State Electorate · Area profile
Arnhem
107,905 km²
A huge majority of the 9,227 people in Arnhem use another language at home, a figure far above the national average. This is a very young community where the typical resident is just 29, and nearly 70% of the population is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. The area is defined by large family households and a strong connection to the land, though it faces significant challenges with low typical incomes and high unemployment compared to the rest of Australia.
Families are well catered for: 15 schools serve Arnhem.
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Arnhem is far younger than most of Australia, with children making up 24% of the population and only 4% aged 65 or over. The population grew by 17% since 2011, though the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people fell 14 points to 68.9%.
Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a very low proportion of overseas-born people at 4.7%, which is far below the national figure.
Language diversity is very high, with 67.6% of people using another language at home, far above the 22.3% national average. However, the proportion of people speaking another language fell 12 points since 2011.
About 45.1% of the community is Christian, while 32.5% report no religion. This last group has grown significantly, rising 22 points since 2011.
Education levels are much lower than the national average, with only 29.4% of residents completing Year 12 and just 7.6% holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is consistent with the area's very low school advantage scores.
Incomes are among the lowest in the region, with a typical personal weekly income of $316, far below the national figure of $805. Typical family weekly incomes are also far below the national average at $865.
The community has a lower rate of long-term health conditions than the rest of the country, with only 16.2% reporting one, compared to 27.7% nationally.
Unpaid care is common here; 48.4% of people care for children unpaid, which is far above the national figure of 26.3%. This is alongside a high rate of people providing other types of unpaid care.
Homes are large, with an average of 4.1 people per household, far above the national figure of 2.5. One-parent families are also well above the national average at 21.9%.
Renting is the primary way people live, with 78% of households renting, far above the national average of 30.6%. Typical weekly rent is very low at $85, and only 4.1% of homes are owned outright.
Many households lack a car, with 36.5% of homes having no motor vehicle, far above the national figure of 7.4%. Public transport is almost non-existent, with no official routes or stops in the area.
The community is relatively stable, as only 26.5% of people moved in the last five years, far below the national figure of 40.7%.
While 68.4% of the workforce is employed full-time, the unemployment rate is 12.3%, which is well above the national figure of 5.1%. Many residents work in public administration and safety.
The area is mostly car-dependent with a low walkability score of 2.5. While 75.1% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of a school, very few have easy access to health services or groceries.