Suburb / Locality · Area profile
West Ulverstone
18 km²
A growing population of seniors and a strong First Nations presence define West Ulverstone. This community is noticeably older than the state and national figures, with more than a quarter of residents aged 65 and over. While it is a largely Australian-born community, it has a much higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than most areas. Lower typical incomes and a higher rate of long-term health conditions suggest a community facing significant social and economic challenges.
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The area is far older than the national typical age of 38, with residents here averaging 48 years. This is reflected in the age structure, where seniors make up 27.9% of the population, well above the Tasmanian figure of 20.9%.
Most residents were born in Australia, with 83.6% born here. Only 8.9% of people were born overseas, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%.
English is the dominant language, spoken by 91.5% of the community. Only 2.5% of residents use another language at home, a figure far below the 22.3% seen across Australia.
Nearly half of the population (49.2%) report having no religion, which is far above the national figure of 38.9% and about the same as the state average.
Education levels are much lower than in other areas, with only 31% of residents completing Year 12, far below the national figure of 58.8%. Only 10.9% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher.
Incomes are much lower than in most areas; the typical household earns $1,059 a week, which is far below the national figure of $1,746. Only 9% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.
Health challenges are common here, with 38.3% of people living with a long-term health condition. This is far above the national figure of 27.7%, and 10.4% of residents need help with daily activities.
Unpaid care is a common activity, with 14.3% of people providing such support, which is a little above the national figure. About 16.2% of the community also volunteer their time.
The area has a large First Nations population of 423 people. However, they face significant hardship, with a typical household income of $1,042, which is well below the national figure.
One-parent families are much more common here at 18.3%, well above the national figure of 14.1%. Around 29.4% of people live alone, which is also higher than the national average.
Most people live in separate houses (89.5%), and 41.3% own their home outright, which is far above the national figure of 31%. Weekly rent is $240, well below the national typical of $375.
Cars are the primary way to get around, with 70.9% of workers driving. While 13 public transport stops serve the area, very few people (0.9%) use public transport to commute.
The community is relatively stable, though 34.7% of people moved in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas are few, at 5.2%, far below the national figure.
Fewer people are working or looking for work here (47.9%) compared to the national figure of 61.1%. Unemployment is 5.8%, which is slightly above the national rate of 5.1%.
The area is somewhat walkable, with 92.5% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a park. However, very few homes (6.4%) are within a 15-minute walk of health services, far below the state figure.