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Lake Macquarie vs Newcastle

Name: Lake Macquarie vs Newcastle — 2021 Census comparison
Creator: Australian Bureau of Statistics
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Council (LGA) comparison ≈ 22 km apart · Lake Macquarie profile · Newcastle profile

Lake Macquarie Newcastle

Lake Macquarie and Newcastle are nearby neighbours with distinct living patterns. Lake Macquarie is more suburban, with 85.2% of homes being separate houses and 78.8% having three or more bedrooms. Its residents are also noticeably older, with a typical age of 42 and 22.0% aged 65 and over. In contrast, Newcastle is more urban and very walkable, with a typical resident aged 37 and a much higher share of renters at 36.6%. Newcastle also has a more qualified workforce, with 57.8% of residents completing Year 12 compared to 45.2% in Lake Macquarie.

Both areas sit near the national figure for the share of people who speak little or no English. They also share very similar levels of volunteering and a nearly identical number of people per home. While they have much in common, some gaps are growing; the difference in the typical age of residents and the share of people born overseas have both widened since 2011.

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Where they differ most

Separate houses: 16.2 pts higher in Lake Macquarie Renting: 13.4 pts higher in Newcastle Year 12: 12.6 pts higher in Newcastle 3+ bedrooms: 12.2 pts higher in Lake Macquarie Recent arrivals: 11.8 pts higher in Newcastle

Demographics & Identity

Population in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +44,972 larger in Lake Macquarie gap widening

213,845 87th pct 168,873 87th pct

Median age in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +5 yrs older in Lake Macquarie gap widening

42 yrs 50th pct 37 yrs 24th pct

Age structure

23.4% Young adults (25–44) +5.5 pts ▸ 28.9%

25.3% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +1.6 pts 23.6%

22.0% Seniors (65+) ◂ +5.1 pts 17.0%

18.1% Children (0–14) ◂ +1.9 pts 16.2%

11.2% Youth (15–24) +3.1 pts ▸ 14.3%

Marital status

47.7% Married ◂ +9.0 pts 38.7%

32.5% Never married +10.7 pts ▸ 43.3%

9.9% Divorced ◂ +0.2 pts 9.7%

6.5% Widowed ◂ +1.1 pts 5.3%

3.3% Separated ◂ +0.3 pts 3.0%

Age & sex structure

Lake Macquarie Newcastle

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Country of birth

85.5% Australia ◂ +4.7 pts 80.8%

2.5% England ◂ +0.4 pts 2.2%

1.2% New Zealand ◂ +0.1 pts 1.1%

0.5% India +0.5 pts ▸ 1.0%

0.3% China +0.5 pts ▸ 0.8%

0.4% Philippines +0.2 pts ▸ 0.6%

0.5% South Africa ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%

0.2% Italy +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%

0.1% Vietnam +0.2 pts ▸ 0.3%

0.1% Nepal +0.2 pts ▸ 0.3%

Ancestry

43.9% English ◂ +3.2 pts 40.7%

42.7% Australian ◂ +4.9 pts 37.8%

10.9% Irish +1.6 pts ▸ 12.5%

11.8% Scottish ◂ +0.2 pts 11.6%

4.2% German even 4.2%

2.2% Italian +0.6 pts ▸ 2.8%

1.1% Chinese +1.0 pts ▸ 2.1%

1.4% Dutch ◂ +0.2 pts 1.3%

0.7% Indian +0.7 pts ▸ 1.4%

0.6% Greek +0.5 pts ▸ 1.1%

0.7% Filipino +0.3 pts ▸ 1.0%

0.2% Vietnamese +0.3 pts ▸ 0.4%

Language

Language used at home

90.9% English only ◂ +6.1 pts 84.8%

0.3% Mandarin +0.7 pts ▸ 1.0%

0.1% Arabic +0.4 pts ▸ 0.5%

0.2% Greek +0.3 pts ▸ 0.4%

0.2% Italian +0.2 pts ▸ 0.4%

0.1% Vietnamese +0.3 pts ▸ 0.4%

0.2% Cantonese +0.2 pts ▸ 0.3%

0.1% Hindi +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%

0.1% Tagalog +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%

0.1% Punjabi +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%

Religion

Religious affiliation

50.0% Christianity ◂ +6.0 pts 44.0%

42.5% No religion +2.9 pts ▸ 45.4%

5.4% Not stated +0.7 pts ▸ 6.1%

0.4% Islam +1.3 pts ▸ 1.7%

0.6% Hinduism +0.5 pts ▸ 1.1%

0.7% Buddhism +0.4 pts ▸ 1.1%

0.4% Other religions +0.1 pts ▸ 0.5%

0.1% Judaism even 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Schools in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +17 more in Lake Macquarie

90 88th pct 73 88th pct

Schools/1k kids in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +0.35 more in Newcastle

2.32 28th pct 2.67 34th pct

Students in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +1,934 more in Lake Macquarie

30,326 87th pct 28,392 87th pct

Avg size in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +63 larger in Newcastle

337 65th pct 400 73rd pct

ICSEA in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +54 higher in Newcastle

1,007 71st pct 1,061 85th pct

Highest year of school

45.2% Year 12 +12.6 pts ▸ 57.8%

31.3% Year 10 ◂ +9.4 pts 21.9%

11.8% Year 9 or below ◂ +2.9 pts 8.9%

6.6% Year 11 ◂ +1.3 pts 5.3%

Highest qualification level

36.4% Certificate III / IV ◂ +9.9 pts 26.5%

21.3% Bachelor degree +8.1 pts ▸ 29.4%

15.5% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +1.9 pts 13.6%

6.1% Postgraduate degree +4.2 pts ▸ 10.3%

3.1% Graduate diploma / certificate +0.7 pts ▸ 3.8%

2.3% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.4 pts 1.9%

Field of qualification

18.2% Engineering & related ◂ +3.7 pts 14.5%

18.1% Management & commerce ◂ +0.6 pts 17.4%

12.0% Health +1.7 pts ▸ 13.7%

11.0% Society & culture +1.3 pts ▸ 12.3%

9.4% Education ◂ +0.6 pts 8.8%

6.9% Architecture & building ◂ +1.5 pts 5.4%

5.0% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +0.5 pts 4.5%

2.8% Creative arts +1.7 pts ▸ 4.5%

2.2% Natural & physical sciences +0.9 pts ▸ 3.1%

1.7% Information technology +0.5 pts ▸ 2.2%

1.6% Agriculture & environment even 1.5%

Income

Personal income in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +$93 higher in Newcastle gap widening

$759 54th pct $852 73rd pct

Household income in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +$137 higher in Newcastle gap widening

$1,623 67th pct $1,760 75th pct

Family income in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +$214 higher in Newcastle gap widening

$2,050 71st pct $2,264 81st pct

Household income distribution

29.0% $1,500–$2,999 +0.5 pts ▸ 29.5%

27.2% $650–$1,499 ◂ +2.4 pts 24.8%

17.0% Under $650 ◂ +0.7 pts 16.3%

9.7% $4,000 or more +2.3 pts ▸ 12.0%

10.7% $3,000–$3,999 +0.3 pts ▸ 11.0%

Personal income distribution

41.6% Under $650 ◂ +3.9 pts 37.7%

32.0% $650–$1,499 ◂ +0.5 pts 31.5%

17.3% $1,500–$2,999 +2.3 pts ▸ 19.5%

3.5% $3,000 or more +1.4 pts ▸ 4.9%

Health & Disability

Long-term health conditions reported

12.0% Mental health +0.5 pts ▸ 12.5%

11.9% Arthritis ◂ +2.5 pts 9.4%

10.2% Asthma ◂ +0.6 pts 9.6%

9.3% Other condition ◂ +0.4 pts 8.9%

5.6% Diabetes ◂ +1.0 pts 4.6%

5.5% Heart disease ◂ +1.2 pts 4.3%

3.8% Cancer ◂ +0.9 pts 2.9%

2.5% Lung condition ◂ +0.6 pts 1.9%

1.3% Stroke ◂ +0.2 pts 1.0%

1.1% Dementia ◂ +0.1 pts 1.0%

Number of long-term health conditions

57.4% None +2.8 pts ▸ 60.3%

23.0% One condition ◂ +1.3 pts 21.6%

8.0% Two conditions ◂ +1.1 pts 6.9%

4.6% Three or more ◂ +0.9 pts 3.6%

Community Participation

First Nations

First Nations people in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +4,349 larger in Lake Macquarie

11,759 92nd pct 7,410 89th pct

Median age in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +3 yrs older in Newcastle

22 yrs 21st pct 25 yrs 50th pct

Median income in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +$51 higher in Newcastle

$610 65th pct $661 75th pct

Household income in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +$8 higher in Lake Macquarie

$1,761 78th pct $1,753 78th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +0.1 larger in Lake Macquarie gap steady

2.5 71st pct 2.4 43rd pct

Family composition

54.9% Couples with children ◂ +0.5 pts 54.4%

28.4% Couples without children +0.4 pts ▸ 28.9%

15.7% One-parent families ◂ +0.5 pts 15.3%

0.9% Other families +0.6 pts ▸ 1.5%

Household size

35.4% 2 people ◂ +1.3 pts 34.1%

24.8% 1 person +4.7 pts ▸ 29.5%

15.5% 3 people +0.3 pts ▸ 15.8%

15.5% 4 people ◂ +1.9 pts 13.6%

6.1% 5 people ◂ +1.0 pts 5.1%

2.6% 6 or more ◂ +0.7 pts 1.9%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +$25 higher in Newcastle gap steady

$375 82nd pct $400 87th pct

Mortgage in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +$37 higher in Newcastle gap steady

$1,950 80th pct $1,987 82nd pct

People / bedroom in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle even gap steady

0.80 43rd pct 0.80 43rd pct

How homes are owned or rented

37.1% Owned outright ◂ +7.9 pts 29.2%

23.2% Rented +13.4 pts ▸ 36.6%

36.3% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +4.8 pts 31.5%

2.1% Other tenure ◂ +0.6 pts 1.5%

1.2% Not stated ◂ +0.1 pts 1.1%

Types of homes

85.2% Separate house ◂ +16.2 pts 69.0%

9.7% Townhouse / semi-detached +6.5 pts ▸ 16.2%

4.4% Flat or apartment +9.8 pts ▸ 14.2%

0.5% Other dwelling ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%

Bedrooms per home

41.5% 3 bedrooms +1.2 pts ▸ 42.7%

30.0% 4 bedrooms ◂ +11.1 pts 18.8%

16.3% 2 bedrooms +8.5 pts ▸ 24.9%

7.3% 5 or more ◂ +2.3 pts 5.0%

3.5% 1 bedroom +3.3 pts ▸ 6.8%

0.2% Studio / none +0.4 pts ▸ 0.6%

Weekly rent distribution

48.9% $350–$549 +0.3 pts ▸ 49.2%

23.5% $200–$349 ◂ +3.4 pts 20.1%

14.6% Under $200 ◂ +1.6 pts 13.0%

8.4% $550–$749 +3.4 pts ▸ 11.8%

1.0% $750 or more +1.9 pts ▸ 2.9%

Monthly mortgage distribution

39.3% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +1.8 pts 37.5%

27.7% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +0.6 pts 27.1%

13.6% $3,000 or more +3.0 pts ▸ 16.7%

14.0% Under $1,000 ◂ +0.4 pts 13.6%

Transport & Vehicles

PT stops in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +313 more in Lake Macquarie

1,463 88th pct 1,150 87th pct

Stops/1k in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +0.03 more in Lake Macquarie

6.84 88th pct 6.81 88th pct

Departures/1k in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +937.9 more in Newcastle

977.7 79th pct 1,915.6 90th pct

PT routes in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +19 more in Newcastle

47 86th pct 66 87th pct

Stop walk in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +31 longer in Lake Macquarie

47 75th pct 16 51st pct

Drive to city in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +16 longer in Lake Macquarie

115 81st pct 99 71st pct

How people get to work

56.0% Car (driver) ◂ +5.5 pts 50.5%

20.5% Worked at home +2.9 pts ▸ 23.4%

3.4% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.4 pts 3.0%

1.1% Walked +1.5 pts ▸ 2.6%

0.5% Bus +0.5 pts ▸ 1.0%

0.2% Bicycle +0.7 pts ▸ 0.9%

0.1% Train even 0.2%

Motor vehicles per home

39.9% 2 vehicles ◂ +2.6 pts 37.3%

33.3% 1 vehicle +5.3 pts ▸ 38.5%

13.5% 3 vehicles ◂ +3.0 pts 10.5%

5.2% No vehicle +3.1 pts ▸ 8.3%

8.1% 4 or more ◂ +2.8 pts 5.3%

Migration & Movement

Jobs & Industry

Industries people work in

19.1% Health care & social assistance +1.5 pts ▸ 20.6%

11.2% Construction ◂ +3.4 pts 7.8%

9.2% Education & training +1.0 pts ▸ 10.2%

9.4% Retail trade ◂ +0.8 pts 8.6%

6.3% Accommodation & food +2.0 pts ▸ 8.3%

5.7% Professional & technical +2.0 pts ▸ 7.7%

5.6% Public administration & safety +0.8 pts ▸ 6.4%

5.8% Manufacturing ◂ +1.0 pts 4.8%

4.1% Other services ◂ +0.9 pts 3.3%

3.8% Transport & warehousing ◂ +0.3 pts 3.5%

3.2% Finance & insurance +0.2 pts ▸ 3.3%

3.1% Administrative & support ◂ +0.2 pts 2.9%

Occupations people work in

21.5% Professionals +7.6 pts ▸ 29.0%

15.8% Technicians & trades ◂ +3.7 pts 12.1%

13.2% Community & personal service +0.2 pts ▸ 13.4%

13.1% Clerical & administrative ◂ +1.5 pts 11.6%

10.9% Managers +0.5 pts ▸ 11.4%

9.1% Labourers ◂ +1.2 pts 7.9%

8.6% Sales workers ◂ +0.4 pts 8.2%

6.4% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +1.5 pts 4.9%

Economy & Advantage

IRSAD decile in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +2 higher in Newcastle

7 64th pct 9 86th pct

IRSD decile in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +1 higher in Newcastle

7 64th pct 8 71st pct

IER decile in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +3 higher in Lake Macquarie

8 71st pct 5 43rd pct

IEO decile in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +2 higher in Newcastle

7 64th pct 9 86th pct

IRSAD score in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +31 higher in Newcastle

981 70th pct 1,012 79th pct

ERP in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +45,605 higher in Lake Macquarie

224,540 87th pct 178,935 86th pct

Growth in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +0.7 pts higher in Newcastle

4.9% 62nd pct 5.6% 67th pct

Businesses in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +1,115 higher in Newcastle

15,181 86th pct 16,296 86th pct

Approvals in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +381 higher in Lake Macquarie

1,308 87th pct 927 86th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +139 higher in Lake Macquarie

1,197 85th pct 1,058 79th pct

Max temp in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +0.1 higher in Lake Macquarie

24.0 47th pct 23.9 46th pct

Min temp in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +1.1 higher in Newcastle

11.8 60th pct 12.9 70th pct

Crime & Safety

Crime rate in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +5,678 higher in Newcastle

7,181 40th pct 12,859 75th pct

Assault/100k in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +425 higher in Newcastle

901 45th pct 1,326 68th pct

Sexual/100k in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +62 higher in Newcastle

298 59th pct 360 74th pct

Robbery/100k in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +40 higher in Newcastle

9 15th pct 49 80th pct

Burglary/100k in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +443 higher in Newcastle

334 28th pct 778 74th pct

Theft/100k in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +931 higher in Newcastle

793 27th pct 1,724 67th pct

Vehicle theft/100k in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +778 higher in Newcastle

663 79th pct 1,441 99th pct

Property damage/100k in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +375 higher in Newcastle

642 41st pct 1,017 71st pct

Drugs/100k in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +315 higher in Newcastle

323 36th pct 638 61st pct

5-yr change in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +3.8 pts higher in Newcastle

7.9% 49th pct 11.7% 56th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +2.6 higher in Newcastle

4.9 73rd pct 7.5 91st pct

Types ≤15 min in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +2.1 more in Newcastle

4.8 72nd pct 7.0 91st pct

15-min city in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +35.3 pts higher in Newcastle

52.8% 58th pct 88.0% 89th pct

Walk to shops in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +37.0 pts higher in Newcastle

44.1% 43rd pct 81.1% 85th pct

Walk to transit in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +8.4 pts higher in Newcastle

88.8% 81st pct 97.2% 90th pct

Walk to school in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +23.6 pts higher in Newcastle

67.1% 70th pct 90.7% 89th pct

Walk to a park in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +9.5 pts higher in Newcastle

87.6% 71st pct 97.0% 84th pct

Walk to health in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +43.3 pts higher in Newcastle

32.7% 40th pct 76.0% 88th pct

Amenities/1k in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +3.2 more in Newcastle

12.8 22nd pct 16.1 40th pct

Intersections/km² in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +87 higher in Newcastle

32 75th pct 119 86th pct

Mean slope in Lake Macquarie in Newcastle +1.6 pts higher in Lake Macquarie

7.7% 86th pct 6.1% 71st pct

Compare Lake Macquarie with nearby areas

Newcastle Cessnock Maitland Central Coast Port Stephens Singleton Dungog Northern Beaches

Compare Newcastle with nearby areas

Maitland Lake Macquarie Port Stephens Cessnock Dungog Central Coast Singleton Northern Beaches

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Lake Macquarie vs Newcastle [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/lga/LGA14650/lake-macquarie/vs/LGA15900/newcastle