Barmera

The typical resident is 48, which is far older than the national figure of 38. People aged 65 and over make up 24.8% of the population, a figure that rose 7.2 percentage points since 2011, while the proportion of children under 15 has fallen.

Most of the community was born in Australia, and the proportion of people born overseas is far below the national average. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, followed by German, Scottish, and Greek.

English is the main language for 86.1% of residents, and the share of people using another language at home is well below the state figure. Only 1.9% of people speak little or no English.

Almost half of the population (49.2%) report having no religion, a figure that is far above the national average and rose 21 percentage points since 2011. Christianity is the next most common affiliation at 41.3%.

Education levels are much lower than in most similar areas, with only 9.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. While 37% of residents finished Year 12, this is far below the national figure of 58.8%.

Typical incomes are much lower than most areas; the usual weekly household income is $1,245, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. Only 10.2% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.

Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 36.2% of people living with a long-term health condition. This is reflected in the 7.8% of residents who need help with daily activities, which is higher than the national average.

Volunteering is more common here than in most areas, with 18.6% of people pitching in. Unpaid care is also a priority, as 13.7% of residents provide unpaid care and 24% do significant amounts of housework.

First Nations people make up 4.6% of the population, which is a little above the national average. This group is generally younger than the wider community, with a typical age of 22, but faces significant economic hardship with a typical weekly income of $374.

Homes here are smaller than usual, with 2.3 people per home. Nearly 30% of people live alone, and one-parent families are slightly more common than in most other areas.

The area is dominated by separate houses, which make up 91.1% of dwellings. Renting is much less common than the national average, and the typical weekly rent of $200 is far below the figure for Australia.

Car travel is essential, as 72.9% of people drive to work and only 0.8% use public transport. Very few people work from home, and the area has very few public transport stops.

The population is relatively stable, with 27.9% of people moving in the last five years—a figure that is far below the national average. Recent overseas arrivals make up 10.9% of the community.

About 56.2% of adults are working or looking for work, which is well below the national figure. The most common industries for local workers are health care, manufacturing, and agriculture.

Barmera ranks very low for overall advantage and job skills compared to other areas. Population growth since 2021 has been 1.7%, which is well below the state average of 5.6%.

The area sees an average annual rainfall of 214mm, which is well above the South Australian average. Minimum temperatures are much lower than in most other areas.

The town is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score far below the state average. Most residents live more than 15 minutes away from health services, groceries, and parks.