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Rest of NSW vs Greater Melbourne

Capital City comparison ≈ 594 km apart · Rest of NSW profile · Greater Melbourne profile

Rest of NSW Greater Melbourne

Greater Melbourne and Rest of NSW are very different environments, with Greater Melbourne being a very walkable urban hub and Rest of NSW covering a vast regional area. Greater Melbourne is far more diverse, with 35.7% of people born overseas and 34.1% using a language other than English at home. It also has a more highly qualified workforce, where 32.8% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher compared to 17.8% in Rest of NSW. In contrast, Rest of NSW has a much higher share of separate houses at 82.3% and a larger First Nations population at 6.6%.

Both areas share similar proportions of children under 15 and people who have no religion. They also have almost identical average minimum temperatures. However, the gap in typical weekly household incomes has widened since 2016, with Greater Melbourne now earning $467 more than the usual household in Rest of NSW. The difference in working from home has also shifted, with Greater Melbourne now seeing a far higher share of people working from home than Rest of NSW.

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Where they differ most

Other language: 27.5 pts higher in Greater Melbourne Born overseas: 23.5 pts higher in Greater Melbourne Year 12: 22.5 pts higher in Greater Melbourne Population: 2,088,113 larger in Greater Melbourne One-parent: 2.9 pts higher in Rest of NSW

Demographics & Identity

Population in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +2,088,113 larger in Greater Melbourne gap widening
2,829,637 89th pct 4,917,750 99th pct
Median age in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +6 yrs older in Rest of NSW gap narrowing
43 yrs 71st pct 37 yrs 23rd pct
First Nations in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +5.9 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap steady
6.6% 59th pct 0.7% 6th pct
Aged 65+ in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +7.1 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap steady
22.2% 95th pct 15.0% 57th pct
Under 15 in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +0.3 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap steady
17.9% 67th pct 18.1% 71st pct
De facto in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +1.6 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap steady
12.3% 28th pct 10.7% 11th pct

Age structure

23.0% Young adults (25–44) +7.9 pts ▸ 31.0%
25.8% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +2.2 pts 23.6%
22.2% Seniors (65+) ◂ +7.1 pts 15.0%
17.9% Children (0–14) +0.3 pts ▸ 18.1%
11.1% Youth (15–24) +1.1 pts ▸ 12.3%

Marital status

45.6% Married +1.4 pts ▸ 47.0%
34.3% Never married +3.6 pts ▸ 38.0%
10.1% Divorced ◂ +2.5 pts 7.6%
6.4% Widowed ◂ +1.9 pts 4.5%
3.6% Separated ◂ +0.7 pts 2.9%

Age & sex structure

Rest of NSW Greater Melbourne

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +23.5 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap steady
12.2% 13th pct 35.7% 97th pct

Country of birth

81.3% Australia ◂ +21.4 pts 59.9%
0.7% India +4.2 pts ▸ 4.9%
0.3% China +3.1 pts ▸ 3.4%
2.8% England ◂ +0.1 pts 2.7%
0.1% Vietnam +1.7 pts ▸ 1.8%
1.2% New Zealand +0.5 pts ▸ 1.7%
0.5% Philippines +0.6 pts ▸ 1.2%
0.3% Italy +0.9 pts ▸ 1.2%
0.4% South Africa +0.2 pts ▸ 0.6%
0.2% Nepal +0.2 pts ▸ 0.4%

Ancestry

40.9% English ◂ +15.3 pts 25.6%
40.2% Australian ◂ +16.8 pts 23.4%
11.8% Irish ◂ +3.5 pts 8.3%
10.7% Scottish ◂ +3.6 pts 7.1%
1.0% Chinese +7.3 pts ▸ 8.3%
2.8% Italian +3.8 pts ▸ 6.6%
0.8% Indian +4.5 pts ▸ 5.3%
4.2% German ◂ +1.4 pts 2.9%
0.6% Greek +2.9 pts ▸ 3.5%
0.2% Vietnamese +2.2 pts ▸ 2.4%
0.8% Filipino +0.9 pts ▸ 1.7%
1.4% Dutch +0.1 pts ▸ 1.5%

Language

Other language in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +27.5 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap steady
6.6% 15th pct 34.1% 92nd pct
Limited English in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +4.6 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap steady
0.9% 29th pct 5.4% 92nd pct

Language used at home

86.8% English only ◂ +25.7 pts 61.1%
0.4% Mandarin +3.9 pts ▸ 4.3%
0.2% Vietnamese +2.2 pts ▸ 2.3%
0.2% Greek +1.9 pts ▸ 2.1%
0.3% Punjabi +1.7 pts ▸ 2.0%
0.3% Arabic +1.5 pts ▸ 1.8%
0.4% Italian +1.3 pts ▸ 1.7%
0.2% Cantonese +1.5 pts ▸ 1.6%
0.1% Hindi +1.2 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.2% Tagalog +0.3 pts ▸ 0.5%

Religion

No religion in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +0.5 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap narrowing
37.8% 39th pct 37.3% 38th pct

Religious affiliation

51.1% Christianity ◂ +11.0 pts 40.1%
37.8% No religion ◂ +0.5 pts 37.3%
8.1% Not stated ◂ +1.8 pts 6.2%
0.7% Islam +4.6 pts ▸ 5.3%
0.7% Hinduism +3.4 pts ▸ 4.1%
0.8% Buddhism +3.1 pts ▸ 3.9%
0.7% Other religions +1.4 pts ▸ 2.1%
0.1% Judaism +0.8 pts ▸ 0.9%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +22.5 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap steady
44.5% 58th pct 66.9% 93rd pct
Bachelor+ in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +15.0 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap widening
17.8% 60th pct 32.8% 93rd pct

Highest year of school

44.5% Year 12 +22.5 pts ▸ 66.9%
28.7% Year 10 ◂ +19.1 pts 9.6%
12.0% Year 9 or below ◂ +2.8 pts 9.3%
6.7% Year 11 +1.9 pts ▸ 8.6%

Highest qualification level

34.0% Certificate III / IV ◂ +14.7 pts 19.3%
20.1% Bachelor degree +12.3 pts ▸ 32.4%
14.3% Advanced diploma / diploma +1.0 pts ▸ 15.4%
6.0% Postgraduate degree +7.6 pts ▸ 13.6%
3.2% Graduate diploma / certificate +1.4 pts ▸ 4.6%
2.4% Certificate I / II ◂ +1.1 pts 1.3%

Field of qualification

16.1% Management & commerce +4.8 pts ▸ 20.9%
15.0% Engineering & related ◂ +2.6 pts 12.4%
11.2% Society & culture +1.3 pts ▸ 12.5%
11.0% Health ◂ +1.2 pts 9.8%
8.9% Education ◂ +1.5 pts 7.4%
6.1% Architecture & building ◂ +0.9 pts 5.2%
5.3% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +0.7 pts 4.5%
1.6% Information technology +3.6 pts ▸ 5.2%
2.9% Creative arts +1.9 pts ▸ 4.8%
2.1% Natural & physical sciences +1.7 pts ▸ 3.8%
3.2% Agriculture & environment ◂ +1.9 pts 1.2%

Income

Personal income in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +$119 higher in Greater Melbourne gap widening
$722 16th pct $841 45th pct
Household income in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +$467 higher in Greater Melbourne gap widening
$1,434 17th pct $1,901 72nd pct
Family income in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +$391 higher in Greater Melbourne gap widening
$1,852 30th pct $2,243 71st pct
High earners in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +4.5 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap widening
9.2% 53rd pct 13.7% 73rd pct
High-income homes in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +8.7 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap widening
16.7% 28th pct 25.4% 76th pct

Household income distribution

27.7% $1,500–$2,999 +3.2 pts ▸ 30.9%
29.6% $650–$1,499 ◂ +5.7 pts 23.9%
18.8% Under $650 ◂ +4.8 pts 14.0%
8.1% $4,000 or more +6.1 pts ▸ 14.2%
8.6% $3,000–$3,999 +2.6 pts ▸ 11.2%

Personal income distribution

42.1% Under $650 ◂ +3.4 pts 38.8%
31.5% $650–$1,499 ◂ +0.8 pts 30.6%
15.0% $1,500–$2,999 +3.9 pts ▸ 18.9%
3.1% $3,000 or more +2.5 pts ▸ 5.6%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +7.8 pts higher in Rest of NSW
33.3% 92nd pct 25.5% 42nd pct
Mental health in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +2.5 pts higher in Rest of NSW
10.6% 66th pct 8.1% 40th pct
Needs assistance in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +1.3 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap steady
6.8% 92nd pct 5.5% 56th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

11.6% Arthritis ◂ +4.6 pts 6.9%
10.6% Mental health ◂ +2.5 pts 8.1%
9.6% Asthma ◂ +1.7 pts 7.9%
8.5% Other condition ◂ +0.7 pts 7.8%
5.3% Diabetes ◂ +0.8 pts 4.5%
5.0% Heart disease ◂ +1.7 pts 3.3%
3.6% Cancer ◂ +1.1 pts 2.5%
2.6% Lung condition ◂ +1.4 pts 1.2%
1.2% Stroke ◂ +0.4 pts 0.8%
1.0% Dementia ◂ +0.3 pts 0.7%

Number of long-term health conditions

57.3% None +10.1 pts ▸ 67.5%
21.5% One condition ◂ +3.5 pts 17.9%
7.5% Two conditions ◂ +2.4 pts 5.1%
4.3% Three or more ◂ +1.9 pts 2.4%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +3.4 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap steady
15.5% 70th pct 12.1% 46th pct
Unpaid carers in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +0.5 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap steady
13.1% 86th pct 12.6% 81st pct
Unpaid child care in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +1.0 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap steady
25.6% 61st pct 26.5% 74th pct
Defence service in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +2.0 pts higher in Rest of NSW
3.6% 73rd pct 1.6% 13th pct
Housework 15h+ in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +3.7 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap narrowing
22.8% 92nd pct 19.1% 57th pct

First Nations

First Nations people in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +152,921 larger in Rest of NSW
185,873 100th pct 32,952 78th pct
Median age in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +2 yrs older in Greater Melbourne
23 yrs 0th pct 25 yrs 43rd pct
Year 12 in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +17.7 pts higher in Greater Melbourne
31.8% 51st pct 49.5% 94th pct
Unemployment in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +1.9 pts higher in Rest of NSW
10.6% 24th pct 8.6% 6th pct
Median income in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +$124 higher in Greater Melbourne
$570 58th pct $694 79th pct
Household income in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +$349 higher in Greater Melbourne
$1,460 49th pct $1,809 81st pct
Indigenous language in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +2.7 pts higher in Greater Melbourne
3.6% 22nd pct 6.2% 44th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +0.2 larger in Greater Melbourne gap narrowing
2.4 29th pct 2.6 86th pct
One-parent in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +2.9 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap steady
15.8% 86th pct 12.9% 14th pct
Living alone in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +3.1 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap narrowing
27.9% 72nd pct 24.8% 28th pct

Family composition

52.2% Couples with children +9.8 pts ▸ 62.0%
30.9% Couples without children ◂ +7.1 pts 23.8%
15.8% One-parent families ◂ +2.9 pts 12.9%
1.0% Other families +0.2 pts ▸ 1.3%

Household size

36.4% 2 people ◂ +5.1 pts 31.3%
27.9% 1 person ◂ +3.1 pts 24.8%
13.0% 4 people +4.3 pts ▸ 17.2%
14.1% 3 people +2.8 pts ▸ 16.9%
5.8% 5 people +0.7 pts ▸ 6.6%
2.8% 6 or more +0.4 pts ▸ 3.2%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +$60 higher in Greater Melbourne gap narrowing
$330 46th pct $390 86th pct
Mortgage in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +$267 higher in Greater Melbourne gap widening
$1,733 57th pct $2,000 81st pct
People / bedroom in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +0.10 higher in Greater Melbourne gap steady
0.80 29th pct 0.90 86th pct
Renting in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +3.4 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap widening
26.8% 26th pct 30.2% 53rd pct
Owned outright in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +8.2 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap widening
38.0% 83rd pct 29.7% 40th pct
Separate houses in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +14.5 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap steady
82.3% 64th pct 67.8% 20th pct
3+ bedrooms in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +4.2 pts higher in Rest of NSW gap steady
76.4% 63rd pct 72.2% 31st pct

How homes are owned or rented

38.0% Owned outright ◂ +8.2 pts 29.7%
31.2% Owned with a mortgage +5.9 pts ▸ 37.1%
26.8% Rented +3.4 pts ▸ 30.2%
2.3% Other tenure ◂ +0.7 pts 1.6%
1.7% Not stated ◂ +0.3 pts 1.4%

Types of homes

82.3% Separate house ◂ +14.5 pts 67.8%
9.9% Townhouse / semi-detached +6.3 pts ▸ 16.2%
6.3% Flat or apartment +9.2 pts ▸ 15.6%
1.0% Other dwelling ◂ +0.7 pts 0.3%

Bedrooms per home

41.1% 3 bedrooms ◂ +1.7 pts 39.4%
28.3% 4 bedrooms ◂ +1.3 pts 27.0%
17.5% 2 bedrooms +2.9 pts ▸ 20.4%
6.9% 5 or more ◂ +1.2 pts 5.8%
4.0% 1 bedroom +1.8 pts ▸ 5.8%
0.5% Studio / none ◂ +0.1 pts 0.3%

Weekly rent distribution

37.0% $350–$549 +13.9 pts ▸ 50.9%
34.8% $200–$349 ◂ +11.0 pts 23.8%
15.9% Under $200 ◂ +8.8 pts 7.0%
6.7% $550–$749 +3.2 pts ▸ 10.0%
1.6% $750 or more +3.1 pts ▸ 4.7%

Monthly mortgage distribution

30.5% $1,800–$2,999 +4.4 pts ▸ 34.9%
32.8% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +7.5 pts 25.3%
12.3% $3,000 or more +8.1 pts ▸ 20.3%
18.8% Under $1,000 ◂ +5.8 pts 13.0%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +3.0 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap steady
5.6% 51st pct 8.6% 86th pct
Work from home in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +13.1 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap widening
15.7% 81st pct 28.8% 96th pct
PT commute in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +2.9 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap narrowing
0.6% 12th pct 3.5% 47th pct
PT stops in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +5,815 more in Greater Melbourne
15,571 86th pct 21,386 93rd pct
Stops/1k in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +1.15 more in Rest of NSW
5.50 77th pct 4.35 40th pct
Departures/1k in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +980.2 more in Greater Melbourne
534.1 43rd pct 1,514.2 78th pct
PT routes in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +156 more in Rest of NSW
779 98th pct 623 87th pct

How people get to work

60.3% Car (driver) ◂ +13.8 pts 46.5%
15.7% Worked at home +13.1 pts ▸ 28.8%
4.2% Car (passenger) ◂ +1.0 pts 3.2%
2.9% Walked ◂ +0.9 pts 2.0%
0.1% Train +1.9 pts ▸ 2.1%
0.4% Bicycle +0.3 pts ▸ 0.7%
0.4% Bus +0.2 pts ▸ 0.6%

Motor vehicles per home

37.8% 2 vehicles ◂ +0.9 pts 37.0%
35.6% 1 vehicle +1.7 pts ▸ 37.2%
13.2% 3 vehicles ◂ +2.1 pts 11.1%
5.6% No vehicle +3.0 pts ▸ 8.6%
7.8% 4 or more ◂ +1.7 pts 6.1%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +3.0 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap steady
37.9% 31st pct 40.8% 51st pct
Recent arrivals in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +3.4 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap narrowing
12.4% 22nd pct 15.8% 49th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +0.7 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap steady
4.6% 22nd pct 5.3% 42nd pct
Participation in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +7.7 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap steady
56.4% 52nd pct 64.1% 84th pct
Full-time in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +3.0 pts higher in Greater Melbourne gap steady
57.1% 46th pct 60.1% 71st pct

Industries people work in

16.3% Health care & social assistance ◂ +2.8 pts 13.5%
4.9% Professional & technical +4.7 pts ▸ 9.6%
9.4% Retail trade even 9.4%
9.4% Construction ◂ +0.1 pts 9.3%
9.2% Education & training ◂ +0.5 pts 8.8%
7.5% Accommodation & food ◂ +1.4 pts 6.1%
7.2% Public administration & safety ◂ +1.8 pts 5.4%
5.6% Manufacturing +1.3 pts ▸ 6.9%
5.1% Agriculture, forestry & fishing ◂ +4.5 pts 0.6%
3.7% Transport & warehousing +1.2 pts ▸ 4.9%
1.9% Finance & insurance +2.8 pts ▸ 4.7%
3.8% Other services ◂ +0.4 pts 3.4%

Occupations people work in

19.2% Professionals +7.7 pts ▸ 26.8%
14.5% Technicians & trades ◂ +2.4 pts 12.1%
13.4% Managers +0.4 pts ▸ 13.8%
13.2% Community & personal service ◂ +2.7 pts 10.5%
11.7% Clerical & administrative +1.2 pts ▸ 12.9%
10.9% Labourers ◂ +3.1 pts 7.8%
8.5% Sales workers ◂ +0.2 pts 8.3%
6.9% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +1.0 pts 5.8%

Economy & Advantage

ERP in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +2,481,896 higher in Greater Melbourne
2,953,694 86th pct 5,435,590 99th pct
Growth in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +5.1 pts higher in Greater Melbourne
4.2% 29th pct 9.3% 87th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +320 higher in Greater Melbourne
505 29th pct 825 47th pct
Max temp in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +4.8 higher in Rest of NSW
25.2 53rd pct 20.4 29th pct
Min temp in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne even
10.0 43rd pct 10.0 40th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +2.5 higher in Greater Melbourne
4.6 47th pct 7.1 97th pct
Types ≤15 min in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +2.1 more in Greater Melbourne
4.5 48th pct 6.6 97th pct
15-min city in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +30.2 pts higher in Greater Melbourne
52.4% 47th pct 82.6% 94th pct
Walk to shops in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +34.0 pts higher in Greater Melbourne
48.0% 27th pct 82.0% 100th pct
Walk to transit in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +21.6 pts higher in Greater Melbourne
69.4% 50th pct 91.0% 82nd pct
Walk to school in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +30.4 pts higher in Greater Melbourne
56.8% 43rd pct 87.2% 98th pct
Walk to a park in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +20.6 pts higher in Greater Melbourne
76.8% 43rd pct 97.3% 92nd pct
Walk to health in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +34.7 pts higher in Greater Melbourne
38.3% 39th pct 73.0% 100th pct
Amenities/1k in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +2.9 more in Rest of NSW
16.8 46th pct 13.9 18th pct
Intersections/km² in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +76 higher in Greater Melbourne
0 26th pct 76 100th pct
Mean slope in Rest of NSWin Greater Melbourne +1.5 pts higher in Rest of NSW
6.2% 73rd pct 4.8% 43rd pct

Compare Rest of NSW with nearby areas

Australian Capital Territory Greater Sydney Greater Melbourne Rest of Vic. Greater Brisbane Greater Adelaide Rest of Tas. Rest of Qld Greater Hobart Rest of SA Rest of NT Rest of WA

Compare Greater Melbourne with nearby areas

Rest of Vic. Australian Capital Territory Rest of Tas. Rest of NSW Greater Hobart Greater Sydney Greater Adelaide Rest of SA Greater Brisbane Rest of Qld Rest of NT Rest of WA

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Rest of NSW vs Greater Melbourne [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/gccsa/1RNSW/rest-of-nsw/vs/2GMEL/greater-melbourne