Urban Centre · Area profile
Karuah
3 km²
Daily life in Karuah is mostly car-dependent and centres on a population that has grown by 36% since 2011. The community is far older than the national average, with 30.3% of residents aged 65 or over. It is a place where many people own their homes outright and a significant proportion identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. These factors combine to create a residential area with a strong connection to the land and a high need for local health support.
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Karuah is a far older community than the state or national average, with a typical resident aged 51. It has a much higher Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population at 13.1%, although this figure fell 2.8 points since 2011.
Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a much lower proportion of overseas-born people (8.2%) compared to the national figure. English, Irish, and Scottish are the most common ancestries.
English is the primary language for the vast majority, with only 3% of people using another language at home. This is far below the national average of 22.3%.
Over half of the population identifies as Christian, while 35.6% report no religion. The proportion of people with no religion rose by 14 points since 2011.
Education levels are much lower than the state average, with only 6.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. The most common qualification is a Certificate III or IV.
Typical weekly household incomes are far below the national figure at $1,050. Only 7.2% of households earn $3,000 or more per week, which is much lower than most areas.
Health needs are high here, with 40.7% of people living with a long-term condition. This is far above the national average, and 9.5% of residents need help with daily activities.
Providing unpaid care is more common here than in most areas, at 14.8%. Additionally, 5.2% of residents have served in the Defence Force, which is much higher than the state average.
One-parent families are much more common than in most areas, making up 20.7% of households. About 29.7% of people live alone.
The area is dominated by separate houses, and a huge 47.6% of homes are owned outright. Typical weekly rent is $300, which is well below the New South Wales average.
The community is heavily reliant on cars, as 0% of people commute by public transport. Most homes have at least one vehicle, and only 2.7% have none.
Around 35.7% of residents moved in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 5% of the population, a small increase since 2011.
Only 40.6% of adults are working or looking for work, which is far below the national figure. The most common industries for those employed are construction and health care.
Karuah is mostly car-dependent with a walkability score of 3.9. No homes are within a 15-minute walk of health services, and only 35.7% are near public transport.