# Ballarat vs Bendigo — 2021 Census comparison

Indigenous Area comparison · about 91 km apart

Ballarat and Bendigo are two regional centres in Victoria that differ mainly in how easy it is to get around without a car. Ballarat is more walkable, with 63.8% of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries compared to 49.8% in Bendigo. This is supported by a denser street network, as Ballarat has 23 intersections per square kilometre while Bendigo has 8. Education outcomes for First Nations people are also well higher in Ballarat, where 43.6% finished Year 12 compared to 37.9% in Bendigo.

Everyday life shares many similarities in both places, such as the typical age of First Nations residents being 22 and a similar number of homes (around 79%) being within a 10-minute walk of public transport. While Ballarat has more people who speak a First Nations language and a slightly higher unemployment rate for this group, the usual household and personal incomes for First Nations people are effectively the same across both areas.

## First Nations

| Statistic | Ballarat | Bendigo | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| First Nations people | 2,196 | 2,740 | 544 larger in Bendigo |  |
| Median age | 22 yrs | 22 yrs |  |  |
| Year 12 | 43.6% | 37.9% | 5.7 pts higher in Ballarat |  |
| Unemployment | 12.2% | 9.7% | 2.5 pts higher in Ballarat |  |
| Median income | $553 | $595 | $42 higher in Bendigo |  |
| Household income | $1,364 | $1,409 | $45 higher in Bendigo |  |
| Indigenous language | 5.1% | 3.9% | 1.1 pts higher in Ballarat |  |

## Walkability

| Statistic | Ballarat | Bendigo | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Walk score | 5.6 | 5.1 | 0.5 higher in Ballarat |  |
| Types ≤15 min | 5.5 | 5.0 | 0.5 more in Ballarat |  |
| 15-min city | 64.1% | 56.8% | 7.3 pts higher in Ballarat |  |
| Walk to shops | 63.8% | 49.8% | 14.0 pts higher in Ballarat |  |
| Walk to transit | 79.0% | 79.1% |  |  |
| Walk to school | 70.2% | 66.4% | 3.8 pts higher in Ballarat |  |
| Walk to a park | 93.0% | 88.1% | 4.9 pts higher in Ballarat |  |
| Walk to health | 48.2% | 44.4% | 3.9 pts higher in Ballarat |  |
| Intersections/km² | 23 | 8 | 15 higher in Ballarat |  |
| Mean slope | 4.8% | 4.7% | 0.1 pts higher in Ballarat |  |

Interactive comparison: https://censusatlas.au/compare/iare/IARE202001/ballarat/vs/IARE202003/bendigo