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Major Urban vs Rural Balance

Section of State comparison ≈ 2,341 km apart · Major Urban profile · Rural Balance profile

Major Urban Rural Balance

Major Urban and Rural Balance are very different environments. Major Urban is a massive, very walkable hub where 36.4% of people were born overseas and 27% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher. In contrast, Rural Balance is car-dependent and has a much stronger Indigenous presence, with 29.1% of its population identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Education gaps are stark, with Year 12 completion far higher in Major Urban (62.4%) than in Rural Balance (35.5%).

The gap in educational attainment has widened since 2011, though other differences have shifted. Despite their contrast in layout and population, the two areas share similar typical weekly household incomes of around $1,900 and nearly identical shares of children under 15. They also both have similar unemployment rates, sitting between 5.3% and 5.7%, which is close to the national figure.

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Where they differ most

First Nations: 27.1 pts higher in Rural Balance Born overseas: 26.4 pts higher in Major Urban Year 12: 26.9 pts higher in Major Urban Population: 2,009,590 larger in Major Urban De facto: 5.5 pts higher in Rural Balance

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2,009,590 larger in Major Urban gap widening
2,043,762 89th pct 34,172 46th pct
Median age in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1 yrs older in Major Urban gap narrowing
37 yrs 14th pct 36 yrs 12th pct
First Nations in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +27.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
1.9% 18th pct 29.1% 93rd pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
15.7% 45th pct 10.8% 21st pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
19.0% 79th pct 19.7% 86th pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
11.5% 17th pct 17.0% 100th pct

Age structure

29.1% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +0.9 pts 28.2%
24.1% Older adults (45–64) +3.9 pts ▸ 28.1%
19.0% Children (0–14) +0.7 pts ▸ 19.7%
15.7% Seniors (65+) ◂ +5.0 pts 10.8%
12.1% Youth (15–24) +1.3 pts ▸ 13.3%

Marital status

47.5% Married ◂ +3.7 pts 43.8%
36.2% Never married +5.5 pts ▸ 41.7%
8.7% Divorced ◂ +1.1 pts 7.7%
4.4% Widowed ◂ +1.2 pts 3.2%
3.2% Separated +0.4 pts ▸ 3.6%

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 +26.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
36.4% 98th pct 10.0% 12th pct

Country of birth

59.1% Australia +18.5 pts ▸ 77.6%
7.9% England ◂ +5.8 pts 2.2%
2.8% India ◂ +2.7 pts 0.1%
2.8% New Zealand ◂ +1.3 pts 1.5%
1.8% South Africa ◂ +1.6 pts 0.2%
1.5% Philippines ◂ +0.9 pts 0.6%
1.3% China ◂ +1.2 pts 0.1%
0.8% Vietnam ◂ +0.3 pts 0.6%
0.8% Italy ◂ +0.7 pts 0.1%
0.2% Nepal ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%

Ancestry

36.8% English ◂ +10.2 pts 26.6%
27.8% Australian +2.0 pts ▸ 29.7%
8.8% Irish ◂ +1.6 pts 7.3%
8.7% Scottish ◂ +1.9 pts 6.8%
5.5% Italian ◂ +3.8 pts 1.7%
5.5% Chinese ◂ +4.6 pts 0.9%
2.8% German +1.1 pts ▸ 4.0%
3.6% Indian ◂ +3.4 pts 0.2%
2.0% Dutch ◂ +0.8 pts 1.2%
1.9% Filipino ◂ +1.0 pts 0.9%
1.1% Vietnamese ◂ +0.4 pts 0.7%
0.7% Greek ◂ +0.2 pts 0.5%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
21.4% 78th pct 23.1% 80th pct
Limited English in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
2.7% 74th pct 4.3% 82nd pct

Language used at home

73.6% English only ◂ +10.9 pts 62.7%
2.4% Mandarin ◂ +2.2 pts 0.2%
1.1% Italian ◂ +1.0 pts 0.1%
1.1% Vietnamese ◂ +0.4 pts 0.7%
1.0% Punjabi ◂ +1.0 pts 0.0%
0.9% Cantonese ◂ +0.9 pts 0.0%
0.8% Arabic ◂ +0.7 pts 0.0%
0.7% Tagalog ◂ +0.6 pts 0.2%
0.6% Hindi ◂ +0.5 pts 0.0%
0.2% Greek even 0.2%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
42.1% 55th pct 39.9% 42nd pct

Religious affiliation

42.1% No religion ◂ +2.2 pts 39.9%
41.8% Christianity ◂ +2.5 pts 39.4%
6.5% Not stated +10.4 pts ▸ 16.9%
3.1% Islam ◂ +2.8 pts 0.2%
2.6% Buddhism ◂ +1.3 pts 1.3%
2.4% Hinduism ◂ +2.3 pts 0.1%
1.3% Other religions +0.9 pts ▸ 2.2%
0.3% Judaism ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +26.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
62.4% 87th pct 35.5% 28th pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +17.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
27.0% 86th pct 10.0% 15th pct

Highest year of school

62.4% Year 12 ◂ +26.9 pts 35.5%
17.4% Year 10 +5.2 pts ▸ 22.6%
6.2% Year 9 or below +7.7 pts ▸ 14.0%
8.1% Year 11 +3.9 pts ▸ 11.9%

Highest qualification level

25.9% Certificate III / IV +9.1 pts ▸ 35.0%
28.4% Bachelor degree ◂ +16.6 pts 11.9%
15.2% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +3.6 pts 11.6%
9.3% Postgraduate degree ◂ +6.5 pts 2.8%
3.9% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +1.4 pts 2.6%
2.3% Certificate I / II +1.4 pts ▸ 3.7%

Field of qualification

19.0% Management & commerce ◂ +7.7 pts 11.4%
16.7% Engineering & related +1.3 pts ▸ 18.0%
11.4% Society & culture ◂ +3.6 pts 7.8%
11.0% Health ◂ +4.1 pts 6.9%
7.9% Education ◂ +1.7 pts 6.2%
4.9% Architecture & building +0.7 pts ▸ 5.6%
1.5% Agriculture & environment +4.0 pts ▸ 5.5%
5.1% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +1.2 pts 4.0%
3.8% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +2.3 pts 1.5%
3.5% Creative arts ◂ +2.2 pts 1.3%
2.9% Information technology ◂ +2.1 pts 0.8%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$45 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$862 72nd pct $817 67th pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$97 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
$1,863 71st pct $1,960 76th pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$141 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$2,262 77th pct $2,121 71st pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
15.2% 84th pct 11.5% 69th pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
24.3% 74th pct 25.5% 78th pct

Household income distribution

29.2% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +3.6 pts 25.6%
23.4% $650–$1,499 ◂ +1.8 pts 21.5%
14.3% Under $650 ◂ +1.7 pts 12.6%
13.5% $4,000 or more even 13.5%
10.8% $3,000–$3,999 +1.2 pts ▸ 12.0%

Personal income distribution

38.3% Under $650 ◂ +2.5 pts 35.9%
29.2% $650–$1,499 ◂ +5.3 pts 23.8%
20.1% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +1.3 pts 18.8%
6.2% $3,000 or more ◂ +2.8 pts 3.4%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.4 pts higher in Major Urban
26.0% 41st pct 19.6% 18th pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.1 pts higher in Major Urban
8.4% 46th pct 4.3% 16th pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
4.6% 43rd pct 3.2% 17th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

8.4% Mental health ◂ +4.1 pts 4.3%
7.6% Other condition ◂ +2.0 pts 5.6%
7.4% Arthritis ◂ +2.2 pts 5.1%
7.3% Asthma ◂ +2.0 pts 5.3%
4.3% Diabetes even 4.3%
3.5% Heart disease ◂ +0.2 pts 3.3%
2.7% Cancer ◂ +0.9 pts 1.8%
1.5% Lung condition even 1.5%
0.8% Stroke ◂ +0.2 pts 0.6%
0.7% Dementia ◂ +0.5 pts 0.2%

Number of long-term health conditions

66.6% None ◂ +3.7 pts 62.9%
18.2% One condition ◂ +3.9 pts 14.3%
5.3% Two conditions ◂ +1.6 pts 3.6%
2.5% Three or more ◂ +0.8 pts 1.6%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
15.1% 44th pct 13.1% 35th pct
Unpaid carers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
10.8% 42nd pct 9.2% 25th pct
Unpaid child care in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
29.2% 89th pct 29.1% 89th pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.2 pts higher in Rural Balance
2.8% 26th pct 5.1% 89th pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
19.6% 45th pct 20.2% 50th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 larger in Rural Balance gap steady
2.6 71st pct 3.0 95th pct
One-parent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.5 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
13.4% 43rd pct 14.9% 55th pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
25.2% 42nd pct 20.6% 14th pct

Family composition

60.0% Couples with children ◂ +1.1 pts 58.9%
25.4% Couples without children ◂ +0.4 pts 25.0%
13.4% One-parent families +1.5 pts ▸ 14.9%
1.2% Other families +0.1 pts ▸ 1.3%

Household size

32.8% 2 people ◂ +0.9 pts 31.9%
25.2% 1 person ◂ +4.6 pts 20.6%
16.5% 4 people ◂ +1.1 pts 15.4%
16.4% 3 people ◂ +2.0 pts 14.4%
2.8% 6 or more +6.4 pts ▸ 9.2%
6.3% 5 people +2.2 pts ▸ 8.5%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$115 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$350 78th pct $235 25th pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$267 higher in Rural Balance gap widening
$1,900 76th pct $2,167 92nd pct
People / bedroom in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.30 higher in Rural Balance gap steady
0.80 29th pct 1.10 94th pct
Renting in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
27.0% 43rd pct 24.5% 39th pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
28.3% 29th pct 26.3% 15th pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +13.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
77.2% 25th pct 90.8% 54th pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +16.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
82.2% 85th pct 66.0% 14th pct

How homes are owned or rented

41.7% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +5.1 pts 36.7%
28.3% Owned outright ◂ +2.0 pts 26.3%
27.0% Rented ◂ +2.6 pts 24.5%
1.7% Other tenure +7.8 pts ▸ 9.5%
1.2% Not stated +1.9 pts ▸ 3.1%

Types of homes

77.2% Separate house +13.6 pts ▸ 90.8%
14.6% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +13.7 pts 0.9%
7.9% Flat or apartment ◂ +7.5 pts 0.4%
0.3% Other dwelling +5.2 pts ▸ 5.5%

Bedrooms per home

38.9% 4 bedrooms ◂ +17.8 pts 21.1%
37.0% 3 bedrooms ◂ +1.3 pts 35.7%
12.8% 2 bedrooms +5.4 pts ▸ 18.1%
3.6% 1 bedroom +6.2 pts ▸ 9.8%
6.3% 5 or more +2.8 pts ▸ 9.1%
0.2% Studio / none +2.6 pts ▸ 2.8%

Weekly rent distribution

43.4% $350–$549 ◂ +26.1 pts 17.2%
10.4% Under $200 +29.2 pts ▸ 39.6%
34.2% $200–$349 ◂ +12.9 pts 21.2%
6.4% $550–$749 +0.8 pts ▸ 7.2%
2.5% $750 or more ◂ +1.1 pts 1.4%

Monthly mortgage distribution

35.5% $1,800–$2,999 +2.0 pts ▸ 37.5%
30.6% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +9.0 pts 21.6%
15.8% $3,000 or more +7.8 pts ▸ 23.5%
12.7% Under $1,000 ◂ +1.9 pts 10.8%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
5.1% 45th pct 9.5% 86th pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
7.5% 35th pct 7.9% 39th pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.3% 87th pct 1.3% 43rd pct

How people get to work

62.1% Car (driver) ◂ +2.2 pts 59.9%
1.5% Walked +8.0 pts ▸ 9.6%
7.5% Worked at home +0.4 pts ▸ 7.9%
4.4% Car (passenger) +0.6 pts ▸ 5.0%
3.1% Bus ◂ +1.8 pts 1.3%
2.2% Train ◂ +2.2 pts 0.0%
0.7% Bicycle +0.1 pts ▸ 0.7%

Motor vehicles per home

39.9% 2 vehicles ◂ +7.4 pts 32.6%
35.5% 1 vehicle ◂ +9.3 pts 26.2%
12.8% 3 vehicles +4.1 pts ▸ 16.9%
6.7% 4 or more +8.0 pts ▸ 14.8%
5.1% No vehicle +4.4 pts ▸ 9.5%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +11.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
39.6% 57th pct 28.4% 16th pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
10.7% 42nd pct 12.6% 49th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
5.3% 52nd pct 5.7% 61st pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +10.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
65.3% 88th pct 55.1% 44th pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +9.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
60.0% 68th pct 69.3% 86th pct

Industries people work in

6.0% Public administration & safety +8.8 pts ▸ 14.8%
14.2% Health care & social assistance ◂ +6.7 pts 7.5%
8.8% Construction +3.4 pts ▸ 12.2%
0.6% Agriculture, forestry & fishing +10.5 pts ▸ 11.1%
8.9% Retail trade ◂ +3.2 pts 5.7%
8.8% Education & training ◂ +0.5 pts 8.4%
7.9% Professional & technical ◂ +4.5 pts 3.4%
6.5% Mining ◂ +2.0 pts 4.5%
6.5% Accommodation & food ◂ +1.5 pts 5.0%
5.2% Manufacturing ◂ +2.3 pts 2.9%
4.5% Transport & warehousing ◂ +0.5 pts 4.0%
3.9% Other services +0.4 pts ▸ 4.2%

Occupations people work in

24.0% Professionals ◂ +9.3 pts 14.7%
14.5% Technicians & trades +3.3 pts ▸ 17.8%
11.8% Managers +4.2 pts ▸ 16.0%
12.5% Clerical & administrative +0.3 pts ▸ 12.8%
8.6% Labourers +3.7 pts ▸ 12.4%
12.0% Community & personal service ◂ +0.8 pts 11.2%
8.0% Sales workers ◂ +2.9 pts 5.1%
6.9% Machinery operators & drivers +0.8 pts ▸ 7.7%

Walkability

Walk score in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.9 higher in Major Urban
6.2 85th pct 0.3 7th pct
Types ≤15 min in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.6 more in Major Urban
5.9 86th pct 0.3 7th pct
15-min city in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +73.4 pts higher in Major Urban
74.1% 86th pct 0.6% 3rd pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +67.3 pts higher in Major Urban
70.3% 78th pct 3.0% 12th pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +91.3 pts higher in Major Urban
95.3% 88th pct 3.9% 19th pct
Walk to school in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +75.6 pts higher in Major Urban
81.3% 86th pct 5.8% 16th pct
Walk to a park in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +90.8 pts higher in Major Urban
97.2% 84th pct 6.4% 5th pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +52.5 pts higher in Major Urban
55.8% 82nd pct 3.3% 29th pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.8 more in Rural Balance
15.2 30th pct 17.1 40th pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +166 higher in Major Urban
166 91st pct 0 0th pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.6 pts higher in Major Urban
6.1% 63rd pct 3.5% 10th 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 Rural Balance with nearby areas

Bounded Locality Other Urban Major Urban Rural Balance Rural Balance Bounded Locality Rural Balance Bounded Locality Major Urban Other Urban Other 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/SOS50/major-urban/vs/SOS73/rural-balance