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Higgins vs Macnamara

Federal Electorate comparison ≈ 9.0 km apart · Higgins profile · Macnamara profile

Higgins Macnamara

Macnamara and Higgins are neighbouring areas in Melbourne's inner east, but they offer different styles of living. Macnamara is a denser, more transit-oriented hub where 51.5% of homes are rented and 67.3% are flats or apartments. In contrast, Higgins has a more suburban feel, with a far higher share of separate houses (33.6%) and homes with three or more bedrooms (45.3% compared to Macnamara's 30.0%). Macnamara is closer to the city with a 7-minute drive time and more frequent public transport, while Higgins takes 14 minutes to reach the city.

The gap in high-income households has widened since 2011, with Higgins now seeing 35.0% of households earning $3,000 or more a week compared to 30.8% in Macnamara. Despite this, the two areas are very similar in other ways. They have nearly identical shares of volunteers and people needing daily help, and typical personal weekly incomes are almost the same. Both areas are far more diverse than the national figure, with a high proportion of residents born overseas and a similar share of people using a language other than English at home.

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Where they differ most

Separate houses: 21.5 pts higher in Higgins 3+ bedrooms: 15.3 pts higher in Higgins Renting: 9.9 pts higher in Macnamara Owned outright: 7.3 pts higher in Higgins Recent movers: 7.2 pts higher in Macnamara

Demographics & Identity

Population in Higginsin Macnamara +13,018 larger in Macnamara gap narrowing
155,062 29th pct 168,080 56th pct
Median age in Higginsin Macnamara +1 yrs older in Higgins gap steady
37 yrs 30th pct 36 yrs 22nd pct
First Nations in Higginsin Macnamara +0.1 pts higher in Macnamara gap steady
0.3% 3rd pct 0.4% 8th pct
Aged 65+ in Higginsin Macnamara +2.7 pts higher in Higgins gap narrowing
16.6% 48th pct 13.8% 28th pct
Under 15 in Higginsin Macnamara +1.4 pts higher in Higgins gap narrowing
13.1% 12th pct 11.7% 11th pct
De facto in Higginsin Macnamara +4.6 pts higher in Macnamara gap steady
14.0% 85th pct 18.6% 100th pct

Age structure

34.8% Young adults (25–44) +6.3 pts ▸ 41.1%
23.2% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +0.2 pts 23.1%
16.6% Seniors (65+) ◂ +2.7 pts 13.8%
13.1% Children (0–14) ◂ +1.4 pts 11.7%
12.3% Youth (15–24) ◂ +2.0 pts 10.3%

Marital status

46.2% Never married +5.7 pts ▸ 51.9%
40.3% Married ◂ +6.7 pts 33.7%
7.1% Divorced +1.7 pts ▸ 8.9%
4.2% Widowed ◂ +1.1 pts 3.1%
2.1% Separated +0.4 pts ▸ 2.5%

Age & sex structure

Higgins Macnamara

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Higginsin Macnamara +4.9 pts higher in Macnamara gap narrowing
32.5% 70th pct 37.5% 78th pct

Country of birth

63.5% Australia ◂ +6.7 pts 56.8%
4.3% China ◂ +1.2 pts 3.1%
3.3% England +0.9 pts ▸ 4.2%
3.4% India ◂ +0.2 pts 3.2%
2.0% New Zealand +0.5 pts ▸ 2.4%
0.9% South Africa +0.4 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.6% Philippines +0.2 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.6% Italy +0.2 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.7% Vietnam ◂ +0.2 pts 0.6%
0.3% Nepal even 0.3%

Ancestry

30.8% English ◂ +2.6 pts 28.1%
24.4% Australian ◂ +2.8 pts 21.7%
12.1% Irish ◂ +0.5 pts 11.7%
10.1% Chinese ◂ +2.7 pts 7.4%
10.1% Scottish ◂ +1.3 pts 8.8%
5.2% Greek ◂ +1.8 pts 3.4%
5.2% Italian ◂ +0.3 pts 4.9%
4.0% Indian ◂ +0.4 pts 3.6%
3.7% German +0.3 pts ▸ 4.0%
1.5% Dutch ◂ +0.1 pts 1.4%
0.9% Filipino +0.2 pts ▸ 1.1%
1.0% Vietnamese ◂ +0.2 pts 0.8%

Language

Other language in Higginsin Macnamara +1.2 pts higher in Macnamara gap narrowing
24.6% 67th pct 25.9% 69th pct
Limited English in Higginsin Macnamara +0.5 pts higher in Higgins gap narrowing
3.0% 65th pct 2.5% 60th pct

Language used at home

71.2% English only ◂ +3.1 pts 68.1%
5.3% Mandarin ◂ +1.4 pts 3.9%
3.3% Greek ◂ +1.3 pts 2.0%
1.5% Cantonese ◂ +0.4 pts 1.1%
0.9% Hindi +0.3 pts ▸ 1.2%
0.9% Italian +0.2 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.7% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.6%
0.3% Arabic +0.1 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.2% Tagalog even 0.3%
0.2% Punjabi even 0.2%

Religion

No religion in Higginsin Macnamara +1.7 pts higher in Macnamara gap narrowing
44.3% 69th pct 46.0% 78th pct

Religious affiliation

44.3% No religion +1.7 pts ▸ 46.0%
38.1% Christianity ◂ +9.2 pts 28.8%
4.2% Judaism +5.8 pts ▸ 9.9%
6.0% Not stated +2.0 pts ▸ 8.1%
3.4% Hinduism ◂ +0.5 pts 3.0%
2.4% Buddhism ◂ +0.2 pts 2.2%
1.1% Islam +0.3 pts ▸ 1.5%
0.5% Other religions even 0.6%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Higginsin Macnamara +2.2 pts higher in Higgins gap narrowing
81.7% 99th pct 79.5% 95th pct
Bachelor+ in Higginsin Macnamara +1.5 pts higher in Higgins gap narrowing
52.4% 100th pct 50.9% 98th pct
Schools/1k kids in Higginsin Macnamara +0.17 more in Macnamara
1.77 43rd pct 1.93 55th pct
Schools ≤3 km in Higginsin Macnamara +2 more in Macnamara
36 7th pct 38 9th pct
Students in Higginsin Macnamara +5,855 more in Macnamara
18,472 11th pct 24,327 29th pct
Avg size in Higginsin Macnamara +127 larger in Macnamara
513 53rd pct 640 79th pct
ICSEA in Higginsin Macnamara +25 higher in Higgins
1,164 100th pct 1,139 95th pct

Highest year of school

81.7% Year 12 ◂ +2.2 pts 79.5%
5.2% Year 11 +0.5 pts ▸ 5.7%
4.3% Year 10 +0.3 pts ▸ 4.6%
3.7% Year 9 or below ◂ +0.5 pts 3.2%

Highest qualification level

44.2% Bachelor degree ◂ +3.5 pts 40.7%
19.2% Postgraduate degree +0.1 pts ▸ 19.3%
11.9% Advanced diploma / diploma +0.4 pts ▸ 12.3%
7.9% Certificate III / IV +1.2 pts ▸ 9.0%
5.7% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +0.4 pts 5.2%
0.7% Certificate I / II even 0.7%

Field of qualification

26.4% Management & commerce ◂ +1.6 pts 24.7%
14.3% Society & culture +0.5 pts ▸ 14.8%
11.3% Health ◂ +2.2 pts 9.1%
7.9% Engineering & related +0.2 pts ▸ 8.1%
6.9% Creative arts +1.1 pts ▸ 8.0%
6.5% Education ◂ +0.5 pts 6.0%
4.8% Information technology +0.1 pts ▸ 4.8%
4.7% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +0.8 pts 3.9%
3.9% Architecture & building +0.5 pts ▸ 4.3%
2.9% Food, hospitality & personal services +0.6 pts ▸ 3.4%
0.8% Agriculture & environment even 0.8%

Income

Personal income in Higginsin Macnamara +$23 higher in Macnamara gap narrowing
$1,218 89th pct $1,241 89th pct
Household income in Higginsin Macnamara +$129 higher in Higgins gap steady
$2,201 86th pct $2,072 79th pct
Family income in Higginsin Macnamara +$216 higher in Higgins gap widening
$3,179 98th pct $2,963 92nd pct
High earners in Higginsin Macnamara +1.3 pts higher in Higgins gap widening
25.9% 95th pct 24.7% 93rd pct
High-income homes in Higginsin Macnamara +4.2 pts higher in Higgins gap widening
35.0% 89th pct 30.8% 82nd pct

Household income distribution

27.9% $1,500–$2,999 +2.9 pts ▸ 30.8%
24.7% $4,000 or more ◂ +4.4 pts 20.3%
19.4% $650–$1,499 +1.4 pts ▸ 20.8%
12.6% Under $650 +0.2 pts ▸ 12.7%
10.3% $3,000–$3,999 +0.1 pts ▸ 10.4%

Personal income distribution

29.0% Under $650 ◂ +2.8 pts 26.2%
26.6% $650–$1,499 +1.4 pts ▸ 28.0%
24.6% $1,500–$2,999 +1.3 pts ▸ 25.9%
14.3% $3,000 or more ◂ +1.9 pts 12.4%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Higginsin Macnamara +1.3 pts higher in Higgins
24.7% 29th pct 23.3% 21st pct
Mental health in Higginsin Macnamara +0.7 pts higher in Macnamara
8.3% 38th pct 9.0% 48th pct
Needs assistance in Higginsin Macnamara +0.4 pts higher in Higgins gap narrowing
4.1% 13th pct 3.6% 9th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

8.3% Mental health +0.7 pts ▸ 9.0%
7.6% Asthma ◂ +0.4 pts 7.3%
7.4% Other condition even 7.4%
5.9% Arthritis ◂ +0.8 pts 5.2%
3.1% Heart disease ◂ +0.4 pts 2.7%
2.9% Diabetes ◂ +0.3 pts 2.6%
2.9% Cancer ◂ +0.4 pts 2.5%
0.9% Lung condition even 0.9%
0.7% Stroke ◂ +0.1 pts 0.6%
0.7% Dementia ◂ +0.2 pts 0.5%

Number of long-term health conditions

69.0% None ◂ +0.2 pts 68.7%
18.3% One condition ◂ +1.0 pts 17.3%
4.6% Two conditions ◂ +0.1 pts 4.4%
1.8% Three or more ◂ +0.2 pts 1.6%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Higginsin Macnamara +0.2 pts higher in Higgins gap narrowing
15.9% 67th pct 15.7% 64th pct
Unpaid carers in Higginsin Macnamara +1.3 pts higher in Higgins gap steady
12.1% 55th pct 10.8% 28th pct
Unpaid child care in Higginsin Macnamara +2.5 pts higher in Higgins gap narrowing
21.3% 14th pct 18.8% 10th pct
Defence service in Higginsin Macnamara +0.1 pts higher in Higgins
1.4% 16th pct 1.3% 14th pct
Housework 15h+ in Higginsin Macnamara +2.8 pts higher in Higgins gap narrowing
16.9% 16th pct 14.1% 10th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Higginsin Macnamara +0.2 larger in Higgins gap widening
2.2 11th pct 2.0 3rd pct
One-parent in Higginsin Macnamara +0.3 pts higher in Macnamara gap narrowing
9.7% 2nd pct 10.0% 5th pct
Living alone in Higginsin Macnamara +5.1 pts higher in Macnamara gap steady
36.2% 100th pct 41.3% 100th pct

Family composition

55.2% Couples with children ◂ +8.6 pts 46.6%
33.3% Couples without children +8.2 pts ▸ 41.4%
9.7% One-parent families +0.3 pts ▸ 10.0%
1.8% Other families +0.2 pts ▸ 2.0%

Household size

36.2% 1 person +5.1 pts ▸ 41.3%
34.1% 2 people +2.5 pts ▸ 36.6%
12.8% 3 people ◂ +1.6 pts 11.2%
12.1% 4 people ◂ +4.4 pts 7.6%
4.0% 5 people ◂ +1.6 pts 2.4%
0.9% 6 or more even 0.9%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Higginsin Macnamara +$1 higher in Macnamara gap narrowing
$420 78th pct $421 78th pct
Mortgage in Higginsin Macnamara +$283 higher in Higgins gap widening
$2,450 87th pct $2,167 73rd pct
People / bedroom in Higginsin Macnamara even gap steady
0.90 86th pct 0.90 86th pct
Renting in Higginsin Macnamara +9.9 pts higher in Macnamara gap steady
41.6% 88th pct 51.5% 100th pct
Owned outright in Higginsin Macnamara +7.3 pts higher in Higgins gap steady
29.2% 39th pct 21.8% 12th pct
Separate houses in Higginsin Macnamara +21.5 pts higher in Higgins gap widening
33.6% 6th pct 12.1% 0th pct
3+ bedrooms in Higginsin Macnamara +15.3 pts higher in Higgins gap widening
45.3% 3rd pct 30.0% 0th pct

How homes are owned or rented

41.6% Rented +9.9 pts ▸ 51.5%
29.2% Owned outright ◂ +7.3 pts 21.8%
26.7% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +2.6 pts 24.1%
1.5% Other tenure even 1.5%
1.1% Not stated even 1.1%

Types of homes

45.1% Flat or apartment +22.2 pts ▸ 67.3%
33.6% Separate house ◂ +21.5 pts 12.1%
20.6% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +1.1 pts 19.5%
0.6% Other dwelling +0.3 pts ▸ 0.8%

Bedrooms per home

36.2% 2 bedrooms +9.6 pts ▸ 45.8%
26.5% 3 bedrooms ◂ +5.1 pts 21.4%
16.7% 1 bedroom +5.3 pts ▸ 22.1%
14.2% 4 bedrooms ◂ +7.6 pts 6.6%
4.5% 5 or more ◂ +2.5 pts 2.0%
0.8% Studio / none +0.2 pts ▸ 1.0%

Weekly rent distribution

43.9% $350–$549 +3.4 pts ▸ 47.3%
22.0% $200–$349 ◂ +1.7 pts 20.2%
15.3% $550–$749 ◂ +0.1 pts 15.2%
10.2% $750 or more ◂ +1.2 pts 9.0%
5.9% Under $200 ◂ +0.5 pts 5.4%

Monthly mortgage distribution

38.8% $3,000 or more ◂ +7.8 pts 31.0%
24.6% $1,800–$2,999 +4.8 pts ▸ 29.4%
18.0% $1,000–$1,799 +3.8 pts ▸ 21.8%
12.0% Under $1,000 ◂ +0.9 pts 11.1%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Higginsin Macnamara +5.7 pts higher in Macnamara gap steady
14.4% 92nd pct 20.0% 100th pct
Work from home in Higginsin Macnamara +0.2 pts higher in Higgins gap steady
43.2% 92nd pct 43.0% 92nd pct
PT commute in Higginsin Macnamara +1.0 pts higher in Macnamara gap narrowing
5.8% 86th pct 6.8% 90th pct
PT stops in Higginsin Macnamara +5 more in Macnamara
655 28th pct 660 29th pct
Stops/1k in Higginsin Macnamara +0.30 more in Higgins
4.22 37th pct 3.93 29th pct
Departures/1k in Higginsin Macnamara +891.9 more in Macnamara
1,862.8 82nd pct 2,754.7 95th pct
PT routes in Higginsin Macnamara +11 more in Higgins
52 47th pct 41 29th pct
Stop walk in Higginsin Macnamara even
6 46th pct 6 46th pct
Drive to city in Higginsin Macnamara +7 longer in Higgins
14 14th pct 7 0th pct

How people get to work

43.2% Worked at home ◂ +0.2 pts 43.0%
30.3% Car (driver) ◂ +4.0 pts 26.3%
3.7% Walked +2.1 pts ▸ 5.8%
3.9% Train ◂ +2.0 pts 1.9%
1.2% Bicycle +0.6 pts ▸ 1.8%
1.8% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.1 pts 1.7%
0.4% Bus +0.1 pts ▸ 0.5%

Motor vehicles per home

47.3% 1 vehicle +5.8 pts ▸ 53.0%
28.7% 2 vehicles ◂ +6.8 pts 21.9%
14.4% No vehicle +5.7 pts ▸ 20.0%
6.5% 3 vehicles ◂ +3.0 pts 3.5%
3.1% 4 or more ◂ +1.6 pts 1.5%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Higginsin Macnamara +7.2 pts higher in Macnamara gap steady
47.1% 83rd pct 54.3% 92nd pct
Recent arrivals in Higginsin Macnamara +5.2 pts higher in Macnamara gap narrowing
20.4% 85th pct 25.6% 91st pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Higginsin Macnamara +0.4 pts higher in Macnamara gap steady
4.2% 22nd pct 4.6% 39th pct
Participation in Higginsin Macnamara +1.7 pts higher in Macnamara gap narrowing
68.9% 93rd pct 70.6% 99th pct
Full-time in Higginsin Macnamara +0.4 pts higher in Macnamara gap steady
64.1% 89th pct 64.5% 90th pct

Industries people work in

16.3% Professional & technical +0.3 pts ▸ 16.6%
14.0% Health care & social assistance ◂ +2.1 pts 11.9%
9.0% Education & training ◂ +0.2 pts 8.8%
8.9% Retail trade ◂ +1.2 pts 7.6%
7.7% Finance & insurance ◂ +0.6 pts 7.1%
6.0% Accommodation & food +1.0 pts ▸ 7.0%
5.4% Construction +0.5 pts ▸ 5.9%
4.8% Public administration & safety +0.4 pts ▸ 5.2%
3.9% Manufacturing ◂ +0.1 pts 3.8%
3.1% Administrative & support +0.7 pts ▸ 3.8%
2.3% Arts & recreation +0.6 pts ▸ 2.9%
2.5% Other services +0.4 pts ▸ 2.9%

Occupations people work in

40.2% Professionals ◂ +1.3 pts 38.9%
19.3% Managers ◂ +0.1 pts 19.2%
11.7% Clerical & administrative ◂ +0.3 pts 11.4%
7.8% Community & personal service +1.0 pts ▸ 8.8%
7.8% Sales workers ◂ +1.0 pts 6.8%
6.3% Technicians & trades +0.9 pts ▸ 7.2%
3.6% Labourers +0.5 pts ▸ 4.0%
1.7% Machinery operators & drivers +0.2 pts ▸ 1.8%

Walkability

Walk score in Higginsin Macnamara +0.3 higher in Macnamara
8.8 96th pct 9.1 100th pct
Types ≤15 min in Higginsin Macnamara even
7.9 100th pct 7.9 99th pct
15-min city in Higginsin Macnamara +0.5 pts higher in Higgins
99.6% 99th pct 99.2% 97th pct
Walk to shops in Higginsin Macnamara +0.9 pts higher in Macnamara
98.7% 98th pct 99.7% 100th pct
Walk to transit in Higginsin Macnamara even
99.9% 97th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to school in Higginsin Macnamara +1.1 pts higher in Higgins
99.4% 99th pct 98.3% 95th pct
Walk to a park in Higginsin Macnamara +0.6 pts higher in Higgins
100.0% 100th pct 99.4% 78th pct
Walk to health in Higginsin Macnamara +0.3 pts higher in Higgins
98.3% 100th pct 98.0% 100th pct
Amenities/1k in Higginsin Macnamara +0.7 more in Macnamara
11.8 23rd pct 12.6 30th pct
Intersections/km² in Higginsin Macnamara +41 higher in Higgins
451 100th pct 411 98th pct
Mean slope in Higginsin Macnamara +1.1 pts higher in Macnamara
4.3% 22nd pct 5.4% 46th pct

Compare Higgins with nearby areas

Kooyong Goldstein Chisholm Macnamara Melbourne Hotham Menzies Cooper

Compare Macnamara with nearby areas

Melbourne Goldstein Higgins Kooyong Wills Cooper Maribyrnong Fraser

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Higgins vs Macnamara [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/ced/CED220/higgins/vs/CED229/macnamara