State Electorate · Area profile
Ballina
1,051 km²
Spanning over 1,000 square kilometres across the coast, Ballina is a growing regional centre that attracts a noticeably older population. The typical resident is 45, and nearly a quarter of the community are seniors, making it much older than the national average. This trend is matched by a strong preference for home ownership and a rise in people identifying with no religion. Since 2011, the population has grown by 25% to over 82,000 people.
Ballina's schools draw a more advantaged community than local incomes would suggest.
Ballina is well supplied with schools for its relatively small share of children.
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The area is much older than most, with the typical age at 45 and seniors making up 23.3% of the population. This is well above the national figure of 17.2%. De facto relationships are also much more common here than in other similar areas.
Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has far fewer overseas-born people (16.8%) than the New South Wales average of 29.3%. English, Australian, and Irish are the most common ancestries.
English is the primary language for 85.6% of the community. The proportion of people using another language at home is 6.9%, which is far below the national figure of 22.3%.
Half of the population report having no religion, a figure far above the national average of 38.9%. This has seen a sharp increase of 22 percentage points since 2011.
Education levels have risen, with 26.1% of adults now holding a bachelor degree or higher. The area has a high number of schools per 1,000 children and many schools located within 3km of residents.
Typical weekly household incomes are $1,488, which is a little below the national figure of $1,746. However, this is an increase of $575 since 2011.
Long-term health conditions are reported by 28.3% of people, which is about the same as the national average. Arthritis and mental health are the most common conditions reported.
Volunteering is much more common here than in most areas, with 18.3% of people participating. This is well above the New South Wales figure of 13.0%.
Homes tend to be smaller than average, with 2.4 people per household. About 27.6% of people live alone, which is a little above the national figure.
Home ownership is very strong, with 39.8% of homes owned outright, well above the national average. Weekly rents are much higher than in most similar areas, typically costing $450.
Most people rely on cars, and only 0.3% of the workforce commute using public transport. However, 21.0% of people now work from home, a significant rise since 2011.
The community is quite mobile, with 41.5% of people moving house in the last five years. This is slightly higher than the New South Wales average.
Full-time employment is far below the national average at 46.8%, and the overall proportion of adults working or looking for work is also much lower than most areas. Health care and hospitality are the main industries.
The area is considered somewhat walkable, though it is far below the state average for access to groceries and health services within a 15-minute walk.