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Balmain vs Sydney

State Electorate comparison ≈ 4.6 km apart · Balmain profile · Sydney profile

Balmain Sydney

Sydney and Balmain are neighbouring areas with distinct residential profiles. Sydney is far more international and transient, with 49.6% of people born overseas and 60.9% having moved in the last five years. It is dominated by apartments and people living alone (44.4%), while many residents do not own a car (44.0%). In contrast, Balmain has more families and larger homes, with 41.4% of dwellings having three or more bedrooms and far more separate houses (20.6%). More people in Balmain also care for children unpaid (22.5%).

Both areas are equally well-educated, with 53.0% of adults in each holding a bachelor degree or higher. This shared professional background is reflected in typical weekly incomes that are very similar. While the two areas have historically moved in different directions, some gaps are closing; for example, the difference in the share of people with no religion has narrowed since 2011. However, other differences have grown, with the gap in car-free households widening over the last decade.

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Where they differ most

No car: 23.3 pts higher in Sydney 3+ bedrooms: 21.3 pts higher in Balmain Separate houses: 19.1 pts higher in Balmain Born overseas: 15.7 pts higher in Sydney Renting: 14.5 pts higher in Sydney

Demographics & Identity

Population in Balmainin Sydney +10,128 larger in Sydney gap widening
83,273 86th pct 93,401 89th pct
Median age in Balmainin Sydney +3 yrs older in Balmain gap steady
38 yrs 43rd pct 35 yrs 21st pct
First Nations in Balmainin Sydney +0.6 pts higher in Balmain gap narrowing
1.4% 33rd pct 0.7% 16th pct
Aged 65+ in Balmainin Sydney +1.3 pts higher in Balmain gap narrowing
13.5% 27th pct 12.2% 19th pct
Under 15 in Balmainin Sydney +8.0 pts higher in Balmain gap widening
14.9% 15th pct 6.9% 0th pct
De facto in Balmainin Sydney +1.6 pts higher in Sydney gap narrowing
18.6% 96th pct 20.2% 100th pct

Age structure

35.7% Young adults (25–44) +13.9 pts ▸ 49.6%
25.2% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +4.1 pts 21.1%
14.9% Children (0–14) ◂ +8.0 pts 6.9%
13.5% Seniors (65+) ◂ +1.3 pts 12.2%
10.6% Youth (15–24) ◂ +0.4 pts 10.2%

Marital status

48.4% Never married +10.5 pts ▸ 58.9%
37.0% Married ◂ +9.1 pts 27.9%
9.1% Divorced ◂ +0.5 pts 8.6%
2.9% Widowed ◂ +0.6 pts 2.3%
2.6% Separated ◂ +0.2 pts 2.3%

Age & sex structure

Balmain Sydney

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Balmainin Sydney +15.7 pts higher in Sydney gap narrowing
33.9% 73rd pct 49.6% 96th pct

Country of birth

61.3% Australia ◂ +17.7 pts 43.5%
6.0% England ◂ +0.9 pts 5.0%
3.4% China +2.1 pts ▸ 5.5%
2.5% New Zealand +0.3 pts ▸ 2.8%
1.1% India +0.8 pts ▸ 1.9%
1.2% Italy ◂ +0.3 pts 0.9%
0.8% Philippines +0.4 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.8% Vietnam +0.2 pts ▸ 1.0%
0.7% South Africa +0.1 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.1% Nepal +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%

Ancestry

33.4% English ◂ +7.1 pts 26.3%
25.4% Australian ◂ +9.4 pts 16.0%
8.7% Chinese +6.3 pts ▸ 15.0%
14.4% Irish ◂ +3.9 pts 10.5%
10.5% Scottish ◂ +2.6 pts 7.9%
5.9% Italian ◂ +1.7 pts 4.1%
3.7% German ◂ +0.3 pts 3.4%
2.0% Indian +0.5 pts ▸ 2.6%
2.2% Greek ◂ +0.6 pts 1.6%
1.2% Filipino +0.2 pts ▸ 1.5%
1.4% Dutch ◂ +0.4 pts 1.1%
1.2% Vietnamese +0.1 pts ▸ 1.4%

Language

Other language in Balmainin Sydney +13.2 pts higher in Sydney gap narrowing
20.9% 63rd pct 34.1% 81st pct
Limited English in Balmainin Sydney +2.7 pts higher in Sydney gap steady
2.7% 64th pct 5.4% 84th pct

Language used at home

74.0% English only ◂ +15.6 pts 58.3%
3.8% Mandarin +2.7 pts ▸ 6.5%
1.5% Cantonese +1.1 pts ▸ 2.6%
1.7% Italian ◂ +0.8 pts 1.0%
0.9% Vietnamese +0.1 pts ▸ 1.1%
1.0% Greek ◂ +0.4 pts 0.6%
0.5% Hindi +0.3 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.5% Arabic ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%
0.2% Tagalog +0.1 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.1% Punjabi even 0.1%

Religion

No religion in Balmainin Sydney +6.2 pts higher in Balmain gap narrowing
53.2% 94th pct 47.0% 76th pct

Religious affiliation

53.2% No religion ◂ +6.2 pts 47.0%
34.0% Christianity ◂ +4.3 pts 29.6%
6.7% Not stated +2.4 pts ▸ 9.2%
2.9% Buddhism +6.2 pts ▸ 9.0%
1.1% Hinduism +0.8 pts ▸ 1.9%
0.6% Judaism +0.8 pts ▸ 1.4%
1.0% Islam +0.4 pts ▸ 1.4%
0.6% Other religions ◂ +0.1 pts 0.5%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Balmainin Sydney +1.4 pts higher in Sydney gap narrowing
79.8% 96th pct 81.2% 98th pct
Bachelor+ in Balmainin Sydney even gap narrowing
53.0% 100th pct 53.0% 100th pct
Schools/1k kids in Balmainin Sydney +0.62 more in Sydney
2.17 60th pct 2.79 74th pct
Schools ≤3 km in Balmainin Sydney +9 more in Balmain
27 71st pct 18 43rd pct
Students in Balmainin Sydney +2,056 more in Balmain
10,354 58th pct 8,298 40th pct
Avg size in Balmainin Sydney +135 larger in Sydney
383 31st pct 519 58th pct
ICSEA in Balmainin Sydney +46 higher in Sydney
1,129 92nd pct 1,175 100th pct

Highest year of school

79.8% Year 12 +1.4 pts ▸ 81.2%
7.5% Year 10 ◂ +2.6 pts 4.9%
3.8% Year 9 or below ◂ +1.0 pts 2.8%
2.9% Year 11 ◂ +0.1 pts 2.8%

Highest qualification level

41.4% Bachelor degree +1.0 pts ▸ 42.4%
21.8% Postgraduate degree ◂ +2.4 pts 19.4%
11.4% Advanced diploma / diploma +1.8 pts ▸ 13.3%
8.5% Certificate III / IV ◂ +2.1 pts 6.4%
4.8% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +1.4 pts 3.5%
0.8% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.2 pts 0.7%

Field of qualification

23.4% Management & commerce +6.6 pts ▸ 30.0%
18.1% Society & culture ◂ +1.4 pts 16.6%
10.2% Creative arts ◂ +2.0 pts 8.3%
8.4% Health ◂ +2.0 pts 6.4%
7.2% Engineering & related ◂ +1.1 pts 6.1%
5.6% Education ◂ +2.4 pts 3.2%
4.6% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +1.3 pts 3.2%
4.5% Architecture & building ◂ +1.3 pts 3.2%
3.9% Information technology +0.5 pts ▸ 4.5%
2.6% Food, hospitality & personal services +1.8 pts ▸ 4.4%
1.0% Agriculture & environment ◂ +0.4 pts 0.6%

Income

Personal income in Balmainin Sydney +$39 higher in Balmain gap narrowing
$1,336 96th pct $1,297 95th pct
Household income in Balmainin Sydney +$166 higher in Balmain gap narrowing
$2,444 93rd pct $2,278 88th pct
Family income in Balmainin Sydney +$369 higher in Balmain gap narrowing
$3,642 100th pct $3,273 97th pct
High earners in Balmainin Sydney +2.1 pts higher in Balmain gap narrowing
30.7% 100th pct 28.6% 99th pct
High-income homes in Balmainin Sydney +4.4 pts higher in Balmain gap narrowing
41.6% 99th pct 37.2% 93rd pct

Household income distribution

31.0% $4,000 or more ◂ +4.2 pts 26.8%
24.1% $1,500–$2,999 +4.3 pts ▸ 28.4%
16.6% $650–$1,499 +1.7 pts ▸ 18.3%
13.0% Under $650 ◂ +1.7 pts 11.3%
10.6% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +0.2 pts 10.4%

Personal income distribution

23.8% $650–$1,499 +4.0 pts ▸ 27.7%
27.4% Under $650 ◂ +4.1 pts 23.3%
25.3% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +1.3 pts 24.0%
17.4% $3,000 or more ◂ +1.2 pts 16.2%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Balmainin Sydney +5.0 pts higher in Balmain
24.3% 28th pct 19.3% 7th pct
Mental health in Balmainin Sydney +2.4 pts higher in Balmain
9.3% 55th pct 6.9% 24th pct
Needs assistance in Balmainin Sydney +1.1 pts higher in Balmain gap steady
3.7% 12th pct 2.6% 0th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

9.3% Mental health ◂ +2.4 pts 6.9%
7.8% Other condition ◂ +1.3 pts 6.5%
7.5% Asthma ◂ +1.7 pts 5.8%
5.7% Arthritis ◂ +1.6 pts 4.1%
2.5% Heart disease ◂ +0.2 pts 2.4%
2.5% Cancer ◂ +0.4 pts 2.2%
2.5% Diabetes ◂ +0.4 pts 2.1%
1.1% Lung condition ◂ +0.2 pts 0.8%
0.5% Stroke even 0.5%
0.5% Dementia even 0.5%

Number of long-term health conditions

68.5% None +3.3 pts ▸ 71.8%
18.2% One condition ◂ +3.6 pts 14.6%
4.5% Two conditions ◂ +0.9 pts 3.5%
1.7% Three or more ◂ +0.4 pts 1.2%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Balmainin Sydney +3.6 pts higher in Balmain gap steady
16.4% 70th pct 12.8% 34th pct
Unpaid carers in Balmainin Sydney +3.0 pts higher in Balmain gap steady
9.6% 13th pct 6.6% 0th pct
Unpaid child care in Balmainin Sydney +11.4 pts higher in Balmain gap widening
22.5% 16th pct 11.1% 0th pct
Defence service in Balmainin Sydney +0.3 pts higher in Sydney
1.5% 14th pct 1.9% 21st pct
Housework 15h+ in Balmainin Sydney +6.6 pts higher in Balmain gap narrowing
18.0% 22nd pct 11.4% 2nd pct

Family & Households

Household size in Balmainin Sydney +0.3 larger in Balmain gap steady
2.2 10th pct 1.9 0th pct
One-parent in Balmainin Sydney +1.8 pts higher in Balmain gap narrowing
11.0% 18th pct 9.2% 2nd pct
Living alone in Balmainin Sydney +11.0 pts higher in Sydney gap widening
33.4% 91st pct 44.4% 100th pct

Family composition

33.7% Couples without children +21.9 pts ▸ 55.7%
53.8% Couples with children ◂ +21.2 pts 32.6%
11.0% One-parent families ◂ +1.8 pts 9.2%
1.5% Other families +1.1 pts ▸ 2.6%

Household size

33.4% 1 person +11.0 pts ▸ 44.4%
35.1% 2 people +1.2 pts ▸ 36.3%
14.9% 3 people ◂ +4.6 pts 10.3%
12.8% 4 people ◂ +6.4 pts 6.4%
3.1% 5 people ◂ +1.2 pts 1.9%
0.7% 6 or more +0.1 pts ▸ 0.8%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Balmainin Sydney +$30 higher in Sydney gap narrowing
$550 97th pct $580 100th pct
Mortgage in Balmainin Sydney +$399 higher in Balmain gap narrowing
$3,399 100th pct $3,000 100th pct
People / bedroom in Balmainin Sydney +0.10 higher in Sydney gap steady
1.00 93rd pct 1.10 100th pct
Renting in Balmainin Sydney +14.5 pts higher in Sydney gap steady
47.7% 90th pct 62.2% 100th pct
Owned outright in Balmainin Sydney +5.4 pts higher in Balmain gap narrowing
23.5% 19th pct 18.1% 9th pct
Separate houses in Balmainin Sydney +19.1 pts higher in Balmain gap narrowing
20.6% 2nd pct 1.5% 0th pct
3+ bedrooms in Balmainin Sydney +21.3 pts higher in Balmain gap narrowing
41.4% 3rd pct 20.1% 0th pct

How homes are owned or rented

47.7% Rented +14.5 pts ▸ 62.2%
26.4% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +9.5 pts 16.9%
23.5% Owned outright ◂ +5.4 pts 18.1%
1.2% Other tenure +0.5 pts ▸ 1.7%
1.3% Not stated ◂ +0.2 pts 1.2%

Types of homes

43.2% Flat or apartment +37.6 pts ▸ 80.7%
35.3% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +18.5 pts 16.9%
20.6% Separate house ◂ +19.1 pts 1.5%
0.8% Other dwelling ◂ +0.3 pts 0.4%

Bedrooms per home

35.9% 2 bedrooms +2.1 pts ▸ 38.0%
18.6% 1 bedroom +14.6 pts ▸ 33.2%
28.5% 3 bedrooms ◂ +12.6 pts 15.8%
10.6% 4 bedrooms ◂ +7.2 pts 3.4%
2.8% Studio / none +4.7 pts ▸ 7.5%
2.3% 5 or more ◂ +1.4 pts 0.9%

Weekly rent distribution

26.0% $350–$549 +3.1 pts ▸ 29.1%
26.8% $550–$749 +1.6 pts ▸ 28.4%
23.7% $750 or more +2.5 pts ▸ 26.3%
10.7% $200–$349 ◂ +1.3 pts 9.5%
10.2% Under $200 ◂ +6.1 pts 4.1%

Monthly mortgage distribution

56.0% $3,000 or more ◂ +8.9 pts 47.1%
19.7% $1,800–$2,999 +3.0 pts ▸ 22.7%
9.8% $1,000–$1,799 +2.7 pts ▸ 12.4%
9.0% Under $1,000 +2.6 pts ▸ 11.6%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Balmainin Sydney +23.3 pts higher in Sydney gap widening
20.7% 97th pct 44.0% 100th pct
Work from home in Balmainin Sydney +5.1 pts higher in Balmain gap widening
56.3% 100th pct 51.1% 99th pct
PT commute in Balmainin Sydney +4.2 pts higher in Sydney gap narrowing
3.7% 70th pct 8.0% 93rd pct
PT stops in Balmainin Sydney +85 more in Sydney
199 33rd pct 284 56th pct
Stops/1k in Balmainin Sydney +0.65 more in Sydney
2.39 13th pct 3.04 20th pct
Departures/1k in Balmainin Sydney +1,100.3 more in Sydney
2,697.3 93rd pct 3,797.6 100th pct
PT routes in Balmainin Sydney +94 more in Sydney
45 81st pct 139 90th pct

How people get to work

56.3% Worked at home ◂ +5.1 pts 51.1%
17.6% Car (driver) ◂ +7.4 pts 10.2%
5.1% Walked +7.7 pts ▸ 12.7%
0.6% Train +3.5 pts ▸ 4.1%
2.6% Bus +0.6 pts ▸ 3.2%
1.4% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.3 pts 1.1%
1.4% Bicycle ◂ +0.2 pts 1.2%

Motor vehicles per home

51.9% 1 vehicle ◂ +8.3 pts 43.7%
20.7% No vehicle +23.3 pts ▸ 44.0%
22.5% 2 vehicles ◂ +12.1 pts 10.3%
3.7% 3 vehicles ◂ +2.3 pts 1.4%
1.2% 4 or more ◂ +0.6 pts 0.6%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Balmainin Sydney +11.5 pts higher in Sydney gap widening
49.4% 88th pct 60.9% 100th pct
Recent arrivals in Balmainin Sydney +10.1 pts higher in Sydney gap widening
18.1% 76th pct 28.1% 96th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Balmainin Sydney +0.7 pts higher in Sydney gap steady
4.6% 44th pct 5.4% 64th pct
Participation in Balmainin Sydney +0.6 pts higher in Balmain gap narrowing
68.3% 87th pct 67.7% 85th pct
Full-time in Balmainin Sydney +1.5 pts higher in Balmain gap narrowing
65.6% 89th pct 64.1% 87th pct

Industries people work in

18.2% Professional & technical +1.8 pts ▸ 20.0%
9.7% Finance & insurance +2.7 pts ▸ 12.4%
11.6% Health care & social assistance ◂ +3.3 pts 8.3%
10.2% Education & training ◂ +4.7 pts 5.4%
5.1% Accommodation & food +5.0 pts ▸ 10.0%
6.5% Retail trade +0.3 pts ▸ 6.8%
5.5% Public administration & safety ◂ +0.3 pts 5.1%
5.1% Construction ◂ +1.7 pts 3.4%
5.0% Media & telecommunications ◂ +1.2 pts 3.8%
2.9% Administrative & support +1.1 pts ▸ 4.0%
2.6% Transport & warehousing +0.3 pts ▸ 2.9%
2.9% Arts & recreation ◂ +0.2 pts 2.7%

Occupations people work in

43.1% Professionals ◂ +2.9 pts 40.2%
21.7% Managers ◂ +1.4 pts 20.4%
10.6% Clerical & administrative ◂ +0.6 pts 10.0%
6.6% Community & personal service +1.3 pts ▸ 7.9%
6.1% Technicians & trades +0.5 pts ▸ 6.6%
6.0% Sales workers +0.4 pts ▸ 6.4%
2.9% Labourers +2.0 pts ▸ 4.9%
1.6% Machinery operators & drivers +0.2 pts ▸ 1.8%

Walkability

Walk score in Balmainin Sydney +0.5 higher in Sydney
9.2 100th pct 9.7 100th pct
Types ≤15 min in Balmainin Sydney +0.1 more in Sydney
7.9 99th pct 8.0 100th pct
15-min city in Balmainin Sydney even
100.0% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to shops in Balmainin Sydney +0.5 pts higher in Sydney
99.5% 99th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to transit in Balmainin Sydney even
100.0% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to school in Balmainin Sydney even
99.9% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to a park in Balmainin Sydney even
100.0% 100th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Walk to health in Balmainin Sydney +1.8 pts higher in Sydney
98.2% 99th pct 100.0% 100th pct
Amenities/1k in Balmainin Sydney +12.5 more in Sydney
10.8 18th pct 23.3 87th pct
Intersections/km² in Balmainin Sydney +442 higher in Sydney
418 96th pct 860 100th pct
Mean slope in Balmainin Sydney +8.4 pts higher in Sydney
7.4% 80th pct 15.8% 100th pct

Compare Balmain with nearby areas

Newtown Summer Hill Sydney Heffron Drummoyne Lane Cove Rockdale Canterbury

Compare Sydney with nearby areas

Newtown Heffron Balmain Coogee North Shore Vaucluse Willoughby Summer Hill

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Balmain vs Sydney [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sed/SED10004/balmain/vs/SED10080/sydney