Clarence Valley Council - Demographics

Demographics

At the 2011 Census, there were 49,665 people in the Clarence Valley local government area, of these 49.4% were male and 50.6% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.7% of the population which is more than double the national average. The median age of people in the Clarence Valley Council area was 46 years; some 10 years higher than the national median. Children aged 0 - 14 years made up 18.6% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 21.3% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 49.3% were married and 14.6% were either divorced or separated.

Population growth in the Clarence Valley Council area between the 2006 Census and the 2011 Census was 3.15%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same period, being 8.32%, population growth in the Clarence Valley local government area was lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Clarence Valley Council area was significantly below the national average, being one of the factors that place the Clarence Valley Council area in an area of social disadvantage.

At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Clarence Valley local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 82% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 64.1% of all residents in the Clarence Valley Council area nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 Census, which was above the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the Census date, compared to the national average, households in the Clarence Valley local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.1%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a significantly higher proportion (94.0%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).