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Other Urban vs Rural Balance

Section of State comparison ≈ 928 km apart · Other Urban profile · Rural Balance profile

Other Urban Rural Balance

Other Urban and Rural Balance are very different places, separated by over 900 km. Other Urban is a much larger area with a far older population, where the typical resident is 44. In contrast, Rural Balance is sparsely populated and far younger, with a typical age of 30. There are also stark differences in wealth; typical weekly household income in Rural Balance is $2,562, which is far higher than the $1,259 seen in Other Urban. This gap in income is mirrored by the education levels, with a far higher share of residents in Rural Balance having completed Year 12.

Everyday life shares some common ground, as both areas have the same proportion of people born overseas and very similar rates of volunteering. However, the two places have tracked differently since 2011, with the age gap widening and the difference in household incomes growing. Other Urban is much more connected, with far more homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries, health services, and schools. Rural Balance is more car-dependent and has a far higher share of people working from home.

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Where they differ most

Household income: $1,303 higher in Rural Balance Population: 336,018 larger in Other Urban Median age: 14 yrs older in Other Urban People / bedroom: 0.30 higher in Rural Balance Needs assistance: 4.6 pts higher in Other Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +336,018 larger in Other Urban gap widening
336,623 74th pct 605 20th pct
Median age in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +14 yrs older in Other Urban gap widening
44 yrs 67th pct 30 yrs 0th 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 +11.6 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
24.2% 93rd pct 12.6% 28th pct
Under 15 in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +2.9 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
17.3% 53rd pct 14.4% 30th pct
De facto in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +3.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
12.5% 42nd pct 15.5% 92nd pct

Age structure

22.5% Young adults (25–44) +6.3 pts ▸ 28.8%
25.5% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +1.7 pts 23.8%
24.2% Seniors (65+) ◂ +11.6 pts 12.6%
10.6% Youth (15–24) +10.3 pts ▸ 20.8%
17.3% Children (0–14) ◂ +2.9 pts 14.4%

Marital status

33.0% Never married +15.2 pts ▸ 48.2%
46.2% Married ◂ +7.5 pts 38.7%
10.1% Divorced ◂ +4.0 pts 6.2%
7.0% Widowed ◂ +6.3 pts 0.8%
3.6% Separated +0.3 pts ▸ 3.9%

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 even gap steady
14.0% 43rd pct 14.0% 43rd pct

Country of birth

80.4% Australia ◂ +7.8 pts 72.6%
5.4% England ◂ +1.6 pts 3.8%
0.8% New Zealand +0.2 pts ▸ 1.0%
0.4% South Africa +0.4 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.7% Philippines ◂ +0.7 pts 0.0%
0.6% India ◂ +0.6 pts 0.0%
0.3% Italy ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%
0.2% China ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%
0.2% Vietnam ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%
0.0% Nepal even 0.0%

Ancestry

44.2% English ◂ +11.8 pts 32.4%
39.9% Australian +1.0 pts ▸ 40.8%
9.6% Scottish +4.0 pts ▸ 13.6%
8.1% Irish +3.9 pts ▸ 12.1%
10.1% German ◂ +5.8 pts 4.3%
1.9% Dutch +2.2 pts ▸ 4.1%
2.9% Italian ◂ +1.5 pts 1.5%
0.7% Chinese +0.5 pts ▸ 1.2%
1.0% Filipino ◂ +1.0 pts 0.0%
0.8% Greek ◂ +0.2 pts 0.7%
0.5% Indian +0.1 pts ▸ 0.7%
0.2% Vietnamese +0.3 pts ▸ 0.5%

Language

Other language in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +1.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
5.6% 23rd pct 6.8% 33rd pct
Limited English in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.8 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
0.8% 37th pct 0.0% 0th pct

Language used at home

88.9% English only ◂ +9.4 pts 79.5%
0.2% Vietnamese +0.3 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.4% Italian +0.1 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.3% Mandarin ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%
0.3% Punjabi ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%
0.3% Greek ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%
0.3% Tagalog ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%
0.1% Arabic ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Hindi ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Cantonese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Religion

No religion in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +9.5 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
50.6% 96th pct 41.2% 50th pct

Religious affiliation

50.6% No religion ◂ +9.5 pts 41.2%
39.6% Christianity +1.7 pts ▸ 41.3%
7.6% Not stated +8.6 pts ▸ 16.2%
0.5% Islam +0.9 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.7% Buddhism +0.1 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.7% Other religions ◂ +0.2 pts 0.5%
0.3% Hinduism ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%
0.0% Judaism even 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +21.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
43.2% 53rd pct 64.3% 90th pct
Bachelor+ in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +9.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
14.1% 44th pct 24.1% 82nd pct

Highest year of school

43.2% Year 12 +21.1 pts ▸ 64.3%
20.1% Year 11 ◂ +17.9 pts 2.2%
18.5% Year 10 ◂ +5.5 pts 13.0%
11.4% Year 9 or below ◂ +6.2 pts 5.2%

Highest qualification level

37.7% Certificate III / IV ◂ +11.0 pts 26.7%
18.2% Bachelor degree +6.4 pts ▸ 24.5%
14.6% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +2.6 pts 12.0%
3.2% Graduate diploma / certificate +2.4 pts ▸ 5.6%
4.4% Postgraduate degree ◂ +1.2 pts 3.2%
3.0% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.1 pts 2.9%

Field of qualification

16.2% Engineering & related ◂ +8.2 pts 8.0%
12.9% Society & culture +2.6 pts ▸ 15.5%
14.8% Management & commerce ◂ +3.3 pts 11.5%
11.5% Health ◂ +3.2 pts 8.3%
4.9% Architecture & building +4.5 pts ▸ 9.3%
9.1% Education ◂ +4.0 pts 5.1%
5.9% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +3.3 pts 2.7%
2.0% Natural & physical sciences +3.3 pts ▸ 5.3%
3.1% Agriculture & environment +0.9 pts ▸ 4.0%
2.3% Creative arts +1.1 pts ▸ 3.5%
1.4% Information technology ◂ +0.6 pts 0.8%

Income

Personal income in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +$453 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
$676 33rd pct $1,129 81st pct
Household income in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +$1,303 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
$1,259 16th pct $2,562 90th pct
Family income in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +$1,038 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
$1,659 26th pct $2,697 91st pct
High earners in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +4.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
7.4% 38th pct 11.6% 69th pct
High-income homes in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +26.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
12.3% 17th pct 38.4% 97th pct

Household income distribution

32.5% $650–$1,499 ◂ +16.6 pts 15.9%
26.3% $1,500–$2,999 +2.0 pts ▸ 28.3%
5.4% $4,000 or more +18.5 pts ▸ 23.9%
21.3% Under $650 ◂ +13.3 pts 8.0%
6.9% $3,000–$3,999 +7.6 pts ▸ 14.5%

Personal income distribution

45.1% Under $650 ◂ +26.2 pts 18.9%
31.9% $650–$1,499 +6.4 pts ▸ 38.3%
13.6% $1,500–$2,999 +3.2 pts ▸ 16.8%
2.3% $3,000 or more +3.4 pts ▸ 5.8%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +11.0 pts higher in Other Urban
34.9% 95th pct 24.0% 30th pct
Mental health in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +2.9 pts higher in Other Urban
10.9% 76th pct 7.9% 41st pct
Needs assistance in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +4.6 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
7.6% 99th pct 3.0% 14th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

12.2% Arthritis ◂ +5.2 pts 6.9%
10.9% Mental health ◂ +2.9 pts 7.9%
10.2% Asthma ◂ +1.4 pts 8.8%
9.1% Other condition ◂ +3.1 pts 6.0%
6.6% Diabetes ◂ +4.1 pts 2.5%
5.5% Heart disease ◂ +3.0 pts 2.5%
3.7% Cancer ◂ +1.9 pts 1.8%
2.6% Lung condition ◂ +0.7 pts 2.0%
1.2% Stroke ◂ +0.6 pts 0.7%
1.2% Dementia ◂ +1.2 pts 0.0%

Number of long-term health conditions

57.1% None +3.1 pts ▸ 60.2%
22.0% One condition ◂ +5.3 pts 16.7%
8.1% Two conditions ◂ +1.8 pts 6.3%
4.8% Three or more ◂ +2.8 pts 2.0%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
19.4% 73rd pct 19.7% 77th pct
Unpaid carers in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +3.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
13.2% 79th pct 10.0% 30th pct
Unpaid child care in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +3.4 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
25.5% 60th pct 22.2% 32nd pct
Defence service in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +11.0 pts higher in Rural Balance
3.8% 70th pct 14.8% 100th pct
Housework 15h+ in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +5.1 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
23.4% 76th pct 18.3% 38th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.7 larger in Rural Balance gap widening
2.3 14th pct 3.0 95th pct
One-parent in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +2.0 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
16.1% 71st pct 14.1% 49th pct
Living alone in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +12.1 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
30.9% 84th pct 18.8% 7th pct

Family composition

49.9% Couples with children +4.6 pts ▸ 54.5%
33.0% Couples without children ◂ +3.9 pts 29.1%
16.1% One-parent families ◂ +2.0 pts 14.1%
1.0% Other families +1.6 pts ▸ 2.5%

Household size

37.1% 2 people ◂ +3.0 pts 34.1%
30.9% 1 person ◂ +12.1 pts 18.8%
13.1% 3 people +2.8 pts ▸ 15.9%
11.8% 4 people +4.1 pts ▸ 15.9%
2.2% 6 or more +5.8 pts ▸ 8.0%
4.9% 5 people ◂ +1.3 pts 3.6%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +$140 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
$240 26th pct $380 86th pct
Mortgage in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +$500 higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
$1,300 14th pct $1,800 69th pct
People / bedroom in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +0.30 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
0.70 0th pct 1.00 87th pct
Renting in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +14.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
27.1% 43rd pct 41.3% 88th pct
Owned outright in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +8.4 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
34.5% 53rd pct 26.1% 14th pct
Separate houses in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +5.8 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
85.5% 41st pct 91.3% 55th pct
3+ bedrooms in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +12.9 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
80.3% 76th pct 67.4% 18th pct

How homes are owned or rented

27.1% Rented +14.2 pts ▸ 41.3%
34.5% Owned outright ◂ +8.4 pts 26.1%
34.0% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +10.8 pts 23.2%
2.7% Other tenure +9.6 pts ▸ 12.3%
1.7% Not stated +0.5 pts ▸ 2.2%

Types of homes

85.5% Separate house +5.8 pts ▸ 91.3%
11.2% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +11.2 pts 0.0%
2.5% Flat or apartment ◂ +2.5 pts 0.0%
0.5% Other dwelling ◂ +0.5 pts 0.0%

Bedrooms per home

52.3% 3 bedrooms ◂ +23.4 pts 29.0%
24.2% 4 bedrooms +0.5 pts ▸ 24.6%
15.2% 2 bedrooms +5.1 pts ▸ 20.3%
3.8% 5 or more +10.0 pts ▸ 13.8%
2.7% 1 bedroom +5.3 pts ▸ 8.0%
0.2% Studio / none ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%

Weekly rent distribution

50.0% $200–$349 ◂ +20.2 pts 29.8%
13.9% $350–$549 +31.7 pts ▸ 45.6%
31.5% Under $200 ◂ +14.0 pts 17.5%
0.7% $550–$749 +6.3 pts ▸ 7.0%
0.3% $750 or more +6.8 pts ▸ 7.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

42.2% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +20.4 pts 21.9%
29.9% Under $1,000 ◂ +29.9 pts 0.0%
4.8% $3,000 or more +17.1 pts ▸ 21.9%
18.6% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +9.2 pts 9.4%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +6.4 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
6.4% 67th pct 0.0% 0th pct
Work from home in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +11.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
6.6% 28th pct 17.6% 86th pct
PT commute in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +1.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
1.2% 37th pct 0.0% 0th pct

How people get to work

69.2% Car (driver) ◂ +24.3 pts 44.9%
6.6% Worked at home +11.0 pts ▸ 17.6%
2.9% Walked +9.4 pts ▸ 12.2%
4.8% Car (passenger) ◂ +2.2 pts 2.6%
1.1% Bus ◂ +1.1 pts 0.0%
0.4% Bicycle ◂ +0.4 pts 0.0%
0.1% Train ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

36.9% 2 vehicles ◂ +1.1 pts 35.8%
36.9% 1 vehicle ◂ +17.5 pts 19.4%
7.0% 4 or more +21.3 pts ▸ 28.4%
12.7% 3 vehicles +8.1 pts ▸ 20.9%
6.4% No vehicle ◂ +6.4 pts 0.0%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +9.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
37.0% 49th pct 46.3% 82nd pct
Recent arrivals in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +15.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
9.1% 35th pct 24.7% 82nd pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +3.7 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
5.1% 43rd pct 1.4% 0th pct
Participation in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +13.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
55.1% 44th pct 68.4% 96th pct
Full-time in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +14.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
56.3% 38th pct 70.7% 87th pct

Industries people work in

5.9% Public administration & safety +22.2 pts ▸ 28.1%
15.4% Health care & social assistance ◂ +10.3 pts 5.1%
4.7% Agriculture, forestry & fishing +9.3 pts ▸ 13.9%
8.7% Construction +3.3 pts ▸ 11.9%
10.8% Retail trade ◂ +7.4 pts 3.4%
9.3% Manufacturing ◂ +7.3 pts 2.0%
8.7% Education & training ◂ +1.6 pts 7.1%
7.2% Accommodation & food ◂ +3.5 pts 3.7%
3.9% Professional & technical +2.9 pts ▸ 6.8%
1.1% Arts & recreation +4.9 pts ▸ 6.0%
4.0% Other services ◂ +1.4 pts 2.6%
3.8% Transport & warehousing ◂ +2.9 pts 0.9%

Occupations people work in

11.7% Managers +25.8 pts ▸ 37.5%
16.5% Professionals even 16.5%
14.9% Technicians & trades ◂ +1.0 pts 13.9%
13.8% Community & personal service ◂ +5.6 pts 8.2%
13.3% Labourers ◂ +4.8 pts 8.5%
11.0% Clerical & administrative ◂ +0.4 pts 10.5%
9.4% Sales workers ◂ +6.8 pts 2.6%
7.6% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +7.6 pts 0.0%

Walkability

Walk score in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +3.4 higher in Other Urban
4.8 64th pct 1.4 29th pct
Types ≤15 min in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +3.8 more in Other Urban
4.9 64th pct 1.1 29th pct
15-min city in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +55.4 pts higher in Other Urban
57.2% 61st pct 1.8% 9th pct
Walk to shops in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +54.1 pts higher in Other Urban
55.6% 54th pct 1.5% 6th pct
Walk to transit in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +57.5 pts higher in Other Urban
65.4% 62nd pct 7.9% 29th pct
Walk to school in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +50.0 pts higher in Other Urban
59.7% 57th pct 9.7% 29th pct
Walk to a park in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +25.8 pts higher in Other Urban
87.3% 58th pct 61.5% 36th pct
Walk to health in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +46.3 pts higher in Other Urban
47.1% 70th pct 0.8% 11th pct
Amenities/1k in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +306.0 more in Rural Balance
14.7 26th pct 320.7 100th pct
Intersections/km² in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +42 higher in Other Urban
46 61st pct 4 23rd pct
Mean slope in Other Urbanin Rural Balance +1.5 pts higher in Rural Balance
4.6% 29th pct 6.1% 63rd 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

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). 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/SOS83/rural-balance