Suburb / Locality · Area profile
Penola
252 km²
An exceptionally high volunteer rate of 27.2% marks the community of Penola, which is far above the national figure. This South Australian town has a noticeably older population, with a typical resident aged 47 and nearly a quarter of people aged 65 or over. Most residents were born in Australia and speak only English at home, contributing to a quiet, stable character. The area is defined by a mix of agricultural work and a strong sense of civic participation.
Explore Penola by topic
The community is far older than the national typical age of 38, with Penola's typical resident being 47. Seniors aged 65 and over make up 23.7% of the population, which is well above the national figure of 17.2%.
Most residents were born in Australia, with 84.7% born here. The proportion of people born overseas is 8.5%, which is far below both the state and national figures.
English is the primary language for 90.1% of the community. Only 3.5% of people use another language at home, a figure far below the national average of 22.3%.
Nearly half of residents, 47.0%, report having no religion. This is well above the national figure of 38.9%.
Qualifications are generally lower than the state and national averages, with only 14.3% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. However, the area has a much higher number of schools per 1,000 children than most similar areas.
Typical household weekly income is $1,369, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. Personal weekly income is about the same as the national figure at $804.
Long-term health conditions are more common here than in most areas, affecting 30.9% of people. This is well above the national figure of 27.7%.
Volunteering is very common, with 27.2% of people helping out—far above the national rate of 14.1%. More people also spend 15 or more hours a week on unpaid housework than is usual across Australia.
There are 17 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the area. This group has a typical age of 44, which is far older than the national figure of 24.
Homes here are smaller than usual, with 2.2 people per home. A high number of residents, 33.3%, live alone, which is well above the national figure of 25.6%.
Housing is predominantly separate houses, making up 89.4% of dwellings. Both weekly rent at $198 and typical monthly mortgage payments at $1,050 are far below the national figures.
Most people rely on cars, and very few use public transport for commuting. The area is poorly served by transit, with a very long typical walk of 56 minutes to the nearest stop.
The area has seen a high number of recent overseas arrivals, at 21.0%, which is well above the national figure of 14.5%.
Full-time employment is well above the national average at 61.3%, and the unemployment rate is very low at 2.3%. The workforce is concentrated in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and manufacturing.
The total number of recorded offences is much lower than in most similar areas. Burglary and property damage rates are also among the lowest for this level of place.
The town is somewhat walkable, and 70.9% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries. However, only half of homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport.