State Electorate · Area profile
Albany (South West)
4,308 km²
Spanning over 4,300 square kilometres of the South West, Albany is a sprawling regional community with a growing population of 38,763. It is a noticeably older area where seniors make up nearly a quarter of the population, far exceeding the state and national figures. This trend is reflected in the housing, where many residents own their large detached homes outright. It is a predominantly English-speaking community that has seen a significant rise in people identifying as having no religion.
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The area is much older than most, with a typical resident aged 45 and 23.3% of people aged 65 and over, which is well above the national figure. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 3.8% of the population, a figure that has barely changed since 2011.
Most residents were born in Australia (75.5%), and the proportion of people born overseas is far below the Western Australian average. English (47.1%) and Australian (39.8%) are the most common ancestries.
English is the primary language for 87.8% of the community. The share of people using another language at home is far below the national figure, and only 0.7% of residents speak little or no English.
A majority of people here have no religion (50.6%), which is far above the national figure. This is a major shift for the area, as the number of people reporting no religion rose 20 points since 2011.
Education levels are lower than in most areas, with only 15.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. However, more people have completed Year 12 than in 2011, and there are much more schools per 1,000 children than in similar areas.
Typical incomes are much lower than most areas, with the typical weekly household earning $1,350. Only 13.3% of households earn $3,000 or more a week, which is well below the state average.
Residents report more long-term health conditions (32.8%) than most areas, including arthritis and mental health. About 6.4% of people need help with daily activities, which is a little above the state figure.
Volunteering is very common here, with 21.1% of people volunteering, which is well above the national average. Unpaid care for others is also higher than most areas, while 23.7% do significant unpaid housework.
Nearly 30% of people live alone, a figure well above the national average. Most households are small, with 37.3% containing just two people.
The area is dominated by separate houses (90.4%), and 37.6% of these are owned outright, which is well above the national figure. Typical weekly rent is $300, which is well below the national figure.
Cars are the primary way to get around, as only 0.7% of people use public transport to commute. Working from home is also much less common here than across Australia, at just 6.5%.
About 38.2% of people moved in the last five years, which is about the same as the state average. Recent arrivals from overseas have fallen significantly since 2011, now making up 6.7% of the population.
The unemployment rate is 3.9%, which is a little below the state and national figures. However, fewer adults are working or looking for work (57.3%) compared to most other areas.
The area's walkability is lower than the state average, with only 43.9% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a 'city' environment. This is consistent with the very high number of separate houses and low use of public transport.