Derwent Valley

The area has a strong First Nations presence, with 7.0% of people identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, a figure that has risen since 2011. While the typical age is higher than most areas, the proportion of seniors is actually well below the Tasmanian average.

Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a much lower proportion of overseas-born people compared to the rest of the state and nation. English and Australian are the most common ancestries.

English is the dominant language here, with only 1.8% of people using another language at home. This is far below the national figure and among the lowest for similar areas.

Nearly half of the community (49.9%) reports having no religion, a figure that rose by 23 points since 2011 and is far above the national average.

Education levels are much lower than most areas, with only 36.4% of residents completing Year 12 and 10.8% holding a bachelor degree or higher. The area has a few small government schools.

Incomes are much lower than the national figure, with the typical household earning $1,333 a week. Only 10.5% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, though this has risen since 2011.

Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 34% of people living with a long-term health condition and 12.4% reporting a mental health condition.

Unpaid care is common, as 14.4% of people provide unpaid care and 24.2% do significant housework. The area also has a high proportion of former Defence Force members.

There are 234 First Nations people in the area, who are typically older (median age 29) than those in the rest of the state. Their typical personal income of $471 is a little below the national figure.

Homes tend to be larger, with 2.6 people per household. Over half of the families are couples with children, while one-parent families are less common than in most other areas.

Housing is dominated by separate houses (98.5%), and 41.9% of these are owned outright, which is far above the national average. Renting is very rare here, at just 9.2%.

The community is almost entirely car-dependent, with only 0.2% using public transport and almost no homes without a motor vehicle. Most people spend about 91 minutes driving to the city.

Residents are less likely to move than people in other parts of the country, with only 27.3% having changed homes in the last five years.

The unemployment rate is 7.2%, which is a little above the national figure. The most common industries for locals are health care, construction, and agriculture.

The area ranks low for overall advantage and education and job skills compared to other areas, with only 201 businesses operating across the region.

The local climate is slightly warmer than the Tasmanian average, with an average minimum temperature of 6.2 degrees.

Walkability is very low, with a score of 0.7. Almost no homes are within a 15-minute walk of health services or public transport, and the terrain is notably steep.