St Marys

The community is noticeably younger than the state and national averages, with a typical age of 34. Children under 15 make up 21.3% of the population, which is well above the national figure of 18.2%.

International backgrounds are common here, with 33.3% of people born overseas, well above the national figure of 27.7%. The most common ancestries are Australian and English, followed by Filipino, Irish and Scottish.

Language diversity is high, as 30.7% of residents use a language other than English at home. This is well above the national average of 22.3%, with Tagalog, Arabic and Hindi being among the most spoken.

Faith plays a significant role here, as the proportion of people with no religion is 23.4%, which is far below the national figure of 38.9%. Over half the population identifies as Christian.

Education levels are lower than the state average, with only 15.8% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Around 48.1% of residents completed Year 12, which is far below the national figure of 58.8%.

Typical weekly household income is $1,437, which is well below the New South Wales figure of $1,829. Only 11.4% of households earn $3,000 or more a week, a rate far below most other areas.

About 6.3% of people need help with daily activities, which is higher than most similar areas. Long-term health conditions are reported at 27.2%, which is about the same as the national figure.

Volunteer rates are among the lowest at this level, with only 7.3% of people volunteering compared to the national figure of 14.1%. Unpaid care for children is common, involving 23.6% of the population.

There are 605 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living here, one of the largest counts for this level. Their typical personal income is $695 per week, which is well above the national figure of $540.

Family structures vary, with a very high 23.0% of households being one-parent families. At the same time, 31.1% of people live alone, which is well above the state average of 25.0%.

Renting is very common, with 52.6% of households renting, far above the national figure of 30.6%. Outright home ownership is among the lowest at this level at 17.9%.

Public transport is highly accessible, with 84 stops and 18 routes serving the area. This helps explain why 12.5% of homes have no motor vehicle, a figure well above the national average of 7.4%.

The population is quite mobile, with 44.2% of residents having moved in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 12.9% of the community.

The unemployment rate is 7.2%, which is a little above the national figure of 5.1%. Many residents work in health care, retail or transport and warehousing.

The area is very walkable, with 97% of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport. Most residents can also reach groceries, schools and health services within a 15-minute walk.