Urban Centre · Area profile
Evans Head
9 km²
Far older than the national average is Evans Head, where the typical resident is 52. This coastal community is largely retired, with about 30% of the population aged 65 or over. It is a place where people generally live alone or in smaller households, and the total population has shrunk slightly to 2,894 since 2011. While it is predominantly Australian-born, there is a notable presence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared to the rest of the state.
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The community is significantly older than most areas, with the 65 and over group rising to 30.5% since 2011. In contrast, children under 15 make up only 14.5%, which is well below the national figure.
Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a much lower proportion of overseas-born people than the state, falling to 6.8% in 2021. English and Irish ancestries are common here.
Language use is very uniform, with 88.7% of people speaking only English at home. This is far below the national average for people using another language, which barely changed since 2011.
Over half of the population identifies as Christian, though the number of people reporting no religion rose by 15 points since 2011 to reach 37.3%.
Adults with a bachelor degree or higher rose to 15.4% since 2011, though this remains far below the New South Wales figure. Many residents hold a Certificate III or IV.
Typical incomes are well below the state and national figures, with a typical weekly household income of $1,084. However, the number of households earning $3,000 or more a week rose to 9.2% since 2011.
Long-term health conditions are far more common here than in most areas, affecting 37.5% of people. This is consistent with the older population, as 7.2% of residents need help with daily activities.
Providing unpaid care is much more common here than in most areas, with 15.3% of people doing so. Volunteers also make up 18.3% of the community, which is well above the national figure.
People living alone are well above the national average at 34.9%, which helps explain why the typical home contains only 2.1 people.
Renting is much more common here than in most areas, at 37.3%, while separate houses fell sharply to 54.8% since 2011. Typical weekly rent is $321, which is a little below the national figure.
Public transport is not used for commuting, and 59.3% of workers drive a car. Working from home rose to 11.6% since 2011, though this is still far below the state average.
About 36.5% of the population moved in the last five years, which is well below the national figure. Recent arrivals from overseas rose slightly to 8.6% since 2011.
Fewer adults are working or looking for work compared to the rest of the state, at 46.4%. The most common industries for those employed are health care, social assistance, and education.
The area is somewhat walkable, with 96.1% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a park. However, no homes are within a 15-minute walk of health services.