State Electorate · Area profile
Bendigo West (Northern Victoria)
1,525 km²
A much older population than most similar areas defines Bendigo West, where the typical resident is 43. The community has grown by 29% since 2011, reaching over 63,000 people. It is a place where a large number of people live alone or in one-parent families, and many residents do not identify with a religion. This profile is marked by a strong preference for detached housing and a workforce heavily involved in health and social assistance.
Bendigo West (Northern Victoria) is well supplied with schools for its relatively small share of children.
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The area is noticeably older than the state and national typical age of 38, with 23.0% of residents aged 65 or over. People aged 65 and over are well above the national figure, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population rose to 2.1% by 2021.
The community is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 83.3% born here. Those born overseas make up 10.6% of the population, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%.
English is the primary tongue for 87.1% of residents. Only 5.6% use another language at home, a figure far below the national average of 22.3%.
A majority of the community, 50.9%, report having no religion, which is far above the national figure of 38.9%. This figure has risen by 24 points since 2011.
While the number of adults with a bachelor degree rose by 9.1 points since 2011 to reach 20.9%, this is still well below the national figure of 26.3%. Year 12 completion is also far below the national average at 47.3%.
Incomes are much lower than in most similar areas. The typical household weekly income is $1,318, which is well below the national figure of $1,746.
Long-term health conditions are common here, affecting 35.3% of people, which is well above the national figure. This is consistent with a high rate of mental health conditions (12.6%) and a higher number of people needing help with daily activities.
Volunteering is more common here than in most areas, though the rate fell 11 points since 2011 to 16.9%. Unpaid care is also frequent, with 14.5% of the population providing unpaid care, which is a little above the national figure.
Living arrangements are distinctive, with 32.0% of people living alone and 17.0% in one-parent families, both figures being much higher than in most areas. Consequently, the typical home has only 2.3 people.
Detached houses are very common at 92.1%, far above the national figure. Housing is generally affordable, with typical weekly rents of $285 and monthly mortgage payments of $1,369, both of which are well below national levels.
Cars are the main way to get around, with 60.1% of workers driving. Very few people use public transport to commute (0.9%), despite there being a high number of public transport stops relative to the population.
The population is relatively stable, with 37.0% of people moving in the last five years, which is well below the national figure. Recent overseas arrivals account for 13.0% of the community.
Fewer adults are working or looking for work (55.8%) compared to the national figure of 61.1%. Health care and social assistance is the largest employer, accounting for 18.5% of jobs.
The area is somewhat walkable with a score of 5.4, though many homes are far from key services. Only 48.5% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of health services, which is far below the state average.