Urban Centre · Area profile
Wangkatjungka
3 km²
A very strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander presence defines Wangkatjungka, where 94.8% of the 231 residents identify as such. This is a remarkably young community, with a typical resident aged just 27 and over a quarter of the population being children under 15. Most people live in large households, often with several generations or family members sharing a home. The area has seen its population shrink by 27% since 2011, reflecting a significant shift in its demographic makeup.
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Wangkatjungka is far younger than the national figure, with a typical age of 27. Children under 15 make up 28.1% of the population, while seniors aged 65 and over have fallen to just 4.8% since 2011.
The vast majority of residents were born in Australia, with 95.2% born here. The proportion of people born overseas has fallen to 3.9%, which is far below the state and national figures.
Language diversity is very high, as 90.9% of people use a language other than English at home. This is far above the national figure, and the proportion of people who speak little or no English has risen slightly to 5.2%.
Very few people here identify as having no religion, at only 3.0%, which is far below the national average. About 10% of the population identifies as Christian.
Educational attainment is much lower than the state average, with only 3.6% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Only 22.6% of residents have completed Year 12, far below the national figure of 58.8%.
Typical weekly household incomes are far below the national figure, sitting at $708. Personal incomes are also very low, with a typical weekly amount of $254, and 84.5% of people earn under $650 a week.
Long-term health conditions are reported by 23.4% of residents, which is well below the national figure. Mental health conditions are also reported at a much lower rate than most areas, at 2.6%.
Unpaid care is a major part of community life, with 56.0% of people caring for children, far above the national figure. This is consistent with the high number of children in the area.
Homes are typically large, with an average of 3.6 people per home. One-parent families are much more common here than in most areas, making up 22.4% of households.
Rental properties dominate the market at 86.4%, and no homes are owned outright. Most are separate houses with three or more bedrooms, though typical weekly rent is very low at $60.
Most homes have no motor vehicle, accounting for 76.4% of households. Because of this, many people walk to work (40.5%) or use public transport (13.5%).
The community is relatively stable, with 27.2% of people moving in the last five years, which is far below the national figure. There have been no recent arrivals from overseas.
Working or looking for work is much less common here than elsewhere, at 21.4%. The unemployment rate is very high at 19.4%, far above the national figure of 5.1%.
The area is entirely car-dependent with a walkability score of 0.0. There are no grocery stores, health services, or parks within a 15-minute walk of any home.