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Major Urban vs Other Urban

Section of State comparison ≈ 138 km apart · Major Urban profile · Other Urban profile

Major Urban Other Urban

Major Urban and Other Urban are both large residential areas, but they differ sharply in their demographics and layout. Major Urban is far more diverse, with 36.6% of people born overseas and 35.0% using a language other than English at home. It is also a more highly qualified and wealthier area, where 32.4% of adults hold a bachelor degree and 29.1% of households earn $3,000 or more a week. In contrast, Other Urban has a larger share of detached houses (82.7% compared to 56.7%) and a higher proportion of residents with long-term health conditions (34.7% versus 24.5%).

The gap between these two areas has widened across several key measures since 2011, particularly regarding income and education. Despite these growing divides, they share some similarities, such as having the same share of children under 15 (18.3%) and similar unemployment rates. While Major Urban is far more walkable and connected, with 84.7% of homes in a 15-minute-city walkshed, both areas have seen about 40% of their residents move house in the last five years.

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Where they differ most

Other language: 28.9 pts higher in Major Urban Separate houses: 26.0 pts higher in Other Urban Born overseas: 24.9 pts higher in Major Urban Work from home: 24.7 pts higher in Major Urban Year 12: 23.0 pts higher in Major Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4,169,948 larger in Major Urban gap widening
5,753,827 100th pct 1,583,879 88th pct
Median age in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5 yrs older in Other Urban gap steady
37 yrs 14th pct 42 yrs 57th pct
First Nations in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5.7 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
2.0% 20th pct 7.7% 68th pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Other Urban +7.7 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
15.6% 44th pct 23.3% 90th pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Other Urban even gap steady
18.3% 71st pct 18.3% 71st pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.6 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
9.9% 0th pct 12.6% 44th pct

Age structure

30.1% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +6.8 pts 23.2%
23.8% Older adults (45–64) +0.5 pts ▸ 24.3%
15.6% Seniors (65+) +7.7 pts ▸ 23.3%
18.3% Children (0–14) even 18.3%
12.2% Youth (15–24) ◂ +1.4 pts 10.9%

Marital status

47.7% Married ◂ +3.9 pts 43.8%
36.6% Never married ◂ +1.9 pts 34.7%
8.0% Divorced +2.5 pts ▸ 10.5%
4.7% Widowed +2.4 pts ▸ 7.1%
3.0% Separated +0.9 pts ▸ 3.8%

Age & sex structure

Major Urban Other Urban

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Major Urbanin Other Urban +24.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
36.6% 99th pct 11.7% 29th pct

Country of birth

58.8% Australia +23.0 pts ▸ 81.8%
4.2% China ◂ +3.9 pts 0.3%
3.4% India ◂ +2.5 pts 0.9%
2.9% England ◂ +0.2 pts 2.7%
1.7% Vietnam ◂ +1.5 pts 0.1%
1.7% Philippines ◂ +1.0 pts 0.6%
1.6% New Zealand ◂ +0.4 pts 1.1%
1.1% Nepal ◂ +0.8 pts 0.3%
0.7% South Africa ◂ +0.4 pts 0.4%
0.7% Italy ◂ +0.5 pts 0.2%

Ancestry

25.3% English +16.0 pts ▸ 41.3%
23.7% Australian +16.8 pts ▸ 40.5%
8.0% Irish +4.0 pts ▸ 11.9%
6.5% Scottish +4.0 pts ▸ 10.5%
9.7% Chinese ◂ +8.8 pts 0.9%
4.2% Indian ◂ +3.3 pts 0.9%
2.5% German +1.7 pts ▸ 4.2%
4.2% Italian ◂ +1.7 pts 2.5%
2.4% Filipino ◂ +1.5 pts 0.9%
2.3% Greek ◂ +1.8 pts 0.5%
2.1% Vietnamese ◂ +1.9 pts 0.2%
1.0% Dutch +0.3 pts ▸ 1.3%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Other Urban +28.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
35.0% 90th pct 6.1% 28th pct
Limited English in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
6.0% 92nd pct 0.8% 43rd pct

Language used at home

59.7% English only +27.6 pts ▸ 87.3%
4.6% Mandarin ◂ +4.2 pts 0.3%
3.8% Arabic ◂ +3.7 pts 0.2%
2.5% Cantonese ◂ +2.4 pts 0.2%
2.0% Vietnamese ◂ +1.9 pts 0.1%
1.3% Hindi ◂ +1.2 pts 0.1%
1.3% Greek ◂ +1.2 pts 0.1%
1.0% Italian ◂ +0.7 pts 0.3%
0.8% Tagalog ◂ +0.6 pts 0.2%
0.8% Punjabi ◂ +0.4 pts 0.4%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5.5 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
31.9% 17th pct 37.3% 33rd pct

Religious affiliation

45.8% Christianity +5.8 pts ▸ 51.6%
31.9% No religion +5.5 pts ▸ 37.3%
6.5% Not stated +1.5 pts ▸ 8.0%
5.9% Islam ◂ +5.4 pts 0.5%
4.5% Hinduism ◂ +3.7 pts 0.8%
3.6% Buddhism ◂ +2.8 pts 0.8%
1.2% Other religions ◂ +0.4 pts 0.9%
0.7% Judaism ◂ +0.6 pts 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Other Urban +23.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
65.5% 92nd pct 42.4% 50th pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Other Urban +16.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
32.4% 97th pct 16.2% 59th pct

Highest year of school

65.5% Year 12 ◂ +23.0 pts 42.4%
15.7% Year 10 +13.7 pts ▸ 29.4%
8.5% Year 9 or below +4.3 pts ▸ 12.8%
4.1% Year 11 +3.1 pts ▸ 7.2%

Highest qualification level

19.1% Certificate III / IV +16.1 pts ▸ 35.2%
32.5% Bachelor degree ◂ +13.8 pts 18.7%
14.7% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +0.3 pts 14.3%
13.8% Postgraduate degree ◂ +8.4 pts 5.4%
3.3% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +0.2 pts 3.1%
1.5% Certificate I / II +1.0 pts ▸ 2.5%

Field of qualification

24.1% Management & commerce ◂ +8.0 pts 16.1%
12.3% Engineering & related +2.1 pts ▸ 14.4%
12.2% Society & culture ◂ +0.7 pts 11.5%
9.1% Health +2.0 pts ▸ 11.1%
6.9% Education +2.3 pts ▸ 9.1%
4.9% Architecture & building +1.1 pts ▸ 6.0%
4.1% Food, hospitality & personal services +1.7 pts ▸ 5.8%
5.0% Information technology ◂ +3.4 pts 1.5%
4.7% Creative arts ◂ +1.9 pts 2.8%
3.3% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +1.5 pts 1.8%
1.1% Agriculture & environment +1.6 pts ▸ 2.7%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$167 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$869 72nd pct $702 41st pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$680 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,027 79th pct $1,347 26th pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$594 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,343 81st pct $1,749 36th pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Other Urban +7.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
15.5% 85th pct 8.0% 44th pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Other Urban +14.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
29.1% 87th pct 14.2% 35th pct

Household income distribution

22.3% $650–$1,499 +8.9 pts ▸ 31.2%
29.1% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +1.7 pts 27.5%
13.8% Under $650 +6.3 pts ▸ 20.0%
17.5% $4,000 or more ◂ +11.0 pts 6.5%
11.5% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +3.8 pts 7.7%

Personal income distribution

37.7% Under $650 +5.3 pts ▸ 43.0%
29.6% $650–$1,499 +2.5 pts ▸ 32.1%
19.5% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +5.5 pts 14.0%
6.7% $3,000 or more ◂ +4.2 pts 2.5%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Other Urban +10.2 pts higher in Other Urban
24.5% 33rd pct 34.7% 93rd pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4.1 pts higher in Other Urban
7.1% 29th pct 11.2% 79th pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.1 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
5.4% 57th pct 7.5% 97th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

7.1% Arthritis +5.1 pts ▸ 12.2%
7.1% Mental health +4.1 pts ▸ 11.2%
7.0% Asthma +3.1 pts ▸ 10.1%
7.6% Other condition +1.2 pts ▸ 8.7%
4.6% Diabetes +1.1 pts ▸ 5.7%
3.5% Heart disease +1.8 pts ▸ 5.3%
2.5% Cancer +1.2 pts ▸ 3.7%
1.3% Lung condition +1.5 pts ▸ 2.8%
0.8% Stroke +0.5 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.7% Dementia +0.4 pts ▸ 1.1%

Number of long-term health conditions

68.1% None ◂ +12.3 pts 55.9%
17.2% One condition +4.8 pts ▸ 22.0%
4.9% Two conditions +3.1 pts ▸ 8.0%
2.4% Three or more +2.3 pts ▸ 4.7%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.3 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
11.7% 29th pct 15.0% 43rd pct
Unpaid carers in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.0 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
10.9% 42nd pct 12.9% 71st pct
Unpaid child care in Major Urbanin Other Urban even gap steady
25.3% 57th pct 25.3% 56th pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.0 pts higher in Other Urban
1.8% 13th pct 3.8% 68th pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.9 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
20.3% 51st pct 22.1% 68th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.3 larger in Major Urban gap steady
2.7 86th pct 2.4 29th pct
One-parent in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4.5 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
13.4% 43rd pct 17.9% 85th pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Other Urban +6.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
23.8% 32nd pct 30.0% 77th pct

Family composition

61.6% Couples with children ◂ +11.6 pts 50.0%
23.7% Couples without children +7.3 pts ▸ 31.0%
13.4% One-parent families +4.5 pts ▸ 17.9%
1.2% Other families ◂ +0.1 pts 1.1%

Household size

31.1% 2 people +4.9 pts ▸ 36.0%
23.8% 1 person +6.2 pts ▸ 30.0%
17.1% 3 people ◂ +3.4 pts 13.7%
17.0% 4 people ◂ +4.9 pts 12.1%
7.1% 5 people ◂ +1.6 pts 5.5%
3.9% 6 or more ◂ +1.2 pts 2.7%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$135 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$455 100th pct $320 69th pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$783 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,383 99th pct $1,600 57th pct
People / bedroom in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.20 higher in Major Urban gap widening
0.90 79th pct 0.70 0th pct
Renting in Major Urbanin Other Urban +6.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
35.7% 80th pct 29.6% 53rd pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Other Urban +8.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
28.2% 28th pct 36.5% 60th pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Other Urban +26.0 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
56.7% 3rd pct 82.7% 35th pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Other Urban +12.6 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
64.5% 9th pct 77.0% 55th pct

How homes are owned or rented

28.2% Owned outright +8.2 pts ▸ 36.5%
35.7% Rented ◂ +6.2 pts 29.6%
33.0% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +2.9 pts 30.1%
1.7% Other tenure +0.4 pts ▸ 2.1%
1.3% Not stated +0.5 pts ▸ 1.8%

Types of homes

56.7% Separate house +26.0 pts ▸ 82.7%
29.2% Flat or apartment ◂ +23.9 pts 5.3%
13.4% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +2.7 pts 10.6%
0.5% Other dwelling +0.5 pts ▸ 1.0%

Bedrooms per home

32.3% 3 bedrooms +10.3 pts ▸ 42.6%
23.8% 4 bedrooms +4.9 pts ▸ 28.7%
25.6% 2 bedrooms ◂ +8.1 pts 17.5%
8.4% 5 or more ◂ +2.6 pts 5.7%
7.9% 1 bedroom ◂ +4.4 pts 3.5%
0.8% Studio / none ◂ +0.5 pts 0.3%

Weekly rent distribution

43.3% $350–$549 ◂ +7.8 pts 35.5%
13.5% $200–$349 +26.7 pts ▸ 40.2%
21.1% $550–$749 ◂ +16.5 pts 4.6%
8.9% Under $200 +6.2 pts ▸ 15.1%
10.0% $750 or more ◂ +8.9 pts 1.1%

Monthly mortgage distribution

17.6% $1,000–$1,799 +19.5 pts ▸ 37.1%
33.3% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +4.9 pts 28.4%
31.6% $3,000 or more ◂ +22.3 pts 9.3%
11.2% Under $1,000 +8.7 pts ▸ 19.8%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
11.0% 88th pct 6.2% 61st pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Other Urban +24.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
37.0% 100th pct 12.3% 63rd pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
3.5% 69th pct 0.5% 17th pct

How people get to work

36.3% Car (driver) +27.1 pts ▸ 63.4%
37.0% Worked at home ◂ +24.7 pts 12.3%
2.7% Car (passenger) +2.2 pts ▸ 4.9%
2.3% Walked +0.7 pts ▸ 3.0%
2.3% Train ◂ +2.2 pts 0.1%
1.2% Bus ◂ +0.8 pts 0.4%
0.4% Bicycle +0.1 pts ▸ 0.5%

Motor vehicles per home

40.0% 1 vehicle ◂ +1.0 pts 39.0%
33.3% 2 vehicles +3.7 pts ▸ 37.1%
10.1% 3 vehicles +1.6 pts ▸ 11.7%
11.0% No vehicle ◂ +4.8 pts 6.2%
5.5% 4 or more +0.5 pts ▸ 6.1%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
41.0% 68th pct 40.4% 63rd pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
15.2% 59th pct 14.1% 54th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.1% 43rd pct 4.8% 39th pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
59.9% 65th pct 54.5% 42nd pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
58.3% 57th pct 57.0% 45th pct

Industries people work in

14.1% Health care & social assistance +2.7 pts ▸ 16.8%
10.5% Professional & technical ◂ +6.2 pts 4.3%
8.9% Retail trade +1.4 pts ▸ 10.3%
8.1% Construction +1.2 pts ▸ 9.3%
8.6% Education & training +0.7 pts ▸ 9.3%
5.7% Accommodation & food +2.5 pts ▸ 8.3%
5.7% Public administration & safety +1.5 pts ▸ 7.2%
6.6% Finance & insurance ◂ +5.0 pts 1.6%
5.4% Manufacturing +0.8 pts ▸ 6.1%
4.9% Transport & warehousing ◂ +1.2 pts 3.7%
3.2% Other services +0.8 pts ▸ 4.0%
3.2% Administrative & support +0.2 pts ▸ 3.5%

Occupations people work in

29.0% Professionals ◂ +10.8 pts 18.2%
10.7% Technicians & trades +4.4 pts ▸ 15.1%
14.7% Managers ◂ +3.7 pts 11.0%
9.8% Community & personal service +4.5 pts ▸ 14.3%
13.6% Clerical & administrative ◂ +2.1 pts 11.5%
6.9% Labourers +4.8 pts ▸ 11.8%
7.9% Sales workers +1.3 pts ▸ 9.2%
5.6% Machinery operators & drivers +1.7 pts ▸ 7.2%

Walkability

Walk score in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.9 higher in Major Urban
7.3 100th pct 5.4 72nd pct
Types ≤15 min in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.4 more in Major Urban
6.7 100th pct 5.3 73rd pct
15-min city in Major Urbanin Other Urban +23.2 pts higher in Major Urban
84.7% 99th pct 61.5% 72nd pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Other Urban +23.1 pts higher in Major Urban
80.2% 89th pct 57.1% 57th pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Other Urban +14.4 pts higher in Major Urban
97.3% 99th pct 83.0% 76th pct
Walk to school in Major Urbanin Other Urban +23.2 pts higher in Major Urban
89.0% 100th pct 65.9% 66th pct
Walk to a park in Major Urbanin Other Urban +6.6 pts higher in Major Urban
98.1% 89th pct 91.4% 67th pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Other Urban +20.0 pts higher in Major Urban
68.4% 97th pct 48.4% 72nd pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5.3 more in Other Urban
13.1 9th pct 18.4 45th pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Other Urban +79 higher in Major Urban
139 88th pct 60 69th pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.4 pts higher in Major Urban
7.0% 76th pct 5.6% 53rd pct

Compare Major Urban with nearby areas

Other Urban Bounded Locality Bounded Locality Major Urban Rural Balance Rural Balance Bounded Locality Other Urban Major Urban Major Urban Rural Balance Other Urban

Compare Other Urban with nearby areas

Bounded Locality Major Urban Bounded Locality Major Urban Rural Balance Rural Balance Major Urban Bounded Locality Other Urban Major Urban Bounded Locality Other Urban

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Major Urban vs Other Urban [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sos/SOS10/major-urban/vs/SOS11/other-urban