Villawood

Villawood is a young community where the typical resident is just 34, which is noticeably younger than the national figure. Children under 15 make up 20.4% of the population, while seniors aged 65 and over are well below state and national levels at 12.5%.

Nearly half of all residents (48.7%) were born overseas, a figure far above the national average. Vietnamese is the most common ancestry at 14.5%, followed by Australian and Chinese backgrounds.

Language diversity is very high, with 61% of people using a language other than English at home. This is far above the national figure, and 17% of the population speak little or no English, with Arabic and Vietnamese being the most common languages.

Religious affiliation is strong here, and the proportion of people with no religion (12.8%) is far below the national figure. Islam is the most common religion at 32.8%, followed by Christianity at 25.5%.

Educational attainment is lower than in most areas, with only 11.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is far below the national figure, and Year 12 completion (43.8%) is also far below the state average.

Incomes are much lower than in most areas, with a typical family earning $1,230 a week. Only 9.3% of households earn $3,000 or more per week, which is far below the state and national figures.

While the number of people with long-term health conditions is well below the national figure, 8.9% of residents need help with daily activities, which is well above the state and national averages.

Participation in unpaid work is lower than usual, with only 5.4% of people volunteering. This is well below the national figure, and the number of people providing unpaid care is also a little below the national average.

First Nations people represent a small part of the population, but those who are present often speak a traditional language (10.7%), which is well above the state average. Typical personal income for this group is well below the national figure at $404.

Homes here are larger than usual, with 3.0 people per home. This is a little above the national figure, and the area has a very high proportion of one-parent families (23.7%) compared to the rest of the state.

Renting is very common, with 57.8% of households renting, far above the national figure. Typical weekly rent is $210, which is far below the national average, though home-loan payments are a little above the national figure.

Public transport access is excellent, with 99.6% of homes within a 10-minute walk of a stop. However, 17.6% of homes have no motor vehicle, a figure far above the national average.

The community is relatively stable, with 29.5% of people moving in the last five years, which is far below the national average. Recent arrivals from overseas (8.7%) are also well below the national figure.

Job challenges are evident here, with an unemployment rate of 14.1%, which is well above the national figure. Only 31.4% of adults are working or looking for work, far below the state and national averages.

The area is very walkable, and almost all homes are within a 15-minute walk of a park or a school. However, access to health services is very poor, with only 9.6% of homes within a 15-minute walk of such services.