Urban Centre · Area profile
Batemans Bay
22 km²
Far older than the national average, Batemans Bay is a retirement-focused community where a third of residents are aged 65 and over. It is a place of significant transition, having seen its total population shrink by 23% since 2011 to 12,263 people. The area is marked by a strong Indigenous presence and a high proportion of people who own their homes outright. These trends combine to create a quiet, older coastal town with a distinct demographic profile compared to the rest of New South Wales.
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The typical resident is 53, which is far older than the national figure of 38. This older age structure is reflected in the fact that 33% of the population are seniors, while children under 15 make up only 14.3%, well below the national average.
English and Australian ancestries are the most common, with 41.9% and 36.9% respectively. While 15.2% of people were born overseas, this is far below the New South Wales figure of 29.3%.
Most residents speak only English at home (86.7%), though the 5.6% who use another language is higher than in most similar areas. Very few people speak little or no English, at just 0.7%.
About 37.7% of people report no religion, a figure that has risen 19 points since 2011. This is a little below the national figure of 38.9%, while over half the community identifies as Christian.
Educational attainment is lower than the state average, with only 12.1% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. About 36.5% of residents completed Year 12, which is far below the national figure of 58.8%.
Typical weekly household income is $1,090, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. Only 7.3% of households earn $3,000 or more a week, far below the New South Wales average of 25.2%.
Health challenges are much more common here than in most areas, with 39.3% of people living with a long-term health condition. This is consistent with the older population, as 9.4% of people need help with daily activities.
Participation in unpaid child care is much lower than most areas at 18.3%. While 13.6% of residents volunteer, this is a drop of 6.3 points since 2011.
The community has a high number of people living alone (35.0%) and a much higher rate of one-parent families (20.5%) compared to the rest of the country. Typical homes are smaller, with 2.1 people per household.
Home ownership is strong, with 42.9% of homes owned outright, far above the national figure of 31.0%. However, renting is also common at 32.0%, and the typical weekly rent has risen by $68 since 2016 to $328.
Cars are the primary way to get around, with 66.1% of workers driving to work. Very few people use public transport to commute (0.6%), though 93.4% of homes are within a 10-minute walk of a stop.
The area is quite mobile, with 41.7% of people having moved in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 6.9% of the population, which has fallen since 2011.
Only 43.3% of adults are working or looking for work, which is far below the national figure of 61.1%. The unemployment rate is 5.4%, and many of those employed work in health care, retail, or hospitality.
The area is considered somewhat walkable, with a score of 5.3. While many homes are near public transport and parks, far fewer are within a 15-minute walk of a school or grocery store compared to the state average.