Urban Area · Area profile
Muswellbrook
262 km²
Across a wide area of 262.4 square kilometres, Muswellbrook is a regional centre in New South Wales with a notably young population. It is a community where families are common, seen in the high number of children and the large proportion of homes with three or more bedrooms. The town has a strong connection to the land and industry, with a significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population and a workforce heavily tied to mining.
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This is a young area where the typical resident is just 35, noticeably younger than the national figure. It is also home to a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at 13.1%, a figure that has risen 10 points since 2011.
The population is overwhelmingly Australian-born at 84.7%, with only 8.9% born overseas, which is far below the New South Wales average of 29.3%.
English is the primary language for 86.9% of the community. Only 4.9% of people use another language at home, far below the national figure of 22.3%.
Over half the population (52.5%) identify as Christian, while 35.9% report no religion, an increase of 16 points since 2011.
Educational attainment is lower than in most areas, with only 8.7% of adults holding a bachelor degree and 33.1% completing Year 12, both figures far below the state average.
Weekly incomes have risen since 2011, with the typical family now earning $1,953. This is higher than in most similar areas, and 13.5% of people earn $2,000 or more per week.
Long-term health conditions are more common here than in the state average, and 11.4% of residents report a mental health condition, which is higher than most areas.
Unpaid care for children is very common at 28.4%, well above the national figure. However, volunteering is among the lowest at this level, falling to 10% since 2011.
Family sizes tend to be larger, with one-parent families making up 19.8% of the community, which is well above the state average.
The area is dominated by separate houses (87.1%), with 83.8% of homes having three or more bedrooms. Renting is much more common here than in most areas, at 38.0%.
Cars are essential for the community, as 67.8% of people drive to work and only 0.2% use public transport. Only 7.7% work from home, far below the national figure.
The community is relatively mobile, with 42.1% of people moving house in the last five years, which is slightly higher than the New South Wales average.
Mining is the major industry for 22.3% of the workforce, helping to drive a full-time employment rate of 63.2%, which is well above the national average.
The area is only somewhat walkable, as many homes are far from basic services; only 30.9% of residents live within a 15-minute walk of health services.