Suburb / Locality · Area profile
Taree
48 km²
A strong sense of growth and change marks Taree, where recent overseas arrivals now make up 14.7% of the population. This large community is noticeably older than the national average, with over a quarter of residents aged 65 or over. It is a place of contrasts, combining a high proportion of First Nations people with a population that is overwhelmingly born in Australia. Together, these features create a distinct regional centre with a unique social and demographic mix.
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Taree has a significant First Nations presence, with 12.7% of residents identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, which is well above the national figure. The community is also notably older, as the typical resident is 45 and 27.4% are seniors.
Most residents were born in Australia, and only 8.9% were born overseas, which is far below the state and national averages. Those with European roots are most common, with Australian and English ancestries each accounting for about 40% of the population.
English is the dominant language, with 86.8% of people using it at home. This explains why the 4.7% who use another language is far below the New South Wales figure of 26.6%.
Over half of the community identifies as Christian, while 36.5% report having no religion, a figure that is a little below the national average.
Education levels are much lower than in most areas, with only 9.3% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is reflected in Year 12 completion rates, which are far below the national figure at 31.7%.
Typical incomes are much lower than the national average, with the usual family earning $1,290 a week. Only 6.6% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, which is far below the state figure of 25.2%.
Health challenges are common here, as 40.5% of people have a long-term health condition, a rate far above the national figure. This is consistent with the high number of people needing help with daily activities, at 11.3%.
More people provide unpaid care here than in most areas, at 14.4%. There is also a higher rate of former Defence Force members compared to the rest of the state.
The First Nations community is large but faces significant hardship, with an unemployment rate of 20.0%, which is far above the national figure. Typical personal income for this group is also a little below the national average at $461.
One-parent families make up 26.2% of the community, which is far above the national average. Additionally, 35.7% of people live alone, a rate much higher than in most other areas.
Housing is dominated by separate houses, accounting for 78.2% of dwellings. Renting is much more common here than elsewhere, with 37.1% of households renting and a typical weekly rent of $289.
Most people drive to work, and only 5.0% work from home, which is far below the national figure. While there are many public transport stops, only 0.5% of people use these services to commute.
The area has seen a fair amount of movement, with 37.4% of people moving house in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 14.7% of the population, which is about the same as the national figure.
Unemployment is much higher than in most areas at 9.3%. The local workforce is heavily concentrated in health care and social assistance, which employs 25.1% of residents.
Taree is somewhat walkable, with nearly 90% of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport. However, access to health services is a challenge, as only 35.4% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of such facilities.