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Rural Balance vs Major Urban

Section of State comparison ≈ 826 km apart · Rural Balance profile · Major Urban profile

Rural Balance Major Urban

Major Urban and Rural Balance are very different places. Major Urban is very walkable, with 73.9% of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries and 87.3% near public transport. In contrast, Rural Balance is car-dependent, with only 4.2% of homes near groceries. There are also big differences in who lives there; Major Urban is far more diverse, with 26.8% born overseas and 16.4% using another language at home, compared to 10.1% and 4.7% in Rural Balance. Housing differs too, as 35.8% of Major Urban households rent, while 47.0% of homes in Rural Balance are owned outright.

These gaps have widened since 2011, especially regarding age and housing. Residents are now far older in Rural Balance, with a typical age of 46 compared to 37 in Major Urban. However, the two areas share some similarities. Their typical household incomes are nearly the same, around $1,700 to $1,800 a week, and both have about the same share of people earning $3,000 or more weekly.

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Where they differ most

Population: 3,040,729 larger in Major Urban Separate houses: 28.1 pts higher in Rural Balance Renting: 22.8 pts higher in Major Urban Owned outright: 20.7 pts higher in Rural Balance Year 12: 18.5 pts higher in Major Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Rural Balancein Major Urban +3,040,729 larger in Major Urban gap widening
574,269 80th pct 3,614,998 94th pct
Median age in Rural Balancein Major Urban +9 yrs older in Rural Balance gap widening
46 yrs 79th pct 37 yrs 14th pct
First Nations in Rural Balancein Major Urban +1.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
4.7% 44th pct 3.4% 35th pct
Aged 65+ in Rural Balancein Major Urban +5.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
20.8% 73rd pct 15.6% 44th pct
Under 15 in Rural Balancein Major Urban +1.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
17.6% 60th pct 18.7% 77th pct
De facto in Rural Balancein Major Urban +1.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
11.4% 15th pct 12.9% 57th pct

Age structure

31.1% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +7.0 pts 24.1%
19.6% Young adults (25–44) +9.0 pts ▸ 28.6%
20.8% Seniors (65+) ◂ +5.2 pts 15.6%
17.6% Children (0–14) +1.1 pts ▸ 18.7%
10.9% Youth (15–24) +2.1 pts ▸ 13.0%

Marital status

53.7% Married ◂ +9.5 pts 44.2%
30.3% Never married +8.1 pts ▸ 38.5%
8.7% Divorced +0.7 pts ▸ 9.4%
4.2% Widowed +0.3 pts ▸ 4.5%
3.0% Separated +0.4 pts ▸ 3.5%

Age & sex structure

Rural Balance Major Urban

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Rural Balancein Major Urban +16.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
10.1% 13th pct 26.8% 82nd pct

Country of birth

81.4% Australia ◂ +13.2 pts 68.2%
1.1% New Zealand +3.5 pts ▸ 4.7%
2.7% England +1.3 pts ▸ 4.0%
0.2% India +1.6 pts ▸ 1.8%
0.3% China +1.2 pts ▸ 1.5%
0.4% South Africa +0.7 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.2% Philippines +0.8 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.1% Vietnam +0.5 pts ▸ 0.6%
0.4% Italy ◂ +0.1 pts 0.3%
0.0% Nepal +0.3 pts ▸ 0.3%

Ancestry

41.0% Australian ◂ +9.6 pts 31.4%
40.2% English ◂ +2.9 pts 37.3%
11.9% Irish ◂ +0.8 pts 11.2%
10.9% Scottish ◂ +0.8 pts 10.2%
4.3% German +1.2 pts ▸ 5.5%
0.8% Chinese +3.2 pts ▸ 4.1%
3.3% Italian ◂ +0.3 pts 3.0%
0.4% Indian +2.0 pts ▸ 2.4%
1.4% Dutch +0.2 pts ▸ 1.6%
0.4% Filipino +1.2 pts ▸ 1.6%
0.1% Vietnamese +0.8 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.5% Greek +0.3 pts ▸ 0.8%

Language

Other language in Rural Balancein Major Urban +11.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
4.7% 16th pct 16.4% 72nd pct
Limited English in Rural Balancein Major Urban +1.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
0.6% 23rd pct 2.2% 71st pct

Language used at home

87.0% English only ◂ +8.8 pts 78.3%
0.3% Mandarin +1.9 pts ▸ 2.2%
0.1% Vietnamese +0.7 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.2% Punjabi +0.6 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.2% Cantonese +0.5 pts ▸ 0.7%
0.1% Hindi +0.5 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.5% Italian ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%
0.5% Arabic ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%
0.1% Tagalog +0.4 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.2% Greek +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%

Religion

No religion in Rural Balancein Major Urban +8.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
33.8% 22nd pct 42.2% 55th pct

Religious affiliation

54.3% Christianity ◂ +9.8 pts 44.4%
33.8% No religion +8.3 pts ▸ 42.2%
10.0% Not stated ◂ +3.0 pts 7.1%
0.2% Hinduism +1.6 pts ▸ 1.8%
0.6% Buddhism +1.1 pts ▸ 1.7%
0.5% Islam +1.1 pts ▸ 1.5%
0.5% Other religions +0.7 pts ▸ 1.2%
0.1% Judaism even 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Rural Balancein Major Urban +18.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
44.2% 57th pct 62.7% 88th pct
Bachelor+ in Rural Balancein Major Urban +8.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
17.5% 72nd pct 25.8% 84th pct

Highest year of school

44.2% Year 12 +18.5 pts ▸ 62.7%
29.4% Year 10 ◂ +11.5 pts 17.9%
10.4% Year 9 or below ◂ +3.5 pts 7.0%
6.2% Year 11 ◂ +0.1 pts 6.1%

Highest qualification level

33.6% Certificate III / IV ◂ +6.4 pts 27.2%
19.5% Bachelor degree +7.5 pts ▸ 27.0%
14.2% Advanced diploma / diploma +1.5 pts ▸ 15.7%
5.2% Postgraduate degree +3.8 pts ▸ 9.0%
2.9% Graduate diploma / certificate +0.9 pts ▸ 3.9%
2.3% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.2 pts 2.1%

Field of qualification

14.6% Management & commerce +5.6 pts ▸ 20.1%
15.5% Engineering & related ◂ +2.3 pts 13.2%
9.4% Society & culture +3.1 pts ▸ 12.5%
9.8% Health +1.6 pts ▸ 11.4%
8.4% Education ◂ +0.7 pts 7.7%
6.8% Architecture & building ◂ +1.2 pts 5.6%
6.3% Agriculture & environment ◂ +4.9 pts 1.4%
4.3% Food, hospitality & personal services +1.3 pts ▸ 5.5%
2.8% Creative arts +1.0 pts ▸ 3.8%
1.2% Information technology +1.8 pts ▸ 3.0%
2.3% Natural & physical sciences +0.5 pts ▸ 2.8%

Income

Personal income in Rural Balancein Major Urban +$80 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$753 55th pct $833 70th pct
Household income in Rural Balancein Major Urban +$83 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$1,704 58th pct $1,787 65th pct
Family income in Rural Balancein Major Urban +$132 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$1,996 59th pct $2,128 72nd pct
High earners in Rural Balancein Major Urban +1.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
10.7% 64th pct 12.0% 72nd pct
High-income homes in Rural Balancein Major Urban even gap narrowing
22.2% 67th pct 22.2% 67th pct

Household income distribution

27.5% $1,500–$2,999 +3.7 pts ▸ 31.2%
26.4% $650–$1,499 ◂ +0.5 pts 25.9%
15.1% Under $650 ◂ +1.1 pts 14.0%
12.5% $4,000 or more ◂ +0.8 pts 11.7%
9.7% $3,000–$3,999 +0.8 pts ▸ 10.5%

Personal income distribution

39.8% Under $650 ◂ +1.9 pts 37.9%
30.1% $650–$1,499 +2.6 pts ▸ 32.7%
15.5% $1,500–$2,999 +2.7 pts ▸ 18.1%
4.4% $3,000 or more +0.2 pts ▸ 4.5%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Rural Balancein Major Urban +0.6 pts higher in Rural Balance
28.6% 56th pct 28.0% 53rd pct
Mental health in Rural Balancein Major Urban +2.0 pts higher in Major Urban
7.7% 38th pct 9.7% 60th pct
Needs assistance in Rural Balancein Major Urban +1.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
4.6% 43rd pct 5.7% 63rd pct

Long-term health conditions reported

10.1% Arthritis ◂ +2.1 pts 8.1%
7.7% Mental health +2.0 pts ▸ 9.7%
7.1% Other condition +1.4 pts ▸ 8.5%
8.1% Asthma +0.4 pts ▸ 8.4%
4.3% Heart disease ◂ +0.4 pts 3.8%
4.2% Diabetes ◂ +0.1 pts 4.2%
3.4% Cancer ◂ +0.5 pts 3.0%
2.0% Lung condition ◂ +0.2 pts 1.8%
0.9% Stroke even 0.9%
0.5% Dementia +0.2 pts ▸ 0.7%

Number of long-term health conditions

60.4% None +3.7 pts ▸ 64.1%
19.4% One condition ◂ +0.3 pts 19.1%
6.1% Two conditions ◂ +0.2 pts 5.9%
3.0% Three or more even 3.0%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Rural Balancein Major Urban +5.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
19.4% 74th pct 13.6% 37th pct
Unpaid carers in Rural Balancein Major Urban +2.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
13.4% 84th pct 11.1% 46th pct
Unpaid child care in Rural Balancein Major Urban +1.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
25.4% 59th pct 27.2% 83rd pct
Defence service in Rural Balancein Major Urban +0.6 pts higher in Major Urban
3.2% 43rd pct 3.8% 68th pct
Housework 15h+ in Rural Balancein Major Urban +7.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
27.2% 100th pct 19.7% 46th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Rural Balancein Major Urban +0.1 larger in Rural Balance gap steady
2.7 86th pct 2.6 71st pct
One-parent in Rural Balancein Major Urban +5.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
9.6% 16th pct 15.4% 61st pct
Living alone in Rural Balancein Major Urban +4.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
20.0% 12th pct 24.4% 37th pct

Family composition

57.7% Couples with children ◂ +0.9 pts 56.7%
32.1% Couples without children ◂ +5.5 pts 26.6%
9.6% One-parent families +5.8 pts ▸ 15.4%
0.6% Other families +0.6 pts ▸ 1.3%

Household size

38.7% 2 people ◂ +4.6 pts 34.2%
20.0% 1 person +4.4 pts ▸ 24.4%
14.0% 3 people +2.5 pts ▸ 16.5%
14.2% 4 people +1.3 pts ▸ 15.5%
8.0% 5 people ◂ +1.9 pts 6.2%
5.0% 6 or more ◂ +1.8 pts 3.2%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Rural Balancein Major Urban +$90 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$300 58th pct $390 88th pct
Mortgage in Rural Balancein Major Urban +$58 higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
$1,900 76th pct $1,842 71st pct
People / bedroom in Rural Balancein Major Urban even gap steady
0.80 29th pct 0.80 29th pct
Renting in Rural Balancein Major Urban +22.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
12.9% 12th pct 35.8% 80th pct
Owned outright in Rural Balancein Major Urban +20.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
47.0% 98th pct 26.3% 15th pct
Separate houses in Rural Balancein Major Urban +28.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
97.1% 92nd pct 69.0% 15th pct
3+ bedrooms in Rural Balancein Major Urban +7.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
82.4% 86th pct 75.4% 47th pct

How homes are owned or rented

47.0% Owned outright ◂ +20.7 pts 26.3%
12.9% Rented +22.8 pts ▸ 35.8%
33.8% Owned with a mortgage +1.2 pts ▸ 35.0%
4.4% Other tenure ◂ +2.8 pts 1.6%
1.8% Not stated ◂ +0.5 pts 1.4%

Types of homes

97.1% Separate house ◂ +28.1 pts 69.0%
0.4% Flat or apartment +16.0 pts ▸ 16.3%
0.6% Townhouse / semi-detached +13.4 pts ▸ 14.0%
1.2% Other dwelling ◂ +0.8 pts 0.4%

Bedrooms per home

33.0% 3 bedrooms +3.4 pts ▸ 36.3%
34.6% 4 bedrooms ◂ +3.7 pts 30.9%
10.9% 2 bedrooms +7.0 pts ▸ 17.9%
14.8% 5 or more ◂ +6.7 pts 8.1%
4.0% 1 bedroom +1.0 pts ▸ 5.0%
0.9% Studio / none ◂ +0.5 pts 0.4%

Weekly rent distribution

27.0% $350–$549 +23.7 pts ▸ 50.7%
32.0% $200–$349 ◂ +6.4 pts 25.6%
18.5% Under $200 ◂ +10.4 pts 8.1%
8.0% $550–$749 +2.0 pts ▸ 9.9%
4.1% $750 or more ◂ +1.3 pts 2.8%

Monthly mortgage distribution

27.3% $1,800–$2,999 +7.3 pts ▸ 34.6%
24.9% $1,000–$1,799 +6.9 pts ▸ 31.8%
21.1% $3,000 or more ◂ +6.6 pts 14.5%
19.5% Under $1,000 ◂ +6.0 pts 13.5%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Rural Balancein Major Urban +4.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
1.4% 13th pct 6.2% 62nd pct
Work from home in Rural Balancein Major Urban +6.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
22.1% 91st pct 15.7% 78th pct
PT commute in Rural Balancein Major Urban +3.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
0.3% 9th pct 3.7% 70th pct

How people get to work

55.3% Car (driver) +2.5 pts ▸ 57.8%
22.1% Worked at home ◂ +6.5 pts 15.7%
3.2% Car (passenger) +1.1 pts ▸ 4.2%
3.4% Walked ◂ +1.2 pts 2.2%
0.2% Bus +1.8 pts ▸ 2.0%
0.1% Train +1.4 pts ▸ 1.5%
0.1% Bicycle +0.6 pts ▸ 0.8%

Motor vehicles per home

39.1% 2 vehicles ◂ +0.9 pts 38.2%
20.5% 1 vehicle +16.6 pts ▸ 37.1%
20.9% 3 vehicles ◂ +8.7 pts 12.1%
18.1% 4 or more ◂ +11.8 pts 6.3%
1.4% No vehicle +4.8 pts ▸ 6.2%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Rural Balancein Major Urban +18.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
29.1% 20th pct 47.3% 85th pct
Recent arrivals in Rural Balancein Major Urban +8.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
5.6% 12th pct 14.2% 55th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Rural Balancein Major Urban +2.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
3.2% 14th pct 5.4% 56th pct
Participation in Rural Balancein Major Urban +4.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
59.6% 63rd pct 64.1% 84th pct
Full-time in Rural Balancein Major Urban +0.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
57.8% 51st pct 58.6% 59th pct

Industries people work in

17.1% Agriculture, forestry & fishing ◂ +16.5 pts 0.6%
11.1% Health care & social assistance +4.9 pts ▸ 16.0%
10.8% Construction ◂ +1.8 pts 9.0%
7.1% Retail trade +2.2 pts ▸ 9.4%
8.5% Education & training +0.5 pts ▸ 9.0%
4.9% Professional & technical +2.9 pts ▸ 7.8%
4.8% Accommodation & food +2.6 pts ▸ 7.4%
6.0% Public administration & safety +0.4 pts ▸ 6.4%
5.0% Manufacturing +0.5 pts ▸ 5.5%
3.7% Transport & warehousing +1.1 pts ▸ 4.8%
3.7% Other services +0.2 pts ▸ 3.9%
2.5% Administrative & support +0.9 pts ▸ 3.5%

Occupations people work in

16.1% Professionals +7.8 pts ▸ 23.9%
23.1% Managers ◂ +10.7 pts 12.3%
14.0% Technicians & trades ◂ +1.3 pts 12.8%
11.4% Clerical & administrative +1.7 pts ▸ 13.1%
9.3% Community & personal service +3.1 pts ▸ 12.5%
10.5% Labourers ◂ +1.5 pts 8.9%
6.5% Sales workers +2.3 pts ▸ 8.8%
7.0% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +1.2 pts 5.8%

Walkability

Walk score in Rural Balancein Major Urban +5.6 higher in Major Urban
0.7 14th pct 6.3 86th pct
Types ≤15 min in Rural Balancein Major Urban +5.2 more in Major Urban
0.7 14th pct 5.9 85th pct
15-min city in Rural Balancein Major Urban +69.0 pts higher in Major Urban
4.3% 24th pct 73.3% 85th pct
Walk to shops in Rural Balancein Major Urban +69.7 pts higher in Major Urban
4.2% 18th pct 73.9% 82nd pct
Walk to transit in Rural Balancein Major Urban +76.0 pts higher in Major Urban
11.4% 31st pct 87.3% 79th pct
Walk to school in Rural Balancein Major Urban +65.2 pts higher in Major Urban
7.7% 22nd pct 73.0% 76th pct
Walk to a park in Rural Balancein Major Urban +79.7 pts higher in Major Urban
16.8% 14th pct 96.5% 82nd pct
Walk to health in Rural Balancein Major Urban +57.5 pts higher in Major Urban
1.2% 17th pct 58.7% 86th pct
Amenities/1k in Rural Balancein Major Urban +4.0 more in Rural Balance
17.4 42nd pct 13.4 12th pct
Intersections/km² in Rural Balancein Major Urban +107 higher in Major Urban
0 7th pct 108 83rd pct
Mean slope in Rural Balancein Major Urban +2.1 pts higher in Rural Balance
8.0% 86th pct 5.9% 59th pct

Compare Rural Balance with nearby areas

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

Compare Major Urban with nearby areas

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

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Rural Balance vs Major Urban [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sos/SOS13/rural-balance/vs/SOS30/major-urban