Urban Centre · Area profile
Umbakumba
7 km²
A strong focus on family and community care shapes daily life in Umbakumba, where 90.5% of residents are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. This is a young community with a typical age of 29, and its population grew by 90% between 2011 and 2021. Most people here live in large households, and the area is marked by a high proportion of people using traditional languages at home.
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Umbakumba is far younger than the national figure, with a typical resident aged 29 and very few seniors. While the population has grown significantly since 2011, the proportion of children under 15 fell from 34.1% to 16.2%.
The vast majority of residents were born in Australia, and the area has a very low proportion of overseas-born people compared to the rest of the territory.
Language diversity is very high, with 81.9% of people using a language other than English at home, far above the national figure of 22.3%. The proportion of people who speak little or no English rose to 9.5% by 2021.
A majority of residents report having no religion, at 58.0%, which is far above the national figure. This is a significant increase from 2011, when only 5.5% felt this way.
Educational attainment is much lower than the national average, with 53.5% of residents reaching Year 9 or below. Only 1.7% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher.
Incomes in Umbakumba are far below the typical figures for the state and nation, with a typical weekly household income of just $436. No households earn $3,000 or more per week.
Residents report far fewer long-term health conditions and mental health conditions than the national average. Only 1.9% of people need help with daily activities.
Unpaid care is a major part of life here, as 28.6% of people provide unpaid care and 43.4% care for children, both figures far above the national average.
Homes are typically large and crowded, with 4.0 people per home and nearly a quarter of households containing six or more people. One-parent families are also much more common than in most other areas.
Renting is the primary tenure for 79.6% of households, while no one owns their home outright. Weekly rent is very low, at a typical $125, which is far below the national figure.
The area is highly car-dependent, though 45.1% of homes have no motor vehicle. No one in the community uses public transport to get to work.
The community is very stable, with only 11.6% of people moving in the last five years, which is far below the national figure of 40.7%.
Only 24.9% of adults are working or looking for work, far below the national figure. However, for those employed, the unemployment rate of 17.4% has fallen since 2011.
The area is mostly car-dependent, though every home is within a 15-minute walk of health services and a school.