Statistical Area 2 (SA2) · Area profile
Naracoorte
115 km²
Spanning 115 square kilometres in the South East, Naracoorte is a regional hub with a population that has grown 11% since 2011. It is a community where detached houses dominate and a high proportion of residents are now seniors, with 21.4% aged 65 and over. The area is known for a strong spirit of service, with one of the highest volunteer rates in the region. This creates a stable, established character where most people are born in Australia and work in local manufacturing or agriculture.
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The typical resident is 40 years old, and the population is slightly older than the national figure. While children under 15 make up 18.5% of the community, the number of seniors has risen by 3.3 points since 2011.
Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a much lower proportion of overseas-born people (18.4%) than the national figure. However, this group has grown by 5.5 points since 2011.
English is the main language for nearly 80% of the community, and the proportion of people using another language at home has risen to 13.8%. Notably, 4.2% of residents speak little or no English, which is higher than in most similar areas.
The community is split almost evenly between those with no religion (42.8%) and those with a Christian faith (41.3%). The number of people reporting no religion has risen by 19 points since 2011.
Educational attainment is much lower than in most areas, with only 10.9% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Year 12 completion is also far below the national figure at 40.1%, though this has risen by 8.8 points since 2011.
Typical weekly household incomes are $1,377, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. Only 11.2% of households earn $3,000 or more a week, a figure that is much lower than in most similar areas.
Long-term health conditions are reported at 27.2%, which is about the same as the national figure. Mental health conditions are slightly lower than the national average at 7.4%.
Volunteering is very common here, with 24.2% of people helping out—a rate far above the national figure. This is alongside a lower-than-usual rate of people providing unpaid care (9.8%).
There are 113 First Nations people in the area. They have an unemployment rate of 7.0%, which is well below both the state and national figures.
Family life is often centered on couples with children (54.5%), but nearly 30% of households consist of just one person. This is higher than the national figure of 25.6%.
Housing is overwhelmingly dominated by separate houses (93.8%), with 80.2% of homes having three or more bedrooms. Rents are much lower than the national average, with a typical weekly cost of $230.
The area is heavily reliant on cars, with 0% of the population commuting by public transport. This is reflected in the infrastructure, where there are very few public transport stops available.
Recent arrivals from overseas make up 27.9% of the population, which is far above the national figure. About 38% of the community has moved house in the last five years.
The local job market is strong, with an unemployment rate of 2.9% that is among the lowest for similar areas. Many people work in manufacturing (17.0%) or agriculture, forestry, and fishing (14.4%).
The area has a low overall advantage score of 923, which is lower than about 81% of similar areas. Population growth since 2021 has been very slow at 0.2%.
The climate is cooler than the state average, with an average minimum temperature of 8.9 degrees. Rainfall is relatively high for the region at 490mm annually.
The town is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score of 4.0. Only 48.4% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of a variety of amenities, which is far below the state figure.