Urban Centre · Area profile
Lara
12 km²
Higher typical incomes and a strong employment rate define Lara, a growing community in Greater Geelong. The typical family earns $2,222 a week, which is above the national figure. It is a young area where the typical resident is 36 and children under 15 make up 20.8% of the population. This shift toward younger families is clear in the housing, where large four-bedroom homes are common and household sizes have grown since 2011.
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Lara is a young community with a typical age of 36, which is much lower than most similar areas. Children under 15 make up 20.8% of the population, a figure that has risen since 2011.
People born overseas make up 16.9% of the population, which is much higher than most similar areas but far below the Victorian average. The most common ancestries are Australian and English, both at 39%.
About 11.1% of residents use a language other than English at home, a figure that rose 4.6 points since 2011. However, this is still far below the national figure of 22.3%.
A large proportion of the community has no religion at 45.1%, which is well above the national figure. This represents a significant increase of 18 points since 2011.
The area has seen a big jump in qualifications since 2011, with those holding a bachelor degree or higher rising to 19.2%. Many residents are qualified in engineering or management.
Incomes are high here, with a typical weekly household income of $1,939. This is a little above the state average, and the proportion of households earning over $3,000 a week rose 19 points since 2011.
Mental health conditions are reported by 11.0% of people, which is a little above the national figure. About 31.7% of residents live with a long-term health condition.
Caring for children is common, with 31.9% of people providing unpaid childcare, which is well above the national average. Conversely, volunteering has fallen to 12.4%.
Families are larger here than in most similar areas, with a typical size of 2.7 people per home. People living alone make up only 21.6% of the population, well below the state figure.
Separate houses are very common at 88.6%, and 85.3% of homes have three or more bedrooms. This explains why the area has far more large homes than the national average.
Most people rely on cars, with 44.4% of homes having two vehicles. Working from home has become much more common, rising from 1.5% in 2011 to 17.6% in 2021.
The community is quite mobile, with 41.9% of people moving house in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas rose to 8.5% since 2011.
Employment is strong, with 67.5% of adults working or looking for work, well above the national figure. The unemployment rate is 4.0%, which is lower than most similar areas.
Lara is very walkable, especially for those visiting parks, schools, or public transport. However, it is far below the state average for walking to groceries or health services.