About our people
Our region is one of the fastest growing in the state. To understand more about who we are, we’ve taken a closer look at the demographics of who lives in our region, where they live, and community participation.
First Nations’ people – 2.3% of our population, the highest in Victoria
40% live in regional cities
Above state average of volunteerism 26.3%
Population born overseas: 10.19%
People living with a disability 6.4%
Youth – A third of our population are aged 0 –24
84% of towns have a population < 3,000 people
Two thirds of our population attend local community events
5.8% of population speak a language other than English at home
Lone person households 26.6%
Population – 23% are aged 65+
Projected population growth of 50% above the state regional average*
Average Socio-Economic Index for Area (SEIFA) score in the Loddon Mallee 964
New and emerging communities include Karen, South Sudanese, Afghan, Burundian, Sri Lankan, Congolese and Filipino
Social housing as a percentage of total dwellings – 4.8%
About our places
Our region represents more than one quarter of the state. This snapshot highlights the significance of First Nations cultural heritage, habitat, land use and the infrastructure servicing our residents and industries.
Loddon Mallee region occupies more than 25% of Victoria, around 59,000 km2
Primary habitat to 37% of Victoria’s threatened species
Food bowl of national significance, contributing over $2 billion or 17% of the State’s agricultural output
Over $1bn per annum tourism industry, including 7.7 million visits to the region’s natural and cultural attractions
30 hospitals, 212 Schools
56.5% of housing stock >30 years old
Unceded lands of 12 First Nations’ groups with countless places of cultural significance
1.7 million hectares of public land. 25 state and national parks (17,000km2)
71% agricultural land
69% of region’s energy needs renewably generated
65,461 Km of roads
23.4 % of roofs have solar or 37,292 installations
Major rail 1,978.8km
73% approx. 140,000 homes are built with no energy efficiency standards
98 Cultural burns planned from 2020–23
Home to four Ramsar Wetlands
18 endangered ecological communities
21% have unreliable internet access
About our places
We’ve examined employment in our region, including our major industries and economic outputs. We’ve delved into what work we do, what sort of businesses we work in, how much we earn, where we work physically and how we get there.
Gross Regional Product $21 billion
Highest employment industries: Heath care, retail/trade, manufacturing
Number of jobs: 129,417
39% people work over 40 hrs per week
Economic imports of $9 billion
97% businesses are sole-traders and small businesses
Top occupations: Professionals, managers technicians/trade workers, labourers
70% drive to work, 6.5% work from home (pre-pandemic)
Top economic outputs: Manufacturing ($8.2 billion) Construction ($5.3 billion) Agriculture ($3.8 billion)
16 businesses with 200+ employees
4.50% youth unemployment rate (2020)
Median income: 7% lower than state average ($45,776 vs $49,266)
Overall number of businesses approx. 31,287
60.94% workers earn less than $1000 a week
We acknowledge and respect Victorian Traditional Owners as the original custodians of Victoria’s land and waters, their unique ability to care for Country and deep spiritual connection to it. We honour Elders past and present whose knowledge and wisdom has ensured the continuation of culture and traditional practices. We are committed to enabling self-determination for all Aboriginal people and aim to work closely with the Aboriginal community to drive action and improve outcomes especially in the context of a changing climate.