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Other Urban vs Rural Balance

Section of State comparison ≈ 670 km apart · Other Urban profile · Rural Balance profile

Other Urban Rural Balance

Other Urban and Rural Balance are very different environments. Other Urban is somewhat walkable, with 57.2% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a 15-minute-city walkshed and 65.4% near public transport. In contrast, Rural Balance is car-dependent, where only 2.9% of homes have such a walkshed. There are also stark differences in housing and work; Rural Balance has a far higher share of homes owned outright at 46.4%, while Other Urban has a far higher share of renters at 27.1%. Working from home is also far more common in Rural Balance, where 16.8% of people do so, compared to 6.6% in Other Urban.

Daily life in both places shares some common ground, as they have nearly identical shares of children under 15 and adults with a bachelor degree or higher. Both areas also have very similar typical monthly home-loan payments of around $1,300 to $1,400. While they share these traits, some gaps are shifting. The difference in typical age has widened, with residents now noticeably older in Rural Balance. Meanwhile, the gap in the share of people who work from home has narrowed since 2011.

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Where they differ most

One-parent: 7.9 pts higher in Other Urban Needs assistance: 3.2 pts higher in Other Urban Living alone: 8.7 pts higher in Other Urban Renting: 14.9 pts higher in Other Urban Population: 191,221 larger in Other Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +191,221 larger in Other Urban gap widening
336,623 74th pct 145,402 63rd pct
Median age in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +3 yrs older in Rural Balance gap widening
44 yrs 67th pct 47 yrs 86th pct
First Nations in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +1.1 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
3.9% 38th pct 2.8% 31st pct
Aged 65+ in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +3.6 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
24.2% 93rd pct 20.5% 71st pct
Under 15 in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.1 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
17.3% 53rd pct 17.2% 51st pct
De facto in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.5 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
12.5% 42nd pct 12.0% 26th pct

Age structure

25.5% Older adults (45–64) +6.5 pts ▸ 32.0%
24.2% Seniors (65+) ◂ +3.6 pts 20.5%
22.5% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +2.6 pts 19.9%
17.3% Children (0–14) ◂ +0.1 pts 17.2%
10.6% Youth (15–24) ◂ +0.2 pts 10.4%

Marital status

46.2% Married +8.6 pts ▸ 54.8%
33.0% Never married ◂ +3.4 pts 29.7%
10.1% Divorced ◂ +1.5 pts 8.7%
7.0% Widowed ◂ +3.1 pts 3.9%
3.6% Separated ◂ +0.7 pts 2.9%

Age & sex structure

Other Urban Rural Balance

Bars show the share of each area's own population, so differently sized areas stay comparable.

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +2.8 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
14.0% 43rd pct 11.2% 23rd pct

Country of birth

80.4% Australia +0.8 pts ▸ 81.2%
5.4% England ◂ +0.9 pts 4.6%
0.8% New Zealand even 0.8%
0.7% Philippines ◂ +0.4 pts 0.3%
0.6% India ◂ +0.3 pts 0.3%
0.4% South Africa ◂ +0.1 pts 0.3%
0.3% Italy +0.1 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.2% Vietnam +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.2% China ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.0% Nepal even 0.0%

Ancestry

44.2% English ◂ +2.5 pts 41.7%
39.9% Australian +1.0 pts ▸ 40.9%
10.1% German +1.5 pts ▸ 11.6%
9.6% Scottish ◂ +0.3 pts 9.3%
8.1% Irish ◂ +0.5 pts 7.6%
2.9% Italian even 3.0%
1.9% Dutch ◂ +0.1 pts 1.8%
0.8% Greek +0.1 pts ▸ 1.0%
1.0% Filipino ◂ +0.5 pts 0.4%
0.7% Chinese ◂ +0.3 pts 0.4%
0.5% Indian ◂ +0.3 pts 0.3%
0.2% Vietnamese +0.2 pts ▸ 0.4%

Language

Other language in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.8 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
5.6% 23rd pct 4.7% 16th pct
Limited English in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.1 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
0.8% 37th pct 0.7% 32nd pct

Language used at home

88.9% English only ◂ +0.9 pts 88.0%
0.3% Greek +0.3 pts ▸ 0.6%
0.4% Italian +0.1 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.2% Vietnamese +0.2 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.3% Mandarin ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%
0.3% Punjabi ◂ +0.1 pts 0.2%
0.3% Tagalog ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%
0.1% Arabic even 0.0%
0.1% Hindi even 0.0%
0.1% Cantonese even 0.0%

Religion

No religion in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +3.8 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
50.6% 96th pct 46.8% 78th pct

Religious affiliation

50.6% No religion ◂ +3.8 pts 46.8%
39.6% Christianity +1.7 pts ▸ 41.3%
7.6% Not stated +2.5 pts ▸ 10.0%
0.7% Buddhism +0.1 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.7% Other religions ◂ +0.1 pts 0.6%
0.5% Islam ◂ +0.2 pts 0.2%
0.3% Hinduism ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%
0.0% Judaism even 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +1.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
43.2% 53rd pct 44.6% 59th pct
Bachelor+ in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
14.1% 44th pct 14.8% 49th pct

Highest year of school

43.2% Year 12 +1.5 pts ▸ 44.6%
20.1% Year 11 even 20.1%
18.5% Year 10 ◂ +0.9 pts 17.6%
11.4% Year 9 or below ◂ +2.0 pts 9.4%

Highest qualification level

37.7% Certificate III / IV ◂ +1.4 pts 36.3%
18.2% Bachelor degree +0.6 pts ▸ 18.8%
14.6% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +0.1 pts 14.5%
4.4% Postgraduate degree ◂ +0.2 pts 4.2%
3.2% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +0.2 pts 3.0%
3.0% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.4 pts 2.6%

Field of qualification

16.2% Engineering & related +0.4 pts ▸ 16.7%
14.8% Management & commerce ◂ +2.0 pts 12.8%
12.9% Society & culture ◂ +3.0 pts 9.9%
11.5% Health ◂ +0.5 pts 11.0%
9.1% Education ◂ +0.7 pts 8.4%
3.1% Agriculture & environment +5.2 pts ▸ 8.3%
5.9% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +1.3 pts 4.6%
4.9% Architecture & building +0.2 pts ▸ 5.0%
2.0% Natural & physical sciences +0.5 pts ▸ 2.5%
2.3% Creative arts ◂ +0.3 pts 2.0%
1.4% Information technology ◂ +0.4 pts 0.9%

Income

Personal income in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +$58 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
$676 33rd pct $734 50th pct
Household income in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +$232 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
$1,259 16th pct $1,491 41st pct
Family income in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +$182 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
$1,659 26th pct $1,841 46th pct
High earners in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +1.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
7.4% 38th pct 8.9% 51st pct
High-income homes in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +4.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
12.3% 17th pct 16.7% 48th pct

Household income distribution

32.5% $650–$1,499 ◂ +2.9 pts 29.6%
26.3% $1,500–$2,999 +1.9 pts ▸ 28.2%
21.3% Under $650 ◂ +5.5 pts 15.8%
6.9% $3,000–$3,999 +1.5 pts ▸ 8.4%
5.4% $4,000 or more +2.9 pts ▸ 8.3%

Personal income distribution

45.1% Under $650 ◂ +4.0 pts 41.0%
31.9% $650–$1,499 ◂ +0.1 pts 31.8%
13.6% $1,500–$2,999 +0.8 pts ▸ 14.4%
2.3% $3,000 or more +1.2 pts ▸ 3.5%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +6.0 pts higher in Other Urban
34.9% 95th pct 28.9% 58th pct
Mental health in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +3.3 pts higher in Other Urban
10.9% 76th pct 7.6% 36th pct
Needs assistance in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +3.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
7.6% 99th pct 4.3% 38th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

12.2% Arthritis ◂ +2.2 pts 10.0%
10.9% Mental health ◂ +3.3 pts 7.6%
10.2% Asthma ◂ +1.7 pts 8.5%
9.1% Other condition ◂ +2.0 pts 7.1%
6.6% Diabetes ◂ +1.6 pts 5.0%
5.5% Heart disease ◂ +1.3 pts 4.2%
3.7% Cancer ◂ +0.5 pts 3.2%
2.6% Lung condition ◂ +0.8 pts 1.9%
1.2% Stroke ◂ +0.4 pts 0.9%
1.2% Dementia ◂ +0.8 pts 0.3%

Number of long-term health conditions

57.1% None +4.3 pts ▸ 61.4%
22.0% One condition ◂ +2.3 pts 19.8%
8.1% Two conditions ◂ +1.9 pts 6.2%
4.8% Three or more ◂ +1.9 pts 2.9%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +6.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
19.4% 73rd pct 25.5% 100th pct
Unpaid carers in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
13.2% 79th pct 13.6% 87th pct
Unpaid child care in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +1.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
25.5% 60th pct 26.6% 75th pct
Defence service in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.5 pts higher in Other Urban
3.8% 70th pct 3.3% 49th pct
Housework 15h+ in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +3.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
23.4% 76th pct 26.9% 98th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.2 larger in Rural Balance gap steady
2.3 14th pct 2.5 57th pct
One-parent in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +7.9 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
16.1% 71st pct 8.2% 0th pct
Living alone in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +8.7 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
30.9% 84th pct 22.3% 23rd pct

Family composition

49.9% Couples with children +7.3 pts ▸ 57.2%
33.0% Couples without children +0.8 pts ▸ 33.9%
16.1% One-parent families ◂ +7.9 pts 8.2%
1.0% Other families ◂ +0.3 pts 0.7%

Household size

37.1% 2 people +3.0 pts ▸ 40.1%
30.9% 1 person ◂ +8.7 pts 22.3%
11.8% 4 people +2.1 pts ▸ 13.9%
13.1% 3 people +0.1 pts ▸ 13.2%
4.9% 5 people +2.3 pts ▸ 7.1%
2.2% 6 or more +1.1 pts ▸ 3.3%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +$40 higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
$240 26th pct $200 14th pct
Mortgage in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +$100 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
$1,300 14th pct $1,400 29th pct
People / bedroom in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.10 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
0.70 0th pct 0.80 29th pct
Renting in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +14.9 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
27.1% 43rd pct 12.2% 8th pct
Owned outright in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +11.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
34.5% 53rd pct 46.4% 94th pct
Separate houses in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +11.8 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
85.5% 41st pct 97.3% 93rd pct
3+ bedrooms in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +2.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
80.3% 76th pct 82.8% 88th pct

How homes are owned or rented

34.5% Owned outright +11.9 pts ▸ 46.4%
34.0% Owned with a mortgage +1.1 pts ▸ 35.2%
27.1% Rented ◂ +14.9 pts 12.2%
2.7% Other tenure +1.9 pts ▸ 4.6%
1.7% Not stated even 1.7%

Types of homes

85.5% Separate house +11.8 pts ▸ 97.3%
11.2% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +10.5 pts 0.7%
2.5% Flat or apartment ◂ +2.3 pts 0.2%
0.5% Other dwelling +0.7 pts ▸ 1.3%

Bedrooms per home

52.3% 3 bedrooms ◂ +7.8 pts 44.6%
24.2% 4 bedrooms +6.4 pts ▸ 30.6%
15.2% 2 bedrooms ◂ +3.3 pts 11.9%
3.8% 5 or more +3.9 pts ▸ 7.6%
2.7% 1 bedroom +0.6 pts ▸ 3.3%
0.2% Studio / none +0.3 pts ▸ 0.6%

Weekly rent distribution

50.0% $200–$349 ◂ +12.8 pts 37.3%
31.5% Under $200 +6.3 pts ▸ 37.8%
13.9% $350–$549 ◂ +2.0 pts 11.9%
0.7% $550–$749 +0.9 pts ▸ 1.6%
0.3% $750 or more +0.3 pts ▸ 0.6%

Monthly mortgage distribution

42.2% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +9.1 pts 33.2%
29.9% Under $1,000 ◂ +1.1 pts 28.8%
18.6% $1,800–$2,999 +3.8 pts ▸ 22.4%
4.8% $3,000 or more +5.4 pts ▸ 10.1%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +4.8 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
6.4% 67th pct 1.6% 15th pct
Work from home in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +10.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
6.6% 28th pct 16.8% 83rd pct
PT commute in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
1.2% 37th pct 0.7% 23rd pct

How people get to work

69.2% Car (driver) ◂ +9.0 pts 60.2%
6.6% Worked at home +10.1 pts ▸ 16.8%
2.9% Walked +2.0 pts ▸ 4.8%
4.8% Car (passenger) ◂ +1.5 pts 3.3%
1.1% Bus ◂ +0.4 pts 0.6%
0.4% Bicycle ◂ +0.3 pts 0.1%
0.1% Train even 0.1%

Motor vehicles per home

36.9% 2 vehicles +1.4 pts ▸ 38.3%
36.9% 1 vehicle ◂ +16.7 pts 20.2%
12.7% 3 vehicles +8.5 pts ▸ 21.2%
7.0% 4 or more +11.7 pts ▸ 18.7%
6.4% No vehicle ◂ +4.8 pts 1.6%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +11.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
37.0% 49th pct 25.8% 11th pct
Recent arrivals in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +2.8 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
9.1% 35th pct 6.3% 14th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +1.8 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
5.1% 43rd pct 3.3% 15th pct
Participation in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +6.8 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
55.1% 44th pct 61.9% 75th pct
Full-time in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +1.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
56.3% 38th pct 57.4% 49th pct

Industries people work in

4.7% Agriculture, forestry & fishing +19.3 pts ▸ 24.0%
15.4% Health care & social assistance ◂ +4.8 pts 10.6%
10.8% Retail trade ◂ +3.9 pts 6.9%
9.3% Manufacturing ◂ +1.8 pts 7.5%
8.7% Education & training ◂ +1.3 pts 7.4%
8.7% Construction ◂ +0.5 pts 8.1%
7.2% Accommodation & food ◂ +2.4 pts 4.8%
5.9% Public administration & safety ◂ +1.4 pts 4.5%
4.0% Other services ◂ +0.5 pts 3.5%
3.9% Professional & technical ◂ +0.2 pts 3.7%
3.8% Transport & warehousing even 3.8%
3.8% Administrative & support ◂ +1.0 pts 2.7%

Occupations people work in

11.7% Managers +14.2 pts ▸ 25.9%
16.5% Professionals ◂ +2.4 pts 14.0%
14.9% Technicians & trades ◂ +1.9 pts 13.0%
13.8% Community & personal service ◂ +4.4 pts 9.4%
13.3% Labourers ◂ +0.4 pts 12.9%
11.0% Clerical & administrative ◂ +0.9 pts 10.0%
9.4% Sales workers ◂ +3.1 pts 6.3%
7.6% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +1.2 pts 6.4%

Walkability

Walk score in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +4.1 higher in Other Urban
4.8 64th pct 0.7 15th pct
Types ≤15 min in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +4.2 more in Other Urban
4.9 64th pct 0.7 15th pct
15-min city in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +54.3 pts higher in Other Urban
57.2% 61st pct 2.9% 14th pct
Walk to shops in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +51.3 pts higher in Other Urban
55.6% 54th pct 4.3% 20th pct
Walk to transit in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +55.0 pts higher in Other Urban
65.4% 62nd pct 10.3% 30th pct
Walk to school in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +54.4 pts higher in Other Urban
59.7% 57th pct 5.3% 14th pct
Walk to a park in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +64.4 pts higher in Other Urban
87.3% 58th pct 22.8% 17th pct
Walk to health in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +46.1 pts higher in Other Urban
47.1% 70th pct 1.0% 13th pct
Amenities/1k in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +17.7 more in Rural Balance
14.7 26th pct 32.4 84th pct
Intersections/km² in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +46 higher in Other Urban
46 61st pct 0 2nd pct
Mean slope in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.5 pts higher in Rural Balance
4.6% 29th pct 5.1% 40th pct

Compare Other Urban with nearby areas

Major 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). Other Urban vs Rural Balance [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sos/SOS41/other-urban/vs/SOS43/rural-balance