Urban Centre · Area profile
Surat
2 km²
A significant proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in Surat, where the population has nearly doubled since 2011. The community is generally older than the national average, with a high number of seniors and a large group of people living alone. This shift is reflected in the housing, where small households are common and the typical resident is now 47. It is a small but growing town with a strong spirit of volunteering.
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The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is far above the national figure at 20.6%. While children under 15 make up a fair amount of the community at 21.4%, the number of seniors has risen sharply to 27.4% since 2011.
Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a much lower proportion of overseas-born people compared to the rest of the state. The most common ancestries are Australian, English, and Irish.
English is the primary language here, with only 1.2% of people using another language at home. This is far below the national figure and has remained steady since 2011.
About 55% of the community identifies as Christian, while 34.8% report no religion. The number of people with no religion has risen 20 points since 2011, though this figure is still well below the state average.
Education levels are lower than in most similar areas, with only 10% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. About 33.8% of residents reached Year 10 as their highest school year.
Typical household incomes are far below the national figure, with the usual weekly income sitting at $1,062. However, 7.5% of people earn $2,000 or more a week, which is higher than in most similar areas.
Health challenges are common here, as 38.8% of people have a long-term health condition, which is far above the national figure. About 7.7% of residents need help with daily activities.
Residents are much more likely to volunteer than people in other similar areas, with 21.6% taking part. This is well above the national figure of 14.1%.
Homes are smaller than usual, with only 2.0 people per home. A large number of people live alone (39.9%), and one-parent families are more common here than in most other areas.
Renting is much more common than the national average at 41.0%, though typical weekly rents of $150 are far below the state figure. Most people live in separate houses, but these tend to have fewer bedrooms than the state average.
The community relies heavily on cars, with no one using public transport to commute. About 8.1% of homes do not have a motor vehicle, which is higher than in most other areas.
The population is relatively stable, as 33.4% of people moved in the last five years, which is well below the national figure.
Full-time employment is well above the national average at 65.0%, and the unemployment rate is very low at 1.9%. Many residents work in public administration, health, or education.
The town is quite walkable, with nearly all homes within a 15-minute walk of health services, schools, parks, and groceries. This is far above the state average for access to local amenities.