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Shellharbour vs Wollongong

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

Council (LGA) comparison ≈ 22 km apart · Shellharbour profile · Wollongong profile

Shellharbour Wollongong

Wollongong and Shellharbour are nearby New South Wales areas with a clear contrast in housing and education. Wollongong is far more likely to have residents with a bachelor degree (24.5%) and those who finished Year 12 (53.7%). This is consistent with a professional workforce and more people working from home. Shellharbour is more residential in character, with a far higher share of separate houses (79.7%) and homes with three or more bedrooms (84.6%). Wollongong also has a more diverse population, with a higher share of people born overseas (21.0%) and those using another language at home (15.8%).

Everyday life in both places is very similar in several ways. The typical resident in both areas is 39 years old, and typical weekly household incomes are almost identical, at $1,682 in Wollongong and $1,647 in Shellharbour. While they share these basics, some gaps are changing. The difference in university qualifications has widened since 2011, while the gap in the number of homes without a car has narrowed.

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Where they differ most

Population: 138,293 larger in Wollongong 3+ bedrooms: 12.9 pts higher in Shellharbour Year 12: 12.5 pts higher in Wollongong Separate houses: 11.3 pts higher in Shellharbour Bachelor+: 10.9 pts higher in Wollongong

Demographics & Identity

Population in Shellharbour in Wollongong +138,293 larger in Wollongong gap steady

76,271 80th pct 214,564 87th pct

Median age in Shellharbour in Wollongong even gap narrowing

39 yrs 33rd pct 39 yrs 33rd pct

Age structure

24.8% Young adults (25–44) +0.9 pts ▸ 25.7%

25.4% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +0.7 pts 24.7%

19.2% Children (0–14) ◂ +1.6 pts 17.6%

18.3% Seniors (65+) +0.3 pts ▸ 18.6%

12.3% Youth (15–24) +1.1 pts ▸ 13.4%

Marital status

47.0% Married ◂ +2.3 pts 44.6%

34.2% Never married +3.4 pts ▸ 37.6%

9.4% Divorced ◂ +0.5 pts 8.9%

5.8% Widowed even 5.8%

3.6% Separated ◂ +0.6 pts 3.0%

Age & sex structure

Shellharbour Wollongong

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Country of birth

79.4% Australia ◂ +4.5 pts 74.9%

4.2% England ◂ +0.4 pts 3.7%

0.5% Italy +0.6 pts ▸ 1.1%

0.4% India +0.7 pts ▸ 1.1%

0.9% New Zealand +0.1 pts ▸ 1.1%

0.2% China +0.7 pts ▸ 0.9%

0.6% Philippines even 0.6%

0.2% Vietnam +0.3 pts ▸ 0.4%

0.3% South Africa even 0.4%

0.0% Nepal +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%

Ancestry

38.9% English ◂ +3.1 pts 35.8%

38.4% Australian ◂ +3.7 pts 34.7%

8.9% Irish +1.4 pts ▸ 10.3%

9.0% Scottish +0.9 pts ▸ 9.8%

4.4% Italian +1.7 pts ▸ 6.1%

4.3% German ◂ +0.6 pts 3.7%

0.8% Chinese +1.2 pts ▸ 2.0%

1.7% Dutch +0.2 pts ▸ 1.9%

1.3% Greek +0.4 pts ▸ 1.7%

0.6% Indian +0.7 pts ▸ 1.3%

0.9% Filipino +0.1 pts ▸ 1.0%

0.3% Vietnamese +0.3 pts ▸ 0.6%

Language

Language used at home

85.4% English only ◂ +5.6 pts 79.8%

0.4% Arabic +1.0 pts ▸ 1.4%

0.6% Italian +0.8 pts ▸ 1.4%

0.2% Mandarin +0.8 pts ▸ 1.1%

0.4% Greek +0.3 pts ▸ 0.7%

0.2% Vietnamese +0.3 pts ▸ 0.5%

0.1% Cantonese +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%

0.2% Tagalog even 0.3%

0.1% Hindi +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%

0.1% Punjabi +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

Religion

Religious affiliation

54.3% Christianity ◂ +4.0 pts 50.2%

37.0% No religion +1.7 pts ▸ 38.8%

6.1% Not stated ◂ +0.4 pts 5.8%

1.2% Islam +1.4 pts ▸ 2.6%

0.7% Buddhism +0.5 pts ▸ 1.2%

0.4% Hinduism +0.6 pts ▸ 0.9%

0.3% Other religions +0.1 pts ▸ 0.5%

0.0% Judaism even 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Schools in Shellharbour in Wollongong +60 more in Wollongong

27 78th pct 87 88th pct

Schools/1k kids in Shellharbour in Wollongong +0.46 more in Wollongong

1.85 17th pct 2.31 28th pct

Students in Shellharbour in Wollongong +19,212 more in Wollongong

12,802 81st pct 32,014 87th pct

Avg size in Shellharbour in Wollongong +120 larger in Shellharbour

492 82nd pct 372 70th pct

ICSEA in Shellharbour in Wollongong +42 higher in Wollongong

994 64th pct 1,036 79th pct

Highest year of school

41.2% Year 12 +12.5 pts ▸ 53.7%

33.1% Year 10 ◂ +8.8 pts 24.3%

12.7% Year 9 or below ◂ +1.8 pts 10.9%

7.2% Year 11 ◂ +1.7 pts 5.5%

Highest qualification level

41.2% Certificate III / IV ◂ +11.3 pts 29.9%

16.3% Bachelor degree +8.5 pts ▸ 24.8%

16.2% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +1.6 pts 14.7%

4.3% Postgraduate degree +6.0 pts ▸ 10.3%

2.5% Graduate diploma / certificate +1.1 pts ▸ 3.6%

2.5% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.5 pts 2.0%

Field of qualification

18.1% Engineering & related ◂ +1.4 pts 16.7%

18.0% Management & commerce ◂ +0.3 pts 17.7%

12.4% Society & culture +0.2 pts ▸ 12.6%

10.1% Health +0.3 pts ▸ 10.4%

7.9% Education +1.2 pts ▸ 9.1%

7.5% Architecture & building ◂ +1.5 pts 6.1%

6.1% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +1.4 pts 4.6%

2.4% Creative arts +1.7 pts ▸ 4.1%

1.5% Natural & physical sciences +1.5 pts ▸ 3.0%

1.8% Information technology +0.9 pts ▸ 2.7%

1.4% Agriculture & environment even 1.5%

Income

Personal income in Shellharbour in Wollongong +$25 higher in Wollongong gap widening

$729 46th pct $754 52nd pct

Household income in Shellharbour in Wollongong +$35 higher in Wollongong gap widening

$1,647 68th pct $1,682 71st pct

Family income in Shellharbour in Wollongong +$174 higher in Wollongong gap widening

$1,977 65th pct $2,151 76th pct

Household income distribution

30.4% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +2.0 pts 28.4%

27.5% $650–$1,499 ◂ +1.8 pts 25.7%

16.1% Under $650 +1.4 pts ▸ 17.5%

8.7% $4,000 or more +3.0 pts ▸ 11.7%

11.0% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +0.3 pts 10.7%

Personal income distribution

42.9% Under $650 ◂ +0.8 pts 42.1%

32.1% $650–$1,499 ◂ +2.1 pts 30.0%

16.5% $1,500–$2,999 +1.5 pts ▸ 18.1%

2.6% $3,000 or more +1.6 pts ▸ 4.2%

Health & Disability

Long-term health conditions reported

11.2% Arthritis ◂ +1.1 pts 10.1%

10.7% Mental health ◂ +0.5 pts 10.1%

9.2% Asthma ◂ +0.5 pts 8.6%

8.6% Other condition +0.2 pts ▸ 8.8%

5.6% Diabetes ◂ +0.6 pts 5.0%

4.4% Heart disease ◂ +0.3 pts 4.0%

3.2% Cancer even 3.2%

2.3% Lung condition ◂ +0.2 pts 2.1%

1.1% Stroke even 1.1%

0.7% Dementia +0.3 pts ▸ 1.0%

Number of long-term health conditions

59.7% None +2.5 pts ▸ 62.2%

21.0% One condition ◂ +0.5 pts 20.6%

7.3% Two conditions ◂ +0.6 pts 6.7%

3.9% Three or more ◂ +0.3 pts 3.6%

Community Participation

First Nations

First Nations people in Shellharbour in Wollongong +3,136 larger in Wollongong

3,809 87th pct 6,945 89th pct

Median age in Shellharbour in Wollongong +2 yrs older in Wollongong

21 yrs 14th pct 23 yrs 29th pct

Median income in Shellharbour in Wollongong +$5 higher in Wollongong

$600 63rd pct $605 64th pct

Household income in Shellharbour in Wollongong +$131 higher in Shellharbour

$1,733 77th pct $1,602 69th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Shellharbour in Wollongong +0.1 larger in Shellharbour gap narrowing

2.6 79th pct 2.5 71st pct

Family composition

56.6% Couples with children +1.1 pts ▸ 57.7%

25.7% Couples without children +0.7 pts ▸ 26.4%

16.7% One-parent families ◂ +1.9 pts 14.8%

0.9% Other families +0.1 pts ▸ 1.1%

Household size

34.6% 2 people ◂ +1.3 pts 33.3%

21.6% 1 person +4.8 pts ▸ 26.4%

16.9% 4 people ◂ +1.2 pts 15.7%

16.6% 3 people ◂ +0.9 pts 15.7%

7.0% 5 people ◂ +0.7 pts 6.3%

3.4% 6 or more ◂ +0.7 pts 2.7%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Shellharbour in Wollongong +$30 higher in Shellharbour gap widening

$420 89th pct $390 86th pct

Mortgage in Shellharbour in Wollongong +$53 higher in Wollongong gap steady

$2,114 86th pct $2,167 87th pct

People / bedroom in Shellharbour in Wollongong even gap steady

0.80 43rd pct 0.80 43rd pct

How homes are owned or rented

36.7% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +4.7 pts 32.0%

33.9% Owned outright +0.3 pts ▸ 34.2%

26.7% Rented +4.2 pts ▸ 31.0%

1.3% Other tenure +0.3 pts ▸ 1.6%

1.3% Not stated ◂ +0.1 pts 1.2%

Types of homes

79.7% Separate house ◂ +11.3 pts 68.4%

4.7% Flat or apartment +13.8 pts ▸ 18.5%

14.3% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +2.1 pts 12.2%

1.1% Other dwelling ◂ +0.4 pts 0.7%

Bedrooms per home

43.4% 3 bedrooms ◂ +2.3 pts 41.1%

33.5% 4 bedrooms ◂ +9.8 pts 23.7%

11.5% 2 bedrooms +10.4 pts ▸ 21.9%

7.8% 5 or more ◂ +0.8 pts 6.9%

2.4% 1 bedroom +2.5 pts ▸ 4.9%

0.2% Studio / none +0.2 pts ▸ 0.3%

Weekly rent distribution

47.3% $350–$549 ◂ +5.1 pts 42.3%

17.7% $200–$349 +3.6 pts ▸ 21.3%

14.8% Under $200 +2.0 pts ▸ 16.8%

15.3% $550–$749 ◂ +1.6 pts 13.8%

1.1% $750 or more +1.6 pts ▸ 2.7%

Monthly mortgage distribution

42.2% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +4.8 pts 37.4%

23.6% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +1.1 pts 22.6%

15.9% $3,000 or more +6.2 pts ▸ 22.2%

12.4% Under $1,000 even 12.4%

Transport & Vehicles

PT stops in Shellharbour in Wollongong +932 more in Wollongong

389 80th pct 1,321 88th pct

Stops/1k in Shellharbour in Wollongong +1.06 more in Wollongong

5.10 73rd pct 6.16 84th pct

Departures/1k in Shellharbour in Wollongong +546.0 more in Wollongong

693.6 75th pct 1,239.6 83rd pct

PT routes in Shellharbour in Wollongong +23 more in Wollongong

21 71st pct 44 86th pct

Stop walk in Shellharbour in Wollongong +25 longer in Wollongong

25 59th pct 50 78th pct

Drive to city in Shellharbour in Wollongong +4 longer in Shellharbour

78 60th pct 74 58th pct

How people get to work

57.5% Car (driver) ◂ +9.1 pts 48.3%

18.5% Worked at home +8.1 pts ▸ 26.6%

3.2% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.3 pts 3.0%

0.9% Walked +1.1 pts ▸ 2.0%

0.3% Train +0.4 pts ▸ 0.7%

0.5% Bus +0.3 pts ▸ 0.7%

0.2% Bicycle +0.2 pts ▸ 0.4%

Motor vehicles per home

39.4% 2 vehicles ◂ +2.9 pts 36.5%

32.2% 1 vehicle +4.0 pts ▸ 36.2%

14.0% 3 vehicles ◂ +2.1 pts 11.9%

9.2% 4 or more ◂ +2.3 pts 6.9%

5.1% No vehicle +3.4 pts ▸ 8.5%

Migration & Movement

Jobs & Industry

Industries people work in

17.4% Health care & social assistance ◂ +0.2 pts 17.3%

11.9% Construction ◂ +2.7 pts 9.2%

8.2% Education & training +3.0 pts ▸ 11.2%

10.7% Retail trade ◂ +2.1 pts 8.5%

7.1% Public administration & safety +0.1 pts ▸ 7.2%

6.6% Accommodation & food +0.5 pts ▸ 7.0%

6.8% Manufacturing ◂ +1.1 pts 5.7%

4.1% Professional & technical +2.6 pts ▸ 6.7%

5.0% Transport & warehousing ◂ +0.5 pts 4.5%

3.9% Other services ◂ +0.2 pts 3.8%

2.8% Finance & insurance +0.7 pts ▸ 3.5%

3.3% Administrative & support ◂ +0.2 pts 3.1%

Occupations people work in

16.5% Professionals +8.7 pts ▸ 25.1%

16.7% Technicians & trades ◂ +2.6 pts 14.0%

14.1% Community & personal service ◂ +1.2 pts 12.9%

13.2% Clerical & administrative ◂ +0.7 pts 12.5%

9.9% Managers +1.7 pts ▸ 11.6%

10.1% Labourers ◂ +1.7 pts 8.4%

9.4% Sales workers ◂ +1.6 pts 7.8%

8.5% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +2.5 pts 6.1%

Economy & Advantage

IRSAD decile in Shellharbour in Wollongong +2 higher in Wollongong

6 57th pct 8 71st pct

IRSD decile in Shellharbour in Wollongong +1 higher in Wollongong

6 57th pct 7 64th pct

IER decile in Shellharbour in Wollongong +1 higher in Shellharbour

8 71st pct 7 64th pct

IEO decile in Shellharbour in Wollongong +4 higher in Wollongong

4 36th pct 8 71st pct

IRSAD score in Shellharbour in Wollongong +38 higher in Wollongong

962 58th pct 1,000 76th pct

ERP in Shellharbour in Wollongong +141,099 higher in Wollongong

83,228 80th pct 224,327 87th pct

Growth in Shellharbour in Wollongong +4.3 pts higher in Shellharbour

8.8% 85th pct 4.5% 58th pct

Businesses in Shellharbour in Wollongong +11,804 higher in Wollongong

4,474 72nd pct 16,278 86th pct

Approvals in Shellharbour in Wollongong +915 higher in Wollongong

653 86th pct 1,568 88th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Shellharbour in Wollongong +231 higher in Shellharbour

1,623 93rd pct 1,393 89th pct

Max temp in Shellharbour in Wollongong +0.7 higher in Shellharbour

22.0 27th pct 21.3 23rd pct

Min temp in Shellharbour in Wollongong +1.3 higher in Shellharbour

12.1 62nd pct 10.8 44th pct

Crime & Safety

Crime rate in Shellharbour in Wollongong +2,103 higher in Wollongong

6,750 36th pct 8,852 53rd pct

Assault/100k in Shellharbour in Wollongong +84 higher in Wollongong

700 30th pct 784 36th pct

Sexual/100k in Shellharbour in Wollongong +14 higher in Shellharbour

305 62nd pct 291 58th pct

Robbery/100k in Shellharbour in Wollongong +6 higher in Wollongong

16 32nd pct 22 46th pct

Burglary/100k in Shellharbour in Wollongong +56 higher in Wollongong

281 21st pct 336 29th pct

Theft/100k in Shellharbour in Wollongong +369 higher in Wollongong

802 27th pct 1,171 45th pct

Vehicle theft/100k in Shellharbour in Wollongong +31 higher in Wollongong

549 71st pct 581 74th pct

Property damage/100k in Shellharbour in Wollongong +98 higher in Wollongong

547 32nd pct 645 41st pct

Drugs/100k in Shellharbour in Wollongong +310 higher in Wollongong

417 45th pct 727 65th pct

5-yr change in Shellharbour in Wollongong +11.6 pts higher in Shellharbour

10.0% 53rd pct -1.7% 32nd pct

Walkability

Walk score in Shellharbour in Wollongong +0.2 higher in Wollongong

5.8 80th pct 6.0 81st pct

Types ≤15 min in Shellharbour in Wollongong +0.3 more in Wollongong

5.6 78th pct 5.8 80th pct

15-min city in Shellharbour in Wollongong +6.6 pts higher in Wollongong

66.9% 76th pct 73.5% 79th pct

Walk to shops in Shellharbour in Wollongong +0.1 pts higher in Shellharbour

61.3% 72nd pct 61.2% 72nd pct

Walk to transit in Shellharbour in Wollongong +1.6 pts higher in Wollongong

92.6% 84th pct 94.2% 85th pct

Walk to school in Shellharbour in Wollongong +8.6 pts higher in Wollongong

74.2% 76th pct 82.8% 82nd pct

Walk to a park in Shellharbour in Wollongong +4.4 pts higher in Shellharbour

97.6% 85th pct 93.3% 79th pct

Walk to health in Shellharbour in Wollongong +10.0 pts higher in Shellharbour

48.3% 68th pct 38.3% 51st pct

Amenities/1k in Shellharbour in Wollongong +0.4 more in Shellharbour

12.1 17th pct 11.7 15th pct

Intersections/km² in Shellharbour in Wollongong +27 higher in Shellharbour

53 77th pct 26 74th pct

Mean slope in Shellharbour in Wollongong +1.5 pts higher in Wollongong

5.7% 65th pct 7.2% 81st pct

Compare Shellharbour with nearby areas

Kiama Wollongong Wingecarribee Campbelltown Shoalhaven Unincorp. Other Territories Sutherland Shire Camden

Compare Wollongong with nearby areas

Shellharbour Campbelltown Kiama Sutherland Shire Camden Wingecarribee Liverpool Wollondilly

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Shellharbour vs Wollongong [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/lga/LGA16900/shellharbour/vs/LGA18450/wollongong