State Electorate · Area profile
Mandurah (South West)
46 km²
Living in Mandurah (South West) often means enjoying a slower pace of life in an area where the typical resident is 42, noticeably older than across Western Australia. This is a growing community that has added over 10,000 people since 2011, though it remains more affordable than most. With a high proportion of seniors and many people living alone, the area has a distinct character as a place for retirement and quiet residential living.
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Seniors make up 23.2% of the population, which is well above the national figure of 17.2%. The community has also seen a rise in its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, which now stands at 3.5%.
English and Australian ancestries are most common here. While 27.4% of residents were born overseas, this is well below the Western Australian average of 32.2%.
English is the dominant language, with 85% of people using it at home. Only 8.2% use another language, a figure far below the national average of 22.3%.
A large number of residents report having no religion, at 45.9%. This is well above the Australian average of 38.9% and has risen by 21 percentage points since 2011.
Educational qualifications are much lower than in most areas, with only 11.3% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher, far below the national figure of 26.3%.
Typical weekly household income is $1,198, which is among the lowest for areas of this level and well below the national figure of $1,746.
Long-term health conditions are much more common here than in most areas, affecting 33.4% of people. This is consistent with the higher proportion of older residents, with 7.2% needing help with daily activities.
The area has a strong history of military service, with 4.5% of people having served in the Defence Force, which is much higher than most areas.
Many residents live alone, accounting for 31.3% of households, which is well above the national figure of 25.6%. One-parent families are also much more common here than in most other areas.
Most people live in separate houses, and 79.7% of homes have three or more bedrooms. Renting is more common than in most areas, with 31.1% of households renting at a typical weekly cost of $300.
The area is well served by public transport stops, with 6.45 per 1,000 people. However, very few people work from home, at just 5.5%, far below the national average of 21%.
The population is quite mobile, with 42% of people moving in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas have fallen sharply since 2011, now making up 7.1% of the community.
Fewer adults are working or looking for work compared to the rest of the state, at 52.3%. The unemployment rate is 7.5%, which is a little above the national figure of 5.1%.
Most homes are within a short walk of a park or public transport, though access to health services is far below the state average, with only 33.5% of homes within a 15-minute walk.