CensusAtlas

Compare

Macarthur vs Farrer

Statistical Area 2 (SA2) comparison ≈ 4.2 km apart · Macarthur profile · Farrer profile

Macarthur Farrer

Farrer and Macarthur are neighbouring areas in the Australian Capital Territory with very different housing and accessibility profiles. Macarthur is dominated by large family homes, with 97.3% being separate houses and 97.3% having three or more bedrooms. Farrer has a more varied mix, with 73.2% separate houses and a higher share of townhouses and apartments. Life in Farrer is more connected; 89.7% of homes have a 15-minute-city walkshed, compared to 48.4% in Macarthur, and Farrer has far more public transport stops and departures per 1,000 people.

The gap in how many people have moved into these areas in the last five years has widened since 2011, with 42.6% of Farrer residents arriving recently compared to 30.8% in Macarthur. Despite this shift, the two areas remain very similar in other ways. They share almost identical typical weekly family incomes of around $3,230 and similar rates of people working from home and those with no religion. Both areas also have a high share of university-qualified adults compared to the national figure.

Open map →

Where they differ most

Population: 2,382 larger in Farrer Separate houses: 24.1 pts higher in Macarthur 3+ bedrooms: 17.3 pts higher in Macarthur Needs assistance: 3.2 pts higher in Farrer Recent movers: 11.7 pts higher in Farrer

Demographics & Identity

Population in Macarthurin Farrer +2,382 larger in Farrer gap widening
1,405 5th pct 3,787 15th pct
Median age in Macarthurin Farrer +4 yrs older in Farrer gap narrowing
39 yrs 48th pct 43 yrs 71st pct
First Nations in Macarthurin Farrer +0.7 pts higher in Macarthur gap steady
1.9% 45th pct 1.2% 32nd pct
Aged 65+ in Macarthurin Farrer +7.7 pts higher in Farrer gap narrowing
16.0% 42nd pct 23.7% 82nd pct
Under 15 in Macarthurin Farrer +3.3 pts higher in Macarthur gap widening
21.4% 82nd pct 18.1% 52nd pct
De facto in Macarthurin Farrer +0.8 pts higher in Farrer gap narrowing
8.6% 19th pct 9.4% 24th pct

Age structure

27.5% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +2.5 pts 25.0%
25.1% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +3.4 pts 21.8%
16.0% Seniors (65+) +7.7 pts ▸ 23.7%
21.4% Children (0–14) ◂ +3.3 pts 18.1%
9.8% Youth (15–24) +1.7 pts ▸ 11.6%

Marital status

61.1% Married ◂ +7.3 pts 53.8%
26.4% Never married +2.4 pts ▸ 28.8%
2.6% Widowed +5.7 pts ▸ 8.3%
7.2% Divorced ◂ +0.4 pts 6.8%
3.0% Separated ◂ +0.6 pts 2.4%

Age & sex structure

Macarthur Farrer

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Macarthurin Farrer +8.9 pts higher in Farrer gap widening
16.9% 36th pct 25.9% 59th pct

Country of birth

82.6% Australia ◂ +12.4 pts 70.2%
4.5% England ◂ +0.2 pts 4.3%
1.7% India +0.7 pts ▸ 2.4%
0.7% New Zealand +0.7 pts ▸ 1.4%
0.3% China +1.0 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.0% Nepal +1.2 pts ▸ 1.2%
0.9% South Africa ◂ +0.4 pts 0.5%
0.7% Philippines ◂ +0.2 pts 0.6%
0.0% Italy +0.6 pts ▸ 0.6%
0.4% Vietnam even 0.3%

Ancestry

40.1% Australian ◂ +7.8 pts 32.2%
39.6% English ◂ +3.2 pts 36.4%
16.7% Irish ◂ +3.5 pts 13.2%
14.3% Scottish ◂ +1.9 pts 12.4%
5.1% German ◂ +0.3 pts 4.8%
3.1% Italian +0.7 pts ▸ 3.8%
1.4% Chinese +2.3 pts ▸ 3.6%
1.4% Indian +2.1 pts ▸ 3.4%
2.8% Dutch ◂ +0.7 pts 2.1%
1.9% Greek ◂ +0.2 pts 1.7%
1.4% Filipino ◂ +0.6 pts 0.8%
0.6% Vietnamese ◂ +0.2 pts 0.4%

Language

Other language in Macarthurin Farrer +8.8 pts higher in Farrer gap widening
8.9% 40th pct 17.7% 60th pct
Limited English in Macarthurin Farrer +0.9 pts higher in Farrer gap steady
0.6% 31st pct 1.5% 53rd pct

Language used at home

90.0% English only ◂ +11.7 pts 78.2%
0.4% Mandarin +0.9 pts ▸ 1.4%
1.2% Greek ◂ +0.3 pts 0.9%
0.4% Hindi +0.5 pts ▸ 1.0%
0.6% Arabic +0.2 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.0% Italian +0.8 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.3% Cantonese +0.5 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.4% Punjabi +0.2 pts ▸ 0.7%
0.4% Vietnamese +0.1 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.0% Tagalog +0.4 pts ▸ 0.4%

Religion

No religion in Macarthurin Farrer +0.3 pts higher in Farrer gap narrowing
40.7% 47th pct 41.0% 48th pct

Religious affiliation

53.3% Christianity ◂ +8.8 pts 44.5%
40.7% No religion +0.3 pts ▸ 41.0%
2.9% Not stated +2.8 pts ▸ 5.7%
0.9% Hinduism +2.2 pts ▸ 3.0%
0.9% Islam +1.8 pts ▸ 2.7%
0.5% Buddhism +1.4 pts ▸ 1.8%
0.9% Other religions even 0.9%
0.0% Judaism +0.6 pts ▸ 0.6%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Macarthurin Farrer +0.5 pts higher in Farrer gap narrowing
77.6% 89th pct 78.1% 90th pct
Bachelor+ in Macarthurin Farrer +7.9 pts higher in Farrer gap narrowing
36.3% 77th pct 44.3% 87th pct
Schools in Macarthurin Farrer
— 1 0th pct
Schools/1k kids in Macarthurin Farrer
— 1.46 30th pct
Schools ≤3 km in Macarthurin Farrer +7 more in Farrer
9 21st pct 16 43rd pct
Students in Macarthurin Farrer
— 252 8th pct
Avg size in Macarthurin Farrer
— 252 26th pct
ICSEA in Macarthurin Farrer
— 1,098 82nd pct

Highest year of school

77.6% Year 12 +0.5 pts ▸ 78.1%
12.8% Year 10 ◂ +3.3 pts 9.5%
5.1% Year 11 ◂ +1.7 pts 3.4%
3.4% Year 9 or below +0.3 pts ▸ 3.7%

Highest qualification level

32.6% Bachelor degree +1.5 pts ▸ 34.1%
23.8% Certificate III / IV ◂ +12.6 pts 11.3%
12.0% Postgraduate degree +8.6 pts ▸ 20.5%
17.8% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +3.5 pts 14.3%
8.3% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +0.8 pts 7.5%
0.5% Certificate I / II +0.4 pts ▸ 0.9%

Field of qualification

20.3% Management & commerce +0.3 pts ▸ 20.6%
17.8% Society & culture +1.5 pts ▸ 19.3%
13.0% Engineering & related ◂ +5.8 pts 7.2%
9.1% Health +2.3 pts ▸ 11.4%
8.4% Education ◂ +0.4 pts 8.0%
4.7% Information technology +1.6 pts ▸ 6.3%
6.2% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +0.7 pts 5.5%
5.5% Creative arts ◂ +1.8 pts 3.8%
5.3% Architecture & building ◂ +1.2 pts 4.1%
3.8% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +1.1 pts 2.7%
2.5% Agriculture & environment ◂ +0.6 pts 1.9%

Income

Personal income in Macarthurin Farrer +$111 higher in Macarthur gap widening
$1,334 93rd pct $1,223 90th pct
Household income in Macarthurin Farrer +$497 higher in Macarthur gap narrowing
$3,037 98th pct $2,540 89th pct
Family income in Macarthurin Farrer even gap narrowing
$3,232 92nd pct $3,226 92nd pct
High earners in Macarthurin Farrer +0.2 pts higher in Macarthur gap steady
26.9% 94th pct 26.7% 93rd pct
High-income homes in Macarthurin Farrer +6.7 pts higher in Macarthur gap narrowing
47.7% 99th pct 41.0% 92nd pct

Household income distribution

28.7% $4,000 or more +1.1 pts ▸ 29.8%
26.2% $1,500–$2,999 +1.3 pts ▸ 27.5%
12.9% $650–$1,499 +6.2 pts ▸ 19.1%
19.1% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +7.8 pts 11.3%
3.7% Under $650 +4.0 pts ▸ 7.7%

Personal income distribution

36.5% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +8.5 pts 28.0%
28.4% $650–$1,499 ◂ +1.0 pts 27.4%
25.1% Under $650 +2.8 pts ▸ 28.0%
7.8% $3,000 or more +3.5 pts ▸ 11.2%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Macarthurin Farrer +0.5 pts higher in Farrer
30.1% 62nd pct 30.6% 65th pct
Mental health in Macarthurin Farrer +0.6 pts higher in Macarthur
8.9% 52nd pct 8.3% 43rd pct
Needs assistance in Macarthurin Farrer +3.2 pts higher in Farrer gap steady
3.1% 12th pct 6.3% 65th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

8.9% Other condition +1.7 pts ▸ 10.6%
10.2% Arthritis ◂ +0.2 pts 10.0%
9.0% Asthma ◂ +0.7 pts 8.3%
8.9% Mental health ◂ +0.6 pts 8.3%
3.7% Heart disease +0.6 pts ▸ 4.3%
4.1% Diabetes ◂ +0.1 pts 3.9%
3.8% Cancer even 3.8%
0.8% Lung condition +1.1 pts ▸ 1.9%
0.5% Stroke +0.9 pts ▸ 1.4%
0.2% Dementia +1.1 pts ▸ 1.3%

Number of long-term health conditions

66.8% None ◂ +3.7 pts 63.1%
21.4% One condition ◂ +0.4 pts 21.1%
6.1% Two conditions +0.4 pts ▸ 6.5%
2.6% Three or more +0.3 pts ▸ 2.9%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Macarthurin Farrer +3.6 pts higher in Farrer gap steady
19.4% 80th pct 23.0% 90th pct
Unpaid carers in Macarthurin Farrer +0.0 pts higher in Macarthur gap narrowing
13.4% 71st pct 13.3% 70th pct
Unpaid child care in Macarthurin Farrer +8.6 pts higher in Macarthur gap widening
38.8% 98th pct 30.2% 76th pct
Defence service in Macarthurin Farrer +1.9 pts higher in Macarthur
8.4% 100th pct 6.5% 93rd pct
Housework 15h+ in Macarthurin Farrer +3.3 pts higher in Macarthur gap widening
25.4% 84th pct 22.1% 59th pct

First Nations

First Nations people in Macarthurin Farrer +18 larger in Farrer
26 8th pct 44 14th pct
Median age in Macarthurin Farrer +10 yrs older in Farrer
12 yrs 0th pct 22 yrs 29th pct
Year 12 in Macarthurin Farrer
— 78.1% 98th pct
Unemployment in Macarthurin Farrer
— 0.0% 0th pct
Median income in Macarthurin Farrer +$525 higher in Macarthur
$1,374 100th pct $849 79th pct
Household income in Macarthurin Farrer +$874 higher in Macarthur
$3,624 100th pct $2,750 91st pct
Indigenous language in Macarthurin Farrer +15.9 pts higher in Farrer
0.0% 0th pct 15.9% 89th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Macarthurin Farrer +0.3 larger in Macarthur gap narrowing
2.9 86th pct 2.6 57th pct
One-parent in Macarthurin Farrer +0.4 pts higher in Macarthur gap steady
9.7% 17th pct 9.2% 14th pct
Living alone in Macarthurin Farrer +11.4 pts higher in Farrer gap steady
13.1% 8th pct 24.6% 47th pct

Family composition

66.5% Couples with children ◂ +3.1 pts 63.4%
23.3% Couples without children +3.2 pts ▸ 26.5%
9.7% One-parent families ◂ +0.4 pts 9.2%
0.0% Other families +0.8 pts ▸ 0.8%

Household size

33.2% 2 people ◂ +1.8 pts 31.4%
13.1% 1 person +11.4 pts ▸ 24.6%
24.2% 4 people ◂ +6.1 pts 18.1%
18.6% 3 people ◂ +2.3 pts 16.4%
7.8% 5 people ◂ +1.5 pts 6.3%
2.5% 6 or more +0.3 pts ▸ 2.8%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Macarthurin Farrer +$70 higher in Macarthur gap narrowing
$520 90th pct $450 80th pct
Mortgage in Macarthurin Farrer +$400 higher in Farrer gap widening
$2,200 75th pct $2,600 89th pct
People / bedroom in Macarthurin Farrer +0.10 higher in Farrer gap steady
0.70 0th pct 0.80 29th pct
Renting in Macarthurin Farrer +6.0 pts higher in Farrer gap narrowing
9.8% 3rd pct 15.8% 16th pct
Owned outright in Macarthurin Farrer +5.9 pts higher in Macarthur gap widening
42.4% 81st pct 36.5% 64th pct
Separate houses in Macarthurin Farrer +24.1 pts higher in Macarthur gap widening
97.3% 92nd pct 73.2% 31st pct
3+ bedrooms in Macarthurin Farrer +17.3 pts higher in Macarthur gap steady
97.3% 100th pct 80.0% 53rd pct

How homes are owned or rented

46.5% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +9.5 pts 37.1%
42.4% Owned outright ◂ +5.9 pts 36.5%
9.8% Rented +6.0 pts ▸ 15.8%
1.2% Other tenure +7.3 pts ▸ 8.5%
1.6% Not stated even 1.6%

Types of homes

97.3% Separate house ◂ +24.1 pts 73.2%
2.9% Townhouse / semi-detached +12.4 pts ▸ 15.3%
0.0% Flat or apartment +11.1 pts ▸ 11.1%
0.0% Other dwelling even 0.0%

Bedrooms per home

57.4% 4 bedrooms ◂ +19.6 pts 37.8%
26.4% 3 bedrooms +1.6 pts ▸ 28.1%
13.5% 5 or more +0.7 pts ▸ 14.2%
2.3% 2 bedrooms +11.7 pts ▸ 14.0%
0.0% 1 bedroom +4.8 pts ▸ 4.8%
0.0% Studio / none even 0.0%

Weekly rent distribution

33.3% $350–$549 +7.9 pts ▸ 41.2%
31.3% $550–$749 ◂ +15.5 pts 15.7%
8.3% Under $200 +7.4 pts ▸ 15.7%
12.5% $200–$349 +0.5 pts ▸ 13.0%
0.0% $750 or more +9.7 pts ▸ 9.7%

Monthly mortgage distribution

43.2% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +13.6 pts 29.6%
22.5% $3,000 or more +15.6 pts ▸ 38.1%
22.0% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +8.4 pts 13.6%
4.8% Under $1,000 +7.6 pts ▸ 12.4%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Macarthurin Farrer +2.9 pts higher in Farrer gap narrowing
1.4% 8th pct 4.3% 45th pct
Work from home in Macarthurin Farrer +0.9 pts higher in Farrer gap steady
11.7% 38th pct 12.5% 42nd pct
PT commute in Macarthurin Farrer +3.1 pts higher in Farrer gap widening
1.2% 37th pct 4.3% 77th pct
PT stops in Macarthurin Farrer +14 more in Farrer
2 5th pct 16 25th pct
Stops/1k in Macarthurin Farrer +2.80 more in Farrer
1.42 16th pct 4.22 49th pct
Departures/1k in Macarthurin Farrer +527.5 more in Farrer
401.4 34th pct 929.0 55th pct
PT routes in Macarthurin Farrer +3 more in Farrer
3 21st pct 6 43rd pct
Stop walk in Macarthurin Farrer +2 longer in Macarthur
7 61st pct 5 50th pct
Drive to city in Macarthurin Farrer +3 longer in Macarthur
16 29th pct 13 20th pct
Reach 30 min in Macarthurin Farrer +3,168 more in Macarthur
9,379 27th pct 6,211 14th pct
Reach 45 min in Macarthurin Farrer +3,486 more in Farrer
24,313 33rd pct 27,799 37th pct
Transit to city in Macarthurin Farrer +19 longer in Macarthur
78 83rd pct 59 51st pct

How people get to work

66.7% Car (driver) ◂ +4.7 pts 62.0%
11.7% Worked at home +0.9 pts ▸ 12.5%
5.1% Car (passenger) +0.4 pts ▸ 5.5%
1.2% Bus +3.1 pts ▸ 4.3%
0.4% Bicycle +1.1 pts ▸ 1.5%
0.5% Walked +0.6 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

51.0% 2 vehicles ◂ +11.6 pts 39.4%
21.4% 1 vehicle +13.2 pts ▸ 34.6%
18.7% 3 vehicles ◂ +4.6 pts 14.1%
6.6% 4 or more +1.0 pts ▸ 7.6%
1.4% No vehicle +2.9 pts ▸ 4.3%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Macarthurin Farrer +11.7 pts higher in Farrer gap widening
30.8% 20th pct 42.6% 69th pct
Recent arrivals in Macarthurin Farrer +8.2 pts higher in Farrer gap widening
3.8% 8th pct 11.9% 56th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Macarthurin Farrer +1.1 pts higher in Farrer gap steady
2.7% 6th pct 3.8% 27th pct
Participation in Macarthurin Farrer +9.4 pts higher in Macarthur gap narrowing
69.6% 85th pct 60.2% 44th pct
Full-time in Macarthurin Farrer +0.9 pts higher in Farrer gap narrowing
63.1% 79th pct 64.0% 84th pct

Industries people work in

32.5% Public administration & safety ◂ +1.7 pts 30.8%
10.3% Health care & social assistance +2.7 pts ▸ 13.0%
9.5% Professional & technical +2.2 pts ▸ 11.8%
9.8% Education & training ◂ +1.2 pts 8.6%
8.3% Construction ◂ +2.7 pts 5.7%
5.4% Accommodation & food +0.4 pts ▸ 5.8%
4.7% Retail trade +0.9 pts ▸ 5.6%
3.0% Manufacturing ◂ +1.0 pts 2.0%
3.0% Transport & warehousing ◂ +1.5 pts 1.4%
2.8% Other services ◂ +0.3 pts 2.5%
1.9% Administrative & support +0.8 pts ▸ 2.7%
2.0% Arts & recreation +0.5 pts ▸ 2.6%

Occupations people work in

29.7% Professionals +2.4 pts ▸ 32.0%
19.5% Managers +2.9 pts ▸ 22.3%
17.3% Clerical & administrative ◂ +4.1 pts 13.2%
10.6% Technicians & trades ◂ +1.7 pts 8.9%
10.2% Community & personal service ◂ +0.4 pts 9.8%
4.4% Sales workers +0.3 pts ▸ 4.7%
4.2% Labourers +0.3 pts ▸ 4.4%
2.6% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +1.0 pts 1.6%

Economy & Advantage

IRSAD decile in Macarthurin Farrer even
10 100th pct 10 100th pct
IRSD decile in Macarthurin Farrer even
10 100th pct 10 100th pct
IER decile in Macarthurin Farrer even
10 100th pct 10 100th pct
IEO decile in Macarthurin Farrer +1 higher in Farrer
9 86th pct 10 100th pct
IRSAD score in Macarthurin Farrer +10 higher in Farrer
1,116 90th pct 1,126 92nd pct
ERP in Macarthurin Farrer +2,429 higher in Farrer
1,387 5th pct 3,816 14th pct
Growth in Macarthurin Farrer +2.2 pts higher in Farrer
-0.8% 8th pct 1.4% 22nd pct
Businesses in Macarthurin Farrer +185 higher in Farrer
78 3rd pct 263 11th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Macarthurin Farrer +31 higher in Farrer
802 45th pct 833 47th pct
Max temp in Macarthurin Farrer +0.2 higher in Farrer
20.5 22nd pct 20.7 26th pct
Min temp in Macarthurin Farrer +0.1 higher in Farrer
6.4 0th pct 6.5 0th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Macarthurin Farrer +1.4 higher in Farrer
5.1 45th pct 6.5 66th pct
Types ≤15 min in Macarthurin Farrer +1.0 more in Farrer
5.4 52nd pct 6.4 66th pct
15-min city in Macarthurin Farrer +41.3 pts higher in Farrer
48.4% 36th pct 89.7% 70th pct
Walk to shops in Macarthurin Farrer +42.4 pts higher in Farrer
46.5% 35th pct 89.0% 74th pct
Walk to transit in Macarthurin Farrer +18.1 pts higher in Farrer
80.1% 39th pct 98.2% 67th pct
Walk to school in Macarthurin Farrer +1.5 pts higher in Farrer
96.8% 80th pct 98.3% 83rd pct
Walk to a park in Macarthurin Farrer even
100.0% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to health in Macarthurin Farrer +27.6 pts higher in Farrer
43.9% 48th pct 71.5% 70th pct
Amenities/1k in Macarthurin Farrer +29.4 more in Macarthur
39.1 86th pct 9.8 22nd pct
Intersections/km² in Macarthurin Farrer +21 higher in Macarthur
194 70th pct 173 66th pct
Mean slope in Macarthurin Farrer +1.0 pts higher in Macarthur
8.9% 87th pct 7.8% 80th pct

Compare Macarthur with nearby areas

Gilmore Fadden Chisholm Gowrie Richardson Monash Farrer Isaacs

Compare Farrer with nearby areas

Isaacs Mawson Torrens Wanniassa Pearce O'Malley Fadden Phillip

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Macarthur vs Farrer [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sa2/801071083/macarthur/vs/801091101/farrer