Deepwater

The community is far older than the state average, with a typical age of 56 and 35.7% of residents being seniors. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 7.5% of the population, which is well above the national figure of 3.2%.

Most residents were born in Australia, and those with overseas heritage most commonly cite English, Australian, or Irish ancestry. Only 9.2% of people were born overseas, which is far below the New South Wales average.

English is the dominant language, with 85.7% of people using it only. This is consistent with the low proportion of overseas-born residents, as only 3.5% of people use another language at home.

More than half of the population identifies as Christian. The 30.3% of people reporting no religion is well below the national figure of 38.9%.

Educational attainment is much lower than in most areas, with only 29.1% of residents completing Year 12. Only 9% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, far below the state average of 27.8%.

Incomes are very low across the board, with the typical household earning just $763 a week. This is far below the national figure of $1,746, and only 6.1% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly.

Health needs are high here; 37.3% of residents have a long-term health condition and 11.2% need help with daily activities. Both figures are well above the state and national averages.

Volunteering is common, with 19.7% of people helping out, which is well above the national figure. There is also a notably high proportion of Defence Force veterans at 7.0%.

First Nations residents are typically 40, far older than the national median of 24. Unemployment is very high at 35.0%, and only 20.8% have completed Year 12.

Homes are smaller than usual, with only 2.0 people per home. This is partly because 34.2% of people live alone, a figure well above the state average.

Housing is almost entirely made up of separate houses, 99.0% of which are detached. A large majority of residents own their homes outright (53.6%), resulting in very low typical rents of $200 a week.

Cars are essential, as 0% of people commute by public transport. While there are some bus routes, the walk to the nearest stop is very long, averaging 72 minutes.

Movement into the area is steady, with 31.6% of people having moved in the last five years. Recent overseas arrivals make up 11.9% of the population.

The local economy relies heavily on agriculture, forestry and fishing, which employ 32% of the workforce. However, the rate of people working or looking for work is far below the national figure at 40.8%.

The area is somewhat walkable, with 68.8% of homes within a 15-minute walk of basic amenities. Access to health services is particularly good, far above the state average.