Suburb / Locality · Area profile
Port Augusta
20 km²
A rising crime rate of 96.3% over five years marks a shifting social landscape for Port Augusta. This town has a significant First Nations presence, with 22.6% of residents identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. It is a place where many people live alone or in single-parent families, and where typical incomes are well below the national figure. Despite these challenges, the town is very walkable and maintains a strong connection to its heritage.
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The community is younger than most areas, with a typical age of 39. It has a very high proportion of people in de facto relationships (15.9%) compared to the national figure of 11.5%.
Most residents were born in Australia (81.0%), and the area has far fewer overseas-born residents than the state or national averages. English and Australian are the most common ancestries.
English is the main language for 82.2% of the town. While 8.8% of people use another language at home, which is higher than in many similar areas, this is still far below the national figure.
A majority of residents (50.9%) report having no religion, a figure far above the Australian average of 38.9%. Christianity is the next most common affiliation at 35.7%.
Educational attainment is much lower than most areas, with only 31.8% of people completing Year 12. This is far below the national figure of 58.8%.
Incomes are well below those found in the rest of the state. The typical household earns $1,092 a week, which is much lower than the national typical income of $1,746.
Residents experience more health challenges than most, with 34.3% reporting a long-term health condition. This is well above the national figure of 27.7%.
Participation in unpaid work is lower than in most areas. This includes a lower rate of volunteers (12.6%) compared to the national figure of 14.1%.
First Nations people make up a large part of the population, but face significant hurdles; the unemployment rate for this group is 19.5%, which is well above the national average.
The town has a very high number of people living alone (38.0%) and one-parent families (26.2%), both of which are far above the national figures.
Renters make up 43.2% of households, which is far above the national average. However, typical weekly rents are much lower than elsewhere, sitting at $194.
The area has a very high number of homes without a car (14.6%) and a high density of public transport stops. Very few people work from home, at only 1.7%.
Movement into the area is notable, with recent arrivals from overseas (32.8%) being far more common here than in the rest of the state.
The unemployment rate is 8.1%, which is well above the national figure of 5.1%. Many residents work in health care and social assistance.
The town faces significant safety issues, with recorded offences per 100,000 people being among the highest at this level. Theft and assault are the most common crimes.
Port Augusta is very walkable, with 95.3% of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport. This is far above the state average of 76.1%.