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Far West vs Merbein

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

Statistical Area 2 (SA2) comparison ≈ 386 km apart · Far West profile · Merbein profile

Far West Merbein

Far West and Merbein are both regional areas, but they differ sharply in their makeup and scale. Far West has a much larger First Nations population at 29.0%, compared to 4.6% in Merbein. While Merbein has larger schools, Far West has more schools for every 1,000 children. Life in Far West is more solitary and flexible; 36.7% of people live alone and 30.9% work from home, whereas in Merbein only 24.7% live alone and 10.1% work from home. Far West also has a much higher share of full-time employees at 73.1%, compared to 57.7% in Merbein.

These two places are becoming more different as the gap in home ownership widens. Since 2011, the difference in the share of separate houses and three-bedroom homes has grown, with Merbein seeing far more of these dwellings. Despite this, they share a typical resident age of 43 and have very similar rates of university degrees and unemployment. Both areas also sit well below the national figure for overall advantage.

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Where they differ most

Population: 2,688 larger in Merbein First Nations: 24.4 pts higher in Far West Work from home: 20.8 pts higher in Far West Unpaid carers: 7.2 pts higher in Merbein Needs assistance: 3.8 pts higher in Merbein

Demographics & Identity

Population in Far West in Merbein +2,688 larger in Merbein gap widening

2,288 9th pct 4,976 22nd pct

Median age in Far West in Merbein even gap narrowing

43 yrs 71st pct 43 yrs 71st pct

Age structure

27.8% Older adults (45–64) +0.4 pts ▸ 28.2%

23.4% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +1.4 pts 22.0%

20.0% Seniors (65+) +0.1 pts ▸ 20.1%

18.3% Children (0–14) +1.5 pts ▸ 19.8%

10.8% Youth (15–24) ◂ +0.9 pts 9.8%

Marital status

37.5% Married +11.8 pts ▸ 49.3%

44.5% Never married ◂ +12.4 pts 32.1%

9.3% Divorced ◂ +1.1 pts 8.2%

4.7% Widowed +1.5 pts ▸ 6.2%

3.7% Separated +0.4 pts ▸ 4.1%

Age & sex structure

Far West Merbein

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Country of birth

77.7% Australia +5.4 pts ▸ 83.2%

0.7% England +0.1 pts ▸ 0.9%

0.8% New Zealand even 0.7%

0.0% Italy +0.6 pts ▸ 0.6%

0.0% Philippines +0.3 pts ▸ 0.3%

0.2% India ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%

0.2% China ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%

0.0% South Africa +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

0.0% Vietnam +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

0.0% Nepal even 0.0%

Ancestry

29.9% Australian +12.2 pts ▸ 42.1%

27.1% English +12.5 pts ▸ 39.6%

7.4% Scottish +2.5 pts ▸ 9.9%

7.7% Irish +1.7 pts ▸ 9.4%

1.1% Italian +5.0 pts ▸ 6.1%

4.5% German +0.9 pts ▸ 5.4%

0.5% Dutch +0.4 pts ▸ 0.9%

0.2% Greek +0.6 pts ▸ 0.8%

0.3% Chinese +0.2 pts ▸ 0.5%

0.0% Filipino +0.5 pts ▸ 0.5%

0.0% Indian +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

0.0% Vietnamese +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

Language

Language used at home

80.6% English only +6.0 pts ▸ 86.6%

0.0% Italian +0.9 pts ▸ 0.9%

0.0% Greek +0.4 pts ▸ 0.4%

0.1% Mandarin +0.2 pts ▸ 0.3%

0.0% Cantonese +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

0.0% Tagalog +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

0.0% Punjabi +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

0.0% Arabic +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

0.0% Vietnamese +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

0.0% Hindi even 0.0%

Religion

Religious affiliation

36.9% No religion +9.3 pts ▸ 46.2%

43.4% Christianity ◂ +2.2 pts 41.2%

18.9% Not stated ◂ +7.8 pts 11.1%

0.3% Buddhism +0.4 pts ▸ 0.6%

0.4% Other religions ◂ +0.1 pts 0.3%

0.0% Islam +0.3 pts ▸ 0.3%

0.2% Hinduism ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

0.0% Judaism even 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Schools in Far West in Merbein +3 more in Far West

6 71st pct 3 43rd pct

Schools/1k kids in Far West in Merbein +11.28 more in Far West

14.32 100th pct 3.04 69th pct

Schools ≤3 km in Far West in Merbein +3 more in Far West

10 25th pct 7 14th pct

Students in Far West in Merbein +850 more in Merbein

214 7th pct 1,064 39th pct

Avg size in Far West in Merbein +319 larger in Merbein

36 0th pct 355 40th pct

ICSEA in Far West in Merbein +225 higher in Merbein

738 0th pct 963 25th pct

Highest year of school

26.8% Year 12 +7.5 pts ▸ 34.3%

23.9% Year 10 ◂ +1.5 pts 22.5%

21.9% Year 9 or below ◂ +5.9 pts 16.0%

8.2% Year 11 +7.4 pts ▸ 15.5%

Highest qualification level

26.2% Certificate III / IV +13.3 pts ▸ 39.5%

10.5% Advanced diploma / diploma +3.8 pts ▸ 14.3%

12.0% Bachelor degree +0.4 pts ▸ 12.4%

3.3% Postgraduate degree ◂ +1.7 pts 1.7%

3.0% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.3 pts 2.7%

2.8% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +0.1 pts 2.7%

Field of qualification

9.0% Engineering & related +4.6 pts ▸ 13.6%

7.6% Management & commerce +4.8 pts ▸ 12.5%

6.2% Society & culture +4.9 pts ▸ 11.1%

7.4% Health +1.3 pts ▸ 8.7%

8.5% Agriculture & environment ◂ +3.3 pts 5.2%

7.8% Education ◂ +0.1 pts 7.7%

4.0% Food, hospitality & personal services +2.2 pts ▸ 6.2%

3.0% Architecture & building +2.3 pts ▸ 5.3%

1.2% Natural & physical sciences +0.5 pts ▸ 1.7%

1.6% Creative arts even 1.6%

1.0% Information technology ◂ +0.3 pts 0.7%

Income

Personal income in Far West in Merbein +$84 higher in Merbein gap widening

$583 11th pct $667 23rd pct

Household income in Far West in Merbein +$235 higher in Merbein gap widening

$1,103 8th pct $1,338 24th pct

Family income in Far West in Merbein +$357 higher in Merbein gap widening

$1,288 5th pct $1,645 22nd pct

Household income distribution

30.0% $650–$1,499 +0.7 pts ▸ 30.8%

21.0% $1,500–$2,999 +7.0 pts ▸ 28.0%

25.0% Under $650 ◂ +6.8 pts 18.2%

5.3% $3,000–$3,999 +2.0 pts ▸ 7.2%

5.9% $4,000 or more ◂ +1.1 pts 4.8%

Personal income distribution

42.6% Under $650 +0.8 pts ▸ 43.4%

21.9% $650–$1,499 +9.8 pts ▸ 31.8%

10.6% $1,500–$2,999 +1.5 pts ▸ 12.1%

3.5% $3,000 or more ◂ +2.2 pts 1.3%

Health & Disability

Long-term health conditions reported

7.9% Arthritis +3.5 pts ▸ 11.5%

7.9% Asthma +2.9 pts ▸ 10.8%

6.0% Mental health +3.8 pts ▸ 9.7%

4.2% Other condition +3.9 pts ▸ 8.1%

5.6% Diabetes ◂ +0.2 pts 5.4%

4.3% Heart disease +0.9 pts ▸ 5.2%

2.4% Cancer +0.8 pts ▸ 3.2%

2.0% Lung condition +0.7 pts ▸ 2.7%

1.1% Stroke even 1.1%

0.3% Dementia +0.6 pts ▸ 0.9%

Number of long-term health conditions

55.0% None even 55.0%

16.0% One condition +5.3 pts ▸ 21.3%

5.4% Two conditions +1.4 pts ▸ 6.8%

3.5% Three or more +1.3 pts ▸ 4.7%

Community Participation

First Nations

First Nations people in Far West in Merbein +436 larger in Far West

664 86th pct 228 58th pct

Median age in Far West in Merbein +13 yrs older in Far West

30 yrs 86th pct 17 yrs 0th pct

Median income in Far West in Merbein +$23 higher in Merbein

$437 9th pct $460 12th pct

Household income in Far West in Merbein +$271 higher in Merbein

$939 3rd pct $1,210 16th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Far West in Merbein +0.1 larger in Merbein gap narrowing

2.4 36th pct 2.5 43rd pct

Family composition

41.8% Couples with children +13.2 pts ▸ 55.0%

31.3% Couples without children ◂ +2.0 pts 29.3%

24.7% One-parent families ◂ +9.8 pts 14.9%

2.1% Other families ◂ +1.2 pts 0.9%

Household size

36.7% 1 person ◂ +12.1 pts 24.7%

31.2% 2 people +5.3 pts ▸ 36.5%

11.2% 3 people +3.3 pts ▸ 14.5%

9.4% 4 people +4.1 pts ▸ 13.5%

6.6% 5 people +0.4 pts ▸ 7.0%

5.7% 6 or more ◂ +1.9 pts 3.8%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Far West in Merbein +$70 higher in Merbein gap narrowing

$150 0th pct $220 10th pct

Mortgage in Far West in Merbein +$208 higher in Merbein gap narrowing

$932 2nd pct $1,140 9th pct

People / bedroom in Far West in Merbein even gap steady

0.80 29th pct 0.80 29th pct

How homes are owned or rented

10.4% Owned with a mortgage +33.4 pts ▸ 43.9%

42.4% Owned outright ◂ +7.1 pts 35.3%

31.1% Rented ◂ +14.9 pts 16.1%

11.9% Other tenure ◂ +10.0 pts 1.9%

4.9% Not stated ◂ +2.4 pts 2.5%

Types of homes

81.8% Separate house +11.8 pts ▸ 93.6%

3.0% Townhouse / semi-detached +0.6 pts ▸ 3.5%

1.5% Other dwelling ◂ +0.1 pts 1.5%

0.8% Flat or apartment +0.7 pts ▸ 1.5%

Bedrooms per home

35.8% 3 bedrooms +12.8 pts ▸ 48.7%

20.6% 4 bedrooms +5.6 pts ▸ 26.3%

16.8% 2 bedrooms ◂ +3.3 pts 13.4%

12.5% 5 or more ◂ +7.4 pts 5.1%

7.5% 1 bedroom ◂ +3.9 pts 3.6%

1.5% Studio / none ◂ +1.0 pts 0.6%

Weekly rent distribution

61.4% Under $200 ◂ +29.3 pts 32.2%

22.0% $200–$349 +30.0 pts ▸ 51.9%

1.2% $350–$549 +7.2 pts ▸ 8.5%

0.0% $750 or more +1.1 pts ▸ 1.1%

0.0% $550–$749 even 0.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

53.1% Under $1,000 ◂ +18.5 pts 34.5%

11.1% $1,000–$1,799 +29.7 pts ▸ 40.8%

14.8% $3,000 or more ◂ +12.1 pts 2.7%

12.3% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +0.4 pts 11.9%

Transport & Vehicles

PT stops in Far West in Merbein +33 more in Merbein

11 20th pct 44 53rd pct

Stops/1k in Far West in Merbein +4.03 more in Merbein

4.81 58th pct 8.84 87th pct

Departures/1k in Far West in Merbein +321.4 more in Merbein

32.3 15th pct 353.7 33rd pct

PT routes in Far West in Merbein +2 more in Far West

6 43rd pct 4 29th pct

Stop walk in Far West in Merbein

— 26 84th pct

How people get to work

36.5% Car (driver) +32.7 pts ▸ 69.2%

30.9% Worked at home ◂ +20.8 pts 10.1%

16.7% Walked ◂ +13.6 pts 3.2%

3.2% Car (passenger) +1.5 pts ▸ 4.6%

0.5% Bicycle ◂ +0.5 pts 0.0%

0.0% Bus +0.5 pts ▸ 0.5%

0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

24.6% 2 vehicles +14.5 pts ▸ 39.1%

35.3% 1 vehicle ◂ +10.1 pts 25.3%

12.9% 3 vehicles +6.2 pts ▸ 19.1%

14.9% 4 or more ◂ +2.2 pts 12.8%

12.6% No vehicle ◂ +9.1 pts 3.5%

Migration & Movement

Jobs & Industry

Industries people work in

43.9% Agriculture, forestry & fishing ◂ +32.0 pts 11.9%

7.3% Health care & social assistance +6.2 pts ▸ 13.5%

11.8% Education & training ◂ +3.4 pts 8.3%

3.3% Retail trade +7.5 pts ▸ 10.7%

3.3% Construction +4.9 pts ▸ 8.2%

6.5% Public administration & safety ◂ +1.2 pts 5.3%

0.8% Manufacturing +5.5 pts ▸ 6.3%

5.8% Accommodation & food even 5.9%

3.0% Transport & warehousing +2.8 pts ▸ 5.8%

1.8% Other services +2.8 pts ▸ 4.6%

1.5% Administrative & support +2.1 pts ▸ 3.6%

1.3% Professional & technical +1.4 pts ▸ 2.7%

Occupations people work in

39.2% Managers ◂ +24.5 pts 14.6%

17.5% Labourers ◂ +3.5 pts 14.0%

3.9% Technicians & trades +11.5 pts ▸ 15.3%

12.2% Professionals +1.0 pts ▸ 13.2%

10.1% Community & personal service +1.2 pts ▸ 11.3%

7.4% Clerical & administrative +3.4 pts ▸ 10.8%

2.8% Sales workers +6.8 pts ▸ 9.6%

5.0% Machinery operators & drivers +3.6 pts ▸ 8.6%

Economy & Advantage

IRSAD decile in Far West in Merbein even

2 14th pct 2 14th pct

IRSD decile in Far West in Merbein +2 higher in Merbein

1 0th pct 3 29th pct

IER decile in Far West in Merbein +4 higher in Merbein

1 0th pct 5 43rd pct

IEO decile in Far West in Merbein +2 higher in Far West

4 36th pct 2 14th pct

IRSAD score in Far West in Merbein +13 higher in Merbein

909 14th pct 922 19th pct

ERP in Far West in Merbein +2,669 higher in Merbein

2,302 8th pct 4,971 20th pct

Growth in Far West in Merbein +1.5 pts higher in Merbein

-1.2% 7th pct 0.3% 13th pct

Businesses in Far West in Merbein +88 higher in Merbein

339 15th pct 427 20th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Far West in Merbein +54 higher in Merbein

209 0th pct 263 0th pct

Max temp in Far West in Merbein +2.3 higher in Far West

27.5 86th pct 25.2 67th pct

Min temp in Far West in Merbein +3.1 higher in Far West

13.5 70th pct 10.5 29th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Far West in Merbein +0.4 higher in Merbein

3.3 23rd pct 3.7 26th pct

Types ≤15 min in Far West in Merbein +0.4 more in Far West

3.9 30th pct 3.6 26th pct

15-min city in Far West in Merbein +13.2 pts higher in Far West

51.3% 38th pct 38.1% 27th pct

Walk to shops in Far West in Merbein +2.7 pts higher in Far West

43.6% 32nd pct 40.9% 30th pct

Walk to transit in Far West in Merbein +26.3 pts higher in Merbein

31.2% 18th pct 57.5% 27th pct

Walk to school in Far West in Merbein +3.4 pts higher in Far West

49.0% 29th pct 45.6% 27th pct

Walk to a park in Far West in Merbein +24.5 pts higher in Merbein

55.7% 16th pct 80.2% 28th pct

Walk to health in Far West in Merbein +40.8 pts higher in Far West

40.8% 46th pct 0.0% 0th pct

Amenities/1k in Far West in Merbein +35.1 more in Far West

61.6 86th pct 26.5 84th pct

Intersections/km² in Far West in Merbein +23 higher in Merbein

0 0th pct 23 31st pct

Mean slope in Far West in Merbein even

3.0% 10th pct 3.0% 10th pct

Compare Far West with nearby areas

Broken Hill Wentworth-Balranald Region Cobar Bourke - Brewarrina Wentworth - Buronga Mildura - North Merbein Mildura - South

Compare Merbein with nearby areas

Mildura - South Mildura - North Wentworth - Buronga Irymple Red Cliffs Mildura Surrounds Robinvale Wentworth-Balranald Region

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Far West vs Merbein [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sa2/105021098/far-west/vs/215021396/merbein