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Shellharbour City CouncilCommunity profile

Shellharbour City

Service age groups

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

The Age Structure of Shellharbour City provides key insights into the level of demand for age based services and facilities such as child care. It is an indicator of Shellharbour City'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 Shellharbour City'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
Shellharbour City - 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)4,5916.05.54,3356.35.8+256
Primary schoolers (5 to 11)6,9039.18.66,5329.58.9+371
Secondary schoolers (12 to 17)6,0597.97.45,6448.27.3+415
Tertiary education and independence (18 to 24)6,4718.57.66,0858.97.9+386
Young workforce (25 to 34)9,58512.611.68,00911.711.0+1,576
Parents and homebuilders (35 to 49)14,30218.817.513,13919.218.0+1,163
Older workers and pre-retirees (50 to 59)9,60512.612.89,27913.613.8+326
Empty nesters and retirees (60 to 69)8,87711.613.37,66711.213.1+1,210
Seniors (70 to 84)8,18710.713.06,3939.311.4+1,794
Elderly aged (85 and over)1,6952.22.81,3772.02.7+318
Total76,275100.0100.068,460100.0100.0+7,815
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 Shellharbour City in 2021 compared to Regional NSW shows that there was a higher proportion of people in the younger age groups (0 to 17 years) and a lower proportion of people in the older age groups (60+ years).

Overall, 23.0% of the population was aged between 0 and 17, and 24.6% 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 Shellharbour City and Regional NSW were:

  • A larger percentage of 'Parents and homebuilders' (18.8% compared to 17.5%)
  • A larger percentage of 'Young workforce' (12.6% compared to 11.6%)
  • A smaller percentage of 'Seniors' (10.7% compared to 13.0%)
  • A smaller percentage of 'Empty nesters and retirees' (11.6% compared to 13.3%)

Emerging groups

From 2016 to 2021, Shellharbour City's population increased by 7,815 people (11.4%). This represents an average annual population change of 2.19% 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) (+1,794 people)
  • Young workforce (25 to 34) (+1,576 people)
  • Empty nesters and retirees (60 to 69) (+1,210 people)
  • Parents and homebuilders (35 to 49) (+1,163 people)

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