However, these trends are not dramatic - and demographics including age, sex, family size, and education remain remarkably stable.

The 'average' town resident is now a 37 year old woman, married with two children, and living in a three-bedroom house.

"I'm delighted to see there are fantastic signs in the latest census data of Orange being a growing and vibrant community," Mayor Cr Jason Hamling said.

Between 2016 and 2021, Orange's population grew from 40,344 to 43,512 - a rise of 7.9 per cent.

The number of residents with at least one parent born overseas increased by 20.8 per cent, from 8025 to 9700.

While this is short of the 48.2 per cent national figure, it is higher than many comparable towns including Armidale, Wagga Wagga, and Dubbo.

In Orange, the most common birthplace other than Australia (83.7 per cent) was England (1.6), India (1.2), New Zealand (1.0) , the Philippines (0.7), and Nepal (0.5).

Families speaking a language other than English at home rose from 7.4 to 8.6 per cent, with Malayalam, Nepali, and Mandarin the most common dialects.

Indigenous Australians represent a greater percentage of the Orange population than five years ago, at 7.3 per cent - up from 6.3 per cent in 2016.

Divorce rates ticked upward slightly, from 9.2 per cent to 9.4 per cent - above the state and national figures of 8.6 and 8.8 per cent.

The number of homes owned under a mortgage increased from 32.3 per cent to 33.7 per cent, with average monthly repayments reaching $1700.

Rental yields raced ahead of property prices, surging from $270 to $330 on average - a climb of 22.2 per cent.

The average family income increased from $1655 to $2133 per week, representing growth of 28.9 per cent (inflation was approximately 10 per cent over the period).

This is approximately 20 per cent higher than the Australian average, which reached $1746 in 2021.

For the first time 'no religion' topped the list of belief systems, garnering 32.5 per cent of respondents - up from 21.8 per cent five years ago.

READ MORE: Christianity still top but numbers falling

However, Christian denominations continue to represent the largest group - at 61.0 per cent - when combined together.

Christian faith in Orange is above the national average, which dropped below 50 per cent for the first time in 2021.

The town's median age held steady at 37, while parents continue to average 1.9 children.

Men make up 48.7 per cent of the population and women make up 51.3 per cent - within 0.1 per cent of the 2016 figures, but trending towards males.

Approximately 31.2 per cent of residents are currently undergoing some form of education - exactly the same figure as five years ago.

While the number of fixed dwellings increased from 17,386 to 18,657, an average density of 2.5 people per home has not changed.

Car ownership rates are also unchanged, with an average of 1.8 vehicles per house. Just 6.1 per cent do not own a car.

Health was included in the census for the first time last year, revealing 36.2 per cent - or more than one in three residents - suffer from a long-term condition.

Approximately 12 per cent of Orange reported some form of mental illness in 2021 - well above the national average of 8.8 per cent.

The Australian census takes place every five years, and is intended to provide a snapshot of the population for targeting resources and planning for the nation's future.

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