THE Alpine Shire continues to grow in many ways, according to a snapshot of the 2021 census, based on the first stage of data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The population has risen by seven per cent in the last five years to 13,235 from 12,337 in 2016.
With the growing population of the shire, the 2021 report recorded 3617 families calling the alpine region home, an increase of 11 per cent.
The average age of the region has remained at 49 with ages 43 – 57 making up 17.9 per cent of the population, while the Baby Boomers make up the majority of the shire's population at 26.6 per cent.
The shire is home to 6656 houses, with 78.4 per cent of those occupied and under a thousand rentals, the average rental costing $275 a week, a $95 decrease compared to the rest of Victoria.
The average mortgage repayment was $1473, just under $300 less than the national average of $1863, with 76 per cent of mortgage household payments less or equal to 30 per cent of household income.
A new addition to this year's Census is the inclusion of long–term health conditions, with Alpine Shire showing above national and state average for arthritis (10.7per cent), dementia (0.9 per cent), heart disease (5.1per cent), while 8.8 per cent of people across the nation are living with a mental health condition.
Women are still doing majority of the unpaid labour, with a total of 868 undertaking more than 30 hours, compared to 313 men.
The most significant difference between the last two census results was the religious affiliation, with 6347 residents of the Alpine Shire reporting no religion compared to just 4333 in 2016.
Catholicism, the largest religious group in the Shire, has decreased from 2898 people reporting they are Catholic in 2016, to only 2654 in 2021.
For more census data, go to https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find–census–data/community–profiles/2021/LGA20110.
