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Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains vs Melbourne - Inner East

Name: Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains vs Melbourne - Inner East — 2021 Census comparison
Creator: Australian Bureau of Statistics
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Region (SA4) comparison ≈ 653 km apart · Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains profile · Melbourne - Inner East profile

Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains Melbourne - Inner East

Melbourne - Inner East and Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains are both large regions with over 330,000 people, but they differ sharply in layout and demographics. Melbourne - Inner East is a walker's paradise where 97.2% of homes have a 15-minute-city walkshed and 46% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher. In contrast, Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains is more car-dependent, with a higher share of separate houses (82.1% compared to 59.8%) and a lower rate of university qualifications at 20.7%. Melbourne - Inner East is also far more diverse, with 39.6% of people born overseas and 38.8% using another language at home, compared to 20.8% and 15.1% in the Sydney region.

Daily life in both places shares several similarities, such as the typical weekly personal income which is about $860 in both areas. They also have very similar rates of full-time employment and an almost identical number of people per home. While these basics remain steady, other gaps are shifting; the difference in the share of overseas-born residents has widened since 2011, while the gap in Year 12 completion has narrowed slightly.

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Where they differ most

Year 12: 25.6 pts higher in Melbourne - Inner East Bachelor+: 25.3 pts higher in Melbourne - Inner East Other language: 23.6 pts higher in Melbourne - Inner East Separate houses: 22.3 pts higher in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains Born overseas: 18.7 pts higher in Melbourne - Inner East

Demographics & Identity

Population in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +41,416 larger in Melbourne - Inner East gap narrowing

332,056 74th pct 373,472 79th pct

Median age in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +3 yrs older in Melbourne - Inner East gap steady

37 yrs 29th pct 40 yrs 50th pct

Age structure

27.6% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +1.7 pts 25.9%

24.4% Older adults (45–64) +1.1 pts ▸ 25.5%

20.1% Children (0–14) ◂ +4.4 pts 15.8%

15.6% Seniors (65+) +3.7 pts ▸ 19.3%

12.3% Youth (15–24) +1.2 pts ▸ 13.6%

Marital status

46.0% Married +5.0 pts ▸ 51.0%

36.6% Never married ◂ +1.3 pts 35.2%

9.2% Divorced ◂ +2.8 pts 6.4%

4.6% Widowed +0.6 pts ▸ 5.2%

3.6% Separated ◂ +1.5 pts 2.1%

Age & sex structure

Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains Melbourne - Inner East

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Country of birth

74.3% Australia ◂ +17.0 pts 57.3%

0.6% China +10.6 pts ▸ 11.2%

3.3% England ◂ +1.0 pts 2.3%

2.3% India +0.5 pts ▸ 2.8%

1.8% New Zealand ◂ +0.6 pts 1.2%

1.7% Philippines ◂ +1.2 pts 0.5%

0.2% Vietnam +1.1 pts ▸ 1.3%

0.3% Italy +0.9 pts ▸ 1.3%

0.4% South Africa +0.2 pts ▸ 0.6%

0.3% Nepal ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

Ancestry

35.3% Australian ◂ +15.0 pts 20.3%

34.5% English ◂ +10.5 pts 24.0%

1.8% Chinese +22.4 pts ▸ 24.2%

10.3% Irish ◂ +1.3 pts 9.0%

8.6% Scottish ◂ +0.9 pts 7.7%

3.5% Italian +3.3 pts ▸ 6.8%

1.1% Greek +4.4 pts ▸ 5.5%

2.9% Indian +0.8 pts ▸ 3.7%

3.4% German ◂ +0.7 pts 2.7%

2.6% Filipino ◂ +1.9 pts 0.7%

1.7% Dutch ◂ +0.5 pts 1.1%

0.3% Vietnamese +1.2 pts ▸ 1.5%

Language

Language used at home

79.4% English only ◂ +21.5 pts 57.9%

0.6% Mandarin +13.4 pts ▸ 14.0%

0.3% Cantonese +5.2 pts ▸ 5.5%

0.4% Greek +3.2 pts ▸ 3.6%

0.4% Italian +1.4 pts ▸ 1.8%

1.3% Arabic ◂ +0.4 pts 0.8%

0.2% Vietnamese +0.9 pts ▸ 1.2%

1.0% Punjabi ◂ +0.6 pts 0.4%

0.8% Hindi +0.2 pts ▸ 1.0%

0.9% Tagalog ◂ +0.7 pts 0.2%

Religion

Religious affiliation

52.1% Christianity ◂ +10.5 pts 41.5%

34.1% No religion +8.7 pts ▸ 42.8%

6.8% Not stated ◂ +1.7 pts 5.1%

1.1% Buddhism +3.3 pts ▸ 4.4%

2.4% Hinduism +0.4 pts ▸ 2.8%

2.1% Islam ◂ +0.2 pts 1.9%

1.3% Other religions ◂ +0.4 pts 0.9%

0.1% Judaism +0.4 pts ▸ 0.5%

Education & Qualifications

Schools in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +20 more in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains

129 71st pct 109 52nd pct

Schools/1k kids in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +0.08 more in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains

1.93 44th pct 1.85 39th pct

Students in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +9,762 more in Melbourne - Inner East

54,870 68th pct 64,632 76th pct

Avg size in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +164 larger in Melbourne - Inner East

429 48th pct 593 80th pct

ICSEA in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +132 higher in Melbourne - Inner East

1,012 49th pct 1,145 100th pct

Highest year of school

52.3% Year 12 +25.6 pts ▸ 77.8%

26.0% Year 10 ◂ +20.6 pts 5.4%

9.3% Year 9 or below ◂ +3.0 pts 6.4%

5.9% Year 11 +0.1 pts ▸ 6.0%

Highest qualification level

22.0% Bachelor degree +19.0 pts ▸ 41.0%

31.7% Certificate III / IV ◂ +22.1 pts 9.6%

8.5% Postgraduate degree +10.5 pts ▸ 19.0%

15.6% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +2.1 pts 13.5%

3.2% Graduate diploma / certificate +2.5 pts ▸ 5.7%

2.2% Certificate I / II ◂ +1.4 pts 0.8%

Field of qualification

18.8% Management & commerce +7.3 pts ▸ 26.1%

14.2% Engineering & related ◂ +3.8 pts 10.4%

12.6% Society & culture ◂ +0.4 pts 12.2%

9.4% Health +2.5 pts ▸ 11.9%

9.1% Education ◂ +1.6 pts 7.5%

6.0% Architecture & building ◂ +2.2 pts 3.8%

2.9% Information technology +2.8 pts ▸ 5.7%

5.0% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +2.1 pts 2.9%

2.5% Natural & physical sciences +2.3 pts ▸ 4.8%

4.1% Creative arts +0.7 pts ▸ 4.8%

1.9% Agriculture & environment ◂ +1.0 pts 0.9%

Income

Personal income in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +$20 higher in Melbourne - Inner East gap steady

$853 67th pct $873 71st pct

Household income in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +$205 higher in Melbourne - Inner East gap steady

$1,854 68th pct $2,059 79th pct

Family income in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +$358 higher in Melbourne - Inner East gap narrowing

$2,194 68th pct $2,552 80th pct

Household income distribution

32.5% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +6.2 pts 26.3%

25.0% $650–$1,499 ◂ +3.4 pts 21.6%

11.2% $4,000 or more +10.4 pts ▸ 21.5%

13.8% Under $650 +0.6 pts ▸ 14.5%

11.8% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +1.4 pts 10.4%

Personal income distribution

37.3% Under $650 +2.0 pts ▸ 39.3%

33.3% $650–$1,499 ◂ +6.8 pts 26.5%

19.5% $1,500–$2,999 even 19.5%

3.1% $3,000 or more +6.9 pts ▸ 10.0%

Health & Disability

Long-term health conditions reported

9.7% Mental health ◂ +2.9 pts 6.8%

9.2% Asthma ◂ +2.3 pts 6.9%

8.7% Arthritis ◂ +1.7 pts 7.0%

8.7% Other condition ◂ +0.6 pts 8.0%

5.3% Diabetes ◂ +1.5 pts 3.8%

4.0% Heart disease ◂ +0.3 pts 3.7%

2.7% Cancer +0.3 pts ▸ 3.0%

1.8% Lung condition ◂ +0.8 pts 1.0%

0.6% Dementia +0.4 pts ▸ 0.9%

0.9% Stroke even 0.8%

Number of long-term health conditions

62.2% None +7.7 pts ▸ 70.0%

20.1% One condition ◂ +2.3 pts 17.8%

6.2% Two conditions ◂ +1.4 pts 4.8%

3.2% Three or more ◂ +1.1 pts 2.1%

Community Participation

First Nations

First Nations people in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +14,295 larger in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains

15,262 85th pct 967 15th pct

Median age in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +3 yrs older in Melbourne - Inner East

22 yrs 14th pct 25 yrs 64th pct

Median income in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +$49 higher in Melbourne - Inner East

$716 79th pct $765 86th pct

Household income in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +$323 higher in Melbourne - Inner East

$1,886 82nd pct $2,209 91st pct

Family & Households

Household size in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +0.1 larger in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains gap steady

2.7 86th pct 2.6 71st pct

Family composition

60.0% Couples with children +2.5 pts ▸ 62.4%

23.0% Couples without children +2.1 pts ▸ 25.1%

16.1% One-parent families ◂ +4.9 pts 11.2%

1.0% Other families +0.3 pts ▸ 1.3%

Household size

31.5% 2 people +0.6 pts ▸ 32.1%

23.5% 1 person +1.3 pts ▸ 24.7%

16.5% 4 people +1.5 pts ▸ 18.0%

16.9% 3 people ◂ +0.2 pts 16.8%

7.5% 5 people ◂ +1.1 pts 6.3%

4.2% 6 or more ◂ +2.1 pts 2.1%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +$41 higher in Melbourne - Inner East gap narrowing

$400 71st pct $441 86th pct

Mortgage in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +$333 higher in Melbourne - Inner East gap widening

$2,167 82nd pct $2,500 91st pct

People / bedroom in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East even gap steady

0.80 29th pct 0.80 29th pct

How homes are owned or rented

39.1% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +9.1 pts 30.0%

29.1% Owned outright +9.5 pts ▸ 38.6%

29.2% Rented ◂ +1.1 pts 28.1%

1.4% Other tenure +0.8 pts ▸ 2.2%

1.2% Not stated ◂ +0.1 pts 1.1%

Types of homes

82.1% Separate house ◂ +22.3 pts 59.8%

10.6% Townhouse / semi-detached +10.4 pts ▸ 21.0%

6.9% Flat or apartment +12.0 pts ▸ 18.9%

0.2% Other dwelling even 0.2%

Bedrooms per home

41.5% 3 bedrooms ◂ +6.6 pts 34.9%

31.3% 4 bedrooms ◂ +4.1 pts 27.2%

13.1% 2 bedrooms +9.4 pts ▸ 22.6%

9.6% 5 or more ◂ +0.9 pts 8.7%

2.9% 1 bedroom +2.5 pts ▸ 5.3%

0.3% Studio / none +0.1 pts ▸ 0.4%

Weekly rent distribution

57.0% $350–$549 ◂ +6.0 pts 51.0%

21.0% $200–$349 ◂ +6.9 pts 14.1%

9.1% $550–$749 +8.1 pts ▸ 17.2%

1.1% $750 or more +8.0 pts ▸ 9.2%

8.5% Under $200 ◂ +3.5 pts 5.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

41.1% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +17.3 pts 23.7%

19.3% $3,000 or more +21.0 pts ▸ 40.2%

22.7% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +7.3 pts 15.4%

11.3% Under $1,000 +2.1 pts ▸ 13.4%

Transport & Vehicles

PT stops in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +559 more in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains

2,320 84th pct 1,761 70th pct

Stops/1k in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +2.27 more in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains

6.99 97th pct 4.72 54th pct

Departures/1k in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +901.2 more in Melbourne - Inner East

1,189.8 61st pct 2,091.0 89th pct

PT routes in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +3 more in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains

92 67th pct 89 62nd pct

How people get to work

46.4% Car (driver) ◂ +7.7 pts 38.6%

28.3% Worked at home +9.0 pts ▸ 37.3%

3.1% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.3 pts 2.8%

1.3% Walked +0.8 pts ▸ 2.1%

1.3% Train +0.6 pts ▸ 1.8%

0.3% Bus +1.0 pts ▸ 1.3%

0.2% Bicycle +0.4 pts ▸ 0.6%

Motor vehicles per home

34.9% 1 vehicle +4.7 pts ▸ 39.5%

37.2% 2 vehicles +0.8 pts ▸ 38.0%

13.1% 3 vehicles ◂ +3.1 pts 10.0%

8.5% 4 or more ◂ +3.5 pts 5.0%

6.3% No vehicle +1.1 pts ▸ 7.4%

Migration & Movement

Jobs & Industry

Industries people work in

13.8% Health care & social assistance +1.4 pts ▸ 15.2%

5.2% Professional & technical +8.3 pts ▸ 13.5%

11.5% Construction ◂ +5.3 pts 6.2%

9.5% Retail trade +0.4 pts ▸ 9.9%

9.8% Education & training even 9.7%

7.5% Public administration & safety ◂ +2.9 pts 4.6%

6.8% Manufacturing ◂ +2.3 pts 4.5%

5.4% Accommodation & food +1.2 pts ▸ 6.5%

3.5% Finance & insurance +3.0 pts ▸ 6.5%

6.3% Transport & warehousing ◂ +3.4 pts 2.8%

3.7% Other services ◂ +0.8 pts 2.9%

3.2% Wholesale trade ◂ +0.1 pts 3.1%

Occupations people work in

19.9% Professionals +16.2 pts ▸ 36.1%

11.9% Managers +5.5 pts ▸ 17.4%

15.1% Clerical & administrative ◂ +2.7 pts 12.5%

14.0% Technicians & trades ◂ +6.3 pts 7.7%

11.3% Community & personal service ◂ +2.7 pts 8.6%

9.3% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +7.1 pts 2.3%

7.9% Sales workers +0.9 pts ▸ 8.8%

8.7% Labourers ◂ +3.9 pts 4.8%

Economy & Advantage

ERP in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +54,363 higher in Melbourne - Inner East

350,649 67th pct 405,012 76th pct

Growth in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +2.3 pts higher in Melbourne - Inner East

4.9% 38th pct 7.3% 64th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +680 higher in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains

1,429 88th pct 749 43rd pct

Max temp in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +1.1 higher in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains

21.4 24th pct 20.4 17th pct

Min temp in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +2.2 higher in Melbourne - Inner East

8.5 13th pct 10.7 39th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +2.1 higher in Melbourne - Inner East

6.0 70th pct 8.1 92nd pct

Types ≤15 min in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +1.9 more in Melbourne - Inner East

5.8 70th pct 7.7 97th pct

15-min city in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +26.3 pts higher in Melbourne - Inner East

70.8% 67th pct 97.2% 97th pct

Walk to shops in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +31.7 pts higher in Melbourne - Inner East

64.2% 61st pct 95.8% 97th pct

Walk to transit in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +9.1 pts higher in Melbourne - Inner East

90.3% 69th pct 99.4% 97th pct

Walk to school in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +20.3 pts higher in Melbourne - Inner East

77.6% 68th pct 98.0% 99th pct

Walk to a park in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +7.9 pts higher in Melbourne - Inner East

92.1% 58th pct 100.0% 100th pct

Walk to health in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +40.2 pts higher in Melbourne - Inner East

52.5% 68th pct 92.8% 97th pct

Amenities/1k in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +4.8 more in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains

19.4 76th pct 14.6 36th pct

Intersections/km² in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +275 higher in Melbourne - Inner East

11 47th pct 286 95th pct

Mean slope in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains in Melbourne - Inner East +0.4 pts higher in Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains

6.2% 66th pct 5.8% 56th pct

Compare Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains with nearby areas

Sydney - Outer South West Sydney - South West Sydney - Blacktown Sydney - Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury Sydney - Parramatta Illawarra Sydney - Sutherland Sydney - Inner South West Sydney - Ryde Sydney - Inner West Sydney - North Sydney and Hornsby Sydney - City and Inner South

Compare Melbourne - Inner East with nearby areas

Melbourne - Inner South Melbourne - Inner Melbourne - North East Melbourne - Outer East Melbourne - West Melbourne - South East Mornington Peninsula Melbourne - North West Geelong Hume Ballarat Shepparton

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains vs Melbourne - Inner East [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sa4/124/sydney-outer-west-and-blue-mountains/vs/207/melbourne-inner-east