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Major Urban vs Rural Balance

Section of State comparison ≈ 993 km apart · Major Urban profile · Rural Balance profile

Major Urban Rural Balance

Major Urban and Rural Balance are very different environments, separated by nearly 1,000 km. Major Urban is a diverse, high-density hub where 36.6% of people were born overseas and 35.0% use a language other than English at home. In contrast, Rural Balance is more culturally uniform and has a much older population, with a typical resident aged 46 compared to 37 in Major Urban. The two areas also differ in housing and wealth: Major Urban has a far higher share of renters (35.7%) and typical monthly mortgage payments of $2,383, while 46.2% of homes in Rural Balance are owned outright.

Everyday life shares some commonalities, as both areas have about the same proportion of people working or looking for work (around 59%) and a similar share of people who provide unpaid childcare. However, many gaps have widened since 2011. The difference in education and income has grown, with Major Urban seeing a far higher share of adults with bachelor degrees. This is alongside a growing divide in accessibility; Major Urban is very walkable, whereas Rural Balance is car-dependent.

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Where they differ most

Other language: 31.9 pts higher in Major Urban Separate houses: 41.7 pts higher in Rural Balance Born overseas: 25.0 pts higher in Major Urban Renting: 24.6 pts higher in Major Urban Population: 5,646,466 larger in Major Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5,646,466 larger in Major Urban gap widening
5,753,827 100th pct 107,361 59th pct
Median age in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +9 yrs older in Rural Balance gap widening
37 yrs 14th pct 46 yrs 79th pct
First Nations in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
2.0% 20th pct 5.7% 53rd pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
15.6% 44th pct 20.2% 69th pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
18.3% 71st pct 16.7% 42nd pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
9.9% 0th pct 14.8% 82nd pct

Age structure

23.8% Older adults (45–64) +8.3 pts ▸ 32.1%
30.1% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +9.0 pts 21.1%
15.6% Seniors (65+) +4.6 pts ▸ 20.2%
18.3% Children (0–14) ◂ +1.5 pts 16.7%
12.2% Youth (15–24) ◂ +2.4 pts 9.9%

Marital status

47.7% Married +3.7 pts ▸ 51.4%
36.6% Never married ◂ +5.0 pts 31.6%
8.0% Divorced +1.9 pts ▸ 9.9%
4.7% Widowed ◂ +0.7 pts 4.0%
3.0% Separated +0.1 pts ▸ 3.1%

Age & sex structure

Major Urban Rural Balance

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +25.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
36.6% 99th pct 11.6% 28th pct

Country of birth

58.8% Australia +22.3 pts ▸ 81.1%
2.9% England +1.4 pts ▸ 4.3%
4.2% China ◂ +4.0 pts 0.2%
3.4% India ◂ +3.2 pts 0.2%
1.7% Vietnam ◂ +1.6 pts 0.1%
1.7% Philippines ◂ +1.4 pts 0.2%
1.6% New Zealand ◂ +0.2 pts 1.4%
1.1% Nepal ◂ +0.9 pts 0.1%
0.7% South Africa ◂ +0.3 pts 0.4%
0.7% Italy ◂ +0.6 pts 0.1%

Ancestry

25.3% English +20.0 pts ▸ 45.3%
23.7% Australian +19.4 pts ▸ 43.1%
8.0% Irish +2.3 pts ▸ 10.3%
6.5% Scottish +3.6 pts ▸ 10.1%
9.7% Chinese ◂ +9.2 pts 0.6%
4.2% Indian ◂ +4.0 pts 0.3%
4.2% Italian ◂ +2.9 pts 1.2%
2.5% German +1.5 pts ▸ 4.0%
1.0% Dutch +1.4 pts ▸ 2.4%
2.4% Filipino ◂ +2.0 pts 0.4%
2.3% Greek ◂ +2.0 pts 0.3%
2.1% Vietnamese ◂ +2.0 pts 0.1%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +31.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
35.0% 90th pct 3.2% 0th pct
Limited English in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
6.0% 92nd pct 0.3% 10th pct

Language used at home

59.7% English only +31.0 pts ▸ 90.7%
4.6% Mandarin ◂ +4.4 pts 0.2%
3.8% Arabic ◂ +3.8 pts 0.0%
2.5% Cantonese ◂ +2.5 pts 0.0%
2.0% Vietnamese ◂ +1.9 pts 0.1%
1.3% Hindi ◂ +1.3 pts 0.0%
1.3% Greek ◂ +1.3 pts 0.1%
1.0% Italian ◂ +0.9 pts 0.1%
0.8% Tagalog ◂ +0.8 pts 0.1%
0.8% Punjabi ◂ +0.7 pts 0.0%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +19.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
31.9% 17th pct 51.4% 100th pct

Religious affiliation

31.9% No religion +19.5 pts ▸ 51.4%
45.8% Christianity ◂ +7.4 pts 38.4%
6.5% Not stated +2.2 pts ▸ 8.7%
5.9% Islam ◂ +5.6 pts 0.3%
4.5% Hinduism ◂ +4.3 pts 0.2%
3.6% Buddhism ◂ +3.0 pts 0.5%
1.2% Other religions ◂ +0.8 pts 0.4%
0.7% Judaism ◂ +0.6 pts 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +23.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
65.5% 92nd pct 41.7% 47th pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +15.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
32.4% 97th pct 17.4% 71st pct

Highest year of school

65.5% Year 12 ◂ +23.8 pts 41.7%
15.7% Year 10 +16.8 pts ▸ 32.6%
8.5% Year 9 or below +1.0 pts ▸ 9.5%
4.1% Year 11 +4.7 pts ▸ 8.8%

Highest qualification level

19.1% Certificate III / IV +17.0 pts ▸ 36.1%
32.5% Bachelor degree ◂ +13.0 pts 19.5%
14.7% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +0.4 pts 14.3%
13.8% Postgraduate degree ◂ +7.8 pts 5.9%
3.3% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +0.1 pts 3.2%
1.5% Certificate I / II +1.3 pts ▸ 2.7%

Field of qualification

24.1% Management & commerce ◂ +11.1 pts 13.0%
12.3% Engineering & related +4.0 pts ▸ 16.3%
12.2% Society & culture ◂ +1.3 pts 10.9%
9.1% Health +1.2 pts ▸ 10.3%
6.9% Education +1.4 pts ▸ 8.2%
4.9% Architecture & building +1.9 pts ▸ 6.8%
1.1% Agriculture & environment +5.0 pts ▸ 6.1%
5.0% Information technology ◂ +3.6 pts 1.4%
4.1% Food, hospitality & personal services +0.9 pts ▸ 5.0%
4.7% Creative arts ◂ +1.5 pts 3.1%
3.3% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +0.4 pts 3.0%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$179 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$869 72nd pct $690 37th pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$601 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,027 79th pct $1,426 35th pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$607 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,343 81st pct $1,736 35th pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +8.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
15.5% 85th pct 7.5% 38th pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +14.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
29.1% 87th pct 14.5% 37th pct

Household income distribution

22.3% $650–$1,499 +8.8 pts ▸ 31.0%
29.1% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +0.1 pts 29.0%
17.5% $4,000 or more ◂ +11.1 pts 6.4%
13.8% Under $650 +3.3 pts ▸ 17.0%
11.5% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +3.5 pts 8.0%

Personal income distribution

37.7% Under $650 +6.6 pts ▸ 44.2%
29.6% $650–$1,499 +2.2 pts ▸ 31.9%
19.5% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +5.4 pts 14.1%
6.7% $3,000 or more ◂ +4.2 pts 2.5%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.9 pts higher in Rural Balance
24.5% 33rd pct 31.4% 71st pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.5 pts higher in Rural Balance
7.1% 29th pct 9.6% 59th pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.4% 57th pct 5.2% 54th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

7.1% Arthritis +5.0 pts ▸ 12.1%
7.1% Mental health +2.5 pts ▸ 9.6%
7.0% Asthma +1.3 pts ▸ 8.4%
7.6% Other condition +0.6 pts ▸ 8.1%
4.6% Diabetes ◂ +0.2 pts 4.5%
3.5% Heart disease +0.8 pts ▸ 4.3%
2.5% Cancer +0.9 pts ▸ 3.4%
1.3% Lung condition +0.9 pts ▸ 2.3%
0.8% Stroke +0.2 pts ▸ 1.0%
0.7% Dementia ◂ +0.4 pts 0.3%

Number of long-term health conditions

68.1% None ◂ +8.3 pts 59.9%
17.2% One condition +3.9 pts ▸ 21.1%
4.9% Two conditions +2.1 pts ▸ 7.0%
2.4% Three or more +0.9 pts ▸ 3.4%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
11.7% 29th pct 19.6% 77th pct
Unpaid carers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
10.9% 42nd pct 13.6% 87th pct
Unpaid child care in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
25.3% 57th pct 25.7% 62nd pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.5 pts higher in Rural Balance
1.8% 13th pct 4.2% 81st pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
20.3% 51st pct 27.0% 100th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.2 larger in Major Urban gap widening
2.7 86th pct 2.5 57th pct
One-parent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
13.4% 43rd pct 10.1% 18th pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
23.8% 32nd pct 22.4% 23rd pct

Family composition

61.6% Couples with children ◂ +7.6 pts 54.0%
23.7% Couples without children +11.6 pts ▸ 35.3%
13.4% One-parent families ◂ +3.3 pts 10.1%
1.2% Other families ◂ +0.6 pts 0.6%

Household size

31.1% 2 people +9.9 pts ▸ 41.0%
23.8% 1 person ◂ +1.5 pts 22.4%
17.1% 3 people ◂ +2.9 pts 14.2%
17.0% 4 people ◂ +3.7 pts 13.3%
7.1% 5 people ◂ +1.2 pts 5.9%
3.9% 6 or more ◂ +0.7 pts 3.2%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$205 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$455 100th pct $250 30th pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$1,033 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,383 99th pct $1,350 22nd pct
People / bedroom in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.10 higher in Major Urban gap steady
0.90 79th pct 0.80 29th pct
Renting in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +24.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
35.7% 80th pct 11.1% 3rd pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +18.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
28.2% 28th pct 46.2% 93rd pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +41.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
56.7% 3rd pct 98.4% 100th pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +14.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
64.5% 9th pct 78.6% 66th pct

How homes are owned or rented

28.2% Owned outright +18.0 pts ▸ 46.2%
33.0% Owned with a mortgage +4.9 pts ▸ 37.9%
35.7% Rented ◂ +24.6 pts 11.1%
1.7% Other tenure +1.6 pts ▸ 3.2%
1.3% Not stated +0.2 pts ▸ 1.5%

Types of homes

56.7% Separate house +41.7 pts ▸ 98.4%
29.2% Flat or apartment ◂ +29.0 pts 0.2%
13.4% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +13.0 pts 0.4%
0.5% Other dwelling +0.3 pts ▸ 0.8%

Bedrooms per home

32.3% 3 bedrooms +14.9 pts ▸ 47.2%
25.6% 2 bedrooms ◂ +10.9 pts 14.7%
23.8% 4 bedrooms +0.7 pts ▸ 24.4%
8.4% 5 or more ◂ +1.4 pts 7.0%
7.9% 1 bedroom ◂ +3.6 pts 4.3%
0.8% Studio / none +0.1 pts ▸ 0.9%

Weekly rent distribution

13.5% $200–$349 +30.4 pts ▸ 43.9%
43.3% $350–$549 ◂ +23.9 pts 19.4%
8.9% Under $200 +17.4 pts ▸ 26.3%
21.1% $550–$749 ◂ +19.3 pts 1.8%
10.0% $750 or more ◂ +9.6 pts 0.4%

Monthly mortgage distribution

17.6% $1,000–$1,799 +21.1 pts ▸ 38.7%
33.3% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +11.6 pts 21.6%
31.6% $3,000 or more ◂ +24.8 pts 6.8%
11.2% Under $1,000 +16.6 pts ▸ 27.8%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +9.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
11.0% 88th pct 1.3% 13th pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +24.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
37.0% 100th pct 12.5% 64th pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
3.5% 69th pct 0.7% 22nd pct

How people get to work

36.3% Car (driver) +28.2 pts ▸ 64.5%
37.0% Worked at home ◂ +24.5 pts 12.5%
2.7% Car (passenger) +1.1 pts ▸ 3.8%
2.3% Walked +0.8 pts ▸ 3.1%
2.3% Train ◂ +2.3 pts 0.0%
1.2% Bus ◂ +0.5 pts 0.6%
0.4% Bicycle ◂ +0.2 pts 0.2%

Motor vehicles per home

40.0% 1 vehicle ◂ +18.6 pts 21.4%
33.3% 2 vehicles +5.9 pts ▸ 39.2%
10.1% 3 vehicles +11.1 pts ▸ 21.2%
5.5% 4 or more +11.3 pts ▸ 16.8%
11.0% No vehicle ◂ +9.6 pts 1.3%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +10.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
41.0% 68th pct 30.5% 27th pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
15.2% 59th pct 7.8% 29th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.1% 43rd pct 4.4% 30th pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
59.9% 65th pct 59.3% 61st pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
58.3% 57th pct 54.8% 27th pct

Industries people work in

0.3% Agriculture, forestry & fishing +14.1 pts ▸ 14.4%
14.1% Health care & social assistance ◂ +1.2 pts 12.9%
10.5% Professional & technical ◂ +6.0 pts 4.5%
8.1% Construction +2.0 pts ▸ 10.1%
8.9% Retail trade ◂ +1.7 pts 7.2%
8.6% Education & training ◂ +0.5 pts 8.2%
5.4% Manufacturing +1.8 pts ▸ 7.2%
6.6% Finance & insurance ◂ +5.5 pts 1.2%
5.7% Accommodation & food +0.3 pts ▸ 6.0%
5.7% Public administration & safety even 5.7%
4.9% Transport & warehousing ◂ +0.8 pts 4.2%
3.2% Other services +0.4 pts ▸ 3.6%

Occupations people work in

29.0% Professionals ◂ +12.8 pts 16.2%
14.7% Managers +3.5 pts ▸ 18.1%
10.7% Technicians & trades +5.0 pts ▸ 15.7%
13.6% Clerical & administrative ◂ +3.3 pts 10.3%
6.9% Labourers +5.5 pts ▸ 12.5%
9.8% Community & personal service +1.1 pts ▸ 10.8%
7.9% Sales workers ◂ +1.1 pts 6.7%
5.6% Machinery operators & drivers +2.0 pts ▸ 7.6%

Walkability

Walk score in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.6 higher in Major Urban
7.3 100th pct 0.7 15th pct
Types ≤15 min in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.0 more in Major Urban
6.7 100th pct 0.7 15th pct
15-min city in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +81.3 pts higher in Major Urban
84.7% 99th pct 3.4% 18th pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +75.0 pts higher in Major Urban
80.2% 89th pct 5.2% 29th pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +88.5 pts higher in Major Urban
97.3% 99th pct 8.9% 29th pct
Walk to school in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +85.3 pts higher in Major Urban
89.0% 100th pct 3.7% 10th pct
Walk to a park in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +73.2 pts higher in Major Urban
98.1% 89th pct 24.8% 19th pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +66.5 pts higher in Major Urban
68.4% 97th pct 1.9% 29th pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +14.8 more in Rural Balance
13.1 9th pct 28.0 75th pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +139 higher in Major Urban
139 88th pct 0 14th pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.9 pts higher in Rural Balance
7.0% 76th pct 10.8% 95th 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 Rural Balance with nearby areas

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

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Major Urban vs Rural Balance [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sos/SOS10/major-urban/vs/SOS63/rural-balance