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Major Urban vs Other Urban

Section of State comparison ≈ 1,113 km apart · Major Urban profile · Other Urban profile

Major Urban Other Urban

Major Urban and Other Urban are very different types of places, separated by over 1,100km. Major Urban is far more diverse and highly qualified, with 36.6% of people born overseas and 32.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. It is also much more accessible, described as very walkable, with 97.3% of homes within a 10 minute walk of public transport. In contrast, Other Urban is more residential and car-reliant, where 84.7% of homes are separate houses and the typical resident is older at 40.

Many gaps between these two areas have widened since 2011, particularly in education and income. The difference in the share of adults with a bachelor degree or higher grew by nearly 10 percentage points over that period, while the gap in typical weekly household income increased to $641. Despite these diverging trends, the two areas remain similar in their unemployment rates and the share of people who provide unpaid childcare.

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Where they differ most

Other language: 28.5 pts higher in Major Urban Separate houses: 28.0 pts higher in Other Urban Work from home: 30.7 pts higher in Major Urban Born overseas: 22.7 pts higher in Major Urban Population: 4,816,770 larger in Major Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4,816,770 larger in Major Urban gap widening
5,753,827 100th pct 937,057 86th pct
Median age in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3 yrs older in Other Urban gap widening
37 yrs 14th pct 40 yrs 43rd pct
First Nations in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5.9 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
2.0% 20th pct 7.9% 69th pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4.6 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
15.6% 44th pct 20.2% 69th pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.1 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
18.3% 71st pct 19.3% 84th pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.3 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
9.9% 0th pct 13.3% 62nd pct

Age structure

30.1% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +5.8 pts 24.3%
23.8% Older adults (45–64) +1.1 pts ▸ 24.9%
15.6% Seniors (65+) +4.6 pts ▸ 20.2%
18.3% Children (0–14) +1.1 pts ▸ 19.3%
12.2% Youth (15–24) ◂ +0.9 pts 11.3%

Marital status

47.7% Married ◂ +3.3 pts 44.4%
36.6% Never married ◂ +1.5 pts 35.1%
8.0% Divorced +2.4 pts ▸ 10.4%
4.7% Widowed +1.3 pts ▸ 6.0%
3.0% Separated +1.1 pts ▸ 4.1%

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 +22.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
36.6% 99th pct 13.9% 42nd pct

Country of birth

58.8% Australia +19.8 pts ▸ 78.7%
4.2% China ◂ +4.0 pts 0.2%
3.4% India ◂ +2.8 pts 0.6%
2.9% England +0.1 pts ▸ 3.0%
1.6% New Zealand +1.2 pts ▸ 2.8%
1.7% Vietnam ◂ +1.5 pts 0.1%
1.7% Philippines ◂ +0.5 pts 1.1%
1.1% Nepal ◂ +1.0 pts 0.1%
0.7% South Africa even 0.7%
0.7% Italy ◂ +0.5 pts 0.2%

Ancestry

25.3% English +14.6 pts ▸ 39.9%
23.7% Australian +14.4 pts ▸ 38.1%
8.0% Irish +2.6 pts ▸ 10.6%
6.5% Scottish +3.7 pts ▸ 10.2%
9.7% Chinese ◂ +8.7 pts 1.0%
2.5% German +4.4 pts ▸ 6.9%
4.2% Indian ◂ +3.5 pts 0.7%
4.2% Italian ◂ +1.5 pts 2.7%
2.4% Filipino ◂ +0.9 pts 1.5%
2.3% Greek ◂ +2.0 pts 0.3%
2.1% Vietnamese ◂ +1.9 pts 0.2%
1.0% Dutch +0.4 pts ▸ 1.4%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Other Urban +28.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
35.0% 90th pct 6.5% 31st pct
Limited English in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
6.0% 92nd pct 0.8% 40th pct

Language used at home

59.7% English only +26.3 pts ▸ 86.0%
4.6% Mandarin ◂ +4.2 pts 0.4%
3.8% Arabic ◂ +3.8 pts 0.1%
2.5% Cantonese ◂ +2.4 pts 0.1%
2.0% Vietnamese ◂ +1.8 pts 0.2%
1.3% Hindi ◂ +1.2 pts 0.1%
1.3% Greek ◂ +1.3 pts 0.1%
1.0% Italian ◂ +0.7 pts 0.3%
0.8% Tagalog ◂ +0.4 pts 0.4%
0.8% Punjabi ◂ +0.5 pts 0.2%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Other Urban +8.4 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
31.9% 17th pct 40.2% 44th pct

Religious affiliation

45.8% Christianity +2.5 pts ▸ 48.3%
31.9% No religion +8.4 pts ▸ 40.2%
6.5% Not stated +2.7 pts ▸ 9.2%
5.9% Islam ◂ +5.5 pts 0.4%
4.5% Hinduism ◂ +4.0 pts 0.5%
3.6% Buddhism ◂ +2.8 pts 0.7%
1.2% Other religions ◂ +0.6 pts 0.6%
0.7% Judaism ◂ +0.6 pts 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Other Urban +20.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
65.5% 92nd pct 44.6% 59th pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Other Urban +19.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
32.4% 97th pct 12.8% 31st pct

Highest year of school

65.5% Year 12 ◂ +20.9 pts 44.6%
15.7% Year 10 +11.2 pts ▸ 27.0%
8.5% Year 9 or below +3.2 pts ▸ 11.7%
4.1% Year 11 +3.5 pts ▸ 7.6%

Highest qualification level

19.1% Certificate III / IV +19.9 pts ▸ 39.0%
32.5% Bachelor degree ◂ +16.2 pts 16.2%
14.7% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +1.1 pts 13.6%
13.8% Postgraduate degree ◂ +10.3 pts 3.5%
3.3% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +0.6 pts 2.7%
1.5% Certificate I / II +1.6 pts ▸ 3.1%

Field of qualification

24.1% Management & commerce ◂ +9.7 pts 14.4%
12.3% Engineering & related +5.6 pts ▸ 17.8%
12.2% Society & culture ◂ +1.6 pts 10.6%
9.1% Health +0.9 pts ▸ 10.0%
6.9% Education +1.7 pts ▸ 8.5%
4.1% Food, hospitality & personal services +2.2 pts ▸ 6.2%
4.9% Architecture & building +0.9 pts ▸ 5.8%
5.0% Information technology ◂ +3.7 pts 1.3%
4.7% Creative arts ◂ +2.8 pts 1.9%
3.3% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +1.8 pts 1.5%
1.1% Agriculture & environment +1.2 pts ▸ 2.3%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$170 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$869 72nd pct $699 40th pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$641 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,027 79th pct $1,386 31st pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$611 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,343 81st pct $1,732 34th pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Other Urban +6.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
15.5% 85th pct 8.9% 51st pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Other Urban +14.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
29.1% 87th pct 14.8% 40th pct

Household income distribution

22.3% $650–$1,499 +7.8 pts ▸ 30.0%
29.1% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +1.8 pts 27.3%
13.8% Under $650 +5.0 pts ▸ 18.8%
17.5% $4,000 or more ◂ +10.8 pts 6.7%
11.5% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +3.4 pts 8.1%

Personal income distribution

37.7% Under $650 +5.1 pts ▸ 42.7%
29.6% $650–$1,499 +0.6 pts ▸ 30.2%
19.5% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +4.8 pts 14.7%
6.7% $3,000 or more ◂ +3.9 pts 2.8%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Other Urban +7.5 pts higher in Other Urban
24.5% 33rd pct 32.0% 75th pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.3 pts higher in Other Urban
7.1% 29th pct 10.4% 71st pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.1 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
5.4% 57th pct 7.5% 97th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

7.1% Arthritis +3.8 pts ▸ 10.9%
7.1% Mental health +3.3 pts ▸ 10.4%
7.0% Asthma +2.1 pts ▸ 9.1%
7.6% Other condition +1.1 pts ▸ 8.6%
4.6% Diabetes +0.9 pts ▸ 5.5%
3.5% Heart disease +1.7 pts ▸ 5.2%
2.5% Cancer +1.0 pts ▸ 3.5%
1.3% Lung condition +1.5 pts ▸ 2.8%
0.8% Stroke +0.4 pts ▸ 1.2%
0.7% Dementia +0.2 pts ▸ 0.9%

Number of long-term health conditions

68.1% None ◂ +10.5 pts 57.6%
17.2% One condition +3.1 pts ▸ 20.2%
4.9% Two conditions +2.4 pts ▸ 7.3%
2.4% Three or more +2.0 pts ▸ 4.5%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.5 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
11.7% 29th pct 14.2% 39th pct
Unpaid carers in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.1 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
10.9% 42nd pct 12.0% 57th pct
Unpaid child care in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
25.3% 57th pct 25.5% 60th pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.3 pts higher in Other Urban
1.8% 13th pct 4.0% 76th pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.3 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
20.3% 51st pct 21.6% 63rd pct

Family & Households

Household size in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.2 larger in Major Urban gap steady
2.7 86th pct 2.5 57th pct
One-parent in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
13.4% 43rd pct 17.6% 83rd pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.4 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
23.8% 32nd pct 27.2% 57th pct

Family composition

61.6% Couples with children ◂ +10.6 pts 51.0%
23.7% Couples without children +6.5 pts ▸ 30.2%
13.4% One-parent families +4.2 pts ▸ 17.6%
1.2% Other families ◂ +0.1 pts 1.1%

Household size

31.1% 2 people +5.5 pts ▸ 36.6%
23.8% 1 person +3.4 pts ▸ 27.2%
17.1% 3 people ◂ +3.1 pts 14.0%
17.0% 4 people ◂ +4.2 pts 12.8%
7.1% 5 people ◂ +1.2 pts 5.9%
3.9% 6 or more ◂ +0.5 pts 3.4%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$160 higher in Major Urban gap steady
$455 100th pct $295 56th pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$866 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,383 99th pct $1,517 42nd pct
People / bedroom in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.10 higher in Major Urban gap steady
0.90 79th pct 0.80 29th pct
Renting in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
35.7% 80th pct 32.7% 72nd pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.8 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
28.2% 28th pct 32.0% 41st pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Other Urban +28.0 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
56.7% 3rd pct 84.7% 39th pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Other Urban +14.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
64.5% 9th pct 78.6% 65th pct

How homes are owned or rented

35.7% Rented ◂ +3.1 pts 32.7%
33.0% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +1.5 pts 31.5%
28.2% Owned outright +3.8 pts ▸ 32.0%
1.3% Not stated +0.6 pts ▸ 2.0%
1.7% Other tenure +0.2 pts ▸ 1.8%

Types of homes

56.7% Separate house +28.0 pts ▸ 84.7%
29.2% Flat or apartment ◂ +24.5 pts 4.7%
13.4% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +4.5 pts 8.9%
0.5% Other dwelling +0.8 pts ▸ 1.3%

Bedrooms per home

32.3% 3 bedrooms +9.0 pts ▸ 41.3%
23.8% 4 bedrooms +8.0 pts ▸ 31.7%
25.6% 2 bedrooms ◂ +10.1 pts 15.4%
8.4% 5 or more ◂ +2.8 pts 5.6%
7.9% 1 bedroom ◂ +4.4 pts 3.5%
0.8% Studio / none ◂ +0.3 pts 0.5%

Weekly rent distribution

13.5% $200–$349 +33.1 pts ▸ 46.6%
43.3% $350–$549 ◂ +15.3 pts 28.0%
21.1% $550–$749 ◂ +18.8 pts 2.3%
8.9% Under $200 +10.1 pts ▸ 19.0%
10.0% $750 or more ◂ +9.5 pts 0.5%

Monthly mortgage distribution

17.6% $1,000–$1,799 +23.7 pts ▸ 41.3%
33.3% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +7.3 pts 25.9%
31.6% $3,000 or more ◂ +25.5 pts 6.1%
11.2% Under $1,000 +9.7 pts ▸ 20.8%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
11.0% 88th pct 6.0% 58th pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Other Urban +30.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
37.0% 100th pct 6.3% 25th pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
3.5% 69th pct 1.2% 39th pct

How people get to work

36.3% Car (driver) +31.2 pts ▸ 67.5%
37.0% Worked at home ◂ +30.7 pts 6.3%
2.7% Car (passenger) +3.3 pts ▸ 6.0%
2.3% Walked +0.8 pts ▸ 3.1%
2.3% Train ◂ +2.2 pts 0.1%
1.2% Bus ◂ +0.1 pts 1.0%
0.4% Bicycle +0.2 pts ▸ 0.6%

Motor vehicles per home

40.0% 1 vehicle ◂ +3.0 pts 37.0%
33.3% 2 vehicles +3.9 pts ▸ 37.2%
10.1% 3 vehicles +2.8 pts ▸ 12.9%
11.0% No vehicle ◂ +5.0 pts 6.0%
5.5% 4 or more +1.2 pts ▸ 6.8%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.1 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
41.0% 68th pct 43.1% 75th pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
15.2% 59th pct 13.0% 50th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.6 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
5.1% 43rd pct 5.7% 61st pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
59.9% 65th pct 55.8% 47th pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.9 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
58.3% 57th pct 60.3% 70th pct

Industries people work in

14.1% Health care & social assistance +1.0 pts ▸ 15.0%
10.5% Professional & technical ◂ +7.0 pts 3.6%
8.9% Retail trade +1.1 pts ▸ 10.0%
8.1% Construction +0.8 pts ▸ 8.9%
8.6% Education & training +0.2 pts ▸ 8.8%
5.7% Accommodation & food +1.9 pts ▸ 7.6%
6.6% Finance & insurance ◂ +5.4 pts 1.3%
5.4% Manufacturing +1.2 pts ▸ 6.5%
0.4% Mining +5.7 pts ▸ 6.1%
5.7% Public administration & safety ◂ +0.1 pts 5.6%
4.9% Transport & warehousing ◂ +0.2 pts 4.7%
3.2% Other services +1.0 pts ▸ 4.2%

Occupations people work in

29.0% Professionals ◂ +13.6 pts 15.4%
10.7% Technicians & trades +5.9 pts ▸ 16.6%
14.7% Managers ◂ +5.0 pts 9.6%
13.6% Clerical & administrative ◂ +2.1 pts 11.5%
6.9% Labourers +6.2 pts ▸ 13.2%
9.8% Community & personal service +3.4 pts ▸ 13.1%
5.6% Machinery operators & drivers +4.0 pts ▸ 9.6%
7.9% Sales workers +1.1 pts ▸ 9.0%

Walkability

Walk score in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.2 higher in Major Urban
7.3 100th pct 4.0 49th pct
Types ≤15 min in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.5 more in Major Urban
6.7 100th pct 4.3 51st pct
15-min city in Major Urbanin Other Urban +35.4 pts higher in Major Urban
84.7% 99th pct 49.2% 47th pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Other Urban +25.8 pts higher in Major Urban
80.2% 89th pct 54.4% 51st pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Other Urban +67.5 pts higher in Major Urban
97.3% 99th pct 29.8% 43rd pct
Walk to school in Major Urbanin Other Urban +31.1 pts higher in Major Urban
89.0% 100th pct 57.9% 56th pct
Walk to a park in Major Urbanin Other Urban +11.2 pts higher in Major Urban
98.1% 89th pct 86.9% 57th pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Other Urban +25.6 pts higher in Major Urban
68.4% 97th pct 42.8% 57th pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.5 more in Major Urban
13.1 9th pct 12.6 3rd pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Other Urban +102 higher in Major Urban
139 88th pct 37 57th pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.7 pts higher in Major Urban
7.0% 76th pct 5.3% 44th 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 Rural Balance Other Urban Bounded Locality Rural Balance Major Urban Bounded Locality Major Urban Rural Balance 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/SOS31/other-urban