Collie

The typical resident is 44, making the area noticeably older than the state and national figures. Seniors aged 65 and over make up 22.4% of the population, a figure that rose 9.0 points since 2011.

The community is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 80.9% born here. Only 11.4% were born overseas, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%.

English is the dominant language, with 89.3% using it at home. Very few people use another language (2.6%) or speak little to no English (0.3%), both of which are far below national levels.

A majority of residents report no religion at 51.9%, which is far above the national average. This figure has risen sharply by 22 points since 2011.

Educational attainment is much lower than in most areas, with only 30.1% of residents completing Year 12 and just 5.8% holding a bachelor degree or higher.

Incomes are well below the state and national figures, with a typical household earning $1,234 a week. Only 13.1% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, which is much lower than most areas.

Long-term health conditions are much more common here than elsewhere, affecting 33.5% of people. This includes higher than average rates of arthritis and mental health conditions.

Volunteering is more common here than in most areas, with 17.4% of residents participating. A high proportion of people also do 15 or more hours of unpaid housework weekly.

First Nations people make up 4.2% of the population. This group is noticeably younger than the general community, with a typical age of 21, though they face a very high unemployment rate of 21.9%.

Living arrangements are often small, with 31.3% of people living alone and a typical home containing 2.3 people. One-parent families are more common here than in most areas.

Housing is dominated by separate houses (93.0%) and high ownership, with 40.7% of homes owned outright. Rents are much lower than the national figure, typically sitting at $250 a week.

The area is highly car-dependent, with 66% of people driving to work and very few using public transport (2.1%). It is a long trip to the city, taking about 148 minutes.

The population is very stable, as only 29.3% of people have moved in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas are also among the lowest for this level at 3.1%.

Mining is a key industry, employing 17.8% of the workforce. However, the unemployment rate is 7.9%, which is a little above both the state and national figures.

Collie faces significant disadvantage, ranking among the lowest for overall advantage and job skills compared to similar areas.

The area is much wetter than the Western Australian average, with 606mm of annual rainfall, though it stays cooler with a typical minimum temperature of 9.0 degrees.

Most of the town is car-dependent, with a walkability score of 3.0. Only 31.9% of homes have a 15-minute-city walkshed, and very few are within walking distance of public transport.