Suburb / Locality · Area profile
Broken Hill
13,034 km²
A noticeably older population defines Broken Hill, where the typical resident is 44. It is a large regional centre with a strong First Nations presence and a high proportion of people living alone. While many residents are older, there is a significant number of seniors and a notable share of one-parent families. The community is largely born in Australia and identifies strongly as non-religious, reflecting a distinct local character within New South Wales.
Explore Broken Hill by topic
The area has a much higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (9.9%) than the national figure of 3.2%. Residents are generally older than the state average, with 23.2% aged 65 and over.
Most people were born in Australia (85.9%), and the number of overseas-born residents is far below the New South Wales average.
English is the dominant language, with only 3.4% of people using another language at home, which is far below the national figure of 22.3%.
Nearly half of the population (49.2%) report having no religion, a figure far above the national average of 38.9%.
Education levels are much lower than most areas, with only 29.2% of residents completing Year 12, compared to 58.8% across Australia.
Typical incomes are well below the state and national figures; the typical household earns $1,176 a week, which is much lower than most areas.
Health challenges are common here, as 38.1% of people have a long-term health condition, which is far above the national figure of 27.7%.
Unpaid care for children and housework is slightly lower than in other areas, though 13.0% of people provide some form of unpaid care.
The First Nations community is large, with 1,761 people. However, Year 12 completion is far below the national average at 24.7%.
Living arrangements are unusual for the region, with 37.1% of people living alone and one-parent families (23.0%) well above the state average.
Housing is mostly detached houses (94.5%), and many are owned outright. Typical weekly rents ($220) and mortgage payments ($867) are far below the national figures.
Cars are the main way to get around, as only 0.1% of people commute by public transport. Very few people work from home (4.5%) compared to the national average.
While fewer people moved in the last five years than in other parts of the state, there has been a well above average number of recent arrivals from overseas.
Full-time employment is well above the national average at 61.8%, with many people working in health care, social assistance, or mining.
The area is very walkable, with 92.2% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a variety of amenities, far exceeding the New South Wales average.
Nearby areas
Compare Broken Hill with nearby areas
Related areas
Overlapping areas from other classifications.