Atherton

The community is noticeably older than most, with a typical resident aged 45 and 26% of people aged 65 and over. This is well above the national figure of 17.2%. First Nations people make up 7.5% of the population, which is much higher than in most other areas.

Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a far lower proportion of overseas-born people (13.8%) compared to the national average of 27.7%. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, followed by Irish and Scottish.

English is the primary language for 84.5% of the population. Only 6.2% of people use another language at home, which is far below the national figure of 22.3%.

Nearly half of the community identifies as Christian (49.2%). Those reporting no religion make up 37.8%, a figure that has risen by 16 points since 2011.

Education levels are much lower than in most areas, with only 13.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Year 12 completion is also far below the national figure, sitting at 43.3%.

Incomes are much lower than typical for the state and nation. The typical weekly family income is $1,620, and only 10.6% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.

A higher than average 6.6% of residents need help with daily activities. Long-term health conditions are also more common here, with arthritis being the most reported issue at 9.7%.

Volunteering is more common here than in most areas, with 17.3% of people pitching in. There is also a higher rate of former Defence Force members (4.5%) compared to the national average.

The First Nations community is among the largest at this level, though they face challenges. The unemployment rate for First Nations people is 14.5%, which is a little above the national figure.

People are more likely to live alone here (30.8%) than in most areas. One-parent families are also much more common, making up 17.3% of households.

Housing is dominated by separate houses (86.3%), and 40.3% of homes are owned outright, which is far above the national average. Rents are much lower than typical, with a typical weekly rent of $280.

The town is heavily reliant on cars, as there are no public transport stops or routes within the area. Only 7.9% of the workforce works from home, which is far below the national figure.

About 39.8% of residents moved in the last five years. There has been a slight increase in recent arrivals from overseas, who now make up 15.5% of the population.

Health care and agriculture are the main employers. While the unemployment rate is lower than most areas at 4.1%, the proportion of adults working or looking for work is much lower than the national average.

The area ranks lower than most for overall advantage and access to resources. However, it has seen steady growth, with the population increasing by 6.2% since 2021.

The region is much wetter than the Queensland average, with annual rainfall of 1,352mm. It also experiences higher average minimum temperatures than the state average.

Atherton is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score of 2.8. Only 30.5% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries, which is far below the state average of 60.6%.