Urban Centre · Area profile
Katherine
17 km²
A strong Indigenous presence and a young population set Katherine apart from the national average. It is a diverse community where 30.9% of residents are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, far above the Australian figure. This youthfulness is reflected in the typical resident's age of 32 and the fact that nearly a quarter of the population are children. Many residents are born overseas or use another language at home, contributing to the town's distinct character in the Northern Territory.
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The community is noticeably younger than the national average, with 22.9% of people under 15 and only 8.7% aged 65 or over. There is also a high proportion of de facto relationships at 19.6%, which is well above the national figure.
Overseas births have risen to 18.6% since 2011, though this remains well below the national figure. The most common ancestries are Australian, English, Irish, and Scottish, with a notable Filipino presence.
Language diversity is high, with 21.3% of people using a language other than English at home, a figure that rose 8.3 points since 2011. English is still the main language for 62.8% of residents.
People with no religion make up 41.5% of the population, which is a little above the national figure and has risen 15 points since 2011. Christianity remains the next most common affiliation at 34.9%.
Educational attainment has climbed, with 19.5% of adults now holding a bachelor degree or higher. Those who completed Year 12 also rose 10 points since 2011 to reach 44.9%.
Typical weekly personal income is $1,025, which is well above the national figure. This is consistent with a rise in high earners, as 10.7% of people now earn $2,000 or more per week.
Residents report fewer long-term health conditions than the national average, with only 19.8% having one. Mental health conditions are also much lower than in most areas at 5.2%.
The area has a high rate of Defence Force veterans at 5.4%, which is nearly double the national figure. However, volunteering has fallen 3.0 points since 2011 to 13.6%.
One-parent families are much more common here than in most areas, making up 20.8% of households. This helps explain why people per home is slightly higher than the national average at 2.6.
Renting is very common, with 58.7% of households renting, far above the national figure. Very few people own their homes outright (11.7%), and typical weekly rent is $340.
Most people rely on cars, as 70.1% drive to work and only 0.6% use public transport. Working from home is very rare at 3.2%, far below the national figure.
The population is highly mobile, with 47.1% of people having moved in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 21.6% of the community, which is well above the national average.
Full-time employment is very high at 73.6%, far above the national figure. Most people work in health care, social assistance, or public administration and safety.
While almost every home is within a short walk of a park or school, the overall walkability score of 4.1 is well below the Northern Territory average. This is partly because no homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport.