Urban Centre · Area profile
Marble Bar
2 km²
A strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander presence defines Marble Bar, where 45.1% of the 153 residents identify as such. This small community has seen its population shrink by 69% since 2011, leaving a resident base that is noticeably older than the national figure. The town is mostly made up of people living alone, and it is marked by a significant number of households with only one parent.
Explore Marble Bar by topic
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 45.1% of the population, a figure that rose 45 points since 2011. The typical resident is 42, which is noticeably older than the national figure of 38, while children under 15 make up a much lower 14.4% of the community.
Most residents were born in Australia, with only 10.5% born overseas, which is far below the state and national figures. English is the most common ancestry at 20.9%.
English is the main language for 84.3% of residents. While 5.9% use another language at home, which is higher than in similar areas, this is still far below the national figure.
A large majority of the community—62.1%—report having no religion, which is far above the national figure of 38.9% and rose 26 points since 2011.
Educational attainment is much lower than most areas, with only 6.6% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Those who completed Year 12 fell 16 points since 2011 to 25.6%, far below the national figure.
Typical household income is $1,152 a week, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. Personal incomes are also much lower, with the typical person earning $517 a week.
The community reports a lower rate of long-term health conditions (23.5%) and mental health conditions (4.6%) than the national figures. Notably, no residents reported needing help with daily activities.
Volunteer rates are much lower than most areas at 11%, falling 17 points since 2011. However, people doing 15 or more hours of unpaid housework (25.7%) are well above the national figure.
Living arrangements are unusual for the region, with a very high 57.4% of people living alone. One-parent families are also much more common than in most areas, making up 20% of households.
Rental properties are far more common than the national average at 45.9%, and typical weekly rent is among the lowest at $126. Most homes are small, with 42.6% having three or more bedrooms, which is far below the state figure.
About 47.5% of people drive to work, but 30.5% walk. Ten percent of homes have no motor vehicle, which is well above the state figure.
Recent arrivals from overseas make up 14.6% of the population, which is well above the state average. Meanwhile, 34.9% of residents moved in the last five years.
Full-time employment is much higher than most areas at 64.4%, but the unemployment rate is also very high at 14.9%, which is well above the national figure of 5.1%.
While almost all homes are within a 15-minute walk of a park or school, the area is mostly car-dependent. No homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries or health services.