CensusAtlas

Compare

Major Urban vs Other Urban

Section of State comparison ≈ 163 km apart · Major Urban profile · Other Urban profile

Major Urban Other Urban

Major Urban and Other Urban are both significant residential hubs, but they differ sharply in their makeup and layout. Major Urban is much more diverse and highly qualified, with 36.4% of people born overseas and 27.0% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. It is also very walkable, as 95.3% of homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport. In contrast, Other Urban has a much larger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population at 7.3% and a higher share of separate houses. Education levels are lower here, with only 44.4% of residents having completed Year 12.

These two areas have tracked in different directions since 2011, with gaps in education, overseas birth and language use all widening. Despite these shifts, they share a very similar feel in some areas; the typical weekly personal income is nearly the same, at $862 in Major Urban and $828 in Other Urban. They also have almost identical shares of people who have served in the Defence Force and similar proportions of homes with three or more bedrooms.

Open map →

Where they differ most

Population: 1,659,236 larger in Major Urban Year 12: 17.9 pts higher in Major Urban De facto: 3.8 pts higher in Other Urban Born overseas: 17.1 pts higher in Major Urban Bachelor+: 13.1 pts higher in Major Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1,659,236 larger in Major Urban gap widening
2,043,762 89th pct 384,526 75th pct
Median age in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1 yrs older in Other Urban gap narrowing
37 yrs 14th pct 38 yrs 21st pct
First Nations in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5.4 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
1.9% 18th pct 7.3% 65th pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.9 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
15.7% 45th pct 16.6% 49th pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.6 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
19.0% 79th pct 20.6% 90th pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.8 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
11.5% 17th pct 15.3% 88th pct

Age structure

29.1% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +2.3 pts 26.7%
24.1% Older adults (45–64) +1.1 pts ▸ 25.2%
19.0% Children (0–14) +1.6 pts ▸ 20.6%
15.7% Seniors (65+) +0.9 pts ▸ 16.6%
12.1% Youth (15–24) ◂ +1.3 pts 10.8%

Marital status

47.5% Married ◂ +2.7 pts 44.8%
36.2% Never married +0.7 pts ▸ 36.9%
8.7% Divorced +0.8 pts ▸ 9.5%
4.4% Widowed +0.6 pts ▸ 5.0%
3.2% Separated +0.6 pts ▸ 3.8%

Age & sex structure

Major Urban Other Urban

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Major Urbanin Other Urban +17.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
36.4% 98th pct 19.3% 68th pct

Country of birth

59.1% Australia +12.8 pts ▸ 71.9%
7.9% England ◂ +2.7 pts 5.3%
2.8% New Zealand +0.4 pts ▸ 3.2%
2.8% India ◂ +2.2 pts 0.6%
1.8% South Africa ◂ +0.6 pts 1.3%
1.5% Philippines even 1.5%
1.3% China ◂ +1.1 pts 0.3%
0.8% Vietnam ◂ +0.7 pts 0.2%
0.8% Italy ◂ +0.5 pts 0.3%
0.2% Nepal ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

Ancestry

36.8% English +3.9 pts ▸ 40.7%
27.8% Australian +8.9 pts ▸ 36.7%
8.7% Scottish +0.5 pts ▸ 9.1%
8.8% Irish even 8.8%
5.5% Italian ◂ +1.5 pts 4.0%
5.5% Chinese ◂ +4.5 pts 1.0%
3.6% Indian ◂ +2.7 pts 0.9%
2.8% German +0.5 pts ▸ 3.4%
2.0% Dutch even 2.0%
1.9% Filipino ◂ +0.1 pts 1.8%
1.1% Vietnamese ◂ +0.9 pts 0.2%
0.7% Greek ◂ +0.4 pts 0.3%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Other Urban +12.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
21.4% 78th pct 8.6% 44th pct
Limited English in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
2.7% 74th pct 0.9% 45th pct

Language used at home

73.6% English only +8.5 pts ▸ 82.1%
2.4% Mandarin ◂ +2.0 pts 0.5%
1.1% Italian ◂ +0.7 pts 0.4%
1.1% Vietnamese ◂ +0.9 pts 0.2%
1.0% Punjabi ◂ +0.8 pts 0.2%
0.9% Cantonese ◂ +0.8 pts 0.1%
0.8% Arabic ◂ +0.6 pts 0.1%
0.7% Tagalog ◂ +0.1 pts 0.6%
0.6% Hindi ◂ +0.4 pts 0.1%
0.2% Greek ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Other Urban +5.5 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
42.1% 55th pct 47.6% 80th pct

Religious affiliation

42.1% No religion +5.5 pts ▸ 47.6%
41.8% Christianity ◂ +3.3 pts 38.6%
6.5% Not stated +4.4 pts ▸ 10.9%
3.1% Islam ◂ +2.2 pts 0.9%
2.6% Buddhism ◂ +1.6 pts 0.9%
2.4% Hinduism ◂ +1.9 pts 0.6%
1.3% Other religions ◂ +0.8 pts 0.5%
0.3% Judaism ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Other Urban +17.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
62.4% 87th pct 44.4% 58th pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Other Urban +13.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
27.0% 86th pct 13.9% 42nd pct

Highest year of school

62.4% Year 12 ◂ +17.9 pts 44.4%
17.4% Year 10 +8.1 pts ▸ 25.5%
8.1% Year 11 +3.4 pts ▸ 11.5%
6.2% Year 9 or below +1.9 pts ▸ 8.1%

Highest qualification level

25.9% Certificate III / IV +11.0 pts ▸ 37.0%
28.4% Bachelor degree ◂ +11.7 pts 16.8%
15.2% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +2.0 pts 13.2%
9.3% Postgraduate degree ◂ +5.8 pts 3.5%
3.9% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +1.1 pts 2.9%
2.3% Certificate I / II +1.3 pts ▸ 3.6%

Field of qualification

19.0% Management & commerce ◂ +5.7 pts 13.3%
16.7% Engineering & related +1.8 pts ▸ 18.5%
11.4% Society & culture ◂ +2.1 pts 9.3%
11.0% Health ◂ +1.1 pts 9.8%
7.9% Education +1.0 pts ▸ 8.8%
5.1% Food, hospitality & personal services +0.6 pts ▸ 5.7%
4.9% Architecture & building +0.7 pts ▸ 5.6%
3.8% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +1.8 pts 2.0%
3.5% Creative arts ◂ +1.3 pts 2.2%
1.5% Agriculture & environment +1.4 pts ▸ 2.9%
2.9% Information technology ◂ +1.7 pts 1.2%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$34 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$862 72nd pct $828 69th pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$189 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$1,863 71st pct $1,674 56th pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$167 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$2,262 77th pct $2,095 69th pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
15.2% 84th pct 13.7% 78th pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
24.3% 74th pct 19.8% 58th pct

Household income distribution

29.2% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +0.8 pts 28.4%
23.4% $650–$1,499 +1.5 pts ▸ 24.9%
14.3% Under $650 +1.8 pts ▸ 16.2%
13.5% $4,000 or more ◂ +3.7 pts 9.8%
10.8% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +0.7 pts 10.1%

Personal income distribution

38.3% Under $650 ◂ +1.3 pts 37.0%
29.2% $650–$1,499 ◂ +0.9 pts 28.2%
20.1% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +0.8 pts 19.2%
6.2% $3,000 or more ◂ +1.3 pts 4.9%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.2 pts higher in Other Urban
26.0% 41st pct 27.1% 47th pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.3 pts higher in Other Urban
8.4% 46th pct 8.7% 49th pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.3 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
4.6% 43rd pct 4.9% 49th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

8.4% Mental health +0.3 pts ▸ 8.7%
7.4% Arthritis +1.0 pts ▸ 8.4%
7.3% Asthma +0.5 pts ▸ 7.8%
7.6% Other condition ◂ +0.6 pts 7.0%
4.3% Diabetes +0.4 pts ▸ 4.8%
3.5% Heart disease +0.1 pts ▸ 3.7%
2.7% Cancer +0.1 pts ▸ 2.8%
1.5% Lung condition +0.3 pts ▸ 1.8%
0.8% Stroke +0.1 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.7% Dementia +0.1 pts ▸ 0.7%

Number of long-term health conditions

66.6% None ◂ +5.7 pts 60.9%
18.2% One condition +0.2 pts ▸ 18.4%
5.3% Two conditions +0.5 pts ▸ 5.8%
2.5% Three or more +0.5 pts ▸ 3.0%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.3 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
15.1% 44th pct 17.5% 60th pct
Unpaid carers in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
10.8% 42nd pct 10.2% 32nd pct
Unpaid child care in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
29.2% 89th pct 27.6% 86th pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.2 pts higher in Other Urban
2.8% 26th pct 3.0% 30th pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.5 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
19.6% 45th pct 21.1% 58th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.1 larger in Major Urban gap widening
2.6 71st pct 2.5 57th pct
One-parent in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.9 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
13.4% 43rd pct 15.3% 60th pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Other Urban +2.4 pts higher in Other Urban gap widening
25.2% 42nd pct 27.6% 59th pct

Family composition

60.0% Couples with children ◂ +4.7 pts 55.3%
25.4% Couples without children +3.0 pts ▸ 28.4%
13.4% One-parent families +1.9 pts ▸ 15.3%
1.2% Other families ◂ +0.2 pts 1.0%

Household size

32.8% 2 people +1.9 pts ▸ 34.7%
25.2% 1 person +2.4 pts ▸ 27.6%
16.5% 4 people ◂ +2.4 pts 14.1%
16.4% 3 people ◂ +2.0 pts 14.4%
6.3% 5 people ◂ +0.1 pts 6.2%
2.8% 6 or more +0.2 pts ▸ 3.0%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$60 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$350 78th pct $290 54th pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Other Urban +$300 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$1,900 76th pct $1,600 57th pct
People / bedroom in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.10 higher in Major Urban gap widening
0.80 29th pct 0.70 0th pct
Renting in Major Urbanin Other Urban +6.4 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
27.0% 43rd pct 33.4% 74th pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
28.3% 29th pct 27.7% 25th pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Other Urban +9.0 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
77.2% 25th pct 86.2% 43rd pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.5 pts higher in Other Urban gap steady
82.2% 85th pct 82.7% 87th pct

How homes are owned or rented

41.7% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +7.2 pts 34.5%
27.0% Rented +6.4 pts ▸ 33.4%
28.3% Owned outright ◂ +0.6 pts 27.7%
1.7% Other tenure +0.8 pts ▸ 2.5%
1.2% Not stated +0.7 pts ▸ 1.9%

Types of homes

77.2% Separate house +9.0 pts ▸ 86.2%
14.6% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +4.2 pts 10.4%
7.9% Flat or apartment ◂ +6.0 pts 1.9%
0.3% Other dwelling +1.0 pts ▸ 1.3%

Bedrooms per home

37.0% 3 bedrooms +3.7 pts ▸ 40.7%
38.9% 4 bedrooms ◂ +1.5 pts 37.4%
12.8% 2 bedrooms ◂ +1.1 pts 11.7%
6.3% 5 or more ◂ +1.6 pts 4.7%
3.6% 1 bedroom ◂ +0.2 pts 3.4%
0.2% Studio / none +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%

Weekly rent distribution

43.4% $350–$549 ◂ +17.4 pts 26.0%
34.2% $200–$349 +4.9 pts ▸ 39.1%
10.4% Under $200 +13.7 pts ▸ 24.1%
6.4% $550–$749 ◂ +2.5 pts 3.9%
2.5% $750 or more ◂ +0.5 pts 2.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

30.6% $1,000–$1,799 +8.6 pts ▸ 39.2%
35.5% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +6.5 pts 29.0%
12.7% Under $1,000 +5.3 pts ▸ 18.0%
15.8% $3,000 or more ◂ +7.2 pts 8.5%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.1% 45th pct 4.8% 43rd pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
7.5% 35th pct 4.3% 13th pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Other Urban +3.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.3% 87th pct 1.8% 48th pct

How people get to work

62.1% Car (driver) +5.0 pts ▸ 67.0%
7.5% Worked at home ◂ +3.2 pts 4.3%
4.4% Car (passenger) +1.6 pts ▸ 6.0%
3.1% Bus ◂ +1.3 pts 1.7%
1.5% Walked +1.4 pts ▸ 2.9%
2.2% Train ◂ +2.1 pts 0.1%
0.7% Bicycle +0.2 pts ▸ 0.9%

Motor vehicles per home

39.9% 2 vehicles ◂ +0.5 pts 39.4%
35.5% 1 vehicle ◂ +0.9 pts 34.6%
12.8% 3 vehicles +1.2 pts ▸ 14.0%
6.7% 4 or more +0.4 pts ▸ 7.2%
5.1% No vehicle ◂ +0.2 pts 4.8%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.7 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
39.6% 57th pct 41.2% 69th pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.2 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
10.7% 42nd pct 10.9% 43rd pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.3% 52nd pct 4.4% 31st pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Other Urban +4.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
65.3% 88th pct 60.7% 70th pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.1 pts higher in Other Urban gap narrowing
60.0% 68th pct 61.1% 73rd pct

Industries people work in

14.2% Health care & social assistance ◂ +1.2 pts 13.0%
6.5% Mining +4.7 pts ▸ 11.2%
8.9% Retail trade +0.6 pts ▸ 9.5%
8.8% Construction +0.4 pts ▸ 9.2%
8.8% Education & training ◂ +0.1 pts 8.8%
7.9% Professional & technical ◂ +4.7 pts 3.2%
6.5% Accommodation & food +0.8 pts ▸ 7.3%
6.0% Public administration & safety ◂ +0.2 pts 5.8%
5.2% Manufacturing +0.4 pts ▸ 5.6%
4.5% Transport & warehousing +0.3 pts ▸ 4.8%
3.9% Other services +0.2 pts ▸ 4.1%
3.1% Administrative & support even 3.1%

Occupations people work in

24.0% Professionals ◂ +8.6 pts 15.4%
14.5% Technicians & trades +4.3 pts ▸ 18.8%
12.5% Clerical & administrative ◂ +1.5 pts 10.9%
8.6% Labourers +3.5 pts ▸ 12.2%
12.0% Community & personal service +0.1 pts ▸ 12.1%
11.8% Managers ◂ +1.8 pts 10.0%
6.9% Machinery operators & drivers +3.7 pts ▸ 10.5%
8.0% Sales workers +0.2 pts ▸ 8.2%

Walkability

Walk score in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.6 higher in Major Urban
6.2 85th pct 4.5 61st pct
Types ≤15 min in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.3 more in Major Urban
5.9 86th pct 4.6 57th pct
15-min city in Major Urbanin Other Urban +24.2 pts higher in Major Urban
74.1% 86th pct 49.8% 48th pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Other Urban +19.0 pts higher in Major Urban
70.3% 78th pct 51.3% 44th pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Other Urban +31.5 pts higher in Major Urban
95.3% 88th pct 63.8% 61st pct
Walk to school in Major Urbanin Other Urban +18.2 pts higher in Major Urban
81.3% 86th pct 63.1% 62nd pct
Walk to a park in Major Urbanin Other Urban +6.9 pts higher in Major Urban
97.2% 84th pct 90.2% 65th pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Other Urban +16.2 pts higher in Major Urban
55.8% 82nd pct 39.7% 54th pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Other Urban +0.7 more in Major Urban
15.2 30th pct 14.6 25th pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Other Urban +123 higher in Major Urban
166 91st pct 43 60th pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Other Urban +1.8 pts higher in Major Urban
6.1% 63rd pct 4.3% 22nd pct

Compare Major Urban with nearby areas

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

Compare Other Urban with nearby areas

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

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Major Urban vs Other Urban [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sos/SOS50/major-urban/vs/SOS51/other-urban