Suburb / Locality · Area profile
Beaufort
157 km²
Far older than most similar areas, Beaufort is a retirement-heavy community where the typical resident is 51. It is a place of modest means and high home ownership, with nearly half of all houses owned outright. The town's age profile is striking, with 31% of people aged 65 and over and far fewer children than the national figure. This creates a quiet residential character where many people live alone in detached houses.
Plenty of schools here relative to how few children live in the area.
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The population is significantly older than the state and national average, with a typical age of 51. Seniors make up 31% of the community, while children under 15 are well below the national figure at 14.5%.
Most residents were born in Australia (81.9%), and the community has far fewer overseas-born residents than the state average. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, listed by 45.4% and 42.3% of people respectively.
English is the primary language for 90% of the community. Those using another language at home are far below the national figure, and very few people speak little or no English.
A large proportion of the community identifies as having no religion, at 49.3%, which is far above the national figure. Christianity is the next most common affiliation at 40.7%.
Education levels are much lower than in most areas, with only 11.1% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is consistent with a lower Year 12 completion rate of 33.8%, which is far below the state average.
Typical incomes are well below the national figure, with the usual household earning $1,031 a week. Only 7.4% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, which is much lower than most areas.
Health challenges are common here; 41% of people have a long-term health condition, a figure far above the state average. This is reflected in the 9.6% of residents who need help with daily activities.
The community shows a strong tilt toward service, with volunteers at 19.9% and Defence Force veterans at 5.1%, both well above the national figures. Unpaid care for children is lower than most areas.
About 2.0% of the population is of First Nations descent. This group is notably linguistically diverse, with 17.6% speaking a First Nations language, which is far above the state average.
Living arrangements are often small, with 36.1% of people living alone. This contributes to a typical household size of 2.1 people, which is much lower than in most other areas.
Housing is dominated by separate houses (97.1%), and nearly half are owned outright. Monthly mortgage payments are well below the national figure, typically costing $1,160.
Reliance on cars is very high, as 63.9% of workers drive to work and no one uses public transport to commute. A typical trip to the city takes about 102 minutes.
The area has seen some movement, with 35.3% of people moving in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 6.6% of the population, which is well below the state average.
The workforce is smaller than most areas, with only 47.9% of adults working or looking for work. Common industries include health care, public administration, and construction.
While it has a high number of walkable amenities per resident, the overall walkability score is lower than the state average. Many homes are far from public transport and schools.