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Somerset vs Toowoomba

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

Council (LGA) comparison ≈ 109 km apart · Somerset profile · Toowoomba profile

Somerset Toowoomba

Toowoomba and Somerset are two distinct Queensland areas with very different layouts and lifestyles. Toowoomba is a more urbanised hub where 54.1% of homes are in a 15-minute-city walkshed and the area is rated as somewhat walkable. In contrast, Somerset is car-dependent and much more residential, with 96.8% of dwellings being separate houses compared to 82.7% in Toowoomba. Toowoomba also has a more diverse and younger population; the typical resident is 39, while in Somerset they are 45. Recent arrivals from overseas are far more common in Toowoomba, where 23.7% of people arrived recently, compared to 13.5% in Somerset.

Both areas sit close to the national figure for the share of people born overseas, which is around 13% to 14%. They also share similar household sizes and typical weekly rents of $300. While they have many things in common, some gaps are widening; for example, the difference in the proportion of renters has grown since 2011, and the age gap between the two areas has increased from four to six years.

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Where they differ most

Population: 148,147 larger in Toowoomba Separate houses: 14.1 pts higher in Somerset Bachelor+: 8.6 pts higher in Toowoomba Renting: 11.1 pts higher in Toowoomba Year 12: 11.0 pts higher in Toowoomba

Demographics & Identity

Population in Somerset in Toowoomba +148,147 larger in Toowoomba gap widening

25,057 63rd pct 173,204 87th pct

Median age in Somerset in Toowoomba +6 yrs older in Somerset gap widening

45 yrs 67th pct 39 yrs 33rd pct

Age structure

28.7% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +4.7 pts 23.9%

21.3% Young adults (25–44) +3.0 pts ▸ 24.4%

21.5% Seniors (65+) ◂ +2.0 pts 19.5%

18.3% Children (0–14) +1.2 pts ▸ 19.6%

10.2% Youth (15–24) +2.5 pts ▸ 12.6%

Marital status

49.3% Married ◂ +1.0 pts 48.2%

30.1% Never married +3.2 pts ▸ 33.3%

10.8% Divorced ◂ +1.7 pts 9.1%

5.4% Widowed +0.4 pts ▸ 5.8%

4.4% Separated ◂ +0.8 pts 3.6%

Age & sex structure

Somerset Toowoomba

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Country of birth

79.3% Australia +1.3 pts ▸ 80.7%

3.4% England ◂ +1.5 pts 1.9%

2.7% New Zealand ◂ +1.3 pts 1.4%

2.5% Philippines ◂ +1.6 pts 0.9%

0.1% India +1.0 pts ▸ 1.1%

0.4% South Africa +0.3 pts ▸ 0.6%

0.0% Nepal +0.4 pts ▸ 0.4%

0.2% China +0.2 pts ▸ 0.4%

0.3% Vietnam ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

0.0% Italy even 0.1%

Ancestry

41.5% English ◂ +2.6 pts 38.8%

40.8% Australian ◂ +2.3 pts 38.5%

10.1% Irish +2.5 pts ▸ 12.6%

10.7% Scottish +0.2 pts ▸ 10.9%

10.2% German +0.6 pts ▸ 10.8%

2.7% Filipino ◂ +1.4 pts 1.2%

1.7% Dutch ◂ +0.3 pts 1.4%

1.3% Italian +0.3 pts ▸ 1.6%

0.6% Chinese +0.6 pts ▸ 1.3%

0.3% Indian +0.9 pts ▸ 1.2%

0.4% Vietnamese ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

0.3% Greek even 0.2%

Language

Language used at home

88.3% English only ◂ +2.8 pts 85.5%

0.7% Tagalog ◂ +0.3 pts 0.4%

0.3% Mandarin +0.4 pts ▸ 0.7%

0.0% Arabic +0.5 pts ▸ 0.5%

0.0% Punjabi +0.4 pts ▸ 0.4%

0.3% Vietnamese ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

0.1% Hindi +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%

0.1% Cantonese +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

0.0% Italian +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

0.0% Greek even 0.0%

Religion

Religious affiliation

49.1% Christianity +6.8 pts ▸ 55.9%

40.7% No religion ◂ +8.6 pts 32.1%

8.8% Not stated ◂ +1.7 pts 7.1%

0.5% Other religions +1.5 pts ▸ 1.9%

0.1% Hinduism +1.1 pts ▸ 1.2%

0.7% Buddhism +0.2 pts ▸ 0.9%

0.2% Islam +0.6 pts ▸ 0.8%

0.0% Judaism even 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Schools in Somerset in Toowoomba +69 more in Toowoomba

19 72nd pct 88 88th pct

Schools/1k kids in Somerset in Toowoomba +1.54 more in Somerset

4.13 54th pct 2.60 33rd pct

Students in Somerset in Toowoomba +28,285 more in Toowoomba

3,403 59th pct 31,688 87th pct

Avg size in Somerset in Toowoomba +181 larger in Toowoomba

179 42nd pct 360 68th pct

ICSEA in Somerset in Toowoomba +52 higher in Toowoomba

953 38th pct 1,005 70th pct

Highest year of school

40.5% Year 12 +11.0 pts ▸ 51.5%

29.6% Year 10 ◂ +4.9 pts 24.7%

13.8% Year 9 or below ◂ +2.8 pts 11.1%

7.4% Year 11 ◂ +1.5 pts 6.0%

Highest qualification level

40.4% Certificate III / IV ◂ +6.6 pts 33.8%

13.6% Bachelor degree +8.3 pts ▸ 21.9%

14.7% Advanced diploma / diploma even 14.7%

2.6% Postgraduate degree +3.8 pts ▸ 6.4%

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

3.3% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.5 pts 2.8%

Field of qualification

17.5% Engineering & related ◂ +2.9 pts 14.6%

13.5% Management & commerce +2.6 pts ▸ 16.1%

9.6% Health +3.1 pts ▸ 12.8%

11.1% Society & culture +0.7 pts ▸ 11.8%

7.7% Education +2.1 pts ▸ 9.8%

6.4% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +0.6 pts 5.8%

5.8% Architecture & building ◂ +0.6 pts 5.2%

3.7% Agriculture & environment ◂ +0.2 pts 3.5%

1.8% Creative arts +0.5 pts ▸ 2.3%

1.2% Natural & physical sciences +0.6 pts ▸ 1.8%

1.2% Information technology +0.5 pts ▸ 1.8%

Income

Personal income in Somerset in Toowoomba +$123 higher in Toowoomba gap widening

$620 20th pct $743 50th pct

Household income in Somerset in Toowoomba +$149 higher in Toowoomba gap widening

$1,312 41st pct $1,461 56th pct

Family income in Somerset in Toowoomba +$330 higher in Toowoomba gap widening

$1,517 25th pct $1,847 55th pct

Household income distribution

32.6% $650–$1,499 ◂ +2.3 pts 30.3%

27.3% $1,500–$2,999 +2.6 pts ▸ 29.9%

18.4% Under $650 ◂ +1.3 pts 17.1%

7.0% $3,000–$3,999 +1.2 pts ▸ 8.2%

5.2% $4,000 or more +1.7 pts ▸ 6.9%

Personal income distribution

47.3% Under $650 ◂ +5.7 pts 41.6%

30.8% $650–$1,499 +2.5 pts ▸ 33.3%

11.6% $1,500–$2,999 +3.9 pts ▸ 15.5%

1.7% $3,000 or more +1.0 pts ▸ 2.7%

Health & Disability

Long-term health conditions reported

13.1% Arthritis ◂ +2.4 pts 10.7%

12.0% Mental health ◂ +1.1 pts 10.9%

10.7% Asthma ◂ +0.8 pts 9.9%

9.5% Other condition ◂ +0.6 pts 8.9%

6.4% Diabetes ◂ +1.2 pts 5.2%

5.5% Heart disease ◂ +0.7 pts 4.9%

4.0% Cancer ◂ +0.6 pts 3.4%

3.4% Lung condition ◂ +1.3 pts 2.1%

1.3% Stroke ◂ +0.2 pts 1.1%

0.7% Dementia +0.2 pts ▸ 0.9%

Number of long-term health conditions

55.0% None +4.5 pts ▸ 59.5%

21.7% One condition ◂ +0.8 pts 20.9%

8.4% Two conditions ◂ +1.1 pts 7.3%

5.6% Three or more ◂ +1.4 pts 4.2%

Community Participation

First Nations

First Nations people in Somerset in Toowoomba +7,505 larger in Toowoomba

1,172 67th pct 8,677 90th pct

Median age in Somerset in Toowoomba +3 yrs older in Somerset

23 yrs 29th pct 20 yrs 7th pct

Median income in Somerset in Toowoomba +$80 higher in Toowoomba

$507 36th pct $587 59th pct

Household income in Somerset in Toowoomba +$39 higher in Toowoomba

$1,419 55th pct $1,458 59th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Somerset in Toowoomba +0.1 larger in Somerset gap steady

2.6 79th pct 2.5 71st pct

Family composition

51.4% Couples with children +2.2 pts ▸ 53.6%

32.1% Couples without children ◂ +2.5 pts 29.6%

15.6% One-parent families +0.1 pts ▸ 15.6%

0.9% Other families +0.2 pts ▸ 1.1%

Household size

39.0% 2 people ◂ +2.7 pts 36.2%

23.0% 1 person +4.4 pts ▸ 27.4%

13.6% 3 people +0.4 pts ▸ 14.0%

13.4% 4 people ◂ +0.8 pts 12.6%

6.6% 5 people ◂ +0.4 pts 6.1%

4.5% 6 or more ◂ +0.9 pts 3.6%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Somerset in Toowoomba even gap narrowing

$300 63rd pct $300 63rd pct

Mortgage in Somerset in Toowoomba +$17 higher in Toowoomba gap steady

$1,500 56th pct $1,517 57th pct

People / bedroom in Somerset in Toowoomba even gap steady

0.80 43rd pct 0.80 43rd pct

How homes are owned or rented

38.2% Owned outright ◂ +5.6 pts 32.6%

36.8% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +4.7 pts 32.1%

20.7% Rented +11.1 pts ▸ 31.8%

2.3% Not stated ◂ +0.8 pts 1.4%

2.0% Other tenure even 2.1%

Types of homes

96.8% Separate house ◂ +14.1 pts 82.7%

1.7% Townhouse / semi-detached +11.3 pts ▸ 13.0%

0.2% Flat or apartment +3.5 pts ▸ 3.7%

1.1% Other dwelling ◂ +0.7 pts 0.4%

Bedrooms per home

39.4% 3 bedrooms +1.5 pts ▸ 40.9%

35.5% 4 bedrooms ◂ +3.5 pts 32.0%

12.6% 2 bedrooms +3.1 pts ▸ 15.7%

7.4% 5 or more ◂ +0.4 pts 7.0%

2.5% 1 bedroom +0.3 pts ▸ 2.8%

0.5% Studio / none ◂ +0.2 pts 0.3%

Weekly rent distribution

59.4% $200–$349 ◂ +2.8 pts 56.6%

24.6% $350–$549 +2.5 pts ▸ 27.2%

9.6% Under $200 +1.9 pts ▸ 11.5%

1.3% $550–$749 +0.1 pts ▸ 1.4%

0.6% $750 or more ◂ +0.3 pts 0.3%

Monthly mortgage distribution

42.8% $1,000–$1,799 +0.7 pts ▸ 43.5%

24.2% $1,800–$2,999 +0.8 pts ▸ 24.9%

21.5% Under $1,000 ◂ +2.2 pts 19.3%

5.8% $3,000 or more +1.4 pts ▸ 7.1%

Transport & Vehicles

PT stops in Somerset in Toowoomba +634 more in Toowoomba

18 44th pct 652 86th pct

Stops/1k in Somerset in Toowoomba +3.05 more in Toowoomba

0.72 25th pct 3.76 56th pct

Departures/1k in Somerset in Toowoomba +319.6 more in Toowoomba

8.2 29th pct 327.8 66th pct

PT routes in Somerset in Toowoomba +7 more in Toowoomba

1 29th pct 8 52nd pct

Drive to city in Somerset in Toowoomba +19 longer in Toowoomba

100 72nd pct 119 84th pct

How people get to work

62.9% Car (driver) +6.1 pts ▸ 69.0%

12.5% Worked at home ◂ +4.1 pts 8.4%

5.1% Car (passenger) +0.4 pts ▸ 5.6%

2.7% Walked +0.1 pts ▸ 2.8%

0.2% Bicycle +0.3 pts ▸ 0.5%

0.4% Bus ◂ +0.2 pts 0.3%

0.1% Train ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

38.6% 2 vehicles ◂ +0.7 pts 37.9%

29.0% 1 vehicle +6.6 pts ▸ 35.5%

18.1% 3 vehicles ◂ +4.8 pts 13.3%

11.8% 4 or more ◂ +4.0 pts 7.8%

2.5% No vehicle +2.9 pts ▸ 5.4%

Migration & Movement

Jobs & Industry

Industries people work in

11.9% Health care & social assistance +6.5 pts ▸ 18.4%

12.1% Manufacturing ◂ +5.3 pts 6.8%

8.4% Education & training +2.4 pts ▸ 10.8%

8.2% Retail trade +0.9 pts ▸ 9.1%

9.1% Construction ◂ +0.6 pts 8.4%

8.4% Agriculture, forestry & fishing ◂ +2.5 pts 5.9%

6.5% Public administration & safety ◂ +0.7 pts 5.8%

4.8% Accommodation & food +1.1 pts ▸ 6.0%

5.8% Transport & warehousing ◂ +1.9 pts 3.9%

3.6% Professional & technical +1.0 pts ▸ 4.6%

3.3% Other services +0.8 pts ▸ 4.1%

2.7% Administrative & support ◂ +0.3 pts 2.4%

Occupations people work in

11.0% Professionals +8.7 pts ▸ 19.7%

16.7% Labourers ◂ +5.2 pts 11.5%

15.5% Technicians & trades ◂ +1.1 pts 14.5%

12.7% Community & personal service +0.8 pts ▸ 13.4%

13.4% Managers ◂ +1.4 pts 12.0%

11.2% Clerical & administrative +1.2 pts ▸ 12.4%

9.3% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +2.9 pts 6.4%

7.6% Sales workers +0.8 pts ▸ 8.4%

Economy & Advantage

IRSAD decile in Somerset in Toowoomba +3 higher in Toowoomba

3 29th pct 6 57th pct

IRSD decile in Somerset in Toowoomba +3 higher in Toowoomba

3 29th pct 6 57th pct

IER decile in Somerset in Toowoomba +1 higher in Somerset

7 64th pct 6 57th pct

IEO decile in Somerset in Toowoomba +5 higher in Toowoomba

2 14th pct 7 64th pct

IRSAD score in Somerset in Toowoomba +46 higher in Toowoomba

913 23rd pct 959 55th pct

ERP in Somerset in Toowoomba +159,340 higher in Toowoomba

26,936 62nd pct 186,276 87th pct

Growth in Somerset in Toowoomba +0.2 pts higher in Toowoomba

6.1% 71st pct 6.3% 72nd pct

Businesses in Somerset in Toowoomba +15,612 higher in Toowoomba

2,382 60th pct 17,994 86th pct

Approvals in Somerset in Toowoomba +746 higher in Toowoomba

144 64th pct 890 86th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Somerset in Toowoomba +193 higher in Somerset

855 70th pct 662 52nd pct

Max temp in Somerset in Toowoomba +0.8 higher in Somerset

26.7 72nd pct 26.0 66th pct

Min temp in Somerset in Toowoomba +1.9 higher in Somerset

13.1 71st pct 11.2 51st pct

Crime & Safety

Crime rate in Somerset in Toowoomba +2,472 higher in Toowoomba

9,195 56th pct 11,667 71st pct

Assault/100k in Somerset in Toowoomba +102 higher in Somerset

1,050 55th pct 947 48th pct

Sexual/100k in Somerset in Toowoomba +83 higher in Somerset

387 78th pct 304 61st pct

Robbery/100k in Somerset in Toowoomba

— 55 85th pct

Burglary/100k in Somerset in Toowoomba +340 higher in Toowoomba

503 49th pct 843 77th pct

Theft/100k in Somerset in Toowoomba +285 higher in Toowoomba

1,844 71st pct 2,129 78th pct

Vehicle theft/100k in Somerset in Toowoomba +68 higher in Toowoomba

243 32nd pct 312 45th pct

Property damage/100k in Somerset in Toowoomba +13 higher in Somerset

774 53rd pct 762 52nd pct

Drugs/100k in Somerset in Toowoomba +972 higher in Toowoomba

782 68th pct 1,755 86th pct

5-yr change in Somerset in Toowoomba +13.2 pts higher in Somerset

34.5% 81st pct 21.3% 68th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Somerset in Toowoomba +2.6 higher in Toowoomba

1.8 11th pct 4.4 65th pct

Types ≤15 min in Somerset in Toowoomba +2.5 more in Toowoomba

1.9 10th pct 4.4 61st pct

15-min city in Somerset in Toowoomba +31.7 pts higher in Toowoomba

22.4% 12th pct 54.1% 61st pct

Walk to shops in Somerset in Toowoomba +29.3 pts higher in Toowoomba

23.7% 13th pct 52.9% 60th pct

Walk to transit in Somerset in Toowoomba +43.0 pts higher in Toowoomba

11.1% 24th pct 54.1% 57th pct

Walk to school in Somerset in Toowoomba +40.6 pts higher in Toowoomba

20.3% 10th pct 61.0% 61st pct

Walk to a park in Somerset in Toowoomba +43.5 pts higher in Toowoomba

35.2% 11th pct 78.6% 62nd pct

Walk to health in Somerset in Toowoomba +17.1 pts higher in Toowoomba

21.0% 20th pct 38.1% 51st pct

Amenities/1k in Somerset in Toowoomba +0.5 more in Toowoomba

13.4 26th pct 13.9 29th pct

Intersections/km² in Somerset in Toowoomba +1 higher in Toowoomba

1 45th pct 2 58th pct

Mean slope in Somerset in Toowoomba +2.0 pts higher in Somerset

8.3% 89th pct 6.3% 73rd pct

Compare Somerset with nearby areas

Moreton Bay Sunshine Coast Lockyer Valley Brisbane Ipswich Gympie Noosa Cherbourg

Compare Toowoomba with nearby areas

Lockyer Valley Southern Downs Somerset Ipswich Goondiwindi South Burnett Scenic Rim Brisbane

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Somerset vs Toowoomba [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/lga/LGA36580/somerset/vs/LGA36910/toowoomba