5% of households.

Home ownership is very high, with 56.3% of homes owned outright, far above the national average. Most residents live in separate houses, and typical weekly rents are among the lowest in the country at $158.

Car travel is the main way to get around, as public transport use is very low at 0.3%. Most homes have at least one vehicle, and 34.2% have two.

The population is relatively stable, with far fewer people moving in the last five years (26.3%) compared to the state average. However, recent overseas arrivals have risen to 22.2%.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing is the dominant industry, employing 30.8% of the workforce. The unemployment rate is 3.5%, which is a little below the national figure.

The area faces some economic challenges, with an overall advantage score that is lower than about 70% of similar areas. Population growth has also been negative, falling 4.0% since 2021.

Buloke is quite dry, with average annual rainfall of 360mm, which is well below the Victorian average. Summer temperatures are a little higher than the state average.

While the area is considered somewhat walkable, it is well below the state average in most categories. Only 54.2% of homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport.