Urban Centre · Area profile
Ardrossan
3 km²
Situated on the coast of the Yorke Peninsula, Ardrossan is a small town where the population has more than doubled since 2011 to 1,188 people. It is an exceptionally old community, with a typical resident aged 62 and nearly 45% of people aged 65 or over. This high proportion of seniors is reflected in the local housing and health trends, with many residents living alone in homes they own outright. Most people here are born in Australia and speak only English at home.
Explore Ardrossan by topic
The area is far older than the state and national figures, and the proportion of seniors rose by 29 points since 2011. Conversely, children under 15 now make up just 10.6% of the population, a drop of 9.5 points over the last decade.
Most residents were born in Australia, and those born overseas make up 10.4% of the population, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%. English and Australian are the most common ancestries reported.
English is the primary language for 90.2% of the community, and the proportion of people using another language at home fell to 1.9% since 2011. No one in the area reports speaking little or no English.
About 49.1% of residents identify as Christian, while 40.8% report no religion. The number of people with no religion rose by 14 points since 2011.
Educational attainment is much lower than in most areas, with only 6.9% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. About 29.3% of residents completed Year 12, which is far below the national figure of 58.8%.
Incomes are much lower than the state and national averages, with the typical household earning $830 a week. Only 5.4% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, a figure that fell since 2011.
Long-term health conditions are very common, affecting 45.2% of the population, with arthritis being the most frequent. This is consistent with the elderly population, as 10.2% of people need help with daily activities.
Volunteering is much more common here than in most areas, with 26.1% of people pitching in. There is also a higher rate of former Defence Force members (4.5%) compared to the national figure.
Living alone is very common, with 39.1% of people in single-person households. This contributes to the low average of 1.9 people per home, which is well below the national figure of 2.5.
Home ownership is high, with 51.6% of homes owned outright, far above the national figure of 31%. Typical weekly rent is $230, which is far below the Australian average of $375.
Cars are the primary way to get around, with 66% of workers driving to work and no one using public transport to commute. Only 5.1% of the workforce works from home.
The population is relatively stable, with 31.3% of people moving in the last five years, which is well below the national figure of 40.7%. There were no recent arrivals from overseas.
Only 36.3% of adults are working or looking for work, far below the national figure of 61.1%. Retail trade and healthcare are the most common industries for those employed.
The town is somewhat walkable, with 88.3% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a variety of amenities. Groceries and health services are particularly accessible, with over 92% of homes within a short walk of both.