Statistical Area 2 (SA2) · Area profile
Esperance
480 km²
Nearly half of the residents in Esperance report having no religion, a figure that is far above the national average. The community is noticeably older than most of Australia, with a high proportion of seniors and a typical age of 42. It is a place where people are more likely to volunteer and live in separate houses, creating a stable residential character. While the population has remained steady at around 12,000, the area is distinct for its low proportion of overseas-born residents.
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The community is older than the state and national average, with 20.4% of people aged 65 and over. This senior population has grown since 2016, while the proportion of children under 15 has stayed steady at 19.2%.
Esperance has a very low proportion of overseas-born residents at 13.1%, which is far below the national figure. Most residents were born in Australia, followed by England and New Zealand.
English is the dominant language here, with only 4.3% of people using another language at home. This is far below the national average, and very few people speak little or no English.
A striking 49.5% of people report no religion, which is far above the national figure. This trend has accelerated quickly, rising 16 percentage points since 2016.
The area has a much lower rate of higher education than most, with only 11.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Year 12 completion is also far below the national average at 41.1%.
Typical weekly household income is $1,492, which is a little below the national figure. While incomes have risen since 2016, the share of households earning over $3,000 a week is lower than in most areas.
About 28.1% of residents have a long-term health condition, which is about the same as the national figure. Mental health conditions are reported slightly less often than in most other areas.
Volunteering is very common here, with 23.3% of people pitching in, a rate well above the national average. However, the proportion of people providing unpaid care is much lower than in most areas.
The First Nations community is larger than in most similar areas, with a typical age of 21, which is noticeably younger than the national figure. Typical personal income for First Nations people is $472 a week.
About 29.8% of people live alone, which is well above the national average. One-parent families also make up a higher share of households than in most areas.
Housing is dominated by separate houses, which make up 86.3% of dwellings. Rents are much lower than the national average, with a typical weekly rent of $270.
Reliance on cars is high, and only 0.8% of people commute by public transport. Very few people work from home compared to the national figure, though this has risen slightly since 2016.
The population is relatively stable, with 35.2% of people moving in the last five years, which is well below the national average. Recent overseas arrivals have also fallen slightly since 2016.
The unemployment rate is 2.8%, which is among the lowest for similar areas. Full-time employment is slightly higher than the national average, with many people working in health, retail, and transport.
The area has a low score for education and job skills compared to other regions. Overall advantage is lower than in 70% of similar areas, and population growth has been much slower than the state average.
The local climate is cooler and wetter than the Western Australian average, with a far higher annual rainfall of 598mm and a lower average maximum temperature of 22.8 degrees.
The area is only somewhat walkable, as many homes are far from health services and groceries. However, there are more walkable amenities per 1,000 residents than in the rest of the state.
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