Barwon - West

The community is notably young, with 21.8% of people being children under 15, which is well above the national figure. While the typical resident is 39, the proportion of seniors has risen by 4.0 points since 2011 to 15.8%.

This area is far less diverse than the state average, with only 9.3% of people born overseas. Australian, English, Scottish and Irish ancestries are the most common.

English is the primary language for almost everyone, with only 3.0% of people using another language at home. This is far below the Victorian average of 27.6%.

A significant 49.4% of residents report no religion, a figure far above the national average. This has seen a sharp increase of 21 points since 2011.

About 18.5% of adults have a bachelor degree or higher, which is well below the national figure. However, Year 12 completion has risen by 10.0 points since 2011 to 50.2%.

Typical weekly household income is $1,974, which is a little above the national figure. High earners are more common here than in most similar areas, with 23.5% of households earning $3,000 or more a week.

Residents are slightly more likely to have a long-term health condition than the national average, at 28.8%. However, only 5.0% of people need help with daily activities, which is lower than most areas.

Unpaid work is very common here; 31.9% of people care for children unpaid, and 27.1% do over 15 hours of housework weekly, both of which are well above the national figures.

First Nations residents have a very low unemployment rate of 3.8% and a Year 12 completion rate of 47.7%, which is far above the national average.

Homes are larger than usual, with 2.8 people per household. This is consistent with the high proportion of couples with children, who make up 65.4% of families.

The area is almost entirely made up of detached houses (97.8%), and 89.1% of homes have three or more bedrooms. Renting is very uncommon, at just 10.0%.

Car dependence is high, with 98.9% of homes owning at least one vehicle. Very few people use public transport to commute (0.4%), and the drive to the city typically takes 71 minutes.

The population is relatively stable, as only 34.7% of people moved in the last five years. Recent overseas arrivals are among the lowest at this level, at 3.7%.

More adults are working or looking for work (66.0%) than in most similar areas. The unemployment rate is very low at 2.6%.

The population has continued to grow since 2021 by 9.1%, which is a little above the state average.

The area experiences an average maximum temperature of 19.5 degrees and annual rainfall of 535mm, both of which are much lower than most similar areas.

The area is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score of 2.1. Only 24.3% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries, far below the state average of 74.0%.