CensusAtlas

Compare

Balmain East vs Birchgrove

Suburb / Locality comparison ≈ 1.3 km apart · Balmain East profile · Birchgrove profile

Balmain East Birchgrove

Birchgrove and Balmain East are neighbouring suburbs in the Inner West with high proportions of university-educated residents and high incomes. Birchgrove has a more family-oriented feel, with 17.3% of people being children under 15 and a far higher share of homes having three or more bedrooms (62.1%). In contrast, Balmain East is more likely to be rented (40.8%) and has far more public transport options, with a huge gap in weekly departures per 1,000 people (3,336.8 compared to 437.7 in Birchgrove).

Everyday life is very similar in both places, with the typical resident being 46 and typical weekly personal incomes sitting around the $1,600 mark. Both areas also have a similar proportion of people born overseas (around 28%). While they share these basics, some gaps are shifting; for example, the difference in the share of renters has grown since 2011, with Balmain East now far higher in this measure.

Open map →

Where they differ most

Population: 1,328 larger in Birchgrove Renting: 13.9 pts higher in Balmain East Separate houses: 12.5 pts higher in Birchgrove 3+ bedrooms: 11.5 pts higher in Birchgrove Unpaid child care: 7.3 pts higher in Birchgrove

Demographics & Identity

Population in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +1,328 larger in Birchgrove gap steady
1,900 78th pct 3,228 85th pct
Median age in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove even gap narrowing
46 yrs 54th pct 46 yrs 54th pct
First Nations in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.1 pts higher in Balmain East gap steady
0.4% 33rd pct 0.3% 32nd pct
Aged 65+ in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.1 pts higher in Balmain East gap narrowing
20.4% 58th pct 20.2% 57th pct
Under 15 in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +3.0 pts higher in Birchgrove gap steady
14.3% 32nd pct 17.3% 52nd pct
De facto in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +1.0 pts higher in Balmain East gap narrowing
17.4% 81st pct 16.3% 77th pct

Age structure

31.9% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +0.8 pts 31.1%
24.8% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +2.2 pts 22.7%
20.4% Seniors (65+) ◂ +0.1 pts 20.2%
14.3% Children (0–14) +3.0 pts ▸ 17.3%
9.2% Youth (15–24) ◂ +0.9 pts 8.3%

Marital status

45.1% Married +5.5 pts ▸ 50.6%
38.5% Never married ◂ +5.2 pts 33.3%
10.6% Divorced even 10.6%
2.9% Widowed +0.4 pts ▸ 3.3%
2.1% Separated +0.1 pts ▸ 2.2%

Age & sex structure

Balmain East Birchgrove

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.2 pts higher in Birchgrove gap steady
28.0% 87th pct 28.2% 88th pct

Country of birth

66.8% Australia +2.2 pts ▸ 69.1%
8.5% England +1.5 pts ▸ 10.0%
1.7% New Zealand +0.6 pts ▸ 2.4%
1.5% South Africa ◂ +0.9 pts 0.6%
1.2% China ◂ +0.5 pts 0.7%
0.6% Philippines ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%
0.4% Italy +0.1 pts ▸ 0.6%
0.4% Vietnam ◂ +0.4 pts 0.0%
0.4% India ◂ +0.1 pts 0.3%
0.0% Nepal even 0.0%

Ancestry

43.6% English +0.6 pts ▸ 44.2%
27.3% Australian +2.0 pts ▸ 29.3%
18.1% Irish +0.5 pts ▸ 18.6%
12.3% Scottish +1.2 pts ▸ 13.4%
3.4% Italian +1.2 pts ▸ 4.6%
3.8% Chinese +0.8 pts ▸ 4.6%
4.3% German +0.2 pts ▸ 4.4%
2.2% Greek ◂ +0.5 pts 1.7%
2.1% Dutch ◂ +0.5 pts 1.5%
1.2% Indian ◂ +0.3 pts 0.9%
0.8% Filipino +0.3 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.6% Vietnamese ◂ +0.3 pts 0.2%

Language

Other language in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +1.4 pts higher in Balmain East gap steady
10.6% 76th pct 9.2% 74th pct
Limited English in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.3 pts higher in Balmain East gap steady
1.0% 76th pct 0.7% 72nd pct

Language used at home

84.6% English only +3.4 pts ▸ 87.9%
1.1% Mandarin even 1.1%
0.4% Italian +0.4 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.8% Arabic ◂ +0.7 pts 0.1%
0.6% Cantonese ◂ +0.2 pts 0.4%
0.5% Greek +0.1 pts ▸ 0.6%
0.3% Hindi ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%
0.0% Vietnamese +0.2 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.0% Punjabi even 0.0%
0.0% Tagalog even 0.0%

Religion

No religion in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +1.9 pts higher in Birchgrove gap narrowing
51.5% 82nd pct 53.4% 86th pct

Religious affiliation

51.5% No religion +1.9 pts ▸ 53.4%
39.1% Christianity even 39.1%
6.3% Not stated ◂ +1.4 pts 5.0%
1.1% Buddhism +0.1 pts ▸ 1.2%
0.5% Judaism +0.1 pts ▸ 0.7%
0.5% Hinduism ◂ +0.2 pts 0.3%
0.4% Other religions ◂ +0.1 pts 0.2%
0.2% Islam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +3.9 pts higher in Birchgrove gap steady
81.2% 100th pct 85.2% 100th pct
Bachelor+ in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +4.8 pts higher in Birchgrove gap widening
56.7% 100th pct 61.6% 100th pct
Schools/1k kids in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +1.89 more in Balmain East
3.68 49th pct 1.79 24th pct
Schools ≤3 km in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +4 more in Balmain East
44 91st pct 40 90th pct
Avg size in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +55 larger in Balmain East
671 89th pct 616 86th pct
ICSEA in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +4 higher in Balmain East
1,166 100th pct 1,163 100th pct

Highest year of school

81.2% Year 12 +3.9 pts ▸ 85.2%
8.0% Year 10 ◂ +1.5 pts 6.5%
1.9% Year 11 +0.8 pts ▸ 2.7%
2.4% Year 9 or below ◂ +0.5 pts 1.8%

Highest qualification level

42.2% Bachelor degree +3.1 pts ▸ 45.4%
24.2% Postgraduate degree +0.6 pts ▸ 24.8%
9.3% Advanced diploma / diploma +0.5 pts ▸ 9.8%
7.7% Certificate III / IV ◂ +2.0 pts 5.8%
4.7% Graduate diploma / certificate +0.8 pts ▸ 5.4%
0.5% Certificate I / II even 0.6%

Field of qualification

23.8% Management & commerce ◂ +0.3 pts 23.4%
22.1% Society & culture +1.1 pts ▸ 23.1%
7.1% Health +3.1 pts ▸ 10.2%
7.1% Creative arts +2.0 pts ▸ 9.2%
7.4% Education ◂ +0.8 pts 6.5%
7.2% Engineering & related ◂ +1.0 pts 6.2%
5.7% Architecture & building ◂ +0.3 pts 5.5%
4.0% Natural & physical sciences +0.1 pts ▸ 4.1%
3.1% Information technology ◂ +0.7 pts 2.4%
2.1% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +0.8 pts 1.2%
1.4% Agriculture & environment ◂ +0.7 pts 0.7%

Income

Personal income in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +$111 higher in Birchgrove gap narrowing
$1,550 100th pct $1,661 100th pct
Household income in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +$583 higher in Birchgrove gap widening
$3,020 97th pct $3,603 100th pct
Family income in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +$65 higher in Birchgrove gap narrowing
$4,641 100th pct $4,706 100th pct
High earners in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +3.9 pts higher in Birchgrove gap steady
36.7% 100th pct 40.7% 100th pct
High-income homes in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +7.2 pts higher in Birchgrove gap steady
47.4% 99th pct 54.6% 100th pct

Household income distribution

37.9% $4,000 or more +6.7 pts ▸ 44.6%
20.0% $1,500–$2,999 +0.1 pts ▸ 20.1%
13.3% Under $650 ◂ +4.7 pts 8.6%
11.2% $650–$1,499 +0.2 pts ▸ 11.4%
9.6% $3,000–$3,999 +0.5 pts ▸ 10.0%

Personal income distribution

24.0% $3,000 or more +5.2 pts ▸ 29.2%
25.6% Under $650 ◂ +1.3 pts 24.3%
24.0% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +1.1 pts 22.9%
19.7% $650–$1,499 even 19.8%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.6 pts higher in Balmain East
24.6% 29th pct 23.9% 26th pct
Mental health in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +1.8 pts higher in Balmain East
7.7% 46th pct 6.0% 30th pct
Needs assistance in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.5 pts higher in Balmain East gap steady
2.7% 28th pct 2.2% 26th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

8.5% Asthma ◂ +1.5 pts 7.0%
7.7% Mental health ◂ +1.8 pts 6.0%
6.8% Other condition ◂ +0.2 pts 6.6%
6.1% Arthritis ◂ +0.3 pts 5.8%
2.7% Cancer +1.3 pts ▸ 4.0%
3.3% Heart disease +0.2 pts ▸ 3.5%
1.9% Diabetes +0.1 pts ▸ 2.0%
1.6% Lung condition ◂ +0.4 pts 1.2%
1.0% Stroke ◂ +0.5 pts 0.5%
0.6% Dementia ◂ +0.3 pts 0.3%

Number of long-term health conditions

68.2% None +2.1 pts ▸ 70.2%
18.2% One condition +0.7 pts ▸ 18.8%
4.5% Two conditions ◂ +0.7 pts 3.8%
2.1% Three or more ◂ +0.7 pts 1.4%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +5.5 pts higher in Birchgrove gap widening
19.5% 57th pct 25.0% 75th pct
Unpaid carers in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.6 pts higher in Birchgrove gap steady
11.6% 38th pct 12.2% 44th pct
Unpaid child care in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +7.3 pts higher in Birchgrove gap widening
21.8% 33rd pct 29.1% 69th pct
Defence service in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.1 pts higher in Balmain East
2.1% 42nd pct 2.0% 41st pct
Housework 15h+ in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +1.3 pts higher in Birchgrove gap steady
21.0% 31st pct 22.3% 38th pct

First Nations

First Nations people in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +3 larger in Birchgrove
8 57th pct 11 60th pct
Median age in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +5 yrs older in Balmain East
36 yrs 74th pct 31 yrs 66th pct
Median income in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +$162 higher in Birchgrove
$450 25th pct $612 47th pct
Household income in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +$1,474 higher in Birchgrove
$900 14th pct $2,374 75th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.2 larger in Birchgrove gap narrowing
2.2 24th pct 2.4 43rd pct
One-parent in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.8 pts higher in Balmain East gap steady
8.5% 36th pct 7.6% 31st pct
Living alone in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +8.0 pts higher in Balmain East gap steady
33.1% 80th pct 25.1% 55th pct

Family composition

52.7% Couples with children +6.6 pts ▸ 59.3%
38.0% Couples without children ◂ +5.7 pts 32.3%
8.5% One-parent families ◂ +0.8 pts 7.6%
0.6% Other families even 0.6%

Household size

38.0% 2 people +0.2 pts ▸ 38.2%
33.1% 1 person ◂ +8.0 pts 25.1%
12.8% 4 people +3.5 pts ▸ 16.3%
11.9% 3 people +3.4 pts ▸ 15.3%
3.4% 5 people +0.7 pts ▸ 4.0%
1.5% 6 or more ◂ +0.4 pts 1.1%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +$83 higher in Birchgrove gap narrowing
$617 100th pct $700 100th pct
Mortgage in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +$333 higher in Balmain East gap widening
$4,333 100th pct $4,000 100th pct
People / bedroom in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove even gap steady
0.90 86th pct 0.90 86th pct
Renting in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +13.9 pts higher in Balmain East gap widening
40.8% 88th pct 26.8% 74th pct
Owned outright in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +6.7 pts higher in Birchgrove gap widening
34.3% 31st pct 41.0% 49th pct
Separate houses in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +12.5 pts higher in Birchgrove gap widening
15.7% 0th pct 28.2% 2nd pct
3+ bedrooms in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +11.5 pts higher in Birchgrove gap narrowing
50.6% 9th pct 62.1% 16th pct

How homes are owned or rented

34.3% Owned outright +6.7 pts ▸ 41.0%
40.8% Rented ◂ +13.9 pts 26.8%
23.9% Owned with a mortgage +5.9 pts ▸ 29.8%
1.3% Other tenure +0.5 pts ▸ 1.7%
0.5% Not stated +0.1 pts ▸ 0.6%

Types of homes

46.2% Townhouse / semi-detached +6.8 pts ▸ 53.0%
37.6% Flat or apartment ◂ +19.5 pts 18.1%
15.7% Separate house +12.5 pts ▸ 28.2%
0.0% Other dwelling even 0.0%

Bedrooms per home

28.9% 3 bedrooms +8.6 pts ▸ 37.5%
34.3% 2 bedrooms ◂ +5.6 pts 28.7%
18.6% 4 bedrooms +1.7 pts ▸ 20.3%
12.2% 1 bedroom ◂ +5.0 pts 7.2%
3.0% 5 or more +1.3 pts ▸ 4.3%
1.0% Studio / none +0.1 pts ▸ 1.1%

Weekly rent distribution

31.8% $750 or more +9.9 pts ▸ 41.7%
24.4% $550–$749 +5.2 pts ▸ 29.6%
21.6% $350–$549 ◂ +3.3 pts 18.3%
16.4% Under $200 ◂ +15.5 pts 0.9%
4.6% $200–$349 +1.7 pts ▸ 6.4%

Monthly mortgage distribution

66.3% $3,000 or more ◂ +6.0 pts 60.3%
9.5% Under $1,000 +2.5 pts ▸ 12.0%
11.6% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +3.5 pts 8.1%
7.9% $1,800–$2,999 +2.8 pts ▸ 10.7%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +5.2 pts higher in Balmain East gap narrowing
14.1% 90th pct 8.8% 86th pct
Work from home in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.7 pts higher in Birchgrove gap steady
61.2% 100th pct 62.0% 100th pct
PT commute in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +1.5 pts higher in Balmain East gap narrowing
3.9% 88th pct 2.3% 82nd pct
PT stops in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +2 more in Balmain East
8 78th pct 6 76th pct
Stops/1k in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +2.35 more in Balmain East
4.21 74th pct 1.86 65th pct
Departures/1k in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +2,899.1 more in Balmain East
3,336.8 99th pct 437.7 77th pct
PT routes in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove even
1 71st pct 1 71st pct
Stop walk in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove even
1 0th pct 1 0th pct
Drive to city in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +1 longer in Balmain East
9 4th pct 8 3rd pct
Reach 30 min in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove even
29,403 82nd pct 29,403 82nd pct
Reach 45 min in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +42,778 more in Balmain East
198,253 87th pct 155,475 86th pct
Transit to city in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +3 longer in Birchgrove
39 17th pct 42 22nd pct

How people get to work

61.2% Worked at home +0.7 pts ▸ 62.0%
18.3% Car (driver) +0.5 pts ▸ 18.8%
1.9% Walked +0.9 pts ▸ 2.9%
0.9% Car (passenger) +0.5 pts ▸ 1.4%
0.9% Bus +0.4 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.6% Bicycle +0.4 pts ▸ 1.0%
0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

52.1% 1 vehicle ◂ +1.2 pts 50.9%
27.5% 2 vehicles +4.4 pts ▸ 31.9%
14.1% No vehicle ◂ +5.2 pts 8.8%
4.8% 3 vehicles +1.1 pts ▸ 5.9%
2.3% 4 or more ◂ +0.9 pts 1.4%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +1.1 pts higher in Birchgrove gap steady
38.6% 75th pct 39.6% 77th pct
Recent arrivals in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.6 pts higher in Balmain East gap narrowing
11.1% 68th pct 10.5% 66th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.3 pts higher in Balmain East gap steady
4.0% 56th pct 3.7% 52nd pct
Participation in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +3.7 pts higher in Birchgrove gap steady
62.6% 57th pct 66.3% 70th pct
Full-time in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +5.2 pts higher in Balmain East gap widening
68.0% 86th pct 62.7% 72nd pct

Industries people work in

20.7% Professional & technical ◂ +0.8 pts 19.8%
12.6% Finance & insurance +0.8 pts ▸ 13.4%
11.0% Health care & social assistance +1.8 pts ▸ 12.8%
9.4% Education & training ◂ +1.6 pts 7.8%
6.9% Construction ◂ +1.5 pts 5.5%
5.6% Retail trade ◂ +0.7 pts 4.9%
5.0% Public administration & safety ◂ +0.3 pts 4.7%
4.8% Media & telecommunications +0.2 pts ▸ 5.0%
2.6% Accommodation & food +1.3 pts ▸ 3.9%
3.1% Rental & real estate ◂ +0.1 pts 3.0%
3.0% Administrative & support ◂ +0.2 pts 2.8%
2.1% Manufacturing +0.7 pts ▸ 2.9%

Occupations people work in

46.0% Professionals +1.1 pts ▸ 47.1%
26.6% Managers ◂ +0.3 pts 26.2%
10.4% Clerical & administrative ◂ +0.5 pts 9.9%
5.5% Sales workers ◂ +0.9 pts 4.6%
4.1% Community & personal service +0.8 pts ▸ 4.9%
4.3% Technicians & trades ◂ +0.5 pts 3.8%
1.7% Labourers ◂ +0.3 pts 1.4%
0.7% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +0.4 pts 0.3%

Walkability

Walk score in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.3 higher in Birchgrove
8.4 99th pct 8.7 100th pct
Types ≤15 min in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +0.9 more in Birchgrove
7.0 94th pct 7.9 100th pct
15-min city in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove even
100.0% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to shops in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove even
100.0% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to transit in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove even
100.0% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to school in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +3.6 pts higher in Balmain East
100.0% 100th pct 96.4% 97th pct
Walk to a park in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove even
100.0% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to health in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +54.4 pts higher in Birchgrove
43.5% 82nd pct 97.9% 99th pct
Amenities/1k in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +10.3 more in Balmain East
22.1 64th pct 11.8 46th pct
Intersections/km² in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +89 higher in Balmain East
388 99th pct 299 95th pct
Mean slope in Balmain Eastin Birchgrove +1.2 pts higher in Balmain East
11.6% 87th pct 10.4% 83rd pct

Compare Balmain East with nearby areas

Barangaroo Millers Point Pyrmont Balmain Birchgrove Dawes Point The Rocks McMahons Point

Compare Birchgrove with nearby areas

Balmain Balmain East Woolwich Rozelle Pyrmont Waverton Barangaroo McMahons Point

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Balmain East vs Birchgrove [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sal/SAL10166/balmain-east/vs/SAL10373/birchgrove