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Hunter vs Shortland

Federal Electorate comparison ≈ 86 km apart · Hunter profile · Shortland profile

Hunter Shortland

Hunter and Shortland are both New South Wales areas with similar population sizes, but they offer very different living environments. Shortland is more urban, with a walkability score of 5.3 (somewhat walkable) and a far higher number of homes within a 15-minute walk of parks (94.3% compared to 73.4% in Hunter) and schools (71.9% compared to 51.5% in Hunter). Hunter is more rural, with a walkability score of 3.7 (mostly car-dependent) and a higher share of separate houses and larger homes with three or more bedrooms. Hunter also has a slightly larger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population at 8.0%.

Daily life in both places shares many similarities, including very similar typical weekly household incomes of around $1,500 to $1,600 and nearly identical shares of people born overseas. However, some gaps are widening. Residents in Shortland are now noticeably older, with a typical age of 43 compared to 40 in Hunter. Shortland also has a higher share of adults with bachelor degrees (18.5% versus 13.2% in Hunter) and more people working from home, a gap that has grown since 2016.

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Where they differ most

Population: 22,498 larger in Hunter Recent movers: 4.7 pts higher in Hunter Median age: 3 yrs older in Shortland Owned outright: 5.8 pts higher in Shortland Year 12: 5.8 pts higher in Shortland

Demographics & Identity

Population in Hunterin Shortland +22,498 larger in Hunter gap widening
174,420 69th pct 151,922 27th pct
Median age in Hunterin Shortland +3 yrs older in Shortland gap widening
40 yrs 57th pct 43 yrs 86th pct
First Nations in Hunterin Shortland +2.7 pts higher in Hunter gap widening
8.0% 87th pct 5.3% 77th pct
Aged 65+ in Hunterin Shortland +2.7 pts higher in Shortland gap steady
19.8% 71st pct 22.5% 87th pct
Under 15 in Hunterin Shortland +1.1 pts higher in Hunter gap narrowing
19.0% 67th pct 17.9% 50th pct
De facto in Hunterin Shortland +1.2 pts higher in Hunter gap steady
12.7% 65th pct 11.6% 42nd pct

Age structure

24.7% Older adults (45–64) +1.1 pts ▸ 25.8%
24.8% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +2.0 pts 22.8%
19.8% Seniors (65+) +2.7 pts ▸ 22.5%
19.0% Children (0–14) ◂ +1.1 pts 17.9%
11.7% Youth (15–24) ◂ +0.6 pts 11.0%

Marital status

45.7% Married +1.0 pts ▸ 46.7%
34.8% Never married ◂ +2.1 pts 32.7%
9.7% Divorced +0.7 pts ▸ 10.4%
6.0% Widowed +0.5 pts ▸ 6.5%
3.7% Separated ◂ +0.1 pts 3.6%

Age & sex structure

Hunter Shortland

Bars show the share of each area's own population, so differently sized areas stay comparable.

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Hunterin Shortland +0.8 pts higher in Shortland gap narrowing
9.8% 5th pct 10.5% 9th pct

Country of birth

85.5% Australia +0.1 pts ▸ 85.5%
2.2% England +0.5 pts ▸ 2.7%
1.4% New Zealand ◂ +0.3 pts 1.1%
0.5% Philippines ◂ +0.2 pts 0.4%
0.5% India ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%
0.4% South Africa ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%
0.2% China even 0.3%
0.1% Italy +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.1% Vietnam even 0.1%
0.1% Nepal even 0.1%

Ancestry

42.6% English +1.5 pts ▸ 44.1%
43.7% Australian ◂ +1.0 pts 42.7%
10.9% Scottish +1.0 pts ▸ 11.9%
9.9% Irish +1.5 pts ▸ 11.4%
4.1% German even 4.1%
1.8% Italian +0.6 pts ▸ 2.4%
1.3% Dutch +0.1 pts ▸ 1.4%
0.8% Chinese +0.3 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.8% Filipino ◂ +0.2 pts 0.6%
0.6% Indian ◂ +0.1 pts 0.5%
0.4% Greek +0.2 pts ▸ 0.6%
0.1% Vietnamese even 0.1%

Language

Other language in Hunterin Shortland +0.5 pts higher in Shortland gap narrowing
4.3% 4th pct 4.7% 8th pct
Limited English in Hunterin Shortland even gap steady
0.5% 11th pct 0.5% 11th pct

Language used at home

89.9% English only +1.3 pts ▸ 91.2%
0.2% Mandarin +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.1% Italian +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.1% Cantonese +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.2% Tagalog ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.1% Greek +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.1% Arabic even 0.1%
0.1% Vietnamese even 0.1%
0.1% Hindi even 0.1%
0.1% Punjabi even 0.1%

Religion

No religion in Hunterin Shortland +2.8 pts higher in Shortland gap narrowing
39.5% 41st pct 42.3% 59th pct

Religious affiliation

51.3% Christianity ◂ +0.8 pts 50.5%
39.5% No religion +2.8 pts ▸ 42.3%
7.2% Not stated ◂ +1.9 pts 5.3%
0.7% Buddhism even 0.7%
0.5% Hinduism ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%
0.4% Other religions even 0.4%
0.4% Islam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.3%
0.0% Judaism even 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Hunterin Shortland +5.8 pts higher in Shortland gap steady
38.6% 12th pct 44.4% 26th pct
Bachelor+ in Hunterin Shortland +5.3 pts higher in Shortland gap widening
13.2% 15th pct 18.5% 37th pct
Schools/1k kids in Hunterin Shortland +0.47 more in Hunter
2.54 74th pct 2.06 61st pct
Schools ≤3 km in Hunterin Shortland +28 more in Hunter
84 83rd pct 56 54th pct
Students in Hunterin Shortland +5,978 more in Hunter
26,740 50th pct 20,762 13th pct
Avg size in Hunterin Shortland +52 larger in Shortland
318 20th pct 371 25th pct
ICSEA in Hunterin Shortland +46 higher in Shortland
961 11th pct 1,007 37th pct

Highest year of school

38.6% Year 12 +5.8 pts ▸ 44.4%
33.2% Year 10 ◂ +1.2 pts 32.0%
13.1% Year 9 or below ◂ +1.1 pts 12.0%
7.6% Year 11 ◂ +1.2 pts 6.4%

Highest qualification level

41.7% Certificate III / IV ◂ +5.1 pts 36.6%
15.6% Bachelor degree +5.7 pts ▸ 21.3%
14.0% Advanced diploma / diploma +1.3 pts ▸ 15.4%
4.2% Postgraduate degree +1.6 pts ▸ 5.7%
2.3% Graduate diploma / certificate +0.7 pts ▸ 3.0%
2.7% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.5 pts 2.2%

Field of qualification

20.7% Engineering & related ◂ +3.0 pts 17.7%
16.6% Management & commerce +1.4 pts ▸ 18.0%
10.4% Health +1.3 pts ▸ 11.7%
10.1% Society & culture +0.8 pts ▸ 11.0%
7.5% Education +2.0 pts ▸ 9.5%
5.7% Architecture & building +1.8 pts ▸ 7.5%
5.9% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +0.9 pts 5.0%
2.2% Creative arts +0.6 pts ▸ 2.8%
2.1% Agriculture & environment ◂ +0.5 pts 1.6%
1.7% Natural & physical sciences +0.4 pts ▸ 2.1%
1.5% Information technology +0.2 pts ▸ 1.6%

Income

Personal income in Hunterin Shortland +$15 higher in Shortland gap widening
$730 27th pct $745 33rd pct
Household income in Hunterin Shortland +$58 higher in Hunter gap widening
$1,593 35th pct $1,535 29th pct
Family income in Hunterin Shortland +$41 higher in Shortland gap widening
$1,960 39th pct $2,001 44th pct
High earners in Hunterin Shortland +0.4 pts higher in Shortland gap steady
10.2% 46th pct 10.6% 49th pct
High-income homes in Hunterin Shortland +0.8 pts higher in Shortland gap steady
18.8% 40th pct 19.6% 45th pct

Household income distribution

29.7% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +1.6 pts 28.0%
27.6% $650–$1,499 +0.4 pts ▸ 28.0%
16.8% Under $650 +1.3 pts ▸ 18.1%
10.1% $3,000–$3,999 +0.1 pts ▸ 10.2%
8.7% $4,000 or more +0.7 pts ▸ 9.4%

Personal income distribution

42.0% Under $650 +0.4 pts ▸ 42.4%
30.9% $650–$1,499 +0.8 pts ▸ 31.7%
16.0% $1,500–$2,999 +0.9 pts ▸ 16.9%
3.2% $3,000 or more +0.3 pts ▸ 3.5%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Hunterin Shortland +0.7 pts higher in Shortland
34.9% 95th pct 35.6% 98th pct
Mental health in Hunterin Shortland +0.3 pts higher in Hunter
12.0% 88th pct 11.7% 87th pct
Needs assistance in Hunterin Shortland +0.4 pts higher in Hunter gap steady
7.4% 90th pct 7.0% 85th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

11.8% Arthritis +0.5 pts ▸ 12.3%
12.0% Mental health ◂ +0.3 pts 11.7%
10.4% Asthma ◂ +0.3 pts 10.1%
9.0% Other condition even 9.0%
5.8% Diabetes ◂ +0.1 pts 5.7%
5.1% Heart disease +0.3 pts ▸ 5.5%
3.3% Cancer +0.5 pts ▸ 3.8%
2.5% Lung condition +0.1 pts ▸ 2.6%
1.3% Stroke even 1.2%
1.1% Dementia ◂ +0.1 pts 1.0%

Number of long-term health conditions

56.1% None +1.2 pts ▸ 57.3%
22.3% One condition +0.6 pts ▸ 22.9%
7.9% Two conditions +0.2 pts ▸ 8.1%
4.7% Three or more ◂ +0.1 pts 4.6%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Hunterin Shortland +0.1 pts higher in Shortland gap narrowing
12.3% 35th pct 12.4% 36th pct
Unpaid carers in Hunterin Shortland +0.6 pts higher in Shortland gap steady
13.2% 78th pct 13.8% 89th pct
Unpaid child care in Hunterin Shortland even gap narrowing
28.3% 71st pct 28.3% 72nd pct
Defence service in Hunterin Shortland +0.1 pts higher in Hunter
3.5% 72nd pct 3.4% 70th pct
Housework 15h+ in Hunterin Shortland even gap narrowing
23.4% 82nd pct 23.4% 81st pct

Family & Households

Household size in Hunterin Shortland +0.1 larger in Hunter gap narrowing
2.6 57th pct 2.5 43rd pct
One-parent in Hunterin Shortland +0.5 pts higher in Hunter gap narrowing
16.9% 86th pct 16.4% 80th pct
Living alone in Hunterin Shortland +1.8 pts higher in Shortland gap narrowing
24.5% 43rd pct 26.3% 56th pct

Family composition

54.3% Couples with children ◂ +0.5 pts 53.8%
27.9% Couples without children +1.0 pts ▸ 28.9%
16.9% One-parent families ◂ +0.5 pts 16.4%
0.9% Other families even 1.0%

Household size

34.9% 2 people +0.6 pts ▸ 35.5%
24.5% 1 person +1.8 pts ▸ 26.3%
15.7% 3 people ◂ +0.8 pts 14.8%
14.8% 4 people +0.3 pts ▸ 15.1%
6.7% 5 people ◂ +0.7 pts 5.9%
3.4% 6 or more ◂ +1.1 pts 2.3%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Hunterin Shortland +$25 higher in Shortland gap narrowing
$350 39th pct $375 51st pct
Mortgage in Hunterin Shortland +$202 higher in Shortland gap narrowing
$1,748 34th pct $1,950 54th pct
People / bedroom in Hunterin Shortland even gap steady
0.80 29th pct 0.80 29th pct
Renting in Hunterin Shortland +2.1 pts higher in Hunter gap narrowing
25.3% 34th pct 23.2% 23rd pct
Owned outright in Hunterin Shortland +5.8 pts higher in Shortland gap widening
33.4% 59th pct 39.2% 88th pct
Separate houses in Hunterin Shortland +4.5 pts higher in Hunter gap narrowing
89.1% 80th pct 84.7% 62nd pct
3+ bedrooms in Hunterin Shortland +4.3 pts higher in Hunter gap narrowing
81.0% 65th pct 76.7% 42nd pct

How homes are owned or rented

33.4% Owned outright +5.8 pts ▸ 39.2%
37.4% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +2.4 pts 35.0%
25.3% Rented ◂ +2.1 pts 23.2%
2.6% Other tenure ◂ +1.2 pts 1.5%
1.4% Not stated ◂ +0.2 pts 1.2%

Types of homes

89.1% Separate house ◂ +4.5 pts 84.7%
7.8% Townhouse / semi-detached +1.8 pts ▸ 9.6%
2.1% Flat or apartment +3.0 pts ▸ 5.1%
0.7% Other dwelling ◂ +0.2 pts 0.5%

Bedrooms per home

40.5% 3 bedrooms +2.1 pts ▸ 42.6%
33.1% 4 bedrooms ◂ +6.1 pts 27.1%
14.3% 2 bedrooms +4.1 pts ▸ 18.4%
7.3% 5 or more ◂ +0.4 pts 7.0%
3.1% 1 bedroom +0.4 pts ▸ 3.5%
0.3% Studio / none even 0.2%

Weekly rent distribution

45.8% $350–$549 +4.1 pts ▸ 49.9%
33.4% $200–$349 ◂ +9.9 pts 23.5%
12.0% Under $200 +2.0 pts ▸ 14.0%
4.5% $550–$749 +3.5 pts ▸ 8.0%
0.5% $750 or more +0.6 pts ▸ 1.1%

Monthly mortgage distribution

35.0% $1,800–$2,999 +3.3 pts ▸ 38.4%
33.8% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +5.9 pts 27.9%
14.4% Under $1,000 even 14.4%
11.0% $3,000 or more +2.8 pts ▸ 13.8%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Hunterin Shortland +0.7 pts higher in Shortland gap narrowing
4.6% 28th pct 5.3% 45th pct
Work from home in Hunterin Shortland +5.6 pts higher in Shortland gap widening
15.4% 49th pct 21.0% 64th pct
PT commute in Hunterin Shortland +0.2 pts higher in Shortland gap steady
0.4% 8th pct 0.6% 15th pct
PT stops in Hunterin Shortland +77 more in Shortland
1,007 84th pct 1,084 88th pct
Stops/1k in Hunterin Shortland +1.36 more in Shortland
5.77 81st pct 7.14 94th pct
Departures/1k in Hunterin Shortland +494.7 more in Shortland
538.1 26th pct 1,032.8 47th pct
PT routes in Hunterin Shortland +29 more in Hunter
62 58th pct 33 17th pct
Stop walk in Hunterin Shortland
— 4 35th pct
Drive to city in Hunterin Shortland
— 76 86th pct

How people get to work

59.7% Car (driver) ◂ +4.3 pts 55.4%
15.4% Worked at home +5.6 pts ▸ 21.0%
3.6% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.2 pts 3.4%
1.8% Walked ◂ +0.8 pts 1.1%
0.3% Bus +0.3 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.2% Bicycle +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.2% Train even 0.1%

Motor vehicles per home

38.7% 2 vehicles +0.7 pts ▸ 39.3%
32.1% 1 vehicle +3.4 pts ▸ 35.6%
15.0% 3 vehicles ◂ +2.4 pts 12.6%
9.6% 4 or more ◂ +2.4 pts 7.2%
4.6% No vehicle +0.7 pts ▸ 5.3%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Hunterin Shortland +4.7 pts higher in Hunter gap widening
39.3% 48th pct 34.6% 17th pct
Recent arrivals in Hunterin Shortland +1.7 pts higher in Hunter gap narrowing
8.5% 18th pct 6.8% 9th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Hunterin Shortland +0.3 pts higher in Hunter gap steady
4.9% 48th pct 4.6% 39th pct
Participation in Hunterin Shortland even gap steady
57.4% 28th pct 57.4% 28th pct
Full-time in Hunterin Shortland +2.8 pts higher in Hunter gap steady
58.3% 47th pct 55.5% 25th pct

Industries people work in

14.9% Health care & social assistance +4.1 pts ▸ 19.1%
9.7% Construction +1.9 pts ▸ 11.6%
9.2% Retail trade +0.5 pts ▸ 9.7%
7.2% Education & training +2.2 pts ▸ 9.3%
9.2% Mining ◂ +7.1 pts 2.1%
6.9% Accommodation & food ◂ +0.4 pts 6.5%
6.2% Manufacturing ◂ +0.6 pts 5.5%
5.3% Public administration & safety +0.6 pts ▸ 5.9%
4.1% Professional & technical +1.6 pts ▸ 5.7%
4.5% Other services ◂ +0.6 pts 4.0%
4.0% Administrative & support ◂ +1.0 pts 3.0%
3.8% Transport & warehousing ◂ +0.1 pts 3.7%

Occupations people work in

14.9% Professionals +6.6 pts ▸ 21.5%
17.6% Technicians & trades ◂ +2.1 pts 15.5%
13.1% Community & personal service +0.2 pts ▸ 13.4%
11.5% Clerical & administrative +1.8 pts ▸ 13.3%
11.3% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +5.3 pts 6.0%
11.0% Labourers ◂ +1.9 pts 9.1%
10.2% Managers +0.7 pts ▸ 10.9%
8.5% Sales workers +0.4 pts ▸ 8.9%

Walkability

Walk score in Hunterin Shortland +1.5 higher in Shortland
3.7 14th pct 5.3 45th pct
Types ≤15 min in Hunterin Shortland +1.4 more in Shortland
3.7 13th pct 5.1 45th pct
15-min city in Hunterin Shortland +20.8 pts higher in Shortland
36.4% 9th pct 57.3% 42nd pct
Walk to shops in Hunterin Shortland +15.6 pts higher in Shortland
30.9% 0th pct 46.5% 22nd pct
Walk to transit in Hunterin Shortland +18.8 pts higher in Shortland
74.3% 33rd pct 93.1% 57th pct
Walk to school in Hunterin Shortland +20.3 pts higher in Shortland
51.5% 20th pct 71.9% 48th pct
Walk to a park in Hunterin Shortland +20.9 pts higher in Shortland
73.4% 16th pct 94.3% 49th pct
Walk to health in Hunterin Shortland +11.8 pts higher in Shortland
22.0% 3rd pct 33.8% 22nd pct
Amenities/1k in Hunterin Shortland +2.8 more in Shortland
11.6 20th pct 14.4 49th pct
Intersections/km² in Hunterin Shortland +59 higher in Shortland
2 17th pct 61 48th pct
Mean slope in Hunterin Shortland +0.1 pts higher in Hunter
7.1% 80th pct 6.9% 78th pct

Compare Hunter with nearby areas

Dobell Newcastle Robertson Shortland Macquarie Paterson Berowra Mackellar

Compare Shortland with nearby areas

Dobell Newcastle Robertson Paterson Mackellar Berowra Warringah Bradfield

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Hunter vs Shortland [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/ced/CED121/hunter/vs/CED141/shortland