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.