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Major Urban vs Rural Balance

Section of State comparison ≈ 428 km apart · Major Urban profile · Rural Balance profile

Major Urban Rural Balance

Major Urban and Rural Balance are very different places. Major Urban is a populous hub where 35.2% of people were born overseas and 33.7% use a language other than English at home. It is very walkable, with 93.5% of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport. In contrast, Rural Balance is a sparsely populated area that is car-dependent. It has a much higher share of former Defence Force members (14.8%) and a larger proportion of detached houses (91.3%).

Both areas sit near the national figure for the share of households that rent. While they differ in many ways, the gap in renting has narrowed since 2011. Other commonalities include similar rates of people with a mental health condition and a similar typical weekly rent of around $380. Since 2011, the gap in people working from home has flipped, and Major Urban now has a far higher share than Rural Balance.

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Where they differ most

Other language: 26.9 pts higher in Major Urban Population: 4,971,166 larger in Major Urban Separate houses: 23.6 pts higher in Rural Balance Limited English: 5.4 pts higher in Major Urban De facto: 4.8 pts higher in Rural Balance

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4,971,166 larger in Major Urban gap widening
4,971,771 98th pct 605 20th pct
Median age in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7 yrs older in Major Urban gap widening
37 yrs 14th pct 30 yrs 0th pct
First Nations in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
0.7% 6th pct 2.8% 31st pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
15.3% 42nd pct 12.6% 28th pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
18.0% 66th pct 14.4% 30th pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.8 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
10.8% 5th pct 15.5% 92nd pct

Age structure

31.0% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +2.3 pts 28.8%
23.4% Older adults (45–64) +0.4 pts ▸ 23.8%
12.3% Youth (15–24) +8.5 pts ▸ 20.8%
18.0% Children (0–14) ◂ +3.6 pts 14.4%
15.3% Seniors (65+) ◂ +2.7 pts 12.6%

Marital status

38.3% Never married +9.9 pts ▸ 48.2%
46.5% Married ◂ +7.7 pts 38.7%
7.7% Divorced ◂ +1.5 pts 6.2%
4.6% Widowed ◂ +3.9 pts 0.8%
2.9% Separated +1.0 pts ▸ 3.9%

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 +21.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
35.2% 97th pct 14.0% 43rd pct

Country of birth

60.5% Australia +12.1 pts ▸ 72.6%
4.8% India ◂ +4.8 pts 0.0%
2.6% England +1.2 pts ▸ 3.8%
3.4% China ◂ +3.4 pts 0.0%
1.8% Vietnam ◂ +1.8 pts 0.0%
1.6% New Zealand ◂ +0.6 pts 1.0%
1.2% Philippines ◂ +1.2 pts 0.0%
1.2% Italy ◂ +1.2 pts 0.0%
0.5% South Africa +0.3 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.4% Nepal ◂ +0.4 pts 0.0%

Ancestry

23.7% Australian +17.2 pts ▸ 40.8%
25.9% English +6.5 pts ▸ 32.4%
7.3% Scottish +6.2 pts ▸ 13.6%
8.6% Irish +3.5 pts ▸ 12.1%
8.3% Chinese ◂ +7.1 pts 1.2%
6.4% Italian ◂ +5.0 pts 1.5%
5.2% Indian ◂ +4.6 pts 0.7%
2.9% German +1.4 pts ▸ 4.3%
1.5% Dutch +2.6 pts ▸ 4.1%
3.4% Greek ◂ +2.8 pts 0.7%
2.4% Vietnamese ◂ +1.9 pts 0.5%
1.6% Filipino ◂ +1.6 pts 0.0%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +26.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
33.7% 90th pct 6.8% 33rd pct
Limited English in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.4% 89th pct 0.0% 0th pct

Language used at home

61.6% English only +17.9 pts ▸ 79.5%
4.3% Mandarin ◂ +4.3 pts 0.0%
2.3% Vietnamese ◂ +1.8 pts 0.5%
2.1% Greek ◂ +2.1 pts 0.0%
1.9% Punjabi ◂ +1.9 pts 0.0%
1.8% Arabic ◂ +1.8 pts 0.0%
1.7% Italian ◂ +1.2 pts 0.5%
1.6% Cantonese ◂ +1.6 pts 0.0%
1.3% Hindi ◂ +1.3 pts 0.0%
0.5% Tagalog ◂ +0.5 pts 0.0%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
37.6% 34th pct 41.2% 50th pct

Religious affiliation

40.2% Christianity +1.1 pts ▸ 41.3%
37.6% No religion +3.5 pts ▸ 41.2%
6.2% Not stated +10.0 pts ▸ 16.2%
5.2% Islam ◂ +3.8 pts 1.3%
4.1% Hinduism ◂ +4.1 pts 0.0%
3.9% Buddhism ◂ +3.0 pts 0.8%
2.0% Other religions ◂ +1.5 pts 0.5%
0.9% Judaism ◂ +0.9 pts 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
66.8% 94th pct 64.3% 90th pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +8.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
33.0% 98th pct 24.1% 82nd pct

Highest year of school

66.8% Year 12 ◂ +2.6 pts 64.3%
9.5% Year 10 +3.4 pts ▸ 13.0%
9.4% Year 9 or below ◂ +4.2 pts 5.2%
8.6% Year 11 ◂ +6.4 pts 2.2%

Highest qualification level

32.6% Bachelor degree ◂ +8.0 pts 24.5%
19.1% Certificate III / IV +7.6 pts ▸ 26.7%
15.3% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +3.3 pts 12.0%
13.7% Postgraduate degree ◂ +10.5 pts 3.2%
4.7% Graduate diploma / certificate +0.9 pts ▸ 5.6%
1.3% Certificate I / II +1.6 pts ▸ 2.9%

Field of qualification

20.8% Management & commerce ◂ +9.3 pts 11.5%
12.6% Society & culture +2.9 pts ▸ 15.5%
12.2% Engineering & related ◂ +4.2 pts 8.0%
10.1% Health ◂ +1.9 pts 8.3%
5.2% Architecture & building +4.2 pts ▸ 9.3%
7.5% Education ◂ +2.5 pts 5.1%
3.8% Natural & physical sciences +1.5 pts ▸ 5.3%
5.2% Information technology ◂ +4.4 pts 0.8%
4.9% Creative arts ◂ +1.4 pts 3.5%
4.5% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +1.9 pts 2.7%
1.2% Agriculture & environment +2.8 pts ▸ 4.0%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$294 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
$835 70th pct $1,129 81st pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$694 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
$1,868 71st pct $2,562 90th pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$468 higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
$2,229 76th pct $2,697 91st pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
13.5% 78th pct 11.6% 69th pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +13.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
24.9% 76th pct 38.4% 97th pct

Household income distribution

30.6% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +2.4 pts 28.3%
24.3% $650–$1,499 ◂ +8.3 pts 15.9%
13.9% $4,000 or more +10.0 pts ▸ 23.9%
11.0% $3,000–$3,999 +3.5 pts ▸ 14.5%
14.4% Under $650 ◂ +6.4 pts 8.0%

Personal income distribution

38.9% Under $650 ◂ +20.0 pts 18.9%
30.7% $650–$1,499 +7.7 pts ▸ 38.3%
18.8% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +2.0 pts 16.8%
5.5% $3,000 or more +0.2 pts ▸ 5.8%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.9 pts higher in Major Urban
25.9% 40th pct 24.0% 30th pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 pts higher in Major Urban
8.4% 46th pct 7.9% 41st pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.7% 63rd pct 3.0% 14th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

8.0% Asthma +0.8 pts ▸ 8.8%
8.4% Mental health ◂ +0.4 pts 7.9%
7.9% Other condition ◂ +1.9 pts 6.0%
7.1% Arthritis ◂ +0.1 pts 6.9%
4.5% Diabetes ◂ +2.0 pts 2.5%
3.4% Heart disease ◂ +0.9 pts 2.5%
2.5% Cancer ◂ +0.7 pts 1.8%
1.2% Lung condition +0.8 pts ▸ 2.0%
0.8% Stroke ◂ +0.2 pts 0.7%
0.7% Dementia ◂ +0.7 pts 0.0%

Number of long-term health conditions

67.1% None ◂ +7.0 pts 60.2%
18.1% One condition ◂ +1.4 pts 16.7%
5.2% Two conditions +1.0 pts ▸ 6.3%
2.5% Three or more ◂ +0.5 pts 2.0%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
12.2% 31st pct 19.7% 77th pct
Unpaid carers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
12.6% 67th pct 10.0% 30th pct
Unpaid child care in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
26.4% 71st pct 22.2% 32nd pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +13.2 pts higher in Rural Balance
1.6% 11th pct 14.8% 100th pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
19.0% 41st pct 18.3% 38th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 larger in Rural Balance gap widening
2.6 71st pct 3.0 95th pct
One-parent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
13.2% 40th pct 14.1% 49th pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
25.5% 45th pct 18.8% 7th pct

Family composition

61.4% Couples with children ◂ +6.9 pts 54.5%
24.1% Couples without children +5.0 pts ▸ 29.1%
13.2% One-parent families +0.9 pts ▸ 14.1%
1.3% Other families +1.2 pts ▸ 2.5%

Household size

31.4% 2 people +2.7 pts ▸ 34.1%
25.5% 1 person ◂ +6.7 pts 18.8%
16.9% 4 people ◂ +0.9 pts 15.9%
16.8% 3 people ◂ +0.8 pts 15.9%
3.1% 6 or more +4.9 pts ▸ 8.0%
6.4% 5 people ◂ +2.8 pts 3.6%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$3 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$383 86th pct $380 86th pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$200 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$2,000 85th pct $1,800 69th pct
People / bedroom in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.10 higher in Rural Balance gap steady
0.90 79th pct 1.00 87th pct
Renting in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +10.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
31.1% 62nd pct 41.3% 88th pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
29.8% 33rd pct 26.1% 14th pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +23.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
67.7% 13th pct 91.3% 55th pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
71.7% 32nd pct 67.4% 18th pct

How homes are owned or rented

31.1% Rented +10.2 pts ▸ 41.3%
36.1% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +12.9 pts 23.2%
29.8% Owned outright ◂ +3.7 pts 26.1%
1.6% Other tenure +10.7 pts ▸ 12.3%
1.4% Not stated +0.8 pts ▸ 2.2%

Types of homes

67.7% Separate house +23.6 pts ▸ 91.3%
16.5% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +16.5 pts 0.0%
15.4% Flat or apartment ◂ +15.4 pts 0.0%
0.3% Other dwelling ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%

Bedrooms per home

40.0% 3 bedrooms ◂ +11.0 pts 29.0%
26.2% 4 bedrooms ◂ +1.6 pts 24.6%
20.9% 2 bedrooms ◂ +0.6 pts 20.3%
5.4% 5 or more +8.3 pts ▸ 13.8%
5.9% 1 bedroom +2.1 pts ▸ 8.0%
0.3% Studio / none ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%

Weekly rent distribution

49.6% $350–$549 ◂ +4.0 pts 45.6%
25.2% $200–$349 +4.6 pts ▸ 29.8%
7.6% Under $200 +9.9 pts ▸ 17.5%
9.5% $550–$749 ◂ +2.5 pts 7.0%
4.5% $750 or more +2.5 pts ▸ 7.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

34.2% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +24.9 pts 9.4%
25.9% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +4.1 pts 21.9%
19.9% $3,000 or more +1.9 pts ▸ 21.9%
13.4% Under $1,000 ◂ +13.4 pts 0.0%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +8.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
8.7% 86th pct 0.0% 0th pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +10.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
28.5% 99th pct 17.6% 86th pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
3.5% 68th pct 0.0% 0th pct

How people get to work

46.8% Car (driver) ◂ +1.9 pts 44.9%
28.5% Worked at home ◂ +10.8 pts 17.6%
2.0% Walked +10.2 pts ▸ 12.2%
3.3% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.7 pts 2.6%
2.0% Train ◂ +2.0 pts 0.0%
0.8% Bicycle ◂ +0.8 pts 0.0%
0.7% Bus ◂ +0.7 pts 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

38.0% 1 vehicle ◂ +18.6 pts 19.4%
36.9% 2 vehicles ◂ +1.0 pts 35.8%
5.7% 4 or more +22.7 pts ▸ 28.4%
10.8% 3 vehicles +10.1 pts ▸ 20.9%
8.7% No vehicle ◂ +8.7 pts 0.0%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
41.2% 69th pct 46.3% 82nd pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +8.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
16.1% 65th pct 24.7% 82nd pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.3% 52nd pct 1.4% 0th pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
63.9% 84th pct 68.4% 96th pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +10.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
59.9% 68th pct 70.7% 87th pct

Industries people work in

5.5% Public administration & safety +22.7 pts ▸ 28.1%
14.0% Health care & social assistance ◂ +8.9 pts 5.1%
0.5% Agriculture, forestry & fishing +13.4 pts ▸ 13.9%
8.9% Construction +3.0 pts ▸ 11.9%
9.6% Professional & technical ◂ +2.7 pts 6.8%
9.5% Retail trade ◂ +6.1 pts 3.4%
8.9% Education & training ◂ +1.8 pts 7.1%
6.9% Manufacturing ◂ +4.9 pts 2.0%
6.2% Accommodation & food ◂ +2.5 pts 3.7%
1.8% Arts & recreation +4.2 pts ▸ 6.0%
4.7% Finance & insurance ◂ +3.6 pts 1.1%
4.7% Transport & warehousing ◂ +3.8 pts 0.9%

Occupations people work in

13.6% Managers +23.9 pts ▸ 37.5%
27.2% Professionals ◂ +10.8 pts 16.5%
11.9% Technicians & trades +2.0 pts ▸ 13.9%
12.7% Clerical & administrative ◂ +2.2 pts 10.5%
10.7% Community & personal service ◂ +2.4 pts 8.2%
7.9% Labourers +0.6 pts ▸ 8.5%
8.3% Sales workers ◂ +5.8 pts 2.6%
5.7% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +5.7 pts 0.0%

Walkability

Walk score in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.9 higher in Major Urban
7.3 100th pct 1.4 29th pct
Types ≤15 min in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.7 more in Major Urban
6.8 100th pct 1.1 29th pct
15-min city in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +83.8 pts higher in Major Urban
85.5% 100th pct 1.8% 9th pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +82.9 pts higher in Major Urban
84.3% 97th pct 1.5% 6th pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +85.7 pts higher in Major Urban
93.5% 85th pct 7.9% 29th pct
Walk to school in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +79.5 pts higher in Major Urban
89.3% 100th pct 9.7% 29th pct
Walk to a park in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +37.4 pts higher in Major Urban
98.9% 94th pct 61.5% 36th pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +74.7 pts higher in Major Urban
75.5% 100th pct 0.8% 11th pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +306.3 more in Rural Balance
14.3 22nd pct 320.7 100th pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +231 higher in Major Urban
235 100th pct 4 23rd pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.4 pts higher in Rural Balance
4.7% 32nd pct 6.1% 63rd 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

Major Urban Bounded Locality Bounded Locality Major Urban Other Urban Rural Balance Other Urban Bounded Locality Major Urban Rural Balance Other 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/SOS83/rural-balance