Urban Centre · Area profile
Portland
5 km²
Daily life in Portland revolves around a walkable layout where almost every home is within a short stroll of parks, schools and health services. It is a mature community with a typical resident aged 48, which is far older than the national figure. The area has a strong Indigenous presence and a high proportion of seniors, which helps explain why more people here need help with daily activities compared to most areas. Overall, it is a stable, largely home-owning population where the total number of residents has barely changed since 2011.
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 9.2% of the population, which is well above the state figure of 3.4%. The community is older than most, with 27.0% of residents aged 65 or over.
The area is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 84.0% born here and only 7.2% born overseas, a figure far below the national average. English and Australian are the most common ancestries.
English is the primary language for nearly all residents, with only 3.0% using another language at home. This is far below the 22.3% national figure.
More than half the population identifies as Christian, while those with no religion make up 33.0%. This last group has grown by 16 percentage points since 2011.
Education levels are much lower than in most areas, with only 6.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Around 37.6% of residents listed Year 10 as their highest year of school.
Typical weekly household income is $992, which is far below the national figure of $1,746. Only 8.0% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.
Long-term health conditions are common, affecting 38.3% of people, which is far above the national average. About 9.0% of residents need help with daily activities.
Unpaid care is common here, with 14.1% of people providing such support. Meanwhile, only 12.6% of residents volunteer, which is lower than most similar areas.
One-parent families are much more common here than in most areas, making up 20.6% of households. Additionally, 35.5% of residents live alone.
Housing is dominated by separate houses, which make up 97.7% of all dwellings. Ownership is high, with 47.2% of homes owned outright, far above the national figure of 31.0%.
Cars are the primary way to get around, with 71.9% of workers driving to work. Only 6.5% of people work from home, far below the national average of 21.0%.
The community is very stable, with only 27.1% of people moving in the last five years. There have been no recent arrivals from overseas since the last census.
The unemployment rate is 8.7%, which is well above the national figure of 5.1%. Many residents work in health care, social assistance, or public administration.
The area is very walkable, with a score of 6.1. Most residents have easy access to essentials, including 80.1% who live within a 15-minute walk of health services.