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Major Urban vs Rural Balance

Section of State comparison ≈ 472 km apart · Major Urban profile · Rural Balance profile

Major Urban Rural Balance

Major Urban and Rural Balance are two very different places. Major Urban is a very walkable area where people are more likely to have a bachelor degree (33.0%) and speak a language other than English at home (33.7%). In contrast, Rural Balance is a car-dependent area where residents are far older, with a typical age of 46 compared to 37 in Major Urban. Living arrangements also differ sharply; while 98.4% of homes in Rural Balance are separate houses, Major Urban has far more renters (31.1%) and a much higher share of households earning $3,000 or more a week (24.9%).

Many of these gaps have widened since 2011. For example, the difference in typical age has grown from 7 to 9 years, and the gap in home ownership and overseas births has also increased. Despite these diverging trends, the two areas remain similar in some daily realities, such as the number of people per home and the share of residents who provide unpaid care or need help with daily activities.

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Where they differ most

Other language: 30.5 pts higher in Major Urban Year 12: 25.1 pts higher in Major Urban Separate houses: 30.7 pts higher in Rural Balance Population: 4,864,410 larger in Major Urban Born overseas: 23.6 pts higher in Major Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4,864,410 larger in Major Urban gap widening
4,971,771 98th 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 +5.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
0.7% 6th pct 5.7% 53rd pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
15.3% 42nd pct 20.2% 69th pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
18.0% 66th pct 16.7% 42nd pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
10.8% 5th pct 14.8% 82nd pct

Age structure

23.4% Older adults (45–64) +8.6 pts ▸ 32.1%
31.0% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +9.9 pts 21.1%
15.3% Seniors (65+) +5.0 pts ▸ 20.2%
18.0% Children (0–14) ◂ +1.2 pts 16.7%
12.3% Youth (15–24) ◂ +2.5 pts 9.9%

Marital status

46.5% Married +5.0 pts ▸ 51.4%
38.3% Never married ◂ +6.7 pts 31.6%
7.7% Divorced +2.2 pts ▸ 9.9%
4.6% Widowed ◂ +0.6 pts 4.0%
2.9% Separated +0.2 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 +23.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
35.2% 97th pct 11.6% 28th pct

Country of birth

60.5% Australia +20.6 pts ▸ 81.1%
4.8% India ◂ +4.7 pts 0.2%
2.6% England +1.6 pts ▸ 4.3%
3.4% China ◂ +3.2 pts 0.2%
1.8% Vietnam ◂ +1.8 pts 0.1%
1.6% New Zealand ◂ +0.2 pts 1.4%
1.2% Philippines ◂ +0.9 pts 0.2%
1.2% Italy ◂ +1.1 pts 0.1%
0.5% South Africa ◂ +0.2 pts 0.4%
0.4% Nepal ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

Ancestry

25.9% English +19.4 pts ▸ 45.3%
23.7% Australian +19.4 pts ▸ 43.1%
8.6% Irish +1.8 pts ▸ 10.3%
7.3% Scottish +2.8 pts ▸ 10.1%
8.3% Chinese ◂ +7.7 pts 0.6%
6.4% Italian ◂ +5.2 pts 1.2%
5.2% Indian ◂ +5.0 pts 0.3%
2.9% German +1.1 pts ▸ 4.0%
3.4% Greek ◂ +3.1 pts 0.3%
1.5% Dutch +0.9 pts ▸ 2.4%
2.4% Vietnamese ◂ +2.3 pts 0.1%
1.6% Filipino ◂ +1.3 pts 0.4%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +30.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
33.7% 90th pct 3.2% 0th pct
Limited English in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.4% 89th pct 0.3% 10th pct

Language used at home

61.6% English only +29.1 pts ▸ 90.7%
4.3% Mandarin ◂ +4.1 pts 0.2%
2.3% Vietnamese ◂ +2.3 pts 0.1%
2.1% Greek ◂ +2.0 pts 0.1%
1.9% Punjabi ◂ +1.8 pts 0.0%
1.8% Arabic ◂ +1.7 pts 0.0%
1.7% Italian ◂ +1.6 pts 0.1%
1.6% Cantonese ◂ +1.6 pts 0.0%
1.3% Hindi ◂ +1.3 pts 0.0%
0.5% Tagalog ◂ +0.5 pts 0.1%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +13.8 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
37.6% 34th pct 51.4% 100th pct

Religious affiliation

37.6% No religion +13.8 pts ▸ 51.4%
40.2% Christianity ◂ +1.8 pts 38.4%
6.2% Not stated +2.5 pts ▸ 8.7%
5.2% Islam ◂ +4.9 pts 0.3%
4.1% Hinduism ◂ +3.8 pts 0.2%
3.9% Buddhism ◂ +3.3 pts 0.5%
2.0% Other religions ◂ +1.6 pts 0.4%
0.9% Judaism ◂ +0.8 pts 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +25.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
66.8% 94th pct 41.7% 47th pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +15.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
33.0% 98th pct 17.4% 71st pct

Highest year of school

66.8% Year 12 ◂ +25.1 pts 41.7%
9.5% Year 10 +23.0 pts ▸ 32.6%
9.4% Year 9 or below +0.1 pts ▸ 9.5%
8.6% Year 11 +0.2 pts ▸ 8.8%

Highest qualification level

19.1% Certificate III / IV +17.0 pts ▸ 36.1%
32.6% Bachelor degree ◂ +13.1 pts 19.5%
15.3% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +0.9 pts 14.3%
13.7% Postgraduate degree ◂ +7.7 pts 5.9%
4.7% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +1.5 pts 3.2%
1.3% Certificate I / II +1.5 pts ▸ 2.7%

Field of qualification

20.8% Management & commerce ◂ +7.8 pts 13.0%
12.2% Engineering & related +4.1 pts ▸ 16.3%
12.6% Society & culture ◂ +1.6 pts 10.9%
10.1% Health +0.2 pts ▸ 10.3%
7.5% Education +0.7 pts ▸ 8.2%
5.2% Architecture & building +1.6 pts ▸ 6.8%
1.2% Agriculture & environment +4.9 pts ▸ 6.1%
5.2% Information technology ◂ +3.8 pts 1.4%
4.5% Food, hospitality & personal services +0.4 pts ▸ 5.0%
4.9% Creative arts ◂ +1.8 pts 3.1%
3.8% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +0.8 pts 3.0%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$145 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$835 70th pct $690 37th pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$442 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$1,868 71st pct $1,426 35th pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$493 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,229 76th pct $1,736 35th pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
13.5% 78th pct 7.5% 38th pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +10.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
24.9% 76th pct 14.5% 37th pct

Household income distribution

24.3% $650–$1,499 +6.8 pts ▸ 31.0%
30.6% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +1.6 pts 29.0%
14.4% Under $650 +2.7 pts ▸ 17.0%
13.9% $4,000 or more ◂ +7.5 pts 6.4%
11.0% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +3.0 pts 8.0%

Personal income distribution

38.9% Under $650 +5.3 pts ▸ 44.2%
30.7% $650–$1,499 +1.2 pts ▸ 31.9%
18.8% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +4.7 pts 14.1%
5.5% $3,000 or more ◂ +3.0 pts 2.5%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.5 pts higher in Rural Balance
25.9% 40th pct 31.4% 71st pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.2 pts higher in Rural Balance
8.4% 46th pct 9.6% 59th pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.7% 63rd pct 5.2% 54th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

7.1% Arthritis +5.0 pts ▸ 12.1%
8.4% Mental health +1.2 pts ▸ 9.6%
8.0% Asthma +0.4 pts ▸ 8.4%
7.9% Other condition +0.2 pts ▸ 8.1%
4.5% Diabetes even 4.5%
3.4% Heart disease +0.9 pts ▸ 4.3%
2.5% Cancer +0.9 pts ▸ 3.4%
1.2% Lung condition +1.0 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

67.1% None ◂ +7.3 pts 59.9%
18.1% One condition +2.9 pts ▸ 21.1%
5.2% Two conditions +1.8 pts ▸ 7.0%
2.5% Three or more +0.8 pts ▸ 3.4%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
12.2% 31st pct 19.6% 77th pct
Unpaid carers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
12.6% 67th pct 13.6% 87th pct
Unpaid child care in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
26.4% 71st pct 25.7% 62nd pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.6 pts higher in Rural Balance
1.6% 11th pct 4.2% 81st pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +8.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
19.0% 41st pct 27.0% 100th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.1 larger in Major Urban gap widening
2.6 71st pct 2.5 57th pct
One-parent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
13.2% 40th pct 10.1% 18th pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
25.5% 45th pct 22.4% 23rd pct

Family composition

61.4% Couples with children ◂ +7.4 pts 54.0%
24.1% Couples without children +11.2 pts ▸ 35.3%
13.2% One-parent families ◂ +3.1 pts 10.1%
1.3% Other families ◂ +0.7 pts 0.6%

Household size

31.4% 2 people +9.6 pts ▸ 41.0%
25.5% 1 person ◂ +3.1 pts 22.4%
16.9% 4 people ◂ +3.6 pts 13.3%
16.8% 3 people ◂ +2.6 pts 14.2%
6.4% 5 people ◂ +0.5 pts 5.9%
3.1% 6 or more +0.2 pts ▸ 3.2%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$133 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$383 86th pct $250 30th pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$650 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,000 85th 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 +20.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
31.1% 62nd pct 11.1% 3rd pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +16.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
29.8% 33rd pct 46.2% 93rd pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +30.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
67.7% 13th pct 98.4% 100th pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
71.7% 32nd pct 78.6% 66th pct

How homes are owned or rented

29.8% Owned outright +16.5 pts ▸ 46.2%
36.1% Owned with a mortgage +1.8 pts ▸ 37.9%
31.1% Rented ◂ +20.0 pts 11.1%
1.6% Other tenure +1.6 pts ▸ 3.2%
1.4% Not stated +0.1 pts ▸ 1.5%

Types of homes

67.7% Separate house +30.7 pts ▸ 98.4%
16.5% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +16.1 pts 0.4%
15.4% Flat or apartment ◂ +15.2 pts 0.2%
0.3% Other dwelling +0.4 pts ▸ 0.8%

Bedrooms per home

40.0% 3 bedrooms +7.2 pts ▸ 47.2%
26.2% 4 bedrooms ◂ +1.8 pts 24.4%
20.9% 2 bedrooms ◂ +6.2 pts 14.7%
5.4% 5 or more +1.5 pts ▸ 7.0%
5.9% 1 bedroom ◂ +1.6 pts 4.3%
0.3% Studio / none +0.6 pts ▸ 0.9%

Weekly rent distribution

49.6% $350–$549 ◂ +30.3 pts 19.4%
25.2% $200–$349 +18.7 pts ▸ 43.9%
7.6% Under $200 +18.7 pts ▸ 26.3%
9.5% $550–$749 ◂ +7.7 pts 1.8%
4.5% $750 or more ◂ +4.1 pts 0.4%

Monthly mortgage distribution

25.9% $1,000–$1,799 +12.8 pts ▸ 38.7%
34.2% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +12.6 pts 21.6%
13.4% Under $1,000 +14.3 pts ▸ 27.8%
19.9% $3,000 or more ◂ +13.1 pts 6.8%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
8.7% 86th pct 1.3% 13th pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +16.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
28.5% 99th pct 12.5% 64th pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
3.5% 68th pct 0.7% 22nd pct

How people get to work

46.8% Car (driver) +17.7 pts ▸ 64.5%
28.5% Worked at home ◂ +16.0 pts 12.5%
3.3% Car (passenger) +0.6 pts ▸ 3.8%
2.0% Walked +1.1 pts ▸ 3.1%
2.0% Train ◂ +2.0 pts 0.0%
0.8% Bicycle ◂ +0.6 pts 0.2%
0.7% Bus even 0.6%

Motor vehicles per home

36.9% 2 vehicles +2.4 pts ▸ 39.2%
38.0% 1 vehicle ◂ +16.6 pts 21.4%
10.8% 3 vehicles +10.4 pts ▸ 21.2%
5.7% 4 or more +11.1 pts ▸ 16.8%
8.7% No vehicle ◂ +7.4 pts 1.3%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +10.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
41.2% 69th pct 30.5% 27th pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +8.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
16.1% 65th pct 7.8% 29th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.3% 52nd pct 4.4% 30th pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
63.9% 84th pct 59.3% 61st pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
59.9% 68th pct 54.8% 27th pct

Industries people work in

0.5% Agriculture, forestry & fishing +13.8 pts ▸ 14.4%
14.0% Health care & social assistance ◂ +1.2 pts 12.9%
8.9% Construction +1.1 pts ▸ 10.1%
9.6% Professional & technical ◂ +5.1 pts 4.5%
9.5% Retail trade ◂ +2.3 pts 7.2%
8.9% Education & training ◂ +0.7 pts 8.2%
6.9% Manufacturing +0.3 pts ▸ 7.2%
6.2% Accommodation & food ◂ +0.2 pts 6.0%
5.5% Public administration & safety +0.3 pts ▸ 5.7%
4.7% Finance & insurance ◂ +3.5 pts 1.2%
4.7% Transport & warehousing ◂ +0.5 pts 4.2%
3.4% Other services +0.2 pts ▸ 3.6%

Occupations people work in

27.2% Professionals ◂ +11.0 pts 16.2%
13.6% Managers +4.5 pts ▸ 18.1%
11.9% Technicians & trades +3.8 pts ▸ 15.7%
12.7% Clerical & administrative ◂ +2.4 pts 10.3%
7.9% Labourers +4.6 pts ▸ 12.5%
10.7% Community & personal service +0.2 pts ▸ 10.8%
8.3% Sales workers ◂ +1.6 pts 6.7%
5.7% Machinery operators & drivers +1.9 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 +6.1 more in Major Urban
6.8 100th pct 0.7 15th pct
15-min city in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +82.1 pts higher in Major Urban
85.5% 100th pct 3.4% 18th pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +79.1 pts higher in Major Urban
84.3% 97th pct 5.2% 29th pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +84.6 pts higher in Major Urban
93.5% 85th pct 8.9% 29th pct
Walk to school in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +85.5 pts higher in Major Urban
89.3% 100th pct 3.7% 10th pct
Walk to a park in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +74.0 pts higher in Major Urban
98.9% 94th pct 24.8% 19th pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +73.6 pts higher in Major Urban
75.5% 100th pct 1.9% 29th pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +13.6 more in Rural Balance
14.3 22nd pct 28.0 75th pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +234 higher in Major Urban
235 100th pct 0 14th pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.1 pts higher in Rural Balance
4.7% 32nd pct 10.8% 95th pct

Compare Major Urban with nearby areas

Other Urban Bounded Locality Rural Balance Other Urban Rural Balance Rural Balance Major Urban Bounded Locality Major Urban Rural Balance Bounded Locality 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/SOS20/major-urban/vs/SOS63/rural-balance