Region (SA4) · Area profile
Ballarat
10,287 km²
Daily life in Ballarat is shaped by an older population and a strong preference for detached housing. The typical resident is 42, and since 2011, the community has grown by 19% to reach nearly 174,000 people. It is a place where nearly half of the population reports no religion and many live in spacious, three-plus bedroom homes. This creates a residential character that is more settled and less diverse than the Victorian average.
Explore Ballarat by topic
The area is noticeably older than the national figure, with a typical age of 42 and a significant 21% of residents aged 65 and over. This senior population has risen by 4.7 percentage points since 2011.
Ballarat has a very strong connection to British roots, with English and Australian ancestries accounting for over 80% of the population. Consequently, only 11.2% of people were born overseas, which is far below the national figure.
English is the primary language for 88.4% of the community. The proportion of people using another language at home is 5.8%, which is far lower than both the state and national averages.
A striking 48% of residents have no religion, a figure that has risen by 21 percentage points since 2011. This is well above the national average of 38.9%.
While the number of adults with a bachelor degree or higher rose to 20.9% since 2011, this remains well below the national figure. Year 12 completion also rose by 9 percentage points over the decade to 49.2%.
Typical weekly household income is $1,376, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. However, incomes are rising, with the share of households earning over $3,000 a week increasing by 10 percentage points since 2011.
Residents report higher rates of long-term health conditions than most areas, with 35.1% affected. This includes 12.5% with a mental health condition, which is well above the national average.
Volunteerism is higher than most areas at 16.4%, though this has fallen since 2011. Unpaid care is also common, with 14.5% of people providing unpaid care, which is among the highest for similar areas.
The First Nations community is notably young, with a typical age of 22. Year 12 completion among First Nations residents is 41.7%, which is well above the national figure.
Living arrangements are distinct, with 30.2% of people living alone—well above the national figure. One-parent families also make up 16% of households, which is higher than most areas.
Detached houses are far more common here than in the rest of the state, making up 88.6% of homes. Affordability is higher than average, with typical weekly rents at $290, well below the national figure.
Car use is dominant, with 60.8% of people driving to work and only 0.7% using public transport. Working from home has become more common, rising 11 percentage points since 2011 to 16.3%.
Migration is steady, with 38.7% of people moving in the last five years. Recent overseas arrivals make up 11.6% of the population, which is well below the Victorian average.
Health care and social assistance is the largest industry, employing 17.6% of the workforce. The unemployment rate is 4.5%, which is slightly lower than the national figure.
The population grew by 6.3% following the 2021 census, which is slightly below the state growth rate of 8.0%.
The area is cooler and wetter than the state average, with an average maximum temperature of 18.2 degrees and annual rainfall well above the Victorian figure at 787mm.
The area is only somewhat walkable, as 53.5% of homes have a 15-minute-city walkshed. This is far below the state average of 74.3%, with many residents lacking easy walk access to health services and groceries.