Section of State Range · Area profile
1 million or more
854 km²
A population of over 1.2 million people makes this one of the largest areas at its level. It is a highly educated and diverse community where nearly 29% of residents were born overseas. The area is very walkable and has seen a significant shift toward secularism, with nearly 44% of people reporting no religion. This growth in diversity and qualification is matched by a steady increase in typical incomes since 2011.
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The typical resident is 39, and the population has grown by 13% since 2011. While the proportion of children is slightly below the national figure, those aged 65 and over rose to 18.6%.
This area is among the most diverse at its level, with 28.9% of people born overseas. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, though the overseas-born population rose 2.7 points since 2011.
Language diversity is much higher than in most similar areas, with 23.1% of people using a language other than English at home. This is consistent with the high number of overseas-born residents.
A large shift toward secularism is evident, as the number of people with no religion rose 17 points since 2011 to reach 44.2%, which is well above the national figure.
The community is highly qualified, with 26.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Both degree and Year 12 completion rates rose significantly since 2011.
Typical weekly personal income rose $207 since 2011 to reach $757. While typical family and household incomes are higher than in most similar areas, they remain a little below the national figure.
About 30% of people have a long-term health condition, and 6.7% need help with daily activities, which is higher than in most similar areas.
Unpaid care for children is much more common here than in most similar areas. Meanwhile, the number of volunteers fell 2.0 points since 2011 to 15%.
The household makeup is typical for the area, with 28.4% of people living alone and 56.5% of families consisting of couples with children.
Separate houses are much less common here than in most similar areas. The typical weekly rent is $320, which is much higher than in most similar areas but lower than the national figure.
Public transport use for commuting is among the highest at this level, and 8.1% of homes have no motor vehicle, which is much higher than most areas.
Recent arrivals from overseas make up 16.3% of the population, a figure that is a little above the national average, though it fell 4.2 points since 2011.
The area has a high rate of people working or looking for work at 61.5%. The most common industries are health care and social assistance, followed by retail trade.
The area is very walkable, with 97.3% of homes within a 10 minute walk of public transport and 99.2% within a 15 minute walk of a park.