State Electorate · Area profile
North West Central (Mining and Pastoral)
815,140 km²
Higher-than-average personal incomes and a strong presence of full-time workers define North West Central (Mining and Pastoral). This vast area is a workforce hub where mining is the primary industry, though the population shrank by 11% since 2016. It is a diverse community with a far higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than the national average. The region's character is shaped by a young, working-age population and a high number of renters.
Families are well catered for: 25 schools serve North West Central (Mining and Pastoral).
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 17% of the population, which is far above the national figure of 3.2%. The community is relatively young, with a typical age of 37 and a much lower proportion of seniors compared to most areas.
Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has far fewer overseas-born people than the state or national averages. English and Australian are the most common ancestries reported.
English is the main language, though 14.6% of people use another language at home, a figure that rose slightly since 2016. However, this is still well below the national average.
About 43.3% of residents report no religion, which is well above the national figure and has risen by 8.6 points since 2016.
Education levels are much lower than most areas, with only 38.3% of residents completing Year 12 and 11.4% holding a bachelor degree or higher. Engineering is the most common field of qualification.
Typical personal weekly income is $997, which is a little above the national figure. A significant 18.3% of people earn $2,000 or more a week, although this is down 12 points from 2016.
Residents report far better health than most of the country, with a long-term health condition rate of 19%, which is well below the national figure of 27.7%.
Volunteering is much more common here than in most areas, with 17.2% of people helping out. Conversely, far fewer people provide unpaid care compared to the state average.
About 30% of people live alone, which is well above the national figure. One-parent families are also more common here than in most areas.
Renters make up over half the population, a figure far above the national average, while typical weekly rents are among the lowest in the country at $130. This explains why very few people own their homes outright.
The area is heavily car-dependent, but 10.5% of people still commute by public transport, which is well above the national figure. About 8.9% of homes have no motor vehicle.
The population is quite mobile, with 40.7% of people moving in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 16.6% of the community, which is higher than the national average.
Mining is the dominant industry, employing 24.4% of the workforce. Full-time employment is well above the national average, though the proportion of adults working or looking for work is lower than most areas.
With a walkability score of 3.7, the area is mostly car-dependent. Very few homes are within a short walk of public transport compared to the state average.