# Bassendean vs Northam — 2021 Census comparison

Indigenous Area comparison · about 74 km apart

Bassendean and Northam are two Western Australian areas with very different layouts. Bassendean is far more walkable, with a score of 5.9 (somewhat walkable), while Northam is 3.3 (mostly car-dependent). This is clear in the access to basics: 98.1% of Bassendean homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport compared to just 13.4% in Northam. There are also stark differences for First Nations residents; in Bassendean, 40.2% of First Nations people finished Year 12 and the typical household income is $1,597, while in Northam, only 21.1% finished Year 12 and the typical household income is much lower at $1,098.

Both areas have tracked similarly since 2011 in terms of their physical landscape, as they share almost identical terrain slopes of around 5.6%. While they sit in different parts of the state, they both have First Nations populations that are younger than the national figure. Northam has a larger First Nations community overall, with 557 people compared to 399 in Bassendean.

## First Nations

| Statistic | Bassendean | Northam | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| First Nations people | 399 | 557 | 158 larger in Northam |  |
| Median age | 23 yrs | 20 yrs | 3 yrs older in Bassendean |  |
| Year 12 | 40.2% | 21.1% | 19.0 pts higher in Bassendean |  |
| Unemployment | 15.9% | 20.5% | 4.5 pts higher in Northam |  |
| Median income | $534 | $455 | $79 higher in Bassendean |  |
| Household income | $1,597 | $1,098 | $499 higher in Bassendean |  |
| Indigenous language | 9.3% | 7.4% | 1.9 pts higher in Bassendean |  |

## Walkability

| Statistic | Bassendean | Northam | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Walk score | 5.9 | 3.3 | 2.6 higher in Bassendean |  |
| Types ≤15 min | 5.7 | 3.7 | 2.1 more in Bassendean |  |
| 15-min city | 81.3% | 39.8% | 41.5 pts higher in Bassendean |  |
| Walk to shops | 59.1% | 42.2% | 16.9 pts higher in Bassendean |  |
| Walk to transit | 98.1% | 13.4% | 84.8 pts higher in Bassendean |  |
| Walk to school | 93.4% | 73.5% | 19.9 pts higher in Bassendean |  |
| Walk to a park | 99.6% | 73.3% | 26.3 pts higher in Bassendean |  |
| Walk to health | 47.1% | 18.0% | 29.0 pts higher in Bassendean |  |
| Intersections/km² | 99 | 20 | 79 higher in Bassendean |  |
| Mean slope | 5.6% | 5.7% | 0.1 pts higher in Northam |  |

Interactive comparison: https://censusatlas.au/compare/iare/IARE505002/bassendean/vs/IARE507014/northam