By Parker McKenzie
The 2021 census data was released on Tuesday 28 June, allowing residents of the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley to see the changing demographics compared to previous years and the rest of the country.
Yarra Ranges Shire grew by 6531 people since 2016, with the median weekly household income rising by $380 in the same time period from $1501 to $1881.
The median age of residents remained the same at 40-years-old, above both the Victorian and Australian average of 38.
The number of people born in Australia rose slightly from 77.9 per cent to 79.4 per cent, and England remained the second highest place of birth with 4.9 per cent. In 2016, the most spoken language at home was Italian, which has been overtaken by Mandarin in the past five years. 88.3 per cent of Yarra Ranges residents speak only English at home.
10.3 per cent of residents reported having a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety, a statistic which wasn’t recorded in 2016, making mental health the largest type of long-term health condition in the Yarra Ranges, with asthma second at 9.6 per cent. 57.9 per cent of responders reported no long-term health conditions.
You can see all the statistics for the Yarra Valley and other geographical areas at:
https://www.abs.gov.au/census
