The census usually resident population count for Bay of Plenty Region was 239,412. 24.4 percent of people in Bay of Plenty Region were under the age of 15 years. 13.9 percent of people in Bay of Plenty Region were aged 65 years and over. 29.7 percent of people aged 15 years and over in Bay of Plenty Region had a post-school qualification. 78.2 percent of people in Bay of Plenty Region said they belong to the European ethnic group, with a strong Maori population based primarily around Rotorua.

There were 18,984 business locations (geographic units) in Bay of Plenty Region. The total average annual spending for households in Bay of Plenty Region was $38,698 compared with $43,682 for the whole of New Zealand. The median income of people in Bay of Plenty Region is $16,800. The unemployment rate in Bay of Plenty Region was 9.6 percent. The most popular occupational group in Bay of Plenty Region was Service and Sales Workers (15.5 percent).

There were 86,793 households in Bay of Plenty Region. There were 64,047 families in Bay of Plenty Region. The average household size in Bay of Plenty Region was 2.6 people. 94.9 percent of households in Bay of Plenty Region had access to a telephone. 32.1 percent of households in Bay of Plenty Region had access to the internet. 90.9 percent of households in Bay of Plenty Region had access to a motor vehicle. For dwellings that were rented, the average weekly rent paid for permanent private dwellings in Bay of Plenty Region was $157, compared with $174 for New Zealand as a whole. 68.2 percent of dwellings in Bay of Plenty Region were owned with or without a mortgage, compared with 67.8 percent for all of New Zealand.