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Fairfield vs Thornbury

Suburb / Locality comparison ≈ 2.1 km apart · Fairfield profile · Thornbury profile

Fairfield Thornbury

Thornbury and Fairfield (Vic.) are neighbouring areas in Melbourne's north. Thornbury is the larger of the two and is more diverse, with 26.6% of people born overseas and 25.2% using a language other than English at home, both well higher than in Fairfield (Vic.). Thornbury also has a far higher number of schools per 1,000 children (2.50 compared to 0.99) and a far larger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, with 155 people compared to 44 in Fairfield (Vic.).

These neighbours share a typical resident age of 37 and almost identical typical household incomes of around $1,970 a week. However, the gap in educational attainment is widening, as a higher share of adults in Fairfield (Vic.) now hold a bachelor degree or higher (50.3%) compared to Thornbury (46.9%). This is consistent with Fairfield (Vic.) also having a well higher share of people earning $2,000 or more per week.

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Where they differ most

Population: 12,470 larger in Thornbury Separate houses: 7.7 pts higher in Thornbury Other language: 6.5 pts higher in Thornbury Living alone: 4.4 pts higher in Fairfield Born overseas: 4.0 pts higher in Thornbury

Demographics & Identity

Population in Fairfieldin Thornbury +12,470 larger in Thornbury gap steady
6,535 86th pct 19,005 89th pct
Median age in Fairfieldin Thornbury even gap steady
37 yrs 20th pct 37 yrs 20th pct
First Nations in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.1 pts higher in Thornbury gap steady
0.7% 36th pct 0.8% 38th pct
Aged 65+ in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.3 pts higher in Thornbury gap narrowing
13.3% 26th pct 13.5% 27th pct
Under 15 in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.7 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
15.4% 39th pct 14.7% 35th pct
De facto in Fairfieldin Thornbury +2.4 pts higher in Thornbury gap widening
16.8% 78th pct 19.2% 86th pct

Age structure

35.6% Young adults (25–44) +2.4 pts ▸ 38.0%
25.4% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +1.5 pts 23.9%
15.4% Children (0–14) ◂ +0.7 pts 14.7%
13.3% Seniors (65+) +0.3 pts ▸ 13.5%
10.1% Youth (15–24) ◂ +0.3 pts 9.8%

Marital status

50.9% Never married +1.4 pts ▸ 52.3%
36.3% Married ◂ +3.0 pts 33.4%
7.2% Divorced ◂ +0.2 pts 7.1%
3.4% Widowed +1.3 pts ▸ 4.7%
2.3% Separated +0.3 pts ▸ 2.6%

Age & sex structure

Fairfield Thornbury

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Fairfieldin Thornbury +4.0 pts higher in Thornbury gap steady
22.6% 81st pct 26.6% 87th pct

Country of birth

73.9% Australia ◂ +3.4 pts 70.5%
3.2% England ◂ +0.4 pts 2.9%
1.8% Italy +1.1 pts ▸ 2.9%
1.4% New Zealand +0.7 pts ▸ 2.2%
0.9% India +0.3 pts ▸ 1.2%
0.7% Vietnam +0.2 pts ▸ 1.0%
0.8% China +0.1 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.3% Philippines +0.1 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.3% Nepal even 0.3%
0.2% South Africa +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%

Ancestry

33.3% English ◂ +3.6 pts 29.7%
28.0% Australian ◂ +3.2 pts 24.8%
16.0% Irish ◂ +1.7 pts 14.4%
10.2% Italian +2.5 pts ▸ 12.6%
11.7% Scottish ◂ +0.9 pts 10.8%
8.1% Greek +2.8 pts ▸ 10.9%
3.8% German even 3.8%
3.6% Chinese even 3.6%
1.7% Dutch +0.1 pts ▸ 1.8%
1.4% Indian +0.2 pts ▸ 1.6%
1.2% Vietnamese +0.1 pts ▸ 1.4%
0.4% Filipino +0.3 pts ▸ 0.7%

Language

Other language in Fairfieldin Thornbury +6.5 pts higher in Thornbury gap narrowing
18.8% 86th pct 25.2% 89th pct
Limited English in Fairfieldin Thornbury +2.1 pts higher in Thornbury gap steady
2.9% 87th pct 5.0% 91st pct

Language used at home

77.4% English only ◂ +5.7 pts 71.7%
5.5% Greek +2.5 pts ▸ 8.0%
2.8% Italian +1.4 pts ▸ 4.2%
0.6% Arabic +1.1 pts ▸ 1.7%
1.0% Vietnamese +0.2 pts ▸ 1.1%
1.1% Mandarin even 1.1%
0.7% Cantonese +0.1 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.1% Punjabi +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.1% Hindi +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.1% Tagalog +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

Religion

No religion in Fairfieldin Thornbury +2.1 pts higher in Fairfield gap narrowing
56.5% 90th pct 54.4% 88th pct

Religious affiliation

56.5% No religion ◂ +2.1 pts 54.4%
33.8% Christianity +1.1 pts ▸ 34.9%
5.5% Not stated ◂ +0.7 pts 4.8%
0.8% Islam +1.3 pts ▸ 2.1%
1.7% Buddhism ◂ +0.1 pts 1.7%
0.9% Hinduism +0.2 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.5% Other religions +0.2 pts ▸ 0.7%
0.3% Judaism even 0.4%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Fairfieldin Thornbury +1.7 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
77.1% 96th pct 75.4% 95th pct
Bachelor+ in Fairfieldin Thornbury +3.4 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
50.3% 100th pct 46.9% 97th pct
Schools/1k kids in Fairfieldin Thornbury +1.51 more in Thornbury
0.99 7th pct 2.50 36th pct
Schools ≤3 km in Fairfieldin Thornbury +13 more in Fairfield
78 97th pct 65 94th pct
Avg size in Fairfieldin Thornbury +7 larger in Thornbury
559 79th pct 566 80th pct
ICSEA in Fairfieldin Thornbury +17 higher in Fairfield
1,130 98th pct 1,112 94th pct

Highest year of school

77.1% Year 12 ◂ +1.7 pts 75.4%
6.8% Year 9 or below +2.0 pts ▸ 8.8%
6.3% Year 11 ◂ +0.7 pts 5.6%
5.2% Year 10 even 5.2%

Highest qualification level

40.3% Bachelor degree ◂ +0.4 pts 39.9%
19.6% Postgraduate degree ◂ +1.7 pts 17.9%
10.7% Certificate III / IV +1.4 pts ▸ 12.1%
10.8% Advanced diploma / diploma +0.9 pts ▸ 11.7%
8.9% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +1.2 pts 7.7%
0.9% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.1 pts 0.8%

Field of qualification

18.0% Management & commerce ◂ +1.9 pts 16.1%
17.3% Society & culture +0.7 pts ▸ 18.0%
10.3% Creative arts +2.7 pts ▸ 13.0%
11.0% Health ◂ +1.0 pts 10.0%
8.3% Education ◂ +0.7 pts 7.6%
7.7% Engineering & related ◂ +0.2 pts 7.4%
5.0% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +0.4 pts 4.6%
4.9% Architecture & building ◂ +0.3 pts 4.6%
3.5% Information technology ◂ +0.2 pts 3.3%
2.2% Food, hospitality & personal services +0.8 pts ▸ 3.0%
2.0% Agriculture & environment ◂ +0.4 pts 1.6%

Income

Personal income in Fairfieldin Thornbury +$51 higher in Fairfield gap steady
$1,093 87th pct $1,042 86th pct
Household income in Fairfieldin Thornbury +$4 higher in Thornbury gap narrowing
$1,967 74th pct $1,971 74th pct
Family income in Fairfieldin Thornbury +$341 higher in Fairfield gap narrowing
$3,054 91st pct $2,713 87th pct
High earners in Fairfieldin Thornbury +3.1 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
21.9% 91st pct 18.8% 88th pct
High-income homes in Fairfieldin Thornbury +2.7 pts higher in Fairfield gap narrowing
32.1% 86th pct 29.4% 81st pct

Household income distribution

26.2% $1,500–$2,999 +2.6 pts ▸ 28.8%
23.7% $650–$1,499 ◂ +1.7 pts 22.0%
20.3% $4,000 or more ◂ +2.8 pts 17.6%
14.3% Under $650 +0.7 pts ▸ 15.0%
11.8% $3,000–$3,999 even 11.8%

Personal income distribution

32.2% Under $650 +0.7 pts ▸ 33.0%
28.1% $650–$1,499 +1.3 pts ▸ 29.4%
24.6% $1,500–$2,999 +0.4 pts ▸ 25.0%
10.2% $3,000 or more ◂ +2.7 pts 7.5%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.9 pts higher in Thornbury
28.8% 50th pct 29.7% 55th pct
Mental health in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.2 pts higher in Thornbury
12.6% 86th pct 12.8% 87th pct
Needs assistance in Fairfieldin Thornbury +1.4 pts higher in Thornbury gap steady
5.1% 56th pct 6.5% 70th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

12.6% Mental health +0.2 pts ▸ 12.8%
9.2% Asthma even 9.2%
9.1% Other condition even 9.0%
6.2% Arthritis +0.2 pts ▸ 6.4%
3.3% Diabetes +0.3 pts ▸ 3.6%
2.8% Heart disease +0.2 pts ▸ 2.9%
2.3% Cancer ◂ +0.1 pts 2.2%
0.5% Dementia +0.7 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.9% Lung condition +0.1 pts ▸ 1.0%
0.7% Stroke ◂ +0.1 pts 0.6%

Number of long-term health conditions

64.9% None ◂ +0.2 pts 64.7%
21.5% One condition +0.3 pts ▸ 21.8%
5.5% Two conditions +0.3 pts ▸ 5.8%
1.9% Three or more +0.2 pts ▸ 2.1%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Fairfieldin Thornbury +2.8 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
17.6% 47th pct 14.8% 33rd pct
Unpaid carers in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.5 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
13.6% 59th pct 13.1% 53rd pct
Unpaid child care in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.3 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
24.1% 43rd pct 23.8% 42nd pct
Defence service in Fairfieldin Thornbury even
0.9% 32nd pct 0.9% 32nd pct
Housework 15h+ in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.1 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
18.3% 19th pct 18.1% 19th pct

First Nations

First Nations people in Fairfieldin Thornbury +111 larger in Thornbury
44 76th pct 155 86th pct
Median age in Fairfieldin Thornbury +1 yrs older in Thornbury
29 yrs 60th pct 30 yrs 63rd pct
Year 12 in Fairfieldin Thornbury +3.0 pts higher in Thornbury
61.1% 87th pct 64.1% 89th pct
Unemployment in Fairfieldin Thornbury +6.1 pts higher in Thornbury
0.0% 0th pct 6.1% 31st pct
Median income in Fairfieldin Thornbury +$45 higher in Fairfield
$833 68th pct $788 64th pct
Household income in Fairfieldin Thornbury +$344 higher in Fairfield
$2,250 71st pct $1,906 58th pct
Indigenous language in Fairfieldin Thornbury +10.4 pts higher in Fairfield
18.2% 87th pct 7.7% 69th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.1 larger in Thornbury gap widening
2.2 24th pct 2.3 29th pct
One-parent in Fairfieldin Thornbury +2.2 pts higher in Thornbury gap steady
9.6% 42nd pct 11.8% 56th pct
Living alone in Fairfieldin Thornbury +4.4 pts higher in Fairfield gap widening
38.0% 88th pct 33.7% 81st pct

Family composition

60.2% Couples with children ◂ +2.5 pts 57.7%
28.9% Couples without children +0.2 pts ▸ 29.1%
9.6% One-parent families +2.2 pts ▸ 11.8%
1.3% Other families +0.1 pts ▸ 1.5%

Household size

38.0% 1 person ◂ +4.4 pts 33.7%
29.3% 2 people +2.7 pts ▸ 32.0%
13.4% 3 people +2.1 pts ▸ 15.5%
13.7% 4 people +0.5 pts ▸ 14.2%
4.7% 5 people ◂ +1.0 pts 3.7%
1.1% 6 or more ◂ +0.1 pts 1.0%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Fairfieldin Thornbury +$22 higher in Thornbury gap widening
$369 75th pct $391 80th pct
Mortgage in Fairfieldin Thornbury +$33 higher in Thornbury gap widening
$2,167 80th pct $2,200 81st pct
People / bedroom in Fairfieldin Thornbury even gap steady
0.90 86th pct 0.90 86th pct
Renting in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.4 pts higher in Thornbury gap narrowing
41.4% 88th pct 41.9% 89th pct
Owned outright in Fairfieldin Thornbury +1.6 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
28.7% 20th pct 27.1% 17th pct
Separate houses in Fairfieldin Thornbury +7.7 pts higher in Thornbury gap widening
43.7% 6th pct 51.4% 8th pct
3+ bedrooms in Fairfieldin Thornbury +2.2 pts higher in Thornbury gap steady
46.9% 7th pct 49.1% 8th pct

How homes are owned or rented

41.4% Rented +0.4 pts ▸ 41.9%
27.9% Owned with a mortgage +0.9 pts ▸ 28.8%
28.7% Owned outright ◂ +1.6 pts 27.1%
1.2% Other tenure ◂ +0.1 pts 1.1%
0.6% Not stated +0.5 pts ▸ 1.1%

Types of homes

43.7% Separate house +7.7 pts ▸ 51.4%
34.6% Flat or apartment ◂ +10.1 pts 24.5%
21.3% Townhouse / semi-detached +2.2 pts ▸ 23.4%
0.1% Other dwelling +0.5 pts ▸ 0.7%

Bedrooms per home

30.1% 3 bedrooms +5.5 pts ▸ 35.6%
32.7% 2 bedrooms +2.5 pts ▸ 35.3%
19.6% 1 bedroom ◂ +4.9 pts 14.6%
13.6% 4 bedrooms ◂ +2.3 pts 11.2%
3.2% 5 or more ◂ +0.9 pts 2.3%
0.4% Studio / none ◂ +0.2 pts 0.2%

Weekly rent distribution

33.0% $350–$549 +4.1 pts ▸ 37.0%
36.5% $200–$349 ◂ +5.5 pts 31.0%
14.5% $550–$749 +3.3 pts ▸ 17.8%
7.1% $750 or more ◂ +2.3 pts 4.8%
5.5% Under $200 +1.4 pts ▸ 6.9%

Monthly mortgage distribution

33.5% $3,000 or more ◂ +2.6 pts 30.9%
26.1% $1,800–$2,999 +4.3 pts ▸ 30.4%
21.8% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +2.0 pts 19.9%
13.3% Under $1,000 even 13.3%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Fairfieldin Thornbury +1.2 pts higher in Thornbury gap narrowing
13.3% 90th pct 14.5% 91st pct
Work from home in Fairfieldin Thornbury +1.6 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
43.6% 93rd pct 42.0% 92nd pct
PT commute in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.1 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
4.7% 90th pct 4.6% 90th pct
PT stops in Fairfieldin Thornbury +43 more in Thornbury
41 87th pct 84 89th pct
Stops/1k in Fairfieldin Thornbury +1.85 more in Fairfield
6.27 83rd pct 4.42 75th pct
Departures/1k in Fairfieldin Thornbury +176.5 more in Thornbury
1,818.2 91st pct 1,994.7 92nd pct
PT routes in Fairfieldin Thornbury +2 more in Thornbury
10 86th pct 12 86th pct
Stop walk in Fairfieldin Thornbury +2 longer in Thornbury
1 0th pct 3 21st pct
Drive to city in Fairfieldin Thornbury +1 longer in Fairfield
12 8th pct 11 6th pct
Reach 30 min in Fairfieldin Thornbury +3,702 more in Thornbury
53,280 87th pct 56,982 87th pct
Reach 45 min in Fairfieldin Thornbury +32,225 more in Thornbury
259,734 88th pct 291,959 88th pct
Transit to city in Fairfieldin Thornbury +3 longer in Thornbury
49 34th pct 52 39th pct

How people get to work

43.6% Worked at home ◂ +1.6 pts 42.0%
28.8% Car (driver) +1.2 pts ▸ 30.0%
3.8% Train ◂ +1.9 pts 1.9%
3.7% Bicycle ◂ +0.3 pts 3.4%
2.5% Walked ◂ +0.5 pts 1.9%
1.5% Car (passenger) +0.1 pts ▸ 1.6%
0.8% Bus ◂ +0.2 pts 0.6%

Motor vehicles per home

51.0% 1 vehicle ◂ +3.3 pts 47.6%
27.4% 2 vehicles +1.5 pts ▸ 28.8%
13.3% No vehicle +1.2 pts ▸ 14.5%
5.1% 3 vehicles +1.2 pts ▸ 6.4%
3.2% 4 or more ◂ +0.6 pts 2.6%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.3 pts higher in Fairfield gap narrowing
43.2% 85th pct 42.9% 84th pct
Recent arrivals in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.5 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
9.7% 63rd pct 9.2% 61st pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.6 pts higher in Thornbury gap steady
4.0% 56th pct 4.7% 65th pct
Participation in Fairfieldin Thornbury +1.3 pts higher in Thornbury gap narrowing
69.9% 81st pct 71.2% 85th pct
Full-time in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.8 pts higher in Fairfield gap steady
60.4% 62nd pct 59.6% 58th pct

Industries people work in

17.0% Health care & social assistance ◂ +1.7 pts 15.4%
14.2% Professional & technical ◂ +0.9 pts 13.2%
12.6% Education & training ◂ +0.8 pts 11.8%
7.8% Public administration & safety even 7.8%
6.6% Retail trade +1.0 pts ▸ 7.6%
5.6% Accommodation & food +0.3 pts ▸ 6.0%
5.3% Construction +0.6 pts ▸ 5.9%
5.2% Finance & insurance ◂ +0.7 pts 4.6%
3.8% Manufacturing +0.7 pts ▸ 4.5%
2.9% Arts & recreation +0.4 pts ▸ 3.3%
3.1% Other services +0.1 pts ▸ 3.2%
2.7% Media & telecommunications +0.5 pts ▸ 3.2%

Occupations people work in

42.8% Professionals ◂ +3.2 pts 39.6%
16.1% Managers ◂ +0.1 pts 15.9%
11.2% Clerical & administrative even 11.2%
8.6% Community & personal service +0.9 pts ▸ 9.6%
8.1% Technicians & trades +0.8 pts ▸ 8.8%
6.1% Sales workers even 6.1%
3.9% Labourers +0.9 pts ▸ 4.8%
2.0% Machinery operators & drivers +0.6 pts ▸ 2.7%

Walkability

Walk score in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.4 higher in Fairfield
9.1 100th pct 8.7 100th pct
Types ≤15 min in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.1 more in Fairfield
7.9 100th pct 7.8 99th pct
15-min city in Fairfieldin Thornbury even
100.0% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to shops in Fairfieldin Thornbury even
100.0% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to transit in Fairfieldin Thornbury even
100.0% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to school in Fairfieldin Thornbury +1.1 pts higher in Fairfield
100.0% 100th pct 98.9% 99th pct
Walk to a park in Fairfieldin Thornbury even
100.0% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to health in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.5 pts higher in Fairfield
99.9% 100th pct 99.5% 100th pct
Amenities/1k in Fairfieldin Thornbury +6.9 more in Fairfield
20.0 62nd pct 13.1 49th pct
Intersections/km² in Fairfieldin Thornbury +176 higher in Thornbury
300 95th pct 476 100th pct
Mean slope in Fairfieldin Thornbury +0.6 pts higher in Thornbury
2.7% 8th pct 3.3% 17th pct

Compare Fairfield with nearby areas

Alphington Northcote Thornbury Ivanhoe Bellfield Clifton Hill Preston Kew

Compare Thornbury with nearby areas

Northcote Preston Fairfield Brunswick East Fitzroy North Bellfield Alphington Clifton Hill

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Fairfield vs Thornbury [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sal/SAL20901/fairfield/vs/SAL22508/thornbury