2011 Meridan Plains, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics

People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

In the 2011 Census, there were 1,699 people in Meridan Plains of these 46.6% were male and 53.4% were female. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.4% of the population.

The median age of people in Meridan Plains was 39 years. Children aged 0 - 14 years made up 22.6% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 26.7% of the population.

Of people in Meridan Plains aged 15 years and over, 64.9% were married and 10.4% were either divorced or separated.

The median age of married people in Meridan Plains was 55 years and the median age of people never married was 25 years.

In Meridan Plains, of people aged 15 years and over, 65.3% of people were in a registered marriage and 11.6% were in a de facto marriage.

The median age of people in a registered marriage in Meridan Plains was 55 years and the median age of people in a de facto marriage was 33 years.

In Meridan Plains 24.9% of people were attending an educational institution. Of these, 41.2% were in primary school, 18.8% in secondary school and 14.6% in a tertiary or technical institution.

Cultural & language diversity

The most common ancestries in Meridan Plains were English 35.2%, Australian 30.7%, Scottish 9.0%, Irish 7.6% and German 2.7%.

In Meridan Plains, 72.7% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were England 11.9%, New Zealand 4.9%, Scotland 1.4%, Netherlands 1.1% and Germany 0.7%.

In Meridan Plains, 58.6% of people had both parents born in Australia and 28.1% of people had both parents born overseas.

The most common responses for religion in Meridan Plains were Anglican 25.6%, No Religion 23.4%, Catholic 18.9%, Uniting Church 6.6% and Presbyterian and Reformed 4.9%.

In Meridan Plains 95.2% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Dutch 0.6%, Italian 0.4%, German 0.2%, French 0.2% and Japanese 0.2%.

Employment

There were 685 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Meridan Plains. Of these 57.5% were employed full time, 30.8% were employed part-time and 6.0% were unemployed.

View the labour force fact sheet

Of employed people in Meridan Plains, 10.7% worked 1 to 15 hours, 8.7% worked 16 to 24 hours and 44.5% worked 40 hours or more.

The median age of people employed full-time in Meridan Plains was 37 years and for people who were employed part-time was 39 years.

The most common occupations in Meridan Plains included Professionals 18.1%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 16.4%, Managers 15.0%, Technicians and Trades Workers 15.0%, Community and Personal Service Workers 10.2%, Sales Workers 9.6%, Labourers 8.7% and Machinery Operators And Drivers 5.7%.

Of the employed people in Meridan Plains, the most common responses for industry of employment included School Education 6.4%, Hospitals 5.0%, Cafes, Restaurants and Takeaway Food Services 3.6%, Pharmaceutical and Other Store-Based Retailing 3.3% and Supermarket and Grocery Stores 2.6%.

The median weekly personal income for people aged 15 years and over in Meridan Plains was $501.

View the income fact sheet

In Meridan Plains, on the day of the Census, the most common methods of travel to work for employed people included Car, as driver 72.1%, Car, as passenger 5.6%, Walked only 1.9%, Truck 1.5% and Motorbike/scooter 1.1%. On the day, 1.9% of employed people used public transport (train, bus, ferry, tram/light rail) as at least one of their methods of travel to work and 77.3% used car (either as driver or as passenger).

In Meridan Plains, of people aged 15 years and over, 78.3% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 32.9% provided care for children and 9.8% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 18.2% of people did voluntary work through an organisation or a group.

Of people who did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census in Meridan Plains, 28.1% worked 5 to 14 hours, 17.6% worked 15 to 29 hours and 13.9% worked 30 hours or more.