Suburb / Locality · Area profile
East Arnhem
30,871 km²
Daily life in East Arnhem is defined by a strong First Nations presence, where 94.5% of the 1,194 residents are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is a remarkably young community, with a typical age of just 27 and many children under 15. Most people here speak a First Nations language at home and live in large, multi-generational households. This unique cultural identity shapes everything from the local language to the high number of people providing unpaid care for children.
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The area is far younger than the national figure, with only 4.8% of residents aged 65 or over. De facto relationships are also far less common here than in the rest of the Territory.
Almost all residents were born in Australia, and very few people—just 1.0%—were born overseas, which is far below the national average.
Language diversity is very high, with 94.3% of people using a language other than English at home. This is far above the national figure, and 27.9% of residents speak little or no English.
Religious affiliation is common, with 51.3% of people identifying as Christian. Those with no religion make up only 11.2% of the population, which is far below the national figure.
Education levels are much lower than in most areas, and only 27.4% of residents completed Year 12. However, there are many schools available, with nearly 11 per 1,000 children.
Incomes are among the lowest at this level, with a typical personal weekly income of $281. Very few people earn more than $2,000 a week, and 84.1% of individuals earn under $650 weekly.
Long-term health conditions are well below the national figure at 15.5%. Similarly, the rate of people with a mental health condition is much lower than in most other areas.
Unpaid care is a major part of community life; 56.6% of people care for children unpaid, which is far above the national figure. However, only 8.0% of residents are volunteers.
First Nations people make up the vast majority of the population, and 98.8% speak a First Nations language. The unemployment rate for this group is 33.2%, which is far above the national figure.
Homes are much larger than usual, with 4.9 people per home on average. One-parent families are very common at 42.2%, and 42.2% of households contain six or more people.
Most people live in separate houses, but they are often crowded, with 1.7 people per bedroom. Typical weekly rent is very low at $35, though some monthly home-loan payments are well above the national figure.
Over half of all homes—52.4%—have no motor vehicle, which is far above the national average. Because there is no public transport, 49.1% of workers walk to their jobs.
The population is very stable, with only 18.6% of people moving in the last five years, which is far below the national figure.
Only 24.6% of adults are working or looking for work, and the unemployment rate is far above the national figure at 29.5%. Many of those employed work in education and training.
The area is entirely car-dependent with a walkability score of 0.0. There are no groceries or health services within a 15-minute walk, although there are several parks nearby.