Southern Midlands

The community is older than most areas, with a typical age of 44 and 19.1% of people aged 65 or over. There is a notable presence of First Nations people at 6.8%, a figure that has risen since 2011 and sits well above the national average.

The area is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with only 6.0% of people born overseas, which is far below the national figure. Most residents claim Australian or English ancestry.

English is the primary language for 90.9% of the community. Only 1.4% of people use another language at home, one of the lowest proportions in the country.

A large number of residents, 43.6%, report having no religion, which is well above the national figure. This has seen a significant rise of 22 percentage points since 2011.

Education levels are much lower than in most areas, with only 9.1% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Similarly, just 32.5% of residents have completed Year 12, far below the national figure of 58.8%.

Incomes are consistently low across the board, with typical weekly personal earnings of $661. Only 11.7% of households earn $3,000 or more per week, which is much lower than in most other areas.

Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 33.6% of people living with a long-term health condition. This includes high rates of arthritis and mental health conditions.

Unpaid work is common, as 24.2% of people do 15 or more hours of housework weekly, well above the national figure. There is also a higher than usual proportion of people who have served in the Defence Force.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents have a lower unemployment rate at 7.4% compared to the national figure. However, Year 12 completion is well below the national average at 31.2%.

Family structures are varied, with 53.1% of homes consisting of couples with children. One-parent families make up 14.4% of households, which is higher than in most similar areas.

Housing is almost entirely made up of separate houses, accounting for 98.1% of dwellings. Renting is very uncommon at 13.2%, while 39.1% of people own their home outright.

The area is heavily reliant on cars, with only 0.4% of people using public transport to commute. Very few homes lack a motor vehicle, and the drive time to the city is a long 88 minutes.

The population is very stable, with only 28.0% of people moving in the last five years, which is far below the national figure. Recent overseas arrivals are also among the lowest in the country at 2.3%.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing are major employers, making up 14.5% of jobs. The workforce is largely composed of technicians, tradespeople, and managers.

The area faces significant disadvantages in education and job skills, ranking very low compared to other regions. Overall advantage is much lower than the national average.

The region is drier than most of Tasmania, with average annual rainfall of 635mm. Temperatures are slightly milder than the state average for both maximums and minimums.

The area is highly car-dependent, with a walkability score of 1.9. Only 17.8% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries, far below the state average of 53.4%.