CensusAtlas

Compare

Rural Balance vs Major Urban

Section of State comparison ≈ 396 km apart · Rural Balance profile · Major Urban profile

Rural Balance Major Urban

Rural Balance and Major Urban are very different places. Rural Balance is much older, with a typical resident aged 46, while the typical person in Major Urban is 35. Major Urban is far more diverse, with 28.8% of people born overseas compared to 10.1% in Rural Balance. Education and income levels are also far higher in Major Urban, where 43% of adults have a bachelor degree or higher and 22.1% earn $2,000 or more a week. In contrast, Rural Balance is more likely to have separate houses (97.1%) and homes owned outright (47%).

Both areas share very similar rates of unemployment and have almost the same share of children under 15. However, they differ sharply in how people get around; Major Urban is very walkable, while Rural Balance is car-dependent. Since 2011, the gaps between them have often grown. This is seen in the age difference, which widened to 11 years, and the rise in the share of people born overseas in Major Urban compared to Rural Balance.

Open map →

Where they differ most

Year 12: 32.9 pts higher in Major Urban Bachelor+: 25.5 pts higher in Major Urban Separate houses: 34.0 pts higher in Rural Balance Owned outright: 20.4 pts higher in Rural Balance Other language: 20.0 pts higher in Major Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Rural Balancein Major Urban +121,599 larger in Rural Balance gap narrowing
574,269 80th pct 452,670 77th pct
Median age in Rural Balancein Major Urban +11 yrs older in Rural Balance gap widening
46 yrs 79th pct 35 yrs 10th pct
First Nations in Rural Balancein Major Urban +2.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
4.7% 44th pct 2.0% 19th pct
Aged 65+ in Rural Balancein Major Urban +7.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
20.8% 73rd pct 13.7% 34th pct
Under 15 in Rural Balancein Major Urban +0.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
17.6% 60th pct 18.3% 71st pct
De facto in Rural Balancein Major Urban +1.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
11.4% 15th pct 12.5% 43rd pct

Age structure

19.6% Young adults (25–44) +12.8 pts ▸ 32.4%
31.1% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +8.7 pts 22.3%
20.8% Seniors (65+) ◂ +7.1 pts 13.7%
17.6% Children (0–14) +0.6 pts ▸ 18.3%
10.9% Youth (15–24) +2.5 pts ▸ 13.3%

Marital status

53.7% Married ◂ +6.9 pts 46.8%
30.3% Never married +8.9 pts ▸ 39.2%
8.7% Divorced ◂ +1.0 pts 7.7%
4.2% Widowed ◂ +0.5 pts 3.7%
3.0% Separated ◂ +0.5 pts 2.5%

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 +18.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
10.1% 13th pct 28.8% 86th pct

Country of birth

81.4% Australia ◂ +13.9 pts 67.5%
0.2% India +3.6 pts ▸ 3.8%
2.7% England +0.2 pts ▸ 2.9%
0.3% China +2.4 pts ▸ 2.7%
0.0% Nepal +1.2 pts ▸ 1.3%
1.1% New Zealand even 1.1%
0.2% Philippines +0.9 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.1% Vietnam +0.8 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.4% South Africa +0.2 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.4% Italy +0.1 pts ▸ 0.4%

Ancestry

41.0% Australian ◂ +9.5 pts 31.5%
40.2% English ◂ +8.2 pts 32.0%
11.9% Irish ◂ +0.3 pts 11.6%
10.9% Scottish ◂ +0.9 pts 10.0%
0.8% Chinese +4.9 pts ▸ 5.7%
0.4% Indian +4.1 pts ▸ 4.5%
4.3% German ◂ +0.1 pts 4.2%
3.3% Italian +0.1 pts ▸ 3.4%
1.4% Dutch +0.3 pts ▸ 1.7%
0.4% Filipino +1.2 pts ▸ 1.6%
0.1% Vietnamese +1.2 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.5% Greek +0.7 pts ▸ 1.2%

Language

Other language in Rural Balancein Major Urban +20.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
4.7% 16th pct 24.6% 82nd pct
Limited English in Rural Balancein Major Urban +1.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
0.6% 23rd pct 2.5% 73rd pct

Language used at home

87.0% English only ◂ +15.8 pts 71.2%
0.3% Mandarin +2.9 pts ▸ 3.2%
0.1% Vietnamese +1.0 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.2% Punjabi +1.0 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.1% Hindi +1.0 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.2% Cantonese +0.8 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.5% Arabic +0.4 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.5% Italian +0.1 pts ▸ 0.6%
0.2% Greek +0.4 pts ▸ 0.6%
0.1% Tagalog +0.4 pts ▸ 0.5%

Religion

No religion in Rural Balancein Major Urban +10.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
33.8% 22nd pct 44.2% 67th pct

Religious affiliation

54.3% Christianity ◂ +16.1 pts 38.1%
33.8% No religion +10.3 pts ▸ 44.2%
10.0% Not stated ◂ +4.4 pts 5.6%
0.2% Hinduism +4.3 pts ▸ 4.5%
0.5% Islam +2.7 pts ▸ 3.2%
0.6% Buddhism +2.2 pts ▸ 2.8%
0.5% Other religions +0.9 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.1% Judaism +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Rural Balancein Major Urban +32.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
44.2% 57th pct 77.1% 100th pct
Bachelor+ in Rural Balancein Major Urban +25.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
17.5% 72nd pct 43.0% 100th pct

Highest year of school

44.2% Year 12 +32.9 pts ▸ 77.1%
29.4% Year 10 ◂ +18.9 pts 10.5%
10.4% Year 9 or below ◂ +6.2 pts 4.2%
6.2% Year 11 ◂ +2.7 pts 3.5%

Highest qualification level

19.5% Bachelor degree +14.4 pts ▸ 33.9%
33.6% Certificate III / IV ◂ +18.6 pts 15.0%
5.2% Postgraduate degree +14.7 pts ▸ 19.9%
14.2% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +1.2 pts 13.0%
2.9% Graduate diploma / certificate +3.4 pts ▸ 6.3%
2.3% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.9 pts 1.3%

Field of qualification

9.4% Society & culture +10.6 pts ▸ 20.1%
14.6% Management & commerce +5.5 pts ▸ 20.1%
15.5% Engineering & related ◂ +7.1 pts 8.4%
9.8% Health ◂ +1.1 pts 8.7%
8.4% Education ◂ +1.5 pts 6.9%
1.2% Information technology +6.4 pts ▸ 7.6%
6.8% Architecture & building ◂ +2.9 pts 3.9%
6.3% Agriculture & environment ◂ +4.7 pts 1.6%
2.3% Natural & physical sciences +3.4 pts ▸ 5.6%
4.3% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +0.9 pts 3.3%
2.8% Creative arts +1.4 pts ▸ 4.2%

Income

Personal income in Rural Balancein Major Urban +$451 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$753 55th pct $1,204 84th pct
Household income in Rural Balancein Major Urban +$668 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$1,704 58th pct $2,372 88th pct
Family income in Rural Balancein Major Urban +$875 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$1,996 59th pct $2,871 95th pct
High earners in Rural Balancein Major Urban +11.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
10.7% 64th pct 22.1% 93rd pct
High-income homes in Rural Balancein Major Urban +14.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
22.2% 67th pct 36.4% 94th pct

Household income distribution

27.5% $1,500–$2,999 +5.1 pts ▸ 32.6%
26.4% $650–$1,499 ◂ +8.9 pts 17.5%
12.5% $4,000 or more +9.4 pts ▸ 21.9%
15.1% Under $650 ◂ +6.5 pts 8.6%
9.7% $3,000–$3,999 +4.8 pts ▸ 14.5%

Personal income distribution

39.8% Under $650 ◂ +12.0 pts 27.9%
30.1% $650–$1,499 ◂ +0.4 pts 29.7%
15.5% $1,500–$2,999 +14.3 pts ▸ 29.8%
4.4% $3,000 or more +3.5 pts ▸ 7.8%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Rural Balancein Major Urban +0.5 pts higher in Rural Balance
28.6% 56th pct 28.1% 53rd pct
Mental health in Rural Balancein Major Urban +2.3 pts higher in Major Urban
7.7% 38th pct 10.0% 65th pct
Needs assistance in Rural Balancein Major Urban even gap steady
4.6% 43rd pct 4.6% 42nd pct

Long-term health conditions reported

10.1% Arthritis ◂ +2.4 pts 7.7%
7.7% Mental health +2.3 pts ▸ 10.0%
7.1% Other condition +2.6 pts ▸ 9.7%
8.1% Asthma +0.9 pts ▸ 9.0%
4.3% Heart disease ◂ +1.2 pts 3.1%
4.2% Diabetes ◂ +0.4 pts 3.9%
3.4% Cancer ◂ +0.7 pts 2.7%
2.0% Lung condition ◂ +0.7 pts 1.3%
0.9% Stroke ◂ +0.2 pts 0.7%
0.5% Dementia +0.1 pts ▸ 0.6%

Number of long-term health conditions

60.4% None +5.6 pts ▸ 66.0%
19.4% One condition +0.4 pts ▸ 19.8%
6.1% Two conditions ◂ +0.3 pts 5.8%
3.0% Three or more ◂ +0.6 pts 2.4%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Rural Balancein Major Urban +1.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
19.4% 74th pct 18.4% 67th pct
Unpaid carers in Rural Balancein Major Urban +1.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
13.4% 84th pct 12.0% 57th pct
Unpaid child care in Rural Balancein Major Urban +2.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
25.4% 59th pct 28.3% 87th pct
Defence service in Rural Balancein Major Urban +2.7 pts higher in Major Urban
3.2% 43rd pct 6.0% 93rd pct
Housework 15h+ in Rural Balancein Major Urban +7.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
27.2% 100th pct 19.3% 42nd pct

Family & Households

Household size in Rural Balancein Major Urban +0.2 larger in Rural Balance gap widening
2.7 86th pct 2.5 57th pct
One-parent in Rural Balancein Major Urban +2.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
9.6% 16th pct 11.9% 27th pct
Living alone in Rural Balancein Major Urban +5.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
20.0% 12th pct 25.8% 47th pct

Family composition

57.7% Couples with children +2.2 pts ▸ 59.8%
32.1% Couples without children ◂ +4.9 pts 27.2%
9.6% One-parent families +2.3 pts ▸ 11.9%
0.6% Other families +0.4 pts ▸ 1.1%

Household size

38.7% 2 people ◂ +6.1 pts 32.7%
20.0% 1 person +5.8 pts ▸ 25.8%
14.0% 3 people +2.6 pts ▸ 16.5%
14.2% 4 people +2.2 pts ▸ 16.4%
8.0% 5 people ◂ +2.0 pts 6.0%
5.0% 6 or more ◂ +2.5 pts 2.5%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Rural Balancein Major Urban +$150 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$300 58th pct $450 100th pct
Mortgage in Rural Balancein Major Urban +$180 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$1,900 76th pct $2,080 88th 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 +17.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
12.9% 12th pct 30.7% 58th pct
Owned outright in Rural Balancein Major Urban +20.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
47.0% 98th pct 26.6% 17th pct
Separate houses in Rural Balancein Major Urban +34.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
97.1% 92nd pct 63.1% 9th pct
3+ bedrooms in Rural Balancein Major Urban +9.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
82.4% 86th pct 73.0% 37th pct

How homes are owned or rented

47.0% Owned outright ◂ +20.4 pts 26.6%
33.8% Owned with a mortgage +6.4 pts ▸ 40.2%
12.9% Rented +17.8 pts ▸ 30.7%
4.4% Other tenure ◂ +2.8 pts 1.6%
1.8% Not stated ◂ +1.0 pts 0.9%

Types of homes

97.1% Separate house ◂ +34.0 pts 63.1%
0.4% Flat or apartment +19.1 pts ▸ 19.4%
0.6% Townhouse / semi-detached +16.6 pts ▸ 17.2%
1.2% Other dwelling ◂ +1.1 pts 0.1%

Bedrooms per home

33.0% 3 bedrooms +4.2 pts ▸ 37.1%
34.6% 4 bedrooms ◂ +5.8 pts 28.8%
10.9% 2 bedrooms +6.6 pts ▸ 17.5%
14.8% 5 or more ◂ +7.8 pts 7.1%
4.0% 1 bedroom +4.5 pts ▸ 8.4%
0.9% Studio / none ◂ +0.7 pts 0.2%

Weekly rent distribution

27.0% $350–$549 +18.8 pts ▸ 45.8%
32.0% $200–$349 ◂ +19.5 pts 12.4%
8.0% $550–$749 +13.2 pts ▸ 21.2%
18.5% Under $200 ◂ +6.0 pts 12.5%
4.1% $750 or more +0.9 pts ▸ 5.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

27.3% $1,800–$2,999 +11.2 pts ▸ 38.5%
24.9% $1,000–$1,799 +0.7 pts ▸ 25.6%
21.1% $3,000 or more ◂ +0.2 pts 20.9%
19.5% Under $1,000 ◂ +8.4 pts 11.0%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Rural Balancein Major Urban +4.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
1.4% 13th pct 5.6% 52nd pct
Work from home in Rural Balancein Major Urban +11.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
22.1% 91st pct 10.9% 56th pct
PT commute in Rural Balancein Major Urban +4.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
0.3% 9th pct 4.6% 81st pct

How people get to work

55.3% Car (driver) +3.8 pts ▸ 59.0%
22.1% Worked at home ◂ +11.2 pts 10.9%
3.2% Car (passenger) +1.9 pts ▸ 5.0%
3.4% Walked +0.6 pts ▸ 4.0%
0.2% Bus +3.4 pts ▸ 3.6%
0.1% Bicycle +2.0 pts ▸ 2.1%
0.1% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

20.5% 1 vehicle +18.7 pts ▸ 39.3%
39.1% 2 vehicles ◂ +0.4 pts 38.7%
20.9% 3 vehicles ◂ +9.9 pts 10.9%
18.1% 4 or more ◂ +12.6 pts 5.5%
1.4% No vehicle +4.2 pts ▸ 5.6%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Rural Balancein Major Urban +17.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
29.1% 20th pct 46.1% 82nd pct
Recent arrivals in Rural Balancein Major Urban +11.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
5.6% 12th pct 16.7% 69th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Rural Balancein Major Urban +0.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
3.2% 14th pct 3.8% 23rd pct
Participation in Rural Balancein Major Urban +10.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
59.6% 63rd pct 69.6% 99th pct
Full-time in Rural Balancein Major Urban +8.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
57.8% 51st pct 65.8% 81st pct

Industries people work in

6.0% Public administration & safety +23.8 pts ▸ 29.8%
17.1% Agriculture, forestry & fishing ◂ +16.9 pts 0.2%
11.1% Health care & social assistance +0.4 pts ▸ 11.5%
4.9% Professional & technical +6.0 pts ▸ 10.9%
10.8% Construction ◂ +4.1 pts 6.6%
8.5% Education & training +0.9 pts ▸ 9.4%
7.1% Retail trade ◂ +0.7 pts 6.5%
4.8% Accommodation & food +1.6 pts ▸ 6.3%
5.0% Manufacturing ◂ +3.3 pts 1.7%
3.7% Transport & warehousing ◂ +1.6 pts 2.1%
3.7% Other services ◂ +0.8 pts 2.9%
2.5% Administrative & support +0.1 pts ▸ 2.6%

Occupations people work in

16.1% Professionals +15.3 pts ▸ 31.5%
23.1% Managers ◂ +5.2 pts 17.8%
11.4% Clerical & administrative +3.2 pts ▸ 14.6%
14.0% Technicians & trades ◂ +4.4 pts 9.6%
9.3% Community & personal service +1.6 pts ▸ 10.9%
10.5% Labourers ◂ +5.5 pts 5.0%
7.0% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +4.6 pts 2.4%
6.5% Sales workers ◂ +0.4 pts 6.1%

Walkability

Walk score in Rural Balancein Major Urban +6.3 higher in Major Urban
0.7 14th pct 7.0 96th pct
Types ≤15 min in Rural Balancein Major Urban +5.9 more in Major Urban
0.7 14th pct 6.5 96th pct
15-min city in Rural Balancein Major Urban +78.2 pts higher in Major Urban
4.3% 24th pct 82.5% 96th pct
Walk to shops in Rural Balancein Major Urban +76.5 pts higher in Major Urban
4.2% 18th pct 80.6% 90th pct
Walk to transit in Rural Balancein Major Urban +86.9 pts higher in Major Urban
11.4% 31st pct 98.2% 100th pct
Walk to school in Rural Balancein Major Urban +78.2 pts higher in Major Urban
7.7% 22nd pct 86.0% 94th pct
Walk to a park in Rural Balancein Major Urban +82.8 pts higher in Major Urban
16.8% 14th pct 99.7% 99th pct
Walk to health in Rural Balancein Major Urban +63.6 pts higher in Major Urban
1.2% 17th pct 64.8% 93rd pct
Amenities/1k in Rural Balancein Major Urban +1.4 more in Major Urban
17.4 42nd pct 18.8 46th pct
Intersections/km² in Rural Balancein Major Urban +246 higher in Major Urban
0 7th pct 246 100th pct
Mean slope in Rural Balancein Major Urban +2.5 pts higher in Rural Balance
8.0% 86th pct 5.5% 51st 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

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

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/SOS80/major-urban