# Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea vs Upper Goulburn Valley — 2021 Census comparison

Indigenous Area comparison · about 92 km apart

Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea and Upper Goulburn Valley offer very different living environments. Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea is very walkable, with 92.2% of homes within a 10 minute walk of public transport and 87.7% near a school. In contrast, Upper Goulburn Valley is mostly car-dependent, where only 34.8% of homes are close to public transport and 39.3% are near a school. First Nations outcomes also differ, with Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea seeing a far higher Year 12 completion rate of 50.0% compared to 38.1% in Upper Goulburn Valley.

These two areas have tracked similarly since 2011 in a few key ways. They share a First Nations median age of 25 and have very similar First Nations unemployment rates, at 7.9% and 8.3%. While Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea has a far larger First Nations population and higher household incomes for this group, both areas sit below the national figure for the share of people who speak a First Nations language.

## First Nations

| Statistic | Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea | Upper Goulburn Valley | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| First Nations people | 3,711 | 856 | 2,855 larger in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| Median age | 25 yrs | 25 yrs |  |  |
| Year 12 | 50.0% | 38.1% | 11.9 pts higher in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| Unemployment | 7.9% | 8.3% | 0.4 pts higher in Upper Goulburn Valley |  |
| Median income | $719 | $584 | $135 higher in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| Household income | $1,760 | $1,325 | $435 higher in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| Indigenous language | 8.5% | 4.1% | 4.5 pts higher in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |

## Walkability

| Statistic | Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea | Upper Goulburn Valley | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Walk score | 6.9 | 3.0 | 3.9 higher in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| Types ≤15 min | 6.4 | 3.1 | 3.3 more in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| 15-min city | 79.6% | 34.5% | 45.2 pts higher in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| Walk to shops | 79.8% | 39.0% | 40.8 pts higher in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| Walk to transit | 92.2% | 34.8% | 57.5 pts higher in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| Walk to school | 87.7% | 39.3% | 48.4 pts higher in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| Walk to a park | 98.5% | 55.8% | 42.8 pts higher in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| Walk to health | 68.3% | 29.4% | 38.9 pts higher in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| Intersections/km² | 150 | 1 | 149 higher in Northcote - Preston - Whittlesea |  |
| Mean slope | 3.6% | 6.5% | 2.9 pts higher in Upper Goulburn Valley |  |

Interactive comparison: https://censusatlas.au/compare/iare/IARE201017/northcote-preston-whittlesea/vs/IARE202015/upper-goulburn-valley