Forest

Forest is a young community where the typical resident is 38 and children under 15 make up 22.4% of the population, well above the national figure. It also has a very high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at 16.4%, far exceeding the state average.

The area is predominantly Australian-born, with 88.4% born here and only 7.8% born overseas, which is far below the national average of 27.7%. Most residents claim Australian or English ancestry.

English is the primary language for almost everyone, with only 2.8% of people using another language at home. This is far below the national average of 22.3%.

Nearly half the community (48.3%) reports having no religion, a figure that is well above the national average of 38.9%.

Educational attainment is among the lowest for similar areas, with only 24% of residents completing Year 12 and 7.2% holding a bachelor degree, both far below national figures.

Typical weekly household income is $1,321, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. Only 12.9% of households earn $3,000 or more per week, lower than most areas.

About 30.4% of residents have a long-term health condition, which is a little above the national figure. However, the rate of mental health conditions is lower than in most other areas.

Community participation is high, with 22.4% of people volunteering and 34.1% caring for children unpaid, both figures well above the national average.

The First Nations community is relatively young, with a typical age of 20. While household income is above the state average, the unemployment rate of 13.9% is higher than most areas.

Homes in Forest are slightly larger than usual, with 2.6 people per home. Over 60% of households are couples with children, which helps explain the higher number of children in the area.

The area consists almost entirely of separate houses (98.2%), many of which have three or more bedrooms. Rent is well below the national figure, with a typical weekly rent of $225.

The community is entirely car-dependent, with 0% of people commuting by public transport and every single home owning at least one motor vehicle.

Residents tend to stay put, as only 27.5% have moved in the last five years, far below the national average. Interestingly, recent overseas arrivals are much higher than in most similar areas.

A high proportion of the population is working or looking for work at 63.7%. The local economy relies heavily on agriculture, forestry, fishing and manufacturing.

Forest is highly car-dependent with a very low walkability score. There are no groceries or health services within a 15-minute walk for any resident.