Urban Centre · Area profile
Taralga
2 km²
A far older population than most areas defines Taralga (L), where the typical resident is 54. This small community has seen its population shrink by 14% since 2011, while the proportion of seniors has surged to 34.9%. It is a place of detached houses and long-term residents, with very few people born overseas. The combination of an ageing population and high home ownership suggests a settled, older community in a rural setting.
Explore Taralga by topic
The community is significantly older than the national figure, and the number of people aged 65 and over has risen by 21 points since 2011. In contrast, children under 15 make up only 14.0%, which is well below the New South Wales average.
Most residents were born in Australia (88.4%), and the proportion of people born overseas is far below the state and national figures. English, Australian, and Scottish are the most common ancestries.
English is the primary language here, with only 1.0% of people using another language at home. This is far below the national figure of 22.3%.
Christianity remains common at 64.7%, though the number of people reporting no religion has risen 13 points since 2011 to reach 28.8%.
A higher proportion of adults have a bachelor degree or higher compared to most similar areas, though this is still far below the state average. Those who completed Year 12 rose 6.9 points since 2011.
Typical household incomes are well below the national figure, and the typical weekly household income fell by $358 since 2011 to reach $1,100.
Health needs are much higher than most areas, with 41.8% of people reporting a long-term health condition. This is consistent with the older age of the population, as those needing help with daily activities rose nearly 10 points since 2011.
Volunteerism is very high here, with 27.3% of people volunteering, which is far above the national figure. There is also a higher rate of former Defence Force members than in most areas.
People living alone are much more common here than across Australia, with a far above average 38.2% of households consisting of one person. This trend has risen 26 points since 2011.
Almost every home is a separate house (99.2%), and 52.0% are owned outright, which is far above the national figure. Typical weekly rents are also far below the state and national averages at $228.
The area is highly reliant on cars, with 0.0% of people commuting by public transport. Only 5.9% of people work from home, which is far below the state average.
Movement into the area has increased, with the share of people who moved in the last five years rising 8.6 points since 2011. There were no recent arrivals from overseas.
Fewer adults are working or looking for work compared to most areas, but the unemployment rate is much lower than the national figure at 2.4%. Agriculture and health care are the main industries.
While almost every home is within a 15-minute walk of a park or school, the area is mostly car-dependent because there is no access to groceries or health services within walking distance.