Region (SA4) · Area profile
Hume
34,006 km²
Typical weekly household incomes in Hume are $1,373, which is well below the national figure. This is a predominantly older community where the typical resident is 45, and nearly a quarter of the population are seniors. Residents here live in large, separate houses and generally have lower incomes than those in the rest of Victoria. The area is characterised by a high proportion of people who own their homes outright and a strong tendency toward volunteering.
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Hume is noticeably older than the state and national average, with 23.5% of people aged 65 and over. This senior population has grown by 5.7 percentage points since 2011, while the proportion of children under 15 has fallen.
The area is far less diverse than the rest of Victoria, with only 10.6% of people born overseas. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, accounting for 41.5% and 40.5% respectively.
English is the primary language for 88.2% of residents. The proportion of people using another language at home is far below the national figure at just 5.1%.
A large number of residents report having no religion, which accounts for 44.7% of the population. This figure has risen by 20 percentage points since 2011, making it well above the state average.
Educational attainment is lower than the state average, with only 44.5% of people completing Year 12. However, there are more schools per 1,000 children here than in most similar areas.
Household incomes are generally low, with the typical family earning $1,798 a week, which is a little below the national figure. Only 13.5% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.
Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 33.8% of people living with a long-term health condition. Arthritis and mental health are the most reported issues.
Volunteering is much more common here than in the rest of the state, with 18.8% of people participating. The area also has a high proportion of former Defence Force members at 5.1%.
There are 4,000 First Nations people in the area, who are generally younger than the wider community with a typical age of 22. Their unemployment rate of 9.1% is well below the national figure.
Homes tend to be smaller in number of people, averaging 2.3 per dwelling. This is consistent with the high number of people living alone, which is well above the national average at 29.5%.
Most people live in separate houses, and 40.1% own their home outright, which is well above the state average. Consequently, typical weekly rents are much lower than the national figure at $275.
Car dependence is very high, with 62.2% of people driving to work and very few using public transport. Only 4.2% of homes have no motor vehicle.
The population is relatively stable, as the proportion of people who moved in the last five years is well below the national average at 37.0%.
The unemployment rate is among the lowest at this level at 3.4%. Many residents work in health care and social assistance, construction, or retail.
The population grew by 3.0% since the last census, which is well below the Victorian growth rate of 8.0%.
The area is cooler and wetter than the state average, with an average annual rainfall of 1,107mm and a typical maximum temperature of 18.1 degrees.
The area is only somewhat walkable, and far fewer homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries or health services compared to the state average.