Warrnambool

The community is older than most, with a typical resident aged 42 and over 21% of the population aged 65 or more. While children under 15 make up 17.5%, this figure has fallen by 2.8 points since 2011.

The area has a very strong connection to its roots, with 84.9% of people born in Australia. This is reflected in the ancestry data, where English, Australian, and Irish heritage are the most common, and only 9.6% of residents were born overseas.

English is the primary tongue for 89.1% of the community. Very few people use another language at home (5.3%), which is far below the Victorian figure of 27.6%.

A shift away from organised faith is evident here, as those with no religion now make up 43.6% of the population. This represents a significant rise of 17 points since 2011.

Education levels have risen since 2011, with the share of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher climbing to 19.4%. Qualifications in health (14.6%) and management (14.0%) are the most common.

Typical weekly family income is $1,895, which is a little below the national figure. However, there has been a steady increase in prosperity, with the share of households earning $3,000 or more a week rising by 9.6 points since 2011.

Health challenges are more common here than in the rest of the state, with 32.2% of people living with a long-term health condition. Mental health (10.4%) and asthma (9.9%) are the most reported issues.

Warrnambool has a high rate of community spirit, with 17.5% of people volunteering—well above the national figure. It is also a place where 14.4% of residents provide unpaid care, one of the highest rates for similar areas.

Living arrangements are shifting toward smaller households, as 30.1% of people now live alone. This is well above the national figure and helps explain why the average number of people per home has dipped to 2.3.

Detached houses are the norm for 83.4% of residents, and 36.8% of homes are owned outright. Both typical rent ($295 per week) and mortgage payments ($1,430 per month) are well below the Victorian averages.

Car dependence is high, and only 0.5% of people use public transport to get to work. This is consistent with the fact that only 5.6% of homes do not own a motor vehicle.

While people are generally less likely to move house than in other areas, Warrnambool has seen a surge in new arrivals from overseas, which rose by 14 points since 2011 to reach 23.2%.

The local job market is strong, with an unemployment rate of 3.1%—well below the national figure. Health care and social assistance is the biggest employer, accounting for 19.4% of jobs.

The area is only somewhat walkable, with a score of 5.1. While most people live near a park or public transport, far fewer have easy walking access to health services (32.5%) or groceries (62.1%) compared to the state average.