Salt Ash

The typical resident is 46, making the area far older than the national figure. It has a higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than most areas, at 6.9%, and a growing senior population that now makes up 21.1% of the community.

Most residents were born in Australia (84.7%), and the area has far fewer overseas-born residents than the state or national averages. English and Australian ancestries are the most common, while the share of people born overseas fell slightly since 2011.

English is the primary language for 90.5% of the community, which is far above the national figure. Only 2.4% of people use another language at home, and very few residents speak little or no English.

Over half the population identifies as Christian, while 36.3% report no religion. This figure for those with no religion is well above the New South Wales average and has risen by 8.8 percentage points since 2011.

Education levels are much lower than in most areas, with only 8.7% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. A large portion of the community reached Year 10 as their highest school level, and the share of people completing Year 12 fell since 2011.

Typical personal weekly income is $610, which is well below the national figure of $805. While typical household incomes have risen since 2011, they remain well below the state average.

Long-term health conditions are more common here than in most areas, affecting 33.2% of residents. Mental health conditions are also more frequent than the national average, with 10.6% of the community affected.

A high number of residents provide unpaid care or perform extensive housework, far exceeding the national figure. The area also has a much higher proportion of former Defence Force members than most other regions.

Homes here are larger than usual, with an average of 2.7 people per dwelling. Families with children are common, making up 55.4% of households, and very few people live alone compared to the state average.

The area is dominated by large, detached houses, with 87.5% of homes having three or more bedrooms. Renting is very uncommon here, as 40.7% of residents own their home outright and 43.4% have a mortgage.

Car ownership is very high, with only 1.4% of homes lacking a vehicle. While 16.6% of the workforce now works from home—a rise of 12 percentage points since 2011—the vast majority still commute by car.

This is a stable community where far fewer people moved in the last five years compared to the state or national averages. Recent arrivals from overseas are also quite rare, making up only 3.2% of the population.

The unemployment rate is 6.8%, which is a little above the national figure. Many residents work in construction, health care, or as technicians and tradespeople, though the share of full-time employment is lower than in most areas.

The area is mostly car-dependent with a very low walkability score of 2.5. Residents have very limited access to groceries, schools, or health services within a 15-minute walk compared to the New South Wales average.