Demographics
The Wollongong metropolitan area includes the suburbs, outlying towns and rural localities stretching from Helensburgh in the north to Gerroa in the south. With an estimated population of 292,190 as at 30 June 2010 it is the 3rd largest city in New South Wales and the 10th largest in Australia. Around 89% of the population reside in the built-up urban area extending from Clifton to Shell Cove.
The following table includes selected 2006 census figures for these areas, together with those for the central suburb of Wollongong.
Selected 2006 Census Statistics | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Metropolitan Area | Urban Area | Inner City | ||||||||
Area | Helensburgh to Kiama | Clifton to Shell Cove | Wollongong Suburb | |||||||
Population | 263,535 | 234,482 | 14,363 | |||||||
Indigenous persons | 4,744 | 1.8% | 4,415 | 1.9% | 183 | 1.3% | ||||
Age Groups | 0–4 years | 16,478 | 6.3% | 14,780 | 6.3% | 540 | 3.8% | |||
5–14 | 36,435 | 13.8% | 32,020 | 13.7% | 887 | 6.2% | ||||
15–24 | 36,329 | 13.8% | 32,590 | 13.9% | 3,055 | 21.3% | ||||
25–54 | 106,038 | 40.2% | 94,564 | 40.3% | 6,100 | 42.5% | ||||
55–64 | 28,447 | 10.8% | 25,167 | 10.7% | 1,427 | 9.9% | ||||
65+ | 39,806 | 15.1% | 35,361 | 15.1% | 2,355 | 16.4% | ||||
People born overseas | 53,102 | 20.1% | 49,501 | 21.1% | 4,151 | 28.9% | ||||
Country of birth | 1 | Australia | 194,197 | 73.7% | Australia | 170,058 | 72.5% | Australia | 8,579 | 59.7% |
2 | England | 12,964 | 4.9% | England | 11,503 | 4.9% | England | 437 | 3.0% | |
3 | Macedonia | 4,276 | 1.6% | Macedonia | 4,261 | 1.8% | China | 409 | 2.8% | |
4 | Italy | 3,746 | 1.4% | Italy | 3,613 | 1.5% | Macedonia | 329 | 2.3% | |
5 | Scotland | 2,681 | 1.0% | Scotland | 2,452 | 1.0% | Croatia | 220 | 1.5% | |
6 | New Zealand | 2,358 | 0.9% | New Zealand | 2,051 | 0.9% | Italy | 195 | 1.4% | |
Language Spoken At Home | 1 | English only | 215,079 | 81.6% | English only | 187,944 | 80.2% | English only | 9,308 | 64.8% |
2 | Macedonian | 6,857 | 2.6% | Macedonian | 6,814 | 2.9% | Macedonian | 522 | 3.6% | |
3 | Italian | 5,275 | 2.0% | Italian | 5,097 | 2.2% | Mandarin | 389 | 2.7% | |
4 | Spanish | 2,456 | 0.9% | Spanish | 2,390 | 1.0% | Serbian | 371 | 2.6% | |
5 | Greek | 2,353 | 0.9% | Greek | 2,272 | 1.0% | Italian | 320 | 2.2% | |
6 | Serbian | 1,782 | 0.7% | Serbian | 1,738 | 0.7% | Greek | 311 | 2.2% | |
Religious Affiliation | 1 | Catholic | 76,875 | 29.2% | Catholic | 68,751 | 29.3% | Catholic | 3,453 | 24.0% |
2 | Anglican | 62,640 | 23.8% | Anglican | 54,694 | 23.3% | No Religion | 2,462 | 17.1% | |
3 | No Religion | 38,901 | 14.8% | No Religion | 34,070 | 14.5% | Anglican | 2,236 | 15.6% | |
4 | Eastern Orthodox | 14,199 | 5.4% | Eastern Orthodox | 13,910 | 5.9% | Eastern Orthodox | 1,459 | 10.2% | |
5 | Uniting Church | 14,060 | 5.3% | Uniting Church | 12,073 | 5.1% | Uniting Church | 516 | 3.6% | |
Total labour force | 119,542 | 105,316 | 7,110 |
Wollongong is continuing to grow with a population growth of 2.9% for the period 2001 to 2006, although the supply of new residential land is limited by the geography particularly in the northern suburbs. The west Dapto area is a major centre of future growth with plans for 19,000 new dwellings and 50,000 people within 40 years. New residential areas are also being developed further south around the Albion Park, Shell Cove and Kiama areas.
Wollongong Population Growth 1947–2006 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Population | Increase | Growth |
1947 | 70,135 | ||
1954 | 100,725 | 30,590 | 43.6% |
1961 | 150,387 | 49,662 | 49.3% |
1966 | 177,432 | 27,045 | 18.0% |
1971 | 202,800 | 25,368 | 14.3% |
1976 | 222,250 | 19,450 | 9.6% |
1981 | 231,400 | 9,150 | 4.1% |
1986 | 232,240 | 840 | 0.4% |
1991 | 244,930 | 12,690 | 5.5% |
1996 | 255,740 | 10,810 | 4.4% |
2001 | 256,095 | 355 | 0.1% |
2006 | 263,535 | 7,440 | 2.9% |
Source: 1947–1996 2001 2006 |
Wollongong has a distinctly multicultural population. Many migrants were attracted to the area by the job opportunities at the Port Kembla steelworks in the post-war period, and settled in surrounding suburbs such as Cringila, Warrawong and Coniston. By 1966 about 60% of the wage earners at the Australian Iron and Steel steelworks were born overseas coming from over 70 countries. These included British, Macedonians, Portuguese Greeks, Bosnians, Croatians, Serbians, Germans, Turks, and Chileans. With the end of the White Australia policy these were followed by Indo-Chinese refugees in the 1970s, Indians, Filipinos, Chinese, Malays and Pacific Islanders in the 1980s and 1990s. The university continues to attract students and staff from all over the world, with around 5,000 overseas student enrolments.
In religion Wollongong is predominantly Christian. The major denominations are Catholic (29.2%) and Anglican (23.8%), while 14.8% of the population profess no religion.
Major sources of employment include education, steel and food service. Around 20,000 people commute daily to jobs in Sydney by road and rail, making it one of the busiest commuter corridors in Australia.
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