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Ballina Shire CouncilCommunity profile

Ballina Shire

Service age groups

In 2021, Ballina Shire had lower proportion of children (under 18) and a higher proportion of persons aged 60 or older than Regional NSW.

The Age Structure of Ballina Shire provides key insights into the level of demand for age based services and facilities such as child care. It is an indicator of Ballina Shire's residential role and function and how it is likely to change in the future.

Service age groups divide the population into age categories that reflect typical life-stages. They indicate the level of demand for services that target people at different stages in life and how that demand is changing.

To get a more complete picture Ballina Shire's Age Structure should be viewed in conjunction with Household Types and Dwelling Types.

Q:

Derived from the Census question:

'What is the person's date of birth or age?'

Age structure - Service age groups
Ballina Shire - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
Service age group (years)Number%Regional NSW %Number%Regional NSW %2016 to 2021
Babies and pre-schoolers (0 to 4)2,2054.85.52,0725.05.8+133
Primary schoolers (5 to 11)3,6647.98.63,3488.08.9+316
Secondary schoolers (12 to 17)3,2096.97.43,0717.37.3+138
Tertiary education and independence (18 to 24)2,7706.07.62,3955.77.9+375
Young workforce (25 to 34)4,2629.211.63,5818.611.0+681
Parents and homebuilders (35 to 49)8,13917.617.57,45617.818.0+683
Older workers and pre-retirees (50 to 59)6,14113.312.86,17614.813.8-35
Empty nesters and retirees (60 to 69)6,87114.813.36,36915.213.1+502
Seniors (70 to 84)7,19315.513.05,56413.311.4+1,629
Elderly aged (85 and over)1,8344.02.81,7554.22.7+79
Total46,288100.0100.041,787100.0100.0+4,501
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information

Dominant groups

Analysis of the service age groups of Ballina Shire in 2021 compared to Regional NSW shows that there was a lower proportion of people in the younger age groups (0 to 17 years) and a higher proportion of people in the older age groups (60+ years).

Overall, 19.6% of the population was aged between 0 and 17, and 34.3% were aged 60 years and over, compared with 21.4% and 29.1% respectively for Regional NSW.

The major differences between the age structure of Ballina Shire and Regional NSW were:

  • A larger percentage of 'Seniors' (15.5% compared to 13.0%)
  • A larger percentage of 'Empty nesters and retirees' (14.8% compared to 13.3%)
  • A smaller percentage of 'Young workforce' (9.2% compared to 11.6%)
  • A smaller percentage of 'Tertiary education & independence' (6.0% compared to 7.6%)

Emerging groups

From 2016 to 2021, Ballina Shire's population increased by 4,501 people (10.8%). This represents an average annual population change of 2.07% per year over the period.

The largest changes in the age structure in this area between 2016 and 2021 were in the age groups:

  • Seniors (70 to 84) (+1,629 people)
  • Parents and homebuilders (35 to 49) (+683 people)
  • Young workforce (25 to 34) (+681 people)
  • Empty nesters and retirees (60 to 69) (+502 people)

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