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Blue Mountains vs Fairfield

Name: Blue Mountains vs Fairfield — 2021 Census comparison
Creator: Australian Bureau of Statistics
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Council (LGA) comparison ≈ 50 km apart · Blue Mountains profile · Fairfield profile

Blue Mountains Fairfield

Blue Mountains and Fairfield are two very different parts of Greater Sydney. Fairfield is a diverse hub where 56.0% of people were born overseas and 69.7% use a language other than English at home. In contrast, the Blue Mountains has a much smaller overseas-born population at 17.4% and a higher share of people with no religion (47.5% compared to 14.8% in Fairfield). There is also a significant gap in typical weekly incomes, with those in the Blue Mountains earning $817, which is far higher than the $485 typical in Fairfield.

Both areas share some similarities in everyday life, such as having a similar share of children under 15 and nearly identical typical monthly mortgage payments. However, many gaps have widened since 2011. The difference in typical incomes has grown, and the Blue Mountains has seen its lead in university qualifications and Year 12 completion increase. While the Blue Mountains has more detached houses and people working from home, Fairfield's lead in renting and its higher proportion of apartments has also increased over time.

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Where they differ most

Population: 130,354 larger in Fairfield Born overseas: 38.5 pts higher in Fairfield Other language: 63.2 pts higher in Fairfield No religion: 32.7 pts higher in Blue Mountains Limited English: 22.4 pts higher in Fairfield

Demographics & Identity

Population in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +130,354 larger in Fairfield gap widening

78,121 81st pct 208,475 87th pct

Median age in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +6 yrs older in Blue Mountains gap steady

45 yrs 67th pct 39 yrs 33rd pct

Age structure

28.4% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +1.9 pts 26.4%

21.4% Young adults (25–44) +3.6 pts ▸ 24.9%

22.4% Seniors (65+) ◂ +5.7 pts 16.8%

17.4% Children (0–14) +0.4 pts ▸ 17.9%

10.4% Youth (15–24) +3.6 pts ▸ 14.0%

Marital status

48.2% Married ◂ +1.7 pts 46.5%

33.0% Never married +1.7 pts ▸ 34.7%

10.7% Divorced ◂ +1.8 pts 9.0%

5.1% Widowed +0.8 pts ▸ 5.8%

3.0% Separated +0.9 pts ▸ 3.9%

Age & sex structure

Blue Mountains Fairfield

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Country of birth

79.2% Australia ◂ +40.7 pts 38.6%

0.2% Vietnam +16.1 pts ▸ 16.3%

5.5% England ◂ +5.1 pts 0.4%

0.3% China +1.5 pts ▸ 1.8%

1.5% New Zealand ◂ +0.4 pts 1.0%

0.2% Italy +1.3 pts ▸ 1.5%

0.5% Philippines +0.7 pts ▸ 1.1%

0.4% South Africa ◂ +0.4 pts 0.0%

0.4% India ◂ +0.1 pts 0.3%

0.1% Nepal even 0.1%

Ancestry

44.3% English ◂ +37.2 pts 7.2%

38.1% Australian ◂ +29.2 pts 8.8%

0.3% Vietnamese +19.2 pts ▸ 19.5%

16.0% Irish ◂ +14.7 pts 1.4%

13.3% Scottish ◂ +12.3 pts 1.0%

1.5% Chinese +11.6 pts ▸ 13.1%

2.9% Italian +2.2 pts ▸ 5.1%

4.8% German ◂ +4.1 pts 0.8%

2.3% Dutch ◂ +2.2 pts 0.1%

0.8% Filipino +0.9 pts ▸ 1.6%

0.9% Greek ◂ +0.2 pts 0.7%

0.7% Indian +0.1 pts ▸ 0.8%

Language

Language used at home

90.1% English only ◂ +66.7 pts 23.4%

0.2% Vietnamese +20.9 pts ▸ 21.1%

0.2% Arabic +9.1 pts ▸ 9.3%

0.2% Cantonese +3.5 pts ▸ 3.7%

0.3% Mandarin +1.9 pts ▸ 2.3%

0.3% Italian +1.6 pts ▸ 1.9%

0.1% Tagalog +0.4 pts ▸ 0.6%

0.1% Hindi +0.4 pts ▸ 0.5%

0.2% Greek +0.2 pts ▸ 0.4%

0.1% Punjabi even 0.1%

Religion

Religious affiliation

44.1% Christianity +6.1 pts ▸ 50.3%

47.5% No religion ◂ +32.7 pts 14.8%

1.4% Buddhism +18.5 pts ▸ 19.9%

5.4% Not stated +1.8 pts ▸ 7.2%

0.3% Islam +6.0 pts ▸ 6.3%

0.7% Other religions +0.2 pts ▸ 0.9%

0.4% Hinduism +0.3 pts ▸ 0.6%

0.2% Judaism ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Schools in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +20 more in Fairfield

36 85th pct 56 87th pct

Schools/1k kids in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +1.14 more in Blue Mountains

2.64 34th pct 1.50 8th pct

Students in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +23,832 more in Fairfield

11,328 78th pct 35,160 87th pct

Avg size in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +313 larger in Fairfield

315 62nd pct 628 92nd pct

ICSEA in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +104 higher in Blue Mountains

1,065 86th pct 961 43rd pct

Highest year of school

62.5% Year 12 ◂ +11.1 pts 51.4%

5.9% Year 9 or below +17.7 pts ▸ 23.5%

22.2% Year 10 ◂ +8.6 pts 13.6%

5.3% Year 11 ◂ +1.3 pts 4.0%

Highest qualification level

28.1% Bachelor degree ◂ +2.6 pts 25.4%

23.9% Certificate III / IV ◂ +0.1 pts 23.9%

16.3% Advanced diploma / diploma +0.8 pts ▸ 17.2%

12.7% Postgraduate degree ◂ +8.0 pts 4.7%

5.3% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +3.8 pts 1.6%

1.7% Certificate I / II +0.8 pts ▸ 2.4%

Field of qualification

15.7% Management & commerce +4.4 pts ▸ 20.2%

15.6% Society & culture ◂ +5.1 pts 10.5%

11.5% Engineering & related +1.7 pts ▸ 13.2%

13.2% Education ◂ +6.7 pts 6.5%

11.1% Health ◂ +4.0 pts 7.0%

6.8% Creative arts ◂ +4.0 pts 2.8%

3.8% Food, hospitality & personal services +1.5 pts ▸ 5.3%

5.0% Architecture & building +0.2 pts ▸ 5.3%

2.2% Information technology +1.8 pts ▸ 3.9%

3.6% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +0.8 pts 2.8%

2.7% Agriculture & environment ◂ +2.1 pts 0.6%

Income

Personal income in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +$332 higher in Blue Mountains gap widening

$817 67th pct $485 8th pct

Household income in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +$366 higher in Blue Mountains gap widening

$1,756 74th pct $1,390 49th pct

Family income in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +$753 higher in Blue Mountains gap widening

$2,235 79th pct $1,482 22nd pct

Household income distribution

26.2% $650–$1,499 +4.8 pts ▸ 31.0%

29.0% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +1.7 pts 27.3%

15.8% Under $650 +3.4 pts ▸ 19.2%

12.8% $4,000 or more ◂ +5.0 pts 7.8%

11.1% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +2.8 pts 8.3%

Personal income distribution

39.6% Under $650 +15.6 pts ▸ 55.2%

30.1% $650–$1,499 ◂ +3.0 pts 27.0%

20.9% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +12.0 pts 8.9%

4.7% $3,000 or more ◂ +3.6 pts 1.1%

Health & Disability

Long-term health conditions reported

11.4% Mental health ◂ +6.5 pts 4.9%

10.6% Other condition ◂ +2.2 pts 8.5%

10.6% Arthritis ◂ +3.5 pts 7.1%

9.5% Asthma ◂ +4.2 pts 5.4%

4.6% Diabetes +2.3 pts ▸ 6.8%

5.0% Heart disease ◂ +1.5 pts 3.6%

3.8% Cancer ◂ +1.9 pts 1.9%

2.2% Lung condition ◂ +1.2 pts 1.1%

1.0% Stroke ◂ +0.1 pts 1.0%

0.7% Dementia +0.2 pts ▸ 0.9%

Number of long-term health conditions

60.1% None +8.7 pts ▸ 68.9%

22.9% One condition ◂ +7.7 pts 15.2%

7.2% Two conditions ◂ +2.6 pts 4.5%

3.6% Three or more ◂ +1.0 pts 2.6%

Community Participation

First Nations

First Nations people in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +576 larger in Blue Mountains

2,101 80th pct 1,525 73rd pct

Median age in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +2 yrs older in Fairfield

23 yrs 29th pct 25 yrs 50th pct

Median income in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +$211 higher in Blue Mountains

$718 81st pct $507 36th pct

Household income in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +$789 higher in Blue Mountains

$2,022 88th pct $1,233 34th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +0.8 larger in Fairfield gap widening

2.4 43rd pct 3.2 93rd pct

Family composition

56.6% Couples with children +6.5 pts ▸ 63.0%

29.9% Couples without children ◂ +14.4 pts 15.5%

12.9% One-parent families +7.1 pts ▸ 19.9%

0.7% Other families +0.9 pts ▸ 1.6%

Household size

36.1% 2 people ◂ +11.6 pts 24.5%

26.7% 1 person ◂ +9.1 pts 17.5%

14.2% 4 people +4.0 pts ▸ 18.2%

14.6% 3 people +3.3 pts ▸ 17.9%

5.9% 5 people +5.4 pts ▸ 11.3%

2.4% 6 or more +8.1 pts ▸ 10.5%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +$10 higher in Blue Mountains gap widening

$400 87th pct $390 86th pct

Mortgage in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +$35 higher in Blue Mountains gap steady

$2,035 84th pct $2,000 82nd pct

People / bedroom in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +0.30 higher in Fairfield gap widening

0.70 0th pct 1.00 89th pct

How homes are owned or rented

40.9% Owned outright ◂ +9.4 pts 31.5%

38.8% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +11.8 pts 27.0%

17.8% Rented +20.3 pts ▸ 38.1%

1.0% Not stated +0.9 pts ▸ 1.9%

1.5% Other tenure even 1.6%

Types of homes

92.1% Separate house ◂ +19.9 pts 72.2%

3.1% Flat or apartment +11.6 pts ▸ 14.7%

4.4% Townhouse / semi-detached +8.1 pts ▸ 12.5%

0.2% Other dwelling +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%

Bedrooms per home

42.0% 3 bedrooms ◂ +2.5 pts 39.5%

30.1% 4 bedrooms ◂ +3.9 pts 26.2%

13.7% 2 bedrooms +4.3 pts ▸ 18.0%

9.8% 5 or more +0.4 pts ▸ 10.2%

3.1% 1 bedroom +0.9 pts ▸ 4.1%

0.3% Studio / none even 0.3%

Weekly rent distribution

55.9% $350–$549 ◂ +7.5 pts 48.4%

21.9% $200–$349 +1.9 pts ▸ 23.8%

7.9% Under $200 +4.9 pts ▸ 12.8%

9.4% $550–$749 +0.5 pts ▸ 9.9%

1.3% $750 or more ◂ +0.4 pts 1.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

38.8% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +6.5 pts 32.4%

24.0% $1,000–$1,799 +0.2 pts ▸ 24.2%

18.1% $3,000 or more +0.4 pts ▸ 18.5%

14.4% Under $1,000 +2.3 pts ▸ 16.8%

Transport & Vehicles

PT stops in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +373 more in Fairfield

729 86th pct 1,102 87th pct

Stops/1k in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +4.05 more in Blue Mountains

9.33 97th pct 5.29 75th pct

Departures/1k in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +569.1 more in Fairfield

789.5 76th pct 1,358.6 85th pct

PT routes in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +12 more in Blue Mountains

44 86th pct 32 79th pct

Stop walk in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +17 longer in Blue Mountains

19 54th pct 2 14th pct

Drive to city in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +56 longer in Blue Mountains

87 65th pct 31 37th pct

How people get to work

39.1% Car (driver) +8.4 pts ▸ 47.5%

36.6% Worked at home ◂ +13.1 pts 23.5%

2.2% Car (passenger) +2.2 pts ▸ 4.3%

1.2% Train +0.6 pts ▸ 1.9%

1.6% Walked ◂ +0.4 pts 1.3%

0.1% Bus +0.5 pts ▸ 0.6%

0.2% Bicycle ◂ +0.1 pts 0.2%

Motor vehicles per home

37.7% 2 vehicles ◂ +5.7 pts 32.1%

37.4% 1 vehicle ◂ +3.0 pts 34.5%

12.1% 3 vehicles +1.8 pts ▸ 13.9%

5.9% No vehicle +4.7 pts ▸ 10.6%

6.8% 4 or more +2.1 pts ▸ 8.9%

Migration & Movement

Jobs & Industry

Industries people work in

16.2% Health care & social assistance ◂ +4.7 pts 11.5%

15.1% Education & training ◂ +9.0 pts 6.1%

4.6% Manufacturing +6.8 pts ▸ 11.4%

7.9% Retail trade +3.1 pts ▸ 11.0%

9.0% Public administration & safety ◂ +4.8 pts 4.2%

8.7% Construction ◂ +0.3 pts 8.4%

3.5% Transport & warehousing +4.3 pts ▸ 7.8%

7.4% Professional & technical ◂ +2.3 pts 5.2%

6.0% Accommodation & food ◂ +0.2 pts 5.8%

2.8% Finance & insurance +1.9 pts ▸ 4.7%

3.4% Other services +0.7 pts ▸ 4.1%

2.1% Wholesale trade +1.7 pts ▸ 3.8%

Occupations people work in

30.4% Professionals ◂ +13.6 pts 16.9%

12.4% Clerical & administrative +2.0 pts ▸ 14.4%

13.9% Managers ◂ +5.4 pts 8.5%

4.0% Machinery operators & drivers +9.5 pts ▸ 13.5%

6.7% Labourers +6.5 pts ▸ 13.2%

12.6% Technicians & trades ◂ +0.5 pts 12.1%

11.9% Community & personal service ◂ +2.1 pts 9.8%

6.7% Sales workers +2.0 pts ▸ 8.6%

Economy & Advantage

IRSAD decile in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +7 higher in Blue Mountains

9 86th pct 2 14th pct

IRSD decile in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +8 higher in Blue Mountains

9 86th pct 1 0th pct

IER decile in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +7 higher in Blue Mountains

9 86th pct 2 14th pct

IEO decile in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +5 higher in Blue Mountains

9 86th pct 4 36th pct

IRSAD score in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +157 higher in Blue Mountains

1,042 87th pct 885 13th pct

ERP in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +134,441 higher in Fairfield

79,236 79th pct 213,677 87th pct

Growth in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +1.1 pts higher in Fairfield

1.1% 24th pct 2.2% 35th pct

Businesses in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +13,424 higher in Fairfield

5,689 75th pct 19,113 87th pct

Approvals in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +753 higher in Fairfield

115 61st pct 868 86th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +535 higher in Blue Mountains

1,565 92nd pct 1,030 78th pct

Max temp in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +4.3 higher in Fairfield

20.5 18th pct 24.8 58th pct

Min temp in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +3.2 higher in Fairfield

8.1 11th pct 11.4 54th pct

Crime & Safety

Crime rate in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +2,016 higher in Fairfield

3,917 10th pct 5,933 27th pct

Assault/100k in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +161 higher in Fairfield

494 15th pct 655 27th pct

Sexual/100k in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +67 higher in Blue Mountains

224 43rd pct 157 24th pct

Robbery/100k in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +15 higher in Fairfield

12 21st pct 27 56th pct

Burglary/100k in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +11 higher in Blue Mountains

142 3rd pct 131 1st pct

Theft/100k in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +182 higher in Fairfield

403 6th pct 586 15th pct

Vehicle theft/100k in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +284 higher in Fairfield

177 18th pct 461 63rd pct

Property damage/100k in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +75 higher in Blue Mountains

481 25th pct 406 15th pct

Drugs/100k in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +168 higher in Fairfield

306 34th pct 474 50th pct

5-yr change in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +1.7 pts higher in Fairfield

-24.0% 8th pct -22.3% 9th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +1.4 higher in Fairfield

5.5 77th pct 6.8 87th pct

Types ≤15 min in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +1.4 more in Fairfield

5.3 75th pct 6.7 88th pct

15-min city in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +26.7 pts higher in Fairfield

59.7% 71st pct 86.4% 88th pct

Walk to shops in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +25.2 pts higher in Fairfield

52.5% 59th pct 77.8% 83rd pct

Walk to transit in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +12.5 pts higher in Fairfield

85.9% 79th pct 98.3% 94th pct

Walk to school in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +30.9 pts higher in Fairfield

60.2% 59th pct 91.1% 89th pct

Walk to a park in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +4.2 pts higher in Fairfield

92.1% 77th pct 96.3% 83rd pct

Walk to health in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +14.1 pts higher in Fairfield

46.3% 65th pct 60.4% 78th pct

Amenities/1k in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +23.3 more in Blue Mountains

33.0 76th pct 9.7 9th pct

Intersections/km² in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +106 higher in Fairfield

10 72nd pct 116 86th pct

Mean slope in Blue Mountains in Fairfield +6.7 pts higher in Blue Mountains

10.9% 100th pct 4.2% 42nd pct

Compare Blue Mountains with nearby areas

Penrith Wollondilly Camden Blacktown Liverpool Lithgow Fairfield Hawkesbury

Compare Fairfield with nearby areas

Cumberland Liverpool Canterbury-Bankstown Blacktown Parramatta Strathfield Penrith Canada Bay

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Blue Mountains vs Fairfield [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/lga/LGA10900/blue-mountains/vs/LGA12850/fairfield