Statistical Area 2 (SA2) · Area profile
Nhulunbuy
8 km²
Much higher incomes than most similar areas make Nhulunbuy a prosperous pocket of the Northern Territory. The community is notably young, with many families and a typical resident age of 33. While the population shrank by 17% since 2011, the area remains a high-earning hub where a large proportion of households bring in over $3,000 a week. This wealth is reflected in a workforce heavily weighted towards mining and health professionals.
Despite high local incomes, the area's schools serve a less advantaged intake.
Explore Nhulunbuy by topic
The community is young and family-focused, with children under 15 making up 27.0% of the population, which is well above the national figure. Only 3.9% of residents are seniors, among the lowest proportions at this level.
Most residents were born in Australia (63.6%), and the area has a lower proportion of overseas-born people (15.2%) than both the territory and the nation.
English is the primary language for 66.2% of the community. Only 11.0% of people use another language at home, which is far below the Northern Territory figure of 32.4%.
A little over 41.0% of residents have no religion, a figure that rose nearly 10 points since 2011 and sits slightly above the national average.
About 20.6% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher. Qualification fields are strongly linked to the local economy, with engineering and health making up the most common degrees.
Typical weekly family incomes are $3,184, which is well above the national figure of $2,120. In a striking trend, the share of households earning $3,000 or more a week rose 14 points since 2011 to reach 40.0%.
Residents are generally healthier than in most other areas, with only 12.7% having a long-term health condition, far below the national figure of 27.7%.
Volunteering is common here, with 19.4% of people volunteering, which is well above the national rate. However, the share of people providing unpaid care is among the lowest at this level.
First Nations residents in Nhulunbuy fare better than in most areas, with a median personal income of $938 and an unemployment rate of 7.4%, which is far below the territory average.
Families with children are common, making up 75.3% of households. This helps explain why the typical home holds 2.8 people, which is higher than the national figure.
Renting is very common at 60.8%, far above the national figure. While most homes are detached houses, only 3.7% are owned outright, among the lowest proportions at this level.
The area is heavily car-dependent, with 64.1% of people driving to work. There are no public transport stops or routes available in the area.
Nearly half of all residents (47.8%) moved here in the last five years, which is well above the national figure. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 13.9% of the population.
Full-time employment is very high at 72.9%, far above the national figure. The workforce is concentrated in mining and health care, which both account for 20.0% of jobs.
The area has an overall advantage score of 1,042, placing it above about 68% of similar areas. It is considered far less disadvantaged than 90% of other areas.
The climate is wet and warm, with an average annual rainfall of 1,409mm, which is far above the Northern Territory average.
The area is mostly car-dependent with a walkability score of 3.2. While almost everyone can walk to a park, only 38.9% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries.