Ashcroft

Ashcroft is noticeably younger than the national average, with 25% of residents being children under 15. In contrast, seniors aged 65 and over make up only 11.3%, which is well below the New South Wales figure of 17.6%.

The community is highly multicultural, with 38.6% of people born overseas—far above the national rate of 27.7%. The most common ancestries are Australian, English, and Vietnamese.

Language diversity is very high, as 53.7% of residents use a language other than English at home, far above the national figure of 22.3%. Arabic and Vietnamese are the most common non-English languages spoken.

Religious affiliation is common here, and the share of people with no religion is 15.5%, which is far below the national figure of 38.9%. Christianity and Islam are the most prominent faiths.

Educational qualifications are much lower than most areas, with only 7.1% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is far below the state average of 27.8%.

Incomes in Ashcroft are among the lowest in the region. The typical weekly household income is $1,089, which is well below the national figure of $1,746.

A higher number of people need help with daily activities (8.6%) compared to the state average of 5.8%. However, the rate of long-term health conditions is a little below the national figure.

Participation in unpaid work is low, with only 5.1% of residents volunteering, which is well below the national figure of 14.1%.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 4% of the population. This group faces significant hardship, with an unemployment rate of 23.8%, far above the national rate of 12.3%.

Homes are often crowded, with 3.1 people per home, which is a little above the national average. One-parent families are also far more common here than elsewhere, at 26%.

Renting is very common, with 51.3% of households renting, far above the national figure of 30.6%. Most homes are separate houses, and 77.6% have three or more bedrooms.

Public transport access is excellent, with 100% of homes within a 10-minute walk of a stop. However, 16.4% of homes have no motor vehicle, which is well above the national figure.

About 29.2% of people moved house in the last five years, which is far below the national rate of 40.7%. Recent overseas arrivals make up 9.8% of the population.

Job prospects are challenging, as the unemployment rate is 11.9%, well above the national figure of 5.1%. Only 35% of adults are working or looking for work, far below the national average.

While everyone is within walking distance of a park, school, and transport, the area is poor for shopping; only 3.9% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries.