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Major Urban vs Other Urban

Section of State comparison ≈ 576 km apart · Major Urban profile · Other Urban profile

Major Urban Other Urban

Major Urban and Other Urban are distinct places separated by nearly 600km. Major Urban is a diverse hub where 36.6% of people were born overseas and 35.0% use a language other than English at home. It has a more highly qualified workforce, with 32.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. In contrast, Other Urban is more homogenous, with 14.6% born overseas, and has a higher share of people with no religion (44.3%). Housing also differs sharply; separate houses make up 89.0% of homes in Other Urban, compared to 56.7% in Major Urban.

Both areas share similar proportions of children under 15 and a similar percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents. Despite these commonalities, the two areas have drifted further apart since 2011. The gap in typical weekly household income has widened to $643, and the difference in the share of people working from home has grown significantly to 23.4%. While Major Urban is far more walkable, with 84.7% of homes in a 15-minute-city walkshed, Other Urban has seen its share of larger, three-bedroom homes rise further above the national figure.

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Where they differ most

Other language: 25.6 pts higher in Major Urban Separate houses: 32.3 pts higher in Other Urban Work from home: 23.4 pts higher in Major Urban Born overseas: 22.0 pts higher in Major Urban Population: 4,754,814 larger in Major Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4,754,814 larger in Major Urban gap widening
5,753,827 100th pct 999,013 86th pct
Median age in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4 yrs older in Other Urban gap widening
37 yrs 14th pct 41 yrs 50th pct
First Nations in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
2.0% 20th pct 2.2% 24th pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Other Urban +6.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
15.6% 44th pct 21.8% 82nd pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.4 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
18.3% 71st pct 18.7% 76th pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.6 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
9.9% 0th pct 12.5% 42nd pct

Age structure

30.1% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +5.6 pts 24.5%
23.8% Older adults (45–64) +0.6 pts ▸ 24.4%
15.6% Seniors (65+) +6.2 pts ▸ 21.8%
18.3% Children (0–14) +0.4 pts ▸ 18.7%
12.2% Youth (15–24) ◂ +1.7 pts 10.5%

Marital status

47.7% Married ◂ +2.0 pts 45.7%
36.6% Never married ◂ +2.7 pts 33.9%
8.0% Divorced +2.0 pts ▸ 10.0%
4.7% Widowed +1.9 pts ▸ 6.6%
3.0% Separated +0.8 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 +22.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
36.6% 99th pct 14.6% 46th pct

Country of birth

58.8% Australia +20.4 pts ▸ 79.3%
4.2% China ◂ +3.9 pts 0.3%
3.4% India ◂ +1.8 pts 1.6%
2.9% England ◂ +0.1 pts 2.8%
1.7% Vietnam ◂ +1.4 pts 0.3%
1.7% Philippines ◂ +0.8 pts 0.8%
1.6% New Zealand ◂ +0.4 pts 1.2%
1.1% Nepal ◂ +0.9 pts 0.1%
0.7% South Africa ◂ +0.4 pts 0.3%
0.7% Italy ◂ +0.2 pts 0.5%

Ancestry

25.3% English +14.2 pts ▸ 39.5%
23.7% Australian +14.4 pts ▸ 38.2%
8.0% Irish +3.9 pts ▸ 11.9%
6.5% Scottish +4.3 pts ▸ 10.8%
9.7% Chinese ◂ +8.6 pts 1.1%
2.5% German +1.8 pts ▸ 4.4%
4.2% Italian +0.2 pts ▸ 4.3%
4.2% Indian ◂ +2.7 pts 1.6%
2.4% Filipino ◂ +1.3 pts 1.1%
2.3% Greek ◂ +1.5 pts 0.8%
1.0% Dutch +1.2 pts ▸ 2.1%
2.1% Vietnamese ◂ +1.8 pts 0.3%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Other Urban +25.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
35.0% 90th pct 9.4% 48th pct
Limited English in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
6.0% 92nd pct 1.4% 59th pct

Language used at home

59.7% English only +24.9 pts ▸ 84.6%
4.6% Mandarin ◂ +4.0 pts 0.5%
3.8% Arabic ◂ +3.5 pts 0.4%
2.5% Cantonese ◂ +2.4 pts 0.1%
2.0% Vietnamese ◂ +1.7 pts 0.3%
1.3% Hindi ◂ +1.1 pts 0.3%
1.3% Greek ◂ +1.0 pts 0.3%
0.8% Punjabi +0.3 pts ▸ 1.1%
1.0% Italian ◂ +0.3 pts 0.6%
0.8% Tagalog ◂ +0.5 pts 0.3%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Other Urban +12.4 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
31.9% 17th pct 44.3% 68th pct

Religious affiliation

45.8% Christianity ◂ +2.3 pts 43.5%
31.9% No religion +12.4 pts ▸ 44.3%
6.5% Not stated +1.1 pts ▸ 7.5%
5.9% Islam ◂ +4.5 pts 1.4%
4.5% Hinduism ◂ +3.5 pts 1.0%
3.6% Buddhism ◂ +2.6 pts 0.9%
1.2% Other religions +0.1 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.7% Judaism ◂ +0.6 pts 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Other Urban +19.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
65.5% 92nd pct 46.0% 71st pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Other Urban +15.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
32.4% 97th pct 16.8% 66th pct

Highest year of school

65.5% Year 12 ◂ +19.4 pts 46.0%
15.7% Year 10 +2.3 pts ▸ 18.1%
4.1% Year 11 +11.0 pts ▸ 15.0%
8.5% Year 9 or below +4.7 pts ▸ 13.2%

Highest qualification level

19.1% Certificate III / IV +15.3 pts ▸ 34.4%
32.5% Bachelor degree ◂ +13.2 pts 19.3%
14.7% Advanced diploma / diploma +1.5 pts ▸ 16.1%
13.8% Postgraduate degree ◂ +8.5 pts 5.3%
3.3% Graduate diploma / certificate +0.9 pts ▸ 4.1%
1.5% Certificate I / II +0.7 pts ▸ 2.1%

Field of qualification

24.1% Management & commerce ◂ +10.0 pts 14.1%
12.3% Engineering & related +1.8 pts ▸ 14.0%
12.2% Society & culture +0.1 pts ▸ 12.3%
9.1% Health +2.3 pts ▸ 11.4%
6.9% Education +2.9 pts ▸ 9.7%
4.9% Architecture & building +1.7 pts ▸ 6.6%
4.1% Food, hospitality & personal services +2.0 pts ▸ 6.0%
5.0% Information technology ◂ +3.2 pts 1.8%
4.7% Creative arts ◂ +1.9 pts 2.8%
3.3% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +1.4 pts 2.0%
1.1% Agriculture & environment +1.7 pts ▸ 2.7%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$158 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$869 72nd pct $711 44th pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$643 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,027 79th pct $1,384 30th pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$543 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,343 81st pct $1,800 43rd pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Other Urban +7.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
15.5% 85th pct 7.8% 42nd pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Other Urban +14.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
29.1% 87th pct 14.3% 36th pct

Household income distribution

22.3% $650–$1,499 +8.4 pts ▸ 30.6%
29.1% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +0.5 pts 28.7%
13.8% Under $650 +5.7 pts ▸ 19.5%
17.5% $4,000 or more ◂ +11.1 pts 6.4%
11.5% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +3.7 pts 7.9%

Personal income distribution

37.7% Under $650 +5.1 pts ▸ 42.8%
29.6% $650–$1,499 +3.0 pts ▸ 32.6%
19.5% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +5.3 pts 14.2%
6.7% $3,000 or more ◂ +4.2 pts 2.5%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Other Urban +9.0 pts higher in Other Urban
24.5% 33rd pct 33.5% 86th pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.9 pts higher in Other Urban
7.1% 29th pct 11.0% 77th pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.0 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
5.4% 57th pct 7.4% 95th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

7.1% Arthritis +4.0 pts ▸ 11.1%
7.1% Mental health +3.9 pts ▸ 11.0%
7.0% Asthma +3.1 pts ▸ 10.1%
7.6% Other condition +1.3 pts ▸ 8.8%
4.6% Diabetes +0.9 pts ▸ 5.6%
3.5% Heart disease +1.6 pts ▸ 5.0%
2.5% Cancer +1.0 pts ▸ 3.5%
1.3% Lung condition +1.2 pts ▸ 2.5%
0.8% Stroke +0.5 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.7% Dementia +0.2 pts ▸ 0.9%

Number of long-term health conditions

68.1% None ◂ +10.4 pts 57.8%
17.2% One condition +4.4 pts ▸ 21.5%
4.9% Two conditions +2.7 pts ▸ 7.6%
2.4% Three or more +1.9 pts ▸ 4.4%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.6 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
11.7% 29th pct 15.3% 45th pct
Unpaid carers in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.9 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
10.9% 42nd pct 13.8% 90th pct
Unpaid child care in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.3 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
25.3% 57th pct 26.7% 75th pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.4 pts higher in Other Urban
1.8% 13th pct 3.1% 39th pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
20.3% 51st pct 22.5% 71st 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 +2.7 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
13.4% 43rd pct 16.2% 72nd pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5.5 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
23.8% 32nd pct 29.4% 72nd pct

Family composition

61.6% Couples with children ◂ +8.0 pts 53.6%
23.7% Couples without children +5.5 pts ▸ 29.2%
13.4% One-parent families +2.7 pts ▸ 16.2%
1.2% Other families ◂ +0.2 pts 1.0%

Household size

31.1% 2 people +3.9 pts ▸ 35.0%
23.8% 1 person +5.5 pts ▸ 29.4%
17.1% 3 people ◂ +3.1 pts 14.0%
17.0% 4 people ◂ +3.8 pts 13.2%
7.1% 5 people ◂ +1.3 pts 5.8%
3.9% 6 or more ◂ +1.3 pts 2.6%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$155 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$455 100th pct $300 58th pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$883 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,383 99th pct $1,500 40th 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 +10.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
35.7% 80th pct 24.9% 39th pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Other Urban +8.0 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
28.2% 28th pct 36.3% 60th pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Other Urban +32.3 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
56.7% 3rd pct 89.0% 50th pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Other Urban +16.4 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
64.5% 9th pct 80.8% 78th pct

How homes are owned or rented

28.2% Owned outright +8.0 pts ▸ 36.3%
35.7% Rented ◂ +10.9 pts 24.9%
33.0% Owned with a mortgage +2.4 pts ▸ 35.5%
1.3% Not stated +0.6 pts ▸ 1.9%
1.7% Other tenure ◂ +0.2 pts 1.5%

Types of homes

56.7% Separate house +32.3 pts ▸ 89.0%
29.2% Flat or apartment ◂ +26.9 pts 2.3%
13.4% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +5.5 pts 7.9%
0.5% Other dwelling +0.2 pts ▸ 0.7%

Bedrooms per home

32.3% 3 bedrooms +15.5 pts ▸ 47.8%
23.8% 4 bedrooms +5.2 pts ▸ 29.0%
25.6% 2 bedrooms ◂ +11.0 pts 14.5%
8.4% 5 or more ◂ +4.3 pts 4.1%
7.9% 1 bedroom ◂ +5.2 pts 2.6%
0.8% Studio / none ◂ +0.6 pts 0.2%

Weekly rent distribution

13.5% $200–$349 +33.9 pts ▸ 47.4%
43.3% $350–$549 ◂ +15.1 pts 28.2%
21.1% $550–$749 ◂ +19.4 pts 1.7%
8.9% Under $200 +9.4 pts ▸ 18.3%
10.0% $750 or more ◂ +9.4 pts 0.5%

Monthly mortgage distribution

17.6% $1,000–$1,799 +22.5 pts ▸ 40.1%
33.3% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +8.4 pts 24.9%
31.6% $3,000 or more ◂ +24.7 pts 6.9%
11.2% Under $1,000 +11.1 pts ▸ 22.2%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
11.0% 88th pct 5.2% 47th pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Other Urban +23.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
37.0% 100th pct 13.6% 69th pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
3.5% 69th pct 0.8% 25th pct

How people get to work

36.3% Car (driver) +26.9 pts ▸ 63.2%
37.0% Worked at home ◂ +23.4 pts 13.6%
2.7% Car (passenger) +2.0 pts ▸ 4.7%
2.3% Walked +0.4 pts ▸ 2.7%
2.3% Train ◂ +1.8 pts 0.5%
1.2% Bus ◂ +0.9 pts 0.3%
0.4% Bicycle +0.2 pts ▸ 0.6%

Motor vehicles per home

40.0% 1 vehicle ◂ +4.0 pts 36.0%
33.3% 2 vehicles +5.8 pts ▸ 39.2%
10.1% 3 vehicles +2.7 pts ▸ 12.8%
11.0% No vehicle ◂ +5.8 pts 5.2%
5.5% 4 or more +1.2 pts ▸ 6.8%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
41.0% 68th pct 40.0% 61st pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
15.2% 59th pct 12.8% 50th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.1% 43rd pct 4.5% 34th pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
59.9% 65th pct 56.7% 50th pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
58.3% 57th pct 56.8% 43rd pct

Industries people work in

14.1% Health care & social assistance +1.6 pts ▸ 15.7%
8.1% Construction +3.0 pts ▸ 11.1%
10.5% Professional & technical ◂ +6.1 pts 4.4%
8.9% Retail trade +1.3 pts ▸ 10.1%
8.6% Education & training +0.2 pts ▸ 8.8%
5.4% Manufacturing +2.4 pts ▸ 7.8%
5.7% Accommodation & food +0.9 pts ▸ 6.7%
6.6% Finance & insurance ◂ +4.7 pts 2.0%
5.7% Public administration & safety +0.9 pts ▸ 6.6%
4.9% Transport & warehousing even 4.9%
3.2% Other services +0.7 pts ▸ 3.9%
3.2% Administrative & support ◂ +0.2 pts 3.0%

Occupations people work in

29.0% Professionals ◂ +11.1 pts 17.8%
10.7% Technicians & trades +4.7 pts ▸ 15.4%
14.7% Managers ◂ +3.3 pts 11.4%
13.6% Clerical & administrative ◂ +1.9 pts 11.7%
9.8% Community & personal service +3.6 pts ▸ 13.4%
6.9% Labourers +5.1 pts ▸ 12.1%
7.9% Sales workers +1.2 pts ▸ 9.1%
5.6% Machinery operators & drivers +1.6 pts ▸ 7.2%

Walkability

Walk score in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.9 higher in Major Urban
7.3 100th pct 5.3 71st pct
Types ≤15 min in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.5 more in Major Urban
6.7 100th pct 5.2 71st pct
15-min city in Major Urbanin Other Urban +24.3 pts higher in Major Urban
84.7% 99th pct 60.4% 71st pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Other Urban +17.8 pts higher in Major Urban
80.2% 89th pct 62.5% 71st pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Other Urban +19.1 pts higher in Major Urban
97.3% 99th pct 78.3% 71st pct
Walk to school in Major Urbanin Other Urban +19.6 pts higher in Major Urban
89.0% 100th pct 69.4% 71st pct
Walk to a park in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4.6 pts higher in Major Urban
98.1% 89th pct 93.4% 72nd pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Other Urban +20.9 pts higher in Major Urban
68.4% 97th pct 47.4% 71st pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4.0 more in Other Urban
13.1 9th pct 17.1 41st pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Other Urban +64 higher in Major Urban
139 88th pct 75 74th pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.7 pts higher in Major Urban
7.0% 76th pct 4.3% 22nd 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

Major Urban Bounded Locality Rural Balance Rural Balance Major Urban Bounded Locality Rural Balance Other Urban Rural Balance Major Urban Major Urban 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/SOS21/other-urban