Urban Centre · Area profile
Smiths Beach
1 km²
A far older population than the state average defines Smiths Beach, where the typical resident is now 51. This small coastal community has grown by 21% since 2011, becoming a place where many more people live alone and a high proportion of homes are owned outright. It is a well-qualified area with a strong lean towards independence, reflected in the high number of residents who claim no religion.
Explore Smiths Beach by topic
The community has aged significantly, with the typical resident being 13 years older than the national figure. While children under 15 now make up 14.9% of the population, this is a drop of 7.9 percentage points since 2011.
English and Australian ancestry are most common, though the proportion of people born overseas has risen to 18.4%, which is much higher than in similar areas.
English is the main language for 87.9% of residents, but those using another language at home rose to 8.6% by 2021. This is much higher than similar areas, though still far below the state average.
More than half the population (53.3%) report having no religion, a figure that is far above the national average and has risen 17 percentage points since 2011.
Residents are highly qualified, with 33.5% holding a bachelor degree or higher and 64.9% having completed Year 12, both figures being well above the state and national averages.
Typical weekly household income is $1,181, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. While typical personal incomes have fallen slightly, the share of people earning $2,000 or more a week rose to 9.0%.
The area reports better health than most, with only 3.2% of people needing help with daily activities, which is a little below the national figure.
Participation in volunteering is high at 19.5%, well above the national figure. This is alongside a higher than average 25.9% of people who spend 15 or more hours a week on unpaid housework.
Living alone is common here, with 35.6% of people in single-person households, far above the national figure. Consequently, the typical home holds just 2.1 people.
Housing is dominated by separate houses (97.0%) and high levels of ownership, with 46.2% of homes owned outright. Renting has fallen sharply since 2011, now sitting at 17.4%.
Cars are essential as 0.0% of people commute by public transport. However, working from home has become much more common, rising to 26.1% since 2011.
The area has seen significant movement, with 48.8% of residents moving in the last five years. In contrast, there have been no recent arrivals from overseas since the last census.
Full-time employment is far below the national figure at 45.2%. Many residents work in construction, education, or health care, with 28% in professional roles.
While every home is within a 15-minute walk of a park and groceries, no one lives within walking distance of a school or health service.