Urban Centre · Area profile
Peak Hill
4 km²
A far stronger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander presence than the state average defines Peak Hill, where 34% of the population identifies as such. This small community of 768 people is notably older than most of Australia, with a typical resident aged 47 and over a quarter of the population being seniors. It is a place of contrasting housing trends, where many residents own their homes outright despite typical weekly incomes being much lower than the national figure.
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The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population has risen sharply since 2011 to reach 34%, which is far above the New South Wales figure of 3.4%. Residents are generally older than the national average, and about 25.5% are aged 65 or over.
Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a much lower proportion of overseas-born people than most other areas. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, while those born overseas make up only 6.1% of the population.
English is the primary language for the vast majority of the community. Only 2.9% of people use another language at home, a figure that is far below the New South Wales average of 26.6%.
About 57.6% of the community identifies as Christian. The proportion of people with no religion is 25.5%, which is among the lowest for similar areas and well below the state figure.
Educational qualifications are much lower than the national average, with only 8.6% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is a decline since 2011, when 20.9% had a degree.
Incomes are much lower than the national figure, with the typical household earning $884 a week. Only 4.7% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, which is far below the New South Wales average of 25.2%.
Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 38.9% of people living with a long-term health condition. This is reflected in the 8.5% of residents who need help with daily activities, a figure that has risen since 2011.
The community has a high rate of unpaid care at 14.2%, which is a little above the national figure. While volunteering is higher than the state average, it has fallen significantly from 40.1% in 2011 to 17.1% today.
Household structures are unusual, with a very high proportion of people living alone (42.1%) and one-parent families making up 38.8% of the total. These figures are both far above the national average.
The area is dominated by separate houses, 91.8% of which are detached. While 44% of homes are owned outright, the typical weekly rent of $187 is far below the New South Wales average of $420.
Cars are the primary way to get around, and 59% of working residents drive themselves. However, 11.3% of homes have no motor vehicle, which is well above the national figure of 7.4%.
The community is relatively stable, as the proportion of people who moved in the last five years is much lower than in most areas. Interestingly, recent overseas arrivals have risen to 10.6% since 2011.
The unemployment rate is 15.8%, which is far above the state average of 4.9%. Only 40.4% of adults are working or looking for work, and health care and agriculture are the main industries.
Peak Hill is very walkable, with 95.2% of homes within a 15-minute walk of local amenities. Access to health services, schools, and parks is far above the state average.