Urban Centre · Area profile
Red Head
3 km²
Daily life in Red Head revolves around a quiet, car-dependent pace of living where a huge majority of residents are older adults. The typical resident is 58, making it far older than the national figure, and about a third of the community are seniors. This aging profile is reflected in a high rate of home ownership and a significant shift toward people with no religion. It is a stable, residential pocket of the Mid-Coast with a growing population of retirees.
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The community has aged significantly, with the typical resident now 58 and 33.7% of people aged 65 or over, which is far above the national figure. Children under 15 make up only 12.8%, well below the state average.
While 81.7% were born in Australia, the proportion of people born overseas has risen to 13.3% since 2011. English is the most common ancestry at 47.5%.
English is the dominant language, spoken at home by 92.9% of residents. The proportion of people using another language at home is far below the national figure at just 2.8%.
A significant number of residents now report no religion (41.7%), a figure that has risen 32 points since 2011. Over half the population still identifies as Christian.
The area has seen a rise in qualifications, with 23.6% of adults now holding a bachelor degree or higher. Nearly half of residents have completed Year 12, which is higher than in most similar areas.
Typical weekly household income is $1,228, which is well below the national figure. However, the number of people earning $2,000 or more a week has risen to 8.5% since 2011.
Long-term health conditions are more common here than in most areas, affecting 37.1% of residents. Arthritis is the most reported condition at 16.5%.
Volunteering is more common than the national average at 19.1%, though this has fallen since 2011. Unpaid housework is very high, with 31.3% of people doing 15 or more hours a week.
Couples without children make up 45.9% of families, and the typical home has 2.3 people. One-parent families have fallen sharply to 9.6% since 2011.
Housing is dominated by detached houses (89.2%), with 55.3% owned outright—a figure far above the state average. Most homes are large, with 80.8% having three or more bedrooms.
Car use is essential, as 0% of people commute by public transport and only 1.2% of homes have no motor vehicle. About 14.6% of the workforce works from home.
The area is seeing significant movement, with 54.8% of residents having moved in the last five years, far above the national average. There have been no recent arrivals from overseas.
Only 45.9% of adults are working or looking for work, which is far below the national figure. Many residents work in health care, social assistance, and education.
The area is highly car-dependent with a very low walkability score of 1.8. While almost every home is near a park, there is no public transport, school, or health service within a 15-minute walk.