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Major Urban vs Rural Balance

Section of State comparison ≈ 1,035 km apart · Major Urban profile · Rural Balance profile

Major Urban Rural Balance

Major Urban and Rural Balance are vastly different in their makeup and layout. Major Urban is a densely populated hub where 28.9% of people were born overseas and 23.1% use a language other than English at home. In contrast, Rural Balance is far more traditional, with only 11.6% born overseas and 3.2% using another language. This divide extends to housing and education; 59.6% of Major Urban residents finished Year 12 compared to 41.7% in Rural Balance. While Major Urban is very walkable, Rural Balance is car-dependent, with a much higher share of people living in separate houses (98.4% versus 73.1%).

Since 2011, the gap between these two areas has generally widened. The differences in language use, school completion, and home ownership have all grown larger over the last decade. Despite these diverging trends, some things remain similar. Both areas have about the same share of children under 15 (around 17%) and very similar typical household incomes, with Major Urban at $1,527 and Rural Balance at $1,426 a week.

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Where they differ most

Separate houses: 25.3 pts higher in Rural Balance Population: 1,137,650 larger in Major Urban Other language: 20.0 pts higher in Major Urban De facto: 4.1 pts higher in Rural Balance Renting: 18.5 pts higher in Major Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1,137,650 larger in Major Urban gap widening
1,245,011 87th pct 107,361 59th pct
Median age in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7 yrs older in Rural Balance gap widening
39 yrs 29th pct 46 yrs 79th pct
First Nations in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
1.7% 14th pct 5.7% 53rd pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
18.6% 58th pct 20.2% 69th pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
17.0% 47th pct 16.7% 42nd pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
10.7% 4th pct 14.8% 82nd pct

Age structure

24.4% Older adults (45–64) +7.7 pts ▸ 32.1%
27.8% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +6.7 pts 21.1%
18.6% Seniors (65+) +1.7 pts ▸ 20.2%
17.0% Children (0–14) ◂ +0.2 pts 16.7%
12.3% Youth (15–24) ◂ +2.4 pts 9.9%

Marital status

45.1% Married +6.4 pts ▸ 51.4%
36.9% Never married ◂ +5.3 pts 31.6%
9.4% Divorced +0.5 pts ▸ 9.9%
5.5% Widowed ◂ +1.5 pts 4.0%
3.1% Separated even 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 +17.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
28.9% 86th pct 11.6% 28th pct

Country of birth

67.5% Australia +13.6 pts ▸ 81.1%
5.4% England ◂ +1.2 pts 4.3%
3.4% India ◂ +3.2 pts 0.2%
2.0% China ◂ +1.8 pts 0.2%
0.7% New Zealand +0.7 pts ▸ 1.4%
1.3% Vietnam ◂ +1.2 pts 0.1%
1.2% Italy ◂ +1.1 pts 0.1%
1.0% Philippines ◂ +0.7 pts 0.2%
0.6% Nepal ◂ +0.4 pts 0.1%
0.5% South Africa ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%

Ancestry

35.7% English +9.7 pts ▸ 45.3%
29.2% Australian +13.9 pts ▸ 43.1%
7.5% Irish +2.8 pts ▸ 10.3%
7.9% Scottish +2.2 pts ▸ 10.1%
7.1% Italian ◂ +5.9 pts 1.2%
6.3% German ◂ +2.3 pts 4.0%
4.5% Chinese ◂ +3.9 pts 0.6%
3.3% Indian ◂ +3.1 pts 0.3%
2.9% Greek ◂ +2.6 pts 0.3%
1.6% Dutch +0.8 pts ▸ 2.4%
1.7% Vietnamese ◂ +1.7 pts 0.1%
1.4% Filipino ◂ +1.0 pts 0.4%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +20.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
23.1% 80th pct 3.2% 0th pct
Limited English in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
3.5% 78th pct 0.3% 10th pct

Language used at home

73.0% English only +17.7 pts ▸ 90.7%
2.5% Mandarin ◂ +2.2 pts 0.2%
1.7% Italian ◂ +1.6 pts 0.1%
1.7% Vietnamese ◂ +1.6 pts 0.1%
1.6% Greek ◂ +1.5 pts 0.1%
1.5% Punjabi ◂ +1.4 pts 0.0%
0.9% Arabic ◂ +0.8 pts 0.0%
0.8% Cantonese ◂ +0.7 pts 0.0%
0.8% Hindi ◂ +0.7 pts 0.0%
0.4% Tagalog ◂ +0.4 pts 0.1%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
44.2% 67th pct 51.4% 100th pct

Religious affiliation

44.2% No religion +7.2 pts ▸ 51.4%
40.0% Christianity ◂ +1.6 pts 38.4%
5.5% Not stated +3.2 pts ▸ 8.7%
3.1% Islam ◂ +2.8 pts 0.3%
2.9% Hinduism ◂ +2.7 pts 0.2%
2.4% Buddhism ◂ +1.9 pts 0.5%
1.8% Other religions ◂ +1.4 pts 0.4%
0.1% Judaism even 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +18.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
59.6% 84th pct 41.7% 47th pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +9.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
26.4% 85th pct 17.4% 71st pct

Highest year of school

59.6% Year 12 ◂ +18.0 pts 41.7%
12.5% Year 10 +20.0 pts ▸ 32.6%
14.4% Year 11 ◂ +5.6 pts 8.8%
8.7% Year 9 or below +0.8 pts ▸ 9.5%

Highest qualification level

26.7% Certificate III / IV +9.4 pts ▸ 36.1%
28.8% Bachelor degree ◂ +9.3 pts 19.5%
14.7% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +0.4 pts 14.3%
10.6% Postgraduate degree ◂ +4.6 pts 5.9%
4.0% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +0.9 pts 3.2%
2.1% Certificate I / II +0.6 pts ▸ 2.7%

Field of qualification

19.5% Management & commerce ◂ +6.5 pts 13.0%
13.9% Engineering & related +2.4 pts ▸ 16.3%
13.7% Society & culture ◂ +2.8 pts 10.9%
12.6% Health ◂ +2.3 pts 10.3%
7.9% Education +0.3 pts ▸ 8.2%
4.7% Architecture & building +2.1 pts ▸ 6.8%
1.5% Agriculture & environment +4.6 pts ▸ 6.1%
5.0% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +0.1 pts 5.0%
3.6% Creative arts ◂ +0.5 pts 3.1%
3.4% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +0.4 pts 3.0%
3.4% Information technology ◂ +2.0 pts 1.4%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$67 higher in Major Urban gap steady
$757 56th pct $690 37th pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$101 higher in Major Urban gap steady
$1,527 44th pct $1,426 35th pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$236 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$1,972 57th pct $1,736 35th pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
9.7% 58th pct 7.5% 38th pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
17.9% 52nd pct 14.5% 37th pct

Household income distribution

28.8% $650–$1,499 +2.2 pts ▸ 31.0%
29.7% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +0.7 pts 29.0%
17.5% Under $650 ◂ +0.5 pts 17.0%
9.1% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +1.0 pts 8.0%
8.9% $4,000 or more ◂ +2.4 pts 6.4%

Personal income distribution

42.2% Under $650 +2.0 pts ▸ 44.2%
33.1% $650–$1,499 ◂ +1.3 pts 31.9%
16.3% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +2.2 pts 14.1%
3.4% $3,000 or more ◂ +0.9 pts 2.5%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.4 pts higher in Rural Balance
30.0% 64th pct 31.4% 71st pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.2 pts higher in Major Urban
9.8% 62nd pct 9.6% 59th pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
6.7% 82nd pct 5.2% 54th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

9.4% Arthritis +2.6 pts ▸ 12.1%
9.8% Mental health ◂ +0.2 pts 9.6%
8.9% Other condition ◂ +0.8 pts 8.1%
8.6% Asthma ◂ +0.3 pts 8.4%
5.5% Diabetes ◂ +1.0 pts 4.5%
4.4% Heart disease ◂ +0.1 pts 4.3%
3.1% Cancer +0.4 pts ▸ 3.4%
1.8% Lung condition +0.4 pts ▸ 2.3%
1.0% Stroke even 1.0%
1.0% Dementia ◂ +0.7 pts 0.3%

Number of long-term health conditions

63.8% None ◂ +4.0 pts 59.9%
19.9% One condition +1.2 pts ▸ 21.1%
6.6% Two conditions +0.4 pts ▸ 7.0%
3.6% Three or more ◂ +0.2 pts 3.4%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
15.0% 43rd pct 19.6% 77th 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 +1.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
26.8% 78th pct 25.7% 62nd pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.2 pts higher in Rural Balance
3.0% 32nd pct 4.2% 81st pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.8 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
20.2% 50th pct 27.0% 100th 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 +5.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
15.4% 60th pct 10.1% 18th pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
28.4% 65th pct 22.4% 23rd pct

Family composition

56.5% Couples with children ◂ +2.5 pts 54.0%
26.8% Couples without children +8.5 pts ▸ 35.3%
15.4% One-parent families ◂ +5.3 pts 10.1%
1.3% Other families ◂ +0.7 pts 0.6%

Household size

33.3% 2 people +7.8 pts ▸ 41.0%
28.4% 1 person ◂ +6.0 pts 22.4%
15.9% 3 people ◂ +1.7 pts 14.2%
14.7% 4 people ◂ +1.4 pts 13.3%
5.3% 5 people +0.6 pts ▸ 5.9%
2.4% 6 or more +0.8 pts ▸ 3.2%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$70 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$320 69th pct $250 30th pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$202 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$1,552 48th pct $1,350 22nd 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 +18.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
29.7% 53rd pct 11.1% 3rd pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +15.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
30.5% 36th pct 46.2% 93rd pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +25.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
73.1% 20th pct 98.4% 100th pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
75.7% 48th pct 78.6% 66th pct

How homes are owned or rented

30.5% Owned outright +15.7 pts ▸ 46.2%
36.2% Owned with a mortgage +1.7 pts ▸ 37.9%
29.7% Rented ◂ +18.5 pts 11.1%
2.4% Other tenure +0.8 pts ▸ 3.2%
1.2% Not stated +0.3 pts ▸ 1.5%

Types of homes

73.1% Separate house +25.3 pts ▸ 98.4%
17.5% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +17.1 pts 0.4%
9.0% Flat or apartment ◂ +8.8 pts 0.2%
0.2% Other dwelling +0.5 pts ▸ 0.8%

Bedrooms per home

52.0% 3 bedrooms ◂ +4.7 pts 47.2%
19.9% 4 bedrooms +4.5 pts ▸ 24.4%
19.6% 2 bedrooms ◂ +4.9 pts 14.7%
3.8% 5 or more +3.2 pts ▸ 7.0%
3.5% 1 bedroom +0.8 pts ▸ 4.3%
0.2% Studio / none +0.7 pts ▸ 0.9%

Weekly rent distribution

41.3% $200–$349 +2.6 pts ▸ 43.9%
34.2% $350–$549 ◂ +14.9 pts 19.4%
16.8% Under $200 +9.5 pts ▸ 26.3%
3.6% $550–$749 ◂ +1.8 pts 1.8%
1.0% $750 or more ◂ +0.7 pts 0.4%

Monthly mortgage distribution

39.5% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +0.8 pts 38.7%
19.5% Under $1,000 +8.3 pts ▸ 27.8%
26.1% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +4.4 pts 21.6%
10.0% $3,000 or more ◂ +3.2 pts 6.8%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
8.1% 81st pct 1.3% 13th pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
9.5% 49th pct 12.5% 64th pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
5.3% 87th pct 0.7% 22nd pct

How people get to work

63.0% Car (driver) +1.5 pts ▸ 64.5%
9.5% Worked at home +3.0 pts ▸ 12.5%
4.3% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.5 pts 3.8%
4.0% Bus ◂ +3.4 pts 0.6%
1.9% Walked +1.2 pts ▸ 3.1%
1.1% Bicycle ◂ +0.9 pts 0.2%
0.9% Train ◂ +0.9 pts 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

36.6% 2 vehicles +2.6 pts ▸ 39.2%
38.2% 1 vehicle ◂ +16.8 pts 21.4%
11.3% 3 vehicles +9.9 pts ▸ 21.2%
5.8% 4 or more +11.0 pts ▸ 16.8%
8.1% No vehicle ◂ +6.8 pts 1.3%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
38.4% 53rd pct 30.5% 27th pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +8.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
16.3% 67th pct 7.8% 29th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
5.7% 61st pct 4.4% 30th pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
61.5% 74th pct 59.3% 61st pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
57.5% 49th pct 54.8% 27th pct

Industries people work in

17.4% Health care & social assistance ◂ +4.5 pts 12.9%
0.9% Agriculture, forestry & fishing +13.5 pts ▸ 14.4%
8.2% Construction +1.9 pts ▸ 10.1%
9.7% Retail trade ◂ +2.5 pts 7.2%
9.0% Education & training ◂ +0.8 pts 8.2%
7.2% Professional & technical ◂ +2.7 pts 4.5%
6.6% Manufacturing +0.5 pts ▸ 7.2%
7.1% Public administration & safety ◂ +1.4 pts 5.7%
6.7% Accommodation & food ◂ +0.7 pts 6.0%
4.2% Transport & warehousing even 4.2%
4.0% Other services ◂ +0.4 pts 3.6%
3.9% Administrative & support ◂ +1.1 pts 2.8%

Occupations people work in

23.9% Professionals ◂ +7.7 pts 16.2%
11.8% Managers +6.4 pts ▸ 18.1%
12.7% Technicians & trades +3.0 pts ▸ 15.7%
13.3% Community & personal service ◂ +2.5 pts 10.8%
13.2% Clerical & administrative ◂ +2.9 pts 10.3%
9.3% Labourers +3.1 pts ▸ 12.5%
8.5% Sales workers ◂ +1.8 pts 6.7%
5.5% Machinery operators & drivers +2.1 pts ▸ 7.6%

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 +82.8 pts higher in Major Urban
86.2% 100th pct 3.4% 18th pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +76.6 pts higher in Major Urban
81.8% 92nd pct 5.2% 29th pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +88.4 pts higher in Major Urban
97.3% 98th pct 8.9% 29th pct
Walk to school in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +83.2 pts higher in Major Urban
87.0% 96th pct 3.7% 10th pct
Walk to a park in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +74.3 pts higher in Major Urban
99.2% 96th pct 24.8% 19th pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +65.7 pts higher in Major Urban
67.7% 97th pct 1.9% 29th pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +13.5 more in Rural Balance
14.5 24th pct 28.0 75th pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +180 higher in Major Urban
181 93rd pct 0 14th pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.3 pts higher in Rural Balance
4.5% 27th pct 10.8% 95th 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

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/SOS40/major-urban/vs/SOS63/rural-balance