Murray

The area is much older than the state and national average, with the typical resident aged 45 and 19.7% being seniors. However, children under 15 make up 20.7% of the population, which is much higher than most similar areas.

The community has very few overseas-born residents at 14.6%, far below the national figure of 27.7%. Most residents claim English (45.9%) or Australian (39.6%) ancestry.

English is the primary language for 86.6% of the area, and only 4% of people use another language at home, which is far below the national average.

More than half of residents (50.4%) report having no religion, a figure far above the national average. This trend has grown significantly, rising 22 percentage points since 2011.

The area has much lower levels of formal qualifications than most, with only 11.6% holding a bachelor degree or higher and 39% completing Year 12, both far below the national average.

Typical weekly household income is $1,644, which is about the same as the national figure. While 17.8% of people earn $2,000 or more a week—well above the national rate—typical personal incomes have fallen since 2011.

People needing help with daily activities make up 3.9% of the population, which is a little below the national figure. About 28.6% of residents have a long-term health condition, with arthritis being the most common.

Volunteering is very high here at 23.6%, well above the national figure of 14.1%. This active community spirit is also seen in the 25.4% of people who do over 15 hours of unpaid housework weekly.

First Nations people make up 3.5% of the population. In this group, the typical age of 29 is noticeably older than the national figure, and the unemployment rate of 7.7% is well below the national average.

Most homes are occupied by couples with children (54.6%) or couples without children (32.4%). The typical household size of 2.5 people is about the same as across Australia.

Almost every home is a separate house (96.9%), and 83.4% have three or more bedrooms. This preference for larger homes is reflected in the fact that 37.5% of homes are owned outright, well above the national figure.

The area is heavily car-dependent, with 60.3% of workers driving and very few (1.7%) using public transport. Public transport is scarce, with only three stops available for the whole population.

Movement into the area is low, with only 2% of residents arriving from overseas in recent years, a figure far below the national average.

Mining is the biggest employer at 29%, and machinery operators and drivers are the most common occupation. Full-time employment is slightly higher than the national figure at 60.4%.

The area is generally disadvantaged in terms of job skills and overall advantage compared to other areas, though it has a higher level of access to money and resources than 60% of similar places.

The climate is cooler than much of the state, with an average minimum temperature of 9.8 degrees, which is well below the Western Australian average.

The area is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score of 2.5. No homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport, and only 33.9% are within a 15-minute walk of a school.