Urban Centre · Area profile
Barmera
3 km²
A far older population than the national average defines Barmera, where the typical resident is 50. This community is marked by a high proportion of seniors, with a third of the population aged 65 and over. This age profile helps explain why so many people live alone and why there is a high need for daily activity support. It is a largely residential area of about 1,900 people that has remained stable in size over the last decade.
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Residents are far older than the state and national figures, and the number of seniors rose to 33.3% since 2011. There is a notable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community at 7.3%, which is well above the national average of 3.2%.
Most people were born in Australia, though 14.3% were born overseas, which is higher than in most similar areas. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, followed by German at 10.5%.
English is the main language for 86.5% of the community. While 8.0% use another language at home—which is much higher than similar areas—this is still far below the national figure of 22.3%.
Nearly half of the population (49.1%) report having no religion, a figure far above the national average. This has seen a sharp rise of 21 percentage points since 2011.
Education levels are lower than most areas, with only 9.3% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. However, the number of people who completed Year 12 rose 11 percentage points since 2011 to reach 34.5%.
Typical incomes are much lower than the national figures, with the usual household earning $890 a week. Only 4.6% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, which is far below the state average of 16.5%.
Health needs are very high here; 45.2% of people have a long-term health condition, and 12.9% need help with daily activities. Both figures are well above the national averages.
About 17.5% of the community are volunteers, which is well above the national figure. A slightly higher than average 4.0% of residents have served in the Defence Force.
Living alone is very common, with 43.1% of people in single-person households. One-parent families are also much more common here than in most areas, making up 21.7% of families.
Renting is more common than usual at 34.1%, and typical weekly rents of $198 are far below the national figure. Most homes are separate houses, though they are more likely to have fewer than three bedrooms than in other areas.
The community relies heavily on cars, as 0.0% of people commute by public transport. Working from home is rare at 3.7%, which is far below the national average of 21.0%.
The area is relatively mobile, with 37.9% of people moving in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas rose to 9.2% since 2011, though this remains well below the national rate.
Fewer adults are working or looking for work (43.2%) compared to the national figure of 61.1%. The unemployment rate is 7.5%, which is a little above the state average.
Most homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries and parks, but none are within that distance of health services. The overall walkability score is 4.9, which is considered somewhat walkable.