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Preston vs Thomastown

Suburb / Locality comparison ≈ 6.5 km apart · Preston profile · Thomastown profile

Preston Thomastown

Preston (Vic.) and Thomastown are neighbouring suburbs with very different social and economic profiles. Preston (Vic.) is a more affluent area with a typical weekly personal income of $872 and a far higher share of university degrees at 39.0%. It also has a much larger share of people with no religion (46.9%) and more people in de facto relationships (16.0%). In contrast, Thomastown is far more multicultural, with 51.5% of people born overseas and 65.6% using a language other than English at home. Homes in Thomastown are also more likely to be larger, with 82.9% having three or more bedrooms, compared to 53.8% in Preston (Vic.).

Since 2011, these two areas have tracked differently, with Preston (Vic.) seeing a much larger increase in people working from home (35.4%) and a higher turnover of residents. Despite these diverging trends, they share a similar proportion of children under 15 (around 15%) and a similar share of people providing unpaid care. Both areas also maintain a high level of public transport access, though Preston (Vic.) has far more frequent departures and better street connectivity.

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Where they differ most

Other language: 31.8 pts higher in Thomastown No religion: 30.4 pts higher in Preston Separate houses: 28.6 pts higher in Thomastown 3+ bedrooms: 29.1 pts higher in Thomastown Bachelor+: 21.9 pts higher in Preston

Demographics & Identity

Population in Prestonin Thomastown +13,556 larger in Preston gap widening
33,790 93rd pct 20,234 90th pct
Median age in Prestonin Thomastown +2 yrs older in Thomastown gap steady
37 yrs 20th pct 39 yrs 26th pct
First Nations in Prestonin Thomastown +0.2 pts higher in Preston gap steady
1.0% 40th pct 0.8% 38th pct
Aged 65+ in Prestonin Thomastown +8.5 pts higher in Thomastown gap widening
13.4% 26th pct 21.8% 63rd pct
Under 15 in Prestonin Thomastown +0.6 pts higher in Thomastown gap steady
15.0% 36th pct 15.6% 39th pct
De facto in Prestonin Thomastown +10.5 pts higher in Preston gap widening
16.0% 75th pct 5.5% 12th pct

Age structure

37.3% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +8.2 pts 29.2%
24.1% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +2.2 pts 21.9%
13.4% Seniors (65+) +8.5 pts ▸ 21.8%
15.0% Children (0–14) +0.6 pts ▸ 15.6%
10.2% Youth (15–24) +1.3 pts ▸ 11.5%

Marital status

49.2% Never married ◂ +15.8 pts 33.4%
36.0% Married +12.1 pts ▸ 48.2%
7.5% Divorced +0.2 pts ▸ 7.6%
4.5% Widowed +2.6 pts ▸ 7.1%
2.8% Separated +0.9 pts ▸ 3.7%

Age & sex structure

Preston Thomastown

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Prestonin Thomastown +19.1 pts higher in Thomastown gap widening
32.4% 90th pct 51.5% 100th pct

Country of birth

63.8% Australia ◂ +20.2 pts 43.6%
2.5% India +3.8 pts ▸ 6.2%
3.0% Italy +2.9 pts ▸ 5.9%
2.2% Vietnam +3.0 pts ▸ 5.2%
3.0% China ◂ +1.1 pts 2.0%
2.1% England ◂ +1.7 pts 0.5%
1.9% New Zealand ◂ +1.0 pts 0.9%
0.8% Nepal +0.6 pts ▸ 1.4%
0.9% Philippines +0.3 pts ▸ 1.2%
0.3% South Africa ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

Ancestry

24.0% English ◂ +14.3 pts 9.6%
21.5% Australian ◂ +10.1 pts 11.4%
12.7% Italian +1.1 pts ▸ 13.8%
11.0% Irish ◂ +8.7 pts 2.3%
8.9% Greek ◂ +1.3 pts 7.6%
8.1% Scottish ◂ +6.2 pts 1.9%
7.1% Chinese ◂ +1.6 pts 5.4%
2.9% Vietnamese +4.0 pts ▸ 6.9%
2.9% Indian +2.2 pts ▸ 5.1%
3.0% German ◂ +2.2 pts 0.8%
1.2% Filipino +0.2 pts ▸ 1.4%
1.3% Dutch ◂ +1.0 pts 0.3%

Language

Other language in Prestonin Thomastown +31.8 pts higher in Thomastown gap widening
33.8% 91st pct 65.6% 100th pct
Limited English in Prestonin Thomastown +8.6 pts higher in Thomastown gap steady
6.7% 94th pct 15.3% 100th pct

Language used at home

62.1% English only ◂ +32.6 pts 29.5%
2.3% Arabic +7.6 pts ▸ 9.8%
2.7% Vietnamese +4.9 pts ▸ 7.6%
4.6% Italian +2.8 pts ▸ 7.4%
5.7% Greek +0.7 pts ▸ 6.4%
0.3% Punjabi +3.6 pts ▸ 3.9%
3.5% Mandarin ◂ +1.2 pts 2.3%
0.8% Hindi +1.2 pts ▸ 2.0%
1.3% Cantonese ◂ +0.2 pts 1.2%
0.3% Tagalog +0.1 pts ▸ 0.4%

Religion

No religion in Prestonin Thomastown +30.4 pts higher in Preston gap widening
46.9% 71st pct 16.5% 6th pct

Religious affiliation

36.2% Christianity +10.8 pts ▸ 47.1%
46.9% No religion ◂ +30.4 pts 16.5%
4.8% Islam +10.4 pts ▸ 15.2%
3.1% Buddhism +3.4 pts ▸ 6.6%
5.6% Not stated +0.3 pts ▸ 5.9%
2.4% Hinduism +3.0 pts ▸ 5.3%
0.7% Other religions +2.7 pts ▸ 3.4%
0.2% Judaism ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Prestonin Thomastown +19.0 pts higher in Preston gap widening
71.3% 91st pct 52.3% 67th pct
Bachelor+ in Prestonin Thomastown +21.9 pts higher in Preston gap widening
39.0% 92nd pct 17.0% 59th pct
Schools/1k kids in Prestonin Thomastown +0.17 more in Thomastown
2.37 34th pct 2.54 36th pct
Schools ≤3 km in Prestonin Thomastown +16 more in Preston
72 96th pct 56 93rd pct
Avg size in Prestonin Thomastown +114 larger in Preston
548 78th pct 434 64th pct
ICSEA in Prestonin Thomastown +68 higher in Preston
1,094 90th pct 1,026 70th pct

Highest year of school

71.3% Year 12 ◂ +19.0 pts 52.3%
11.1% Year 9 or below +13.3 pts ▸ 24.3%
6.4% Year 10 +3.6 pts ▸ 10.0%
6.4% Year 11 +0.9 pts ▸ 7.3%

Highest qualification level

37.3% Bachelor degree ◂ +13.8 pts 23.4%
14.6% Certificate III / IV +11.0 pts ▸ 25.6%
14.2% Advanced diploma / diploma +2.1 pts ▸ 16.3%
15.2% Postgraduate degree ◂ +4.4 pts 10.7%
6.1% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +3.7 pts 2.5%
1.2% Certificate I / II +0.7 pts ▸ 1.9%

Field of qualification

16.8% Management & commerce +0.9 pts ▸ 17.8%
15.4% Society & culture ◂ +3.7 pts 11.7%
9.4% Engineering & related +4.8 pts ▸ 14.1%
11.1% Creative arts ◂ +8.6 pts 2.5%
9.3% Health ◂ +1.3 pts 8.0%
7.6% Education ◂ +2.2 pts 5.4%
4.2% Food, hospitality & personal services +2.8 pts ▸ 7.0%
4.8% Information technology +1.5 pts ▸ 6.3%
4.3% Architecture & building +1.2 pts ▸ 5.4%
4.3% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +0.9 pts 3.4%
1.4% Agriculture & environment ◂ +0.5 pts 0.8%

Income

Personal income in Prestonin Thomastown +$370 higher in Preston gap widening
$872 69th pct $502 12th pct
Household income in Prestonin Thomastown +$619 higher in Preston gap widening
$1,844 68th pct $1,225 27th pct
Family income in Prestonin Thomastown +$958 higher in Preston gap widening
$2,345 75th pct $1,387 20th pct
High earners in Prestonin Thomastown +10.6 pts higher in Preston gap widening
14.3% 77th pct 3.7% 26th pct
High-income homes in Prestonin Thomastown +13.7 pts higher in Preston gap widening
24.4% 72nd pct 10.7% 32nd pct

Household income distribution

22.5% $650–$1,499 +11.4 pts ▸ 33.9%
31.4% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +4.4 pts 27.0%
16.2% Under $650 +6.1 pts ▸ 22.3%
12.7% $4,000 or more ◂ +8.6 pts 4.1%
11.7% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +5.1 pts 6.6%

Personal income distribution

38.1% Under $650 +15.8 pts ▸ 54.0%
30.0% $650–$1,499 ◂ +0.2 pts 29.8%
21.5% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +12.6 pts 8.9%
4.9% $3,000 or more ◂ +3.9 pts 0.9%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Prestonin Thomastown +0.2 pts higher in Preston
28.2% 47th pct 28.1% 46th pct
Mental health in Prestonin Thomastown +4.3 pts higher in Preston
11.6% 80th pct 7.3% 42nd pct
Needs assistance in Prestonin Thomastown +4.3 pts higher in Thomastown gap widening
6.4% 69th pct 10.7% 91st pct

Long-term health conditions reported

11.6% Mental health ◂ +4.3 pts 7.3%
6.9% Arthritis +2.7 pts ▸ 9.6%
8.9% Other condition ◂ +0.6 pts 8.3%
8.7% Asthma ◂ +1.7 pts 6.9%
4.3% Diabetes +3.7 pts ▸ 8.0%
3.0% Heart disease +1.6 pts ▸ 4.6%
2.1% Cancer +0.4 pts ▸ 2.6%
1.1% Lung condition +0.3 pts ▸ 1.4%
0.8% Stroke +0.3 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.6% Dementia +0.2 pts ▸ 0.8%

Number of long-term health conditions

65.4% None ◂ +0.6 pts 64.7%
20.2% One condition ◂ +2.1 pts 18.0%
5.7% Two conditions +0.8 pts ▸ 6.5%
2.4% Three or more +1.2 pts ▸ 3.6%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Prestonin Thomastown +6.4 pts higher in Preston gap steady
11.9% 20th pct 5.6% 5th pct
Unpaid carers in Prestonin Thomastown +0.6 pts higher in Thomastown gap steady
13.1% 53rd pct 13.6% 59th pct
Unpaid child care in Prestonin Thomastown +2.0 pts higher in Preston gap steady
23.0% 39th pct 21.0% 30th pct
Defence service in Prestonin Thomastown +0.3 pts higher in Preston
1.0% 32nd pct 0.7% 30th pct
Housework 15h+ in Prestonin Thomastown +0.8 pts higher in Preston gap steady
17.9% 17th pct 17.1% 14th pct

First Nations

First Nations people in Prestonin Thomastown +166 larger in Preston
325 86th pct 159 86th pct
Median age in Prestonin Thomastown +1 yrs older in Preston
30 yrs 63rd pct 29 yrs 60th pct
Year 12 in Prestonin Thomastown +23.1 pts higher in Preston
59.8% 86th pct 36.7% 41st pct
Unemployment in Prestonin Thomastown +8.9 pts higher in Thomastown
8.0% 39th pct 16.9% 77th pct
Median income in Prestonin Thomastown +$21 higher in Thomastown
$696 55th pct $717 58th pct
Household income in Prestonin Thomastown even
$1,644 48th pct $1,645 48th pct
Indigenous language in Prestonin Thomastown +4.1 pts higher in Preston
11.7% 80th pct 7.5% 68th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Prestonin Thomastown +0.2 larger in Thomastown gap narrowing
2.4 43rd pct 2.6 57th pct
One-parent in Prestonin Thomastown +4.6 pts higher in Thomastown gap widening
13.5% 65th pct 18.1% 82nd pct
Living alone in Prestonin Thomastown +5.4 pts higher in Preston gap narrowing
29.7% 71st pct 24.3% 52nd pct

Family composition

56.4% Couples with children ◂ +0.8 pts 55.6%
27.7% Couples without children ◂ +3.3 pts 24.4%
13.5% One-parent families +4.6 pts ▸ 18.1%
2.4% Other families ◂ +0.5 pts 1.9%

Household size

33.3% 2 people ◂ +1.2 pts 32.1%
29.7% 1 person ◂ +5.4 pts 24.3%
16.5% 3 people +1.7 pts ▸ 18.2%
14.3% 4 people ◂ +0.2 pts 14.1%
4.3% 5 people +2.3 pts ▸ 6.6%
1.9% 6 or more +2.9 pts ▸ 4.8%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Prestonin Thomastown +$42 higher in Preston gap widening
$392 80th pct $350 71st pct
Mortgage in Prestonin Thomastown +$310 higher in Preston gap narrowing
$2,000 72nd pct $1,690 54th pct
People / bedroom in Prestonin Thomastown +0.10 higher in Preston gap steady
0.90 86th pct 0.80 43rd pct
Renting in Prestonin Thomastown +11.5 pts higher in Preston gap narrowing
40.1% 88th pct 28.7% 76th pct
Owned outright in Prestonin Thomastown +15.5 pts higher in Thomastown gap narrowing
27.2% 17th pct 42.7% 54th pct
Separate houses in Prestonin Thomastown +28.6 pts higher in Thomastown gap widening
55.7% 9th pct 84.3% 24th pct
3+ bedrooms in Prestonin Thomastown +29.1 pts higher in Thomastown gap widening
53.8% 11th pct 82.9% 59th pct

How homes are owned or rented

27.2% Owned outright +15.5 pts ▸ 42.7%
40.1% Rented ◂ +11.5 pts 28.7%
30.1% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +5.0 pts 25.1%
1.3% Not stated +0.6 pts ▸ 1.9%
1.3% Other tenure +0.5 pts ▸ 1.8%

Types of homes

55.7% Separate house +28.6 pts ▸ 84.3%
24.9% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +15.4 pts 9.5%
18.3% Flat or apartment ◂ +12.3 pts 6.1%
1.0% Other dwelling ◂ +1.0 pts 0.0%

Bedrooms per home

38.9% 3 bedrooms +24.0 pts ▸ 62.9%
35.6% 2 bedrooms ◂ +22.4 pts 13.2%
12.1% 4 bedrooms +5.2 pts ▸ 17.4%
8.8% 1 bedroom ◂ +6.9 pts 1.9%
2.7% 5 or more even 2.7%
0.7% Studio / none ◂ +0.4 pts 0.3%

Weekly rent distribution

53.3% $350–$549 ◂ +6.0 pts 47.4%
21.0% $200–$349 +18.9 pts ▸ 39.9%
10.2% Under $200 ◂ +4.8 pts 5.4%
9.9% $550–$749 ◂ +9.2 pts 0.7%
2.1% $750 or more ◂ +0.7 pts 1.4%

Monthly mortgage distribution

33.6% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +2.1 pts 31.5%
26.1% $1,000–$1,799 +7.1 pts ▸ 33.2%
22.1% $3,000 or more ◂ +14.8 pts 7.3%
12.8% Under $1,000 +5.9 pts ▸ 18.7%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Prestonin Thomastown +3.7 pts higher in Preston gap narrowing
12.9% 90th pct 9.2% 87th pct
Work from home in Prestonin Thomastown +21.0 pts higher in Preston gap widening
35.4% 87th pct 14.4% 43rd pct
PT commute in Prestonin Thomastown +1.2 pts higher in Preston gap narrowing
5.5% 92nd pct 4.2% 89th pct
PT stops in Prestonin Thomastown +92 more in Preston
206 94th pct 114 90th pct
Stops/1k in Prestonin Thomastown +0.46 more in Preston
6.10 82nd pct 5.63 80th pct
Departures/1k in Prestonin Thomastown +1,309.5 more in Preston
2,991.8 97th pct 1,682.3 90th pct
PT routes in Prestonin Thomastown +12 more in Preston
22 86th pct 10 86th pct
Stop walk in Prestonin Thomastown +1 longer in Thomastown
2 14th pct 3 21st pct
Drive to city in Prestonin Thomastown +7 longer in Thomastown
12 8th pct 19 16th pct
Reach 30 min in Prestonin Thomastown +55,535 more in Preston
75,533 88th pct 19,998 74th pct
Reach 45 min in Prestonin Thomastown +177,726 more in Preston
281,954 88th pct 104,228 80th pct
Transit to city in Prestonin Thomastown +13 longer in Thomastown
55 45th pct 68 71st pct

How people get to work

35.7% Car (driver) +23.6 pts ▸ 59.3%
35.4% Worked at home ◂ +21.0 pts 14.4%
2.3% Car (passenger) +2.7 pts ▸ 4.9%
2.5% Train +1.0 pts ▸ 3.6%
2.2% Bicycle ◂ +1.8 pts 0.4%
2.0% Walked ◂ +1.0 pts 1.0%
0.9% Bus ◂ +0.2 pts 0.7%

Motor vehicles per home

47.9% 1 vehicle ◂ +7.7 pts 40.1%
28.8% 2 vehicles +5.3 pts ▸ 34.1%
12.9% No vehicle ◂ +3.7 pts 9.2%
7.1% 3 vehicles +4.0 pts ▸ 11.1%
3.2% 4 or more +2.2 pts ▸ 5.4%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Prestonin Thomastown +11.3 pts higher in Preston gap widening
41.6% 82nd pct 30.4% 48th pct
Recent arrivals in Prestonin Thomastown +1.6 pts higher in Preston gap narrowing
14.7% 77th pct 13.1% 74th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Prestonin Thomastown +2.5 pts higher in Thomastown gap widening
5.5% 73rd pct 8.0% 87th pct
Participation in Prestonin Thomastown +17.5 pts higher in Preston gap widening
67.4% 74th pct 49.8% 21st pct
Full-time in Prestonin Thomastown +2.4 pts higher in Preston gap steady
58.8% 54th pct 56.4% 41st pct

Industries people work in

14.4% Health care & social assistance ◂ +1.0 pts 13.4%
11.3% Education & training ◂ +5.8 pts 5.5%
5.1% Manufacturing +5.8 pts ▸ 10.9%
10.4% Professional & technical ◂ +5.7 pts 4.8%
6.7% Construction +3.4 pts ▸ 10.1%
9.2% Retail trade +0.8 pts ▸ 10.0%
3.4% Transport & warehousing +4.3 pts ▸ 7.7%
7.7% Public administration & safety ◂ +2.9 pts 4.8%
7.1% Accommodation & food ◂ +0.2 pts 6.9%
4.4% Finance & insurance ◂ +1.2 pts 3.2%
3.3% Administrative & support +1.1 pts ▸ 4.4%
3.1% Other services +1.1 pts ▸ 4.1%

Occupations people work in

33.7% Professionals ◂ +19.5 pts 14.2%
10.6% Technicians & trades +4.9 pts ▸ 15.5%
6.7% Labourers +8.6 pts ▸ 15.3%
13.8% Managers ◂ +6.0 pts 7.8%
10.4% Community & personal service +1.8 pts ▸ 12.3%
11.9% Clerical & administrative ◂ +0.1 pts 11.8%
3.4% Machinery operators & drivers +8.3 pts ▸ 11.7%
7.6% Sales workers +1.4 pts ▸ 9.0%

Walkability

Walk score in Prestonin Thomastown +1.8 higher in Preston
8.8 100th pct 7.0 93rd pct
Types ≤15 min in Prestonin Thomastown +1.3 more in Preston
7.9 100th pct 6.7 92nd pct
15-min city in Prestonin Thomastown +13.7 pts higher in Preston
100.0% 100th pct 86.3% 92nd pct
Walk to shops in Prestonin Thomastown +4.4 pts higher in Preston
99.9% 100th pct 95.5% 98th pct
Walk to transit in Prestonin Thomastown +4.5 pts higher in Preston
100.0% 100th pct 95.5% 86th pct
Walk to school in Prestonin Thomastown +6.2 pts higher in Preston
100.0% 100th pct 93.8% 95th pct
Walk to a park in Prestonin Thomastown +1.2 pts higher in Preston
100.0% 100th pct 98.8% 85th pct
Walk to health in Prestonin Thomastown +31.8 pts higher in Preston
99.7% 100th pct 67.9% 89th pct
Amenities/1k in Prestonin Thomastown +4.7 more in Preston
17.0 58th pct 12.3 47th pct
Intersections/km² in Prestonin Thomastown +248 higher in Preston
508 100th pct 260 93rd pct
Mean slope in Prestonin Thomastown +1.2 pts higher in Preston
3.7% 23rd pct 2.5% 4th pct

Compare Preston with nearby areas

Thornbury Reservoir Northcote Bellfield Fairfield Heidelberg West Kingsbury Brunswick East

Compare Thomastown with nearby areas

Lalor Reservoir Kingsbury Fawkner Epping Campbellfield Bundoora Preston

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Preston vs Thomastown [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sal/SAL22121/preston/vs/SAL22504/thomastown