Melton South

The community is noticeably younger than the state and national averages, with 23.4% of people being children under 15. This high number of children helps explain why the typical age of residents is only 35.

A significant 31.8% of residents were born overseas, which is well above the national figure of 27.7%. The most common ancestries are Australian and English, followed by Irish, Indian, and Scottish.

Language diversity is high, with 31.0% of people using a language other than English at home. This is well above the national average, and 6.3% of residents speak little or no English.

Religious affiliation is common here, as the 30.6% of people reporting no religion is well below the national figure of 38.9%. The most common affiliations are Christianity at 38.8% and Islam at 9.4%.

Education levels are far below the state and national averages, with only 13.0% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Just 42.0% of residents have completed Year 12.

Incomes are much lower than in most other areas; the typical personal weekly income is $568, which is well below the national figure of $805. Only 6.4% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.

Health challenges are more common here, with 31.0% of people having a long-term health condition. Mental health conditions are reported at 12.6%, which is much higher than the national average of 8.8%.

Volunteer rates are among the lowest for similar areas at 7.4%, well below the national figure of 14.1%. About 12.1% of people provide unpaid care.

There are 171 First Nations people in the area. This group faces significant challenges, with an unemployment rate of 22.4%, which is far above the national average of 12.3%.

Households tend to be larger than usual, with 2.6 people per home. One-parent families are very common, making up 22.6% of households, well above the national figure of 14.1%.

The area is dominated by separate houses, with 85.8% of homes being detached. Renting is much more common than in most areas at 35.3%, and 84.6% of homes have three or more bedrooms.

Public transport use for commuting is a little above the state average at 4.0%. While 96.6% of homes are within a 10-minute walk of a stop, transit time to the city is among the highest at 83 minutes.

The population is quite mobile, with 41.4% of people moving in the last five years. Recent overseas arrivals make up 14.6% of the community.

The unemployment rate is 11.0%, which is well above the national figure of 5.1%. Many residents work in health care, transport, or retail, and 16.1% are machinery operators and drivers.

Most residents live within a short walk of key services, with 99.7% near a park and 92.7% near a school. The overall walkability score is 5.7, which is slightly below the state average.