Urban Centre · Area profile
Paterson
1 km²
A shrinking population has seen Paterson change significantly since 2011, with the total number of residents falling by 26% to 345 people. The community is now noticeably older than the national average, with a typical resident aged 44 and a growing number of seniors. It is a predominantly Australian-born area where homes are mostly large, detached houses. This shift towards an older demographic is reflected in a rise in unpaid care and volunteering roles.
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The area is older than the state and national figures, with the typical resident aged 44 and seniors making up 20.6% of the population. While the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is about the same as the national 3.2%, this group has fallen by 4.1 points since 2011.
Most residents were born in Australia, with only 6.7% born overseas, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%. English and Irish are the most common ancestries after Australian.
Language diversity is very low, as no one in the community uses a language other than English at home. This is far below the national average of 22.3% and has fallen since 2011.
Christianity is the most common faith, held by 55.9% of residents. Those with no religion make up 36.8% of the population, which is a little below the national figure of 38.9%.
Education levels are far below the state and national averages, with only 12% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. About 37.6% of people had Year 10 as their highest level of schooling.
Typical weekly household income has risen sharply since 2011 to $1,670, which is about the same as the national figure. However, the proportion of households earning $3,000 or more a week is much higher than in most similar areas.
About 32.5% of residents have a long-term health condition, which is well above the national figure of 27.7%. Arthritis and asthma are the most common reported conditions.
Residents are very active in their community; 23% are volunteers, which is well above the national figure. Unpaid housework and childcare are also much more common here than in most areas.
Homes tend to be larger, with 2.4 people per home. While 55.6% of families are couples with children, the number of one-parent families has fallen sharply since 2011.
The area consists almost entirely of detached houses (97.2%), and 78.7% of homes have three or more bedrooms. Renting is far less common here than in the rest of the state, at only 17.7%.
Every single home in the area has at least one motor vehicle. While no one commutes by public transport, 23.5% of the workforce now works from home, a significant rise since 2011.
The community is relatively stable, with 29.2% of people moving in the last five years, far below the national average of 40.7%. There have been no recent arrivals from overseas.
More adults are working or looking for work (65.4%) compared to the national figure. Full-time employment stands at 50.8%, and common industries include construction and public administration.
Paterson is very walkable, with nearly all homes within a 15-minute walk of a school or park. However, there is a total lack of health services within a 15-minute walk.