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Major Urban vs Rural Balance

Section of State comparison ≈ 655 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 very walkable area where 28.9% of people were born overseas and 23.1% use a language other than English at home. In contrast, Rural Balance is car-dependent, with only 11.2% born overseas and 4.7% using another language. Major Urban also has a more highly qualified workforce, with 26.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher compared to 14.8% in Rural Balance. Housing differs sharply: 46.4% of homes in Rural Balance are owned outright, while 29.7% of households in Major Urban rent.

Both areas sit near the national figure for typical household income, which is $1,527 in Major Urban and $1,491 in Rural Balance. They also share a similar share of children under 15. However, the gaps between them are often growing. The difference in typical age has widened, with residents now far older in Rural Balance. The gap in education and the share of people born overseas have also increased since 2011.

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Where they differ most

Separate houses: 24.2 pts higher in Rural Balance Population: 1,099,609 larger in Major Urban Other language: 18.4 pts higher in Major Urban Born overseas: 17.7 pts higher in Major Urban Renting: 17.5 pts higher in Major Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1,099,609 larger in Major Urban gap widening
1,245,011 87th pct 145,402 63rd pct
Median age in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +8 yrs older in Rural Balance gap widening
39 yrs 29th pct 47 yrs 86th pct
First Nations in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
1.7% 14th pct 2.8% 31st pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
18.6% 58th pct 20.5% 71st pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
17.0% 47th pct 17.2% 51st pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
10.7% 4th pct 12.0% 26th pct

Age structure

24.4% Older adults (45–64) +7.6 pts ▸ 32.0%
27.8% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +8.0 pts 19.9%
18.6% Seniors (65+) +2.0 pts ▸ 20.5%
17.0% Children (0–14) +0.2 pts ▸ 17.2%
12.3% Youth (15–24) ◂ +1.9 pts 10.4%

Marital status

45.1% Married +9.8 pts ▸ 54.8%
36.9% Never married ◂ +7.3 pts 29.7%
9.4% Divorced ◂ +0.7 pts 8.7%
5.5% Widowed ◂ +1.6 pts 3.9%
3.1% Separated ◂ +0.2 pts 2.9%

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 +17.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
28.9% 86th pct 11.2% 23rd pct

Country of birth

67.5% Australia +13.7 pts ▸ 81.2%
5.4% England ◂ +0.8 pts 4.6%
3.4% India ◂ +3.1 pts 0.3%
2.0% China ◂ +1.9 pts 0.1%
1.3% Vietnam ◂ +1.0 pts 0.3%
1.2% Italy ◂ +0.9 pts 0.4%
1.0% Philippines ◂ +0.7 pts 0.3%
0.7% New Zealand +0.1 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.6% Nepal ◂ +0.5 pts 0.0%
0.5% South Africa ◂ +0.2 pts 0.3%

Ancestry

35.7% English +6.1 pts ▸ 41.7%
29.2% Australian +11.7 pts ▸ 40.9%
6.3% German +5.3 pts ▸ 11.6%
7.9% Scottish +1.3 pts ▸ 9.3%
7.5% Irish +0.1 pts ▸ 7.6%
7.1% Italian ◂ +4.2 pts 3.0%
4.5% Chinese ◂ +4.1 pts 0.4%
3.3% Indian ◂ +3.0 pts 0.3%
2.9% Greek ◂ +1.9 pts 1.0%
1.6% Dutch +0.2 pts ▸ 1.8%
1.7% Vietnamese ◂ +1.3 pts 0.4%
1.4% Filipino ◂ +0.9 pts 0.4%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +18.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
23.1% 80th pct 4.7% 16th pct
Limited English in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
3.5% 78th pct 0.7% 32nd pct

Language used at home

73.0% English only +15.0 pts ▸ 88.0%
2.5% Mandarin ◂ +2.3 pts 0.1%
1.7% Italian ◂ +1.3 pts 0.5%
1.7% Vietnamese ◂ +1.3 pts 0.4%
1.6% Greek ◂ +1.0 pts 0.6%
1.5% Punjabi ◂ +1.3 pts 0.2%
0.9% Arabic ◂ +0.8 pts 0.0%
0.8% Cantonese ◂ +0.8 pts 0.0%
0.8% Hindi ◂ +0.7 pts 0.0%
0.4% Tagalog ◂ +0.3 pts 0.1%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
44.2% 67th pct 46.8% 78th pct

Religious affiliation

44.2% No religion +2.6 pts ▸ 46.8%
40.0% Christianity +1.3 pts ▸ 41.3%
5.5% Not stated +4.6 pts ▸ 10.0%
3.1% Islam ◂ +2.8 pts 0.2%
2.9% Hinduism ◂ +2.8 pts 0.1%
2.4% Buddhism ◂ +1.6 pts 0.8%
1.8% Other religions ◂ +1.3 pts 0.6%
0.1% Judaism even 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +15.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
59.6% 84th pct 44.6% 59th pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +11.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
26.4% 85th pct 14.8% 49th pct

Highest year of school

59.6% Year 12 ◂ +15.0 pts 44.6%
14.4% Year 11 +5.7 pts ▸ 20.1%
12.5% Year 10 +5.1 pts ▸ 17.6%
8.7% Year 9 or below +0.7 pts ▸ 9.4%

Highest qualification level

26.7% Certificate III / IV +9.6 pts ▸ 36.3%
28.8% Bachelor degree ◂ +10.0 pts 18.8%
14.7% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +0.2 pts 14.5%
10.6% Postgraduate degree ◂ +6.4 pts 4.2%
4.0% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +1.0 pts 3.0%
2.1% Certificate I / II +0.5 pts ▸ 2.6%

Field of qualification

19.5% Management & commerce ◂ +6.7 pts 12.8%
13.9% Engineering & related +2.8 pts ▸ 16.7%
13.7% Society & culture ◂ +3.8 pts 9.9%
12.6% Health ◂ +1.6 pts 11.0%
7.9% Education +0.5 pts ▸ 8.4%
1.5% Agriculture & environment +6.8 pts ▸ 8.3%
5.0% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +0.4 pts 4.6%
4.7% Architecture & building +0.3 pts ▸ 5.0%
3.6% Creative arts ◂ +1.6 pts 2.0%
3.4% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +0.8 pts 2.5%
3.4% Information technology ◂ +2.4 pts 0.9%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$23 higher in Major Urban gap steady
$757 56th pct $734 50th pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$36 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$1,527 44th pct $1,491 41st pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$131 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$1,972 57th pct $1,841 46th pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
9.7% 58th pct 8.9% 51st pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
17.9% 52nd pct 16.7% 48th pct

Household income distribution

29.7% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +1.6 pts 28.2%
28.8% $650–$1,499 +0.8 pts ▸ 29.6%
17.5% Under $650 ◂ +1.7 pts 15.8%
9.1% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +0.7 pts 8.4%
8.9% $4,000 or more ◂ +0.5 pts 8.3%

Personal income distribution

42.2% Under $650 ◂ +1.2 pts 41.0%
33.1% $650–$1,499 ◂ +1.3 pts 31.8%
16.3% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +1.9 pts 14.4%
3.4% $3,000 or more +0.1 pts ▸ 3.5%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.1 pts higher in Major Urban
30.0% 64th pct 28.9% 58th pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.2 pts higher in Major Urban
9.8% 62nd pct 7.6% 36th pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
6.7% 82nd pct 4.3% 38th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

9.4% Arthritis +0.5 pts ▸ 10.0%
9.8% Mental health ◂ +2.2 pts 7.6%
8.9% Other condition ◂ +1.9 pts 7.1%
8.6% Asthma ◂ +0.2 pts 8.5%
5.5% Diabetes ◂ +0.5 pts 5.0%
4.4% Heart disease ◂ +0.1 pts 4.2%
3.1% Cancer +0.1 pts ▸ 3.2%
1.8% Lung condition even 1.9%
1.0% Stroke ◂ +0.1 pts 0.9%
1.0% Dementia ◂ +0.6 pts 0.3%

Number of long-term health conditions

63.8% None ◂ +2.4 pts 61.4%
19.9% One condition ◂ +0.1 pts 19.8%
6.6% Two conditions ◂ +0.4 pts 6.2%
3.6% Three or more ◂ +0.6 pts 2.9%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +10.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
15.0% 43rd pct 25.5% 100th pct
Unpaid carers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
13.0% 74th pct 13.6% 87th pct
Unpaid child care in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
26.8% 78th pct 26.6% 75th pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.3 pts higher in Rural Balance
3.0% 32nd pct 3.3% 49th pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
20.2% 50th pct 26.9% 98th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.1 larger in Rural Balance gap narrowing
2.4 29th pct 2.5 57th pct
One-parent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
15.4% 60th pct 8.2% 0th pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
28.4% 65th pct 22.3% 23rd pct

Family composition

56.5% Couples with children +0.7 pts ▸ 57.2%
26.8% Couples without children +7.1 pts ▸ 33.9%
15.4% One-parent families ◂ +7.1 pts 8.2%
1.3% Other families ◂ +0.7 pts 0.7%

Household size

33.3% 2 people +6.9 pts ▸ 40.1%
28.4% 1 person ◂ +6.1 pts 22.3%
15.9% 3 people ◂ +2.6 pts 13.2%
14.7% 4 people ◂ +0.8 pts 13.9%
5.3% 5 people +1.8 pts ▸ 7.1%
2.4% 6 or more +0.8 pts ▸ 3.3%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$120 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$320 69th pct $200 14th pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$152 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$1,552 48th pct $1,400 29th pct
People / bedroom in Major Urbanin Rural Balance even gap steady
0.80 29th pct 0.80 29th pct
Renting in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +17.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
29.7% 53rd pct 12.2% 8th pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +15.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
30.5% 36th pct 46.4% 94th pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +24.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
73.1% 20th pct 97.3% 93rd pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
75.7% 48th pct 82.8% 88th pct

How homes are owned or rented

30.5% Owned outright +15.9 pts ▸ 46.4%
36.2% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +1.0 pts 35.2%
29.7% Rented ◂ +17.5 pts 12.2%
2.4% Other tenure +2.2 pts ▸ 4.6%
1.2% Not stated +0.5 pts ▸ 1.7%

Types of homes

73.1% Separate house +24.2 pts ▸ 97.3%
17.5% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +16.8 pts 0.7%
9.0% Flat or apartment ◂ +8.8 pts 0.2%
0.2% Other dwelling +1.1 pts ▸ 1.3%

Bedrooms per home

52.0% 3 bedrooms ◂ +7.4 pts 44.6%
19.9% 4 bedrooms +10.6 pts ▸ 30.6%
19.6% 2 bedrooms ◂ +7.7 pts 11.9%
3.8% 5 or more +3.8 pts ▸ 7.6%
3.5% 1 bedroom ◂ +0.2 pts 3.3%
0.2% Studio / none +0.4 pts ▸ 0.6%

Weekly rent distribution

41.3% $200–$349 ◂ +4.0 pts 37.3%
16.8% Under $200 +21.0 pts ▸ 37.8%
34.2% $350–$549 ◂ +22.4 pts 11.9%
3.6% $550–$749 ◂ +2.0 pts 1.6%
1.0% $750 or more ◂ +0.4 pts 0.6%

Monthly mortgage distribution

39.5% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +6.4 pts 33.2%
19.5% Under $1,000 +9.3 pts ▸ 28.8%
26.1% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +3.7 pts 22.4%
10.0% $3,000 or more +0.1 pts ▸ 10.1%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
8.1% 81st pct 1.6% 15th pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
9.5% 49th pct 16.8% 83rd pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
5.3% 87th pct 0.7% 23rd pct

How people get to work

63.0% Car (driver) ◂ +2.8 pts 60.2%
9.5% Worked at home +7.3 pts ▸ 16.8%
1.9% Walked +2.9 pts ▸ 4.8%
4.3% Car (passenger) ◂ +1.0 pts 3.3%
4.0% Bus ◂ +3.4 pts 0.6%
1.1% Bicycle ◂ +0.9 pts 0.1%
0.9% Train ◂ +0.8 pts 0.1%

Motor vehicles per home

36.6% 2 vehicles +1.7 pts ▸ 38.3%
38.2% 1 vehicle ◂ +18.0 pts 20.2%
11.3% 3 vehicles +9.9 pts ▸ 21.2%
5.8% 4 or more +12.9 pts ▸ 18.7%
8.1% No vehicle ◂ +6.5 pts 1.6%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +12.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
38.4% 53rd pct 25.8% 11th pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +10.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
16.3% 67th pct 6.3% 14th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.7% 61st pct 3.3% 15th pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
61.5% 74th pct 61.9% 75th pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Rural Balance even gap steady
57.5% 49th pct 57.4% 49th pct

Industries people work in

0.9% Agriculture, forestry & fishing +23.1 pts ▸ 24.0%
17.4% Health care & social assistance ◂ +6.7 pts 10.6%
9.7% Retail trade ◂ +2.8 pts 6.9%
9.0% Education & training ◂ +1.5 pts 7.4%
8.2% Construction ◂ +0.1 pts 8.1%
6.6% Manufacturing +0.9 pts ▸ 7.5%
7.2% Professional & technical ◂ +3.5 pts 3.7%
7.1% Public administration & safety ◂ +2.6 pts 4.5%
6.7% Accommodation & food ◂ +1.9 pts 4.8%
4.2% Transport & warehousing ◂ +0.4 pts 3.8%
4.0% Other services ◂ +0.5 pts 3.5%
3.9% Administrative & support ◂ +1.1 pts 2.7%

Occupations people work in

11.8% Managers +14.1 pts ▸ 25.9%
23.9% Professionals ◂ +9.9 pts 14.0%
13.3% Community & personal service ◂ +3.9 pts 9.4%
13.2% Clerical & administrative ◂ +3.2 pts 10.0%
12.7% Technicians & trades +0.4 pts ▸ 13.0%
9.3% Labourers +3.6 pts ▸ 12.9%
8.5% Sales workers ◂ +2.2 pts 6.3%
5.5% Machinery operators & drivers +0.9 pts ▸ 6.4%

Walkability

Walk score in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.3 higher in Major Urban
7.0 96th pct 0.7 15th pct
Types ≤15 min in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.0 more in Major Urban
6.7 99th pct 0.7 15th pct
15-min city in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +83.4 pts higher in Major Urban
86.2% 100th pct 2.9% 14th pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +77.5 pts higher in Major Urban
81.8% 92nd pct 4.3% 20th pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +86.9 pts higher in Major Urban
97.3% 98th pct 10.3% 30th pct
Walk to school in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +81.7 pts higher in Major Urban
87.0% 96th pct 5.3% 14th pct
Walk to a park in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +76.3 pts higher in Major Urban
99.2% 96th pct 22.8% 17th pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +66.7 pts higher in Major Urban
67.7% 97th pct 1.0% 13th pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +17.9 more in Rural Balance
14.5 24th pct 32.4 84th pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +181 higher in Major Urban
181 93rd pct 0 2nd pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.6 pts higher in Rural Balance
4.5% 27th pct 5.1% 40th pct

Compare Major Urban with nearby areas

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

Compare Rural Balance with nearby areas

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

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/SOS40/major-urban/vs/SOS43/rural-balance