Latrobe Valley

The area is aging, with a typical resident now 42 and the proportion of seniors rising 5.7 points since 2011. While the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is 2.2%, which is a little above the Victorian figure, the number of children under 15 has fallen slightly to 17.7%.

Most residents were born in Australia (79.4%), and the area has far fewer people born overseas than the state or national figures. This is reflected in the ancestry data, where Australian and English heritage are the most common.

English is the primary language for 86% of the population, and the proportion of people using another language at home is far below the national figure. Only 1% of residents speak little or no English.

A striking 48.1% of people here have no religion, a figure well above the national average. This has seen a significant increase of 21 points since 2011.

Educational attainment is much lower than in most areas, with only 12.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. While Year 12 completion rose to 39.4% since 2011, it remains far below the state figure.

Typical weekly household income is $1,259, which is well below the national figure. While high-earning households rose by 7.8 points since 2011, typical personal incomes remain a little below those in Victoria and Australia.

Health challenges are common here, with 35.7% of people reporting a long-term health condition, among the highest for similar areas. This includes a mental health rate of 12.2%, which is well above the national figure.

Unpaid care is more common than usual, with 14.1% of people providing help to others. However, the proportion of volunteers has fallen by 4.4 points since 2011.

The First Nations community here is much younger than average, with a typical age of 21. However, they face significant disadvantage, including an unemployment rate of 18.4%, which is well above the national figure.

The area has a high number of people living alone (32.3%) and a much higher rate of one-parent families than most other areas. Because of this, the average household size of 2.3 people is a little below the national average.

Separate houses are very common, making up 88% of all dwellings. While 37.3% of homes are owned outright, those who do rent pay a typical weekly rent of $237, which is well below the state and national figures.

Cars are essential here, as only 0.7% of people commute by public transport and the drive time to the city is very high. Working from home is also less common than in the rest of Victoria.

The population is relatively stable, with 33.8% of people moving in the last five years, which is well below the national figure. Recent overseas arrivals have also fallen to 8.8%.

The proportion of adults working or looking for work is much lower than in most areas, and the unemployment rate of 6.6% is a little above the national figure. Most people work in health care, retail, or construction.

The population grew by 2.7% since 2021, which is much lower than the growth seen across Victoria.

The region receives 758mm of annual rainfall, which is well above the Victorian average, while temperatures remain slightly lower than the state average.

The area is only somewhat walkable, as many residents live far from basic needs. For example, only 37.1% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of health services, far below the state average.