Urban Centre · Area profile
Coonabarabran
11 km²
Weekly household incomes are far below the national figure in Coonabarabran, where a typical home earns just $1,021. This is a significantly older community, with the typical resident now 51 and over a third of people aged 65 or more. The population has shrunk by 13% since 2011, reflecting a shift toward a smaller, ageing population. Despite these challenges, the town is a regional hub with a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents.
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The population is far older than the national average, with seniors making up 32.8% of the community. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 15.8% of the population, which is far above the state figure of 3.4%.
Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a very low proportion of overseas-born people at 5.5%. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, each accounting for around 38% to 39%.
English is the primary language for 80.2% of the community. Only 3.2% of people use another language at home, which is far below the national figure of 22.3%.
Over half of the population is Christian, and 27.4% report no religion. The share of people with no religion has risen significantly by 17 points since 2011.
Educational attainment is lower than most areas, with only 8.8% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. About 31.7% of residents completed Year 12, which is far below the state average of 58.9%.
Typical family incomes are well below the national average at $1,320 per week. Only 6.6% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, which is far below the state figure of 25.2%.
Health needs are high here, as 10.2% of people need help with daily activities. This is well above the national average of 5.8%, consistent with the town's older population.
Volunteering is more common here than in most areas, with 19.1% of people pitching in. However, the number of people caring for children unpaid has fallen by 8.6 points since 2011.
One-parent families are very common at 26.0%, far above the national figure of 14.1%. Additionally, 36.8% of people live alone, which is much higher than most areas.
Rent is far below the national average at $210 a week, and typical mortgage payments are much lower than in most areas at $867 per month. Separate houses are very common, making up 91.7% of all homes.
Cars are the primary way to get around, with 66.2% of workers driving. In contrast, no one in the community uses public transport to commute.
The area is less mobile than most, with only 30.2% of people moving house in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 17.6% of the population, which is well above the national average.
The number of adults working or looking for work is far below the national average at 41.3%. The unemployment rate is also much higher than most areas at 8.3%.
The town is quite walkable, with 81.5% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a variety of amenities. Health services and groceries are particularly accessible, though public transport is far less available than in the rest of the state.