CensusAtlas

Compare

Major Urban vs Rural Balance

Section of State comparison ≈ 2,599 km apart · Major Urban profile · Rural Balance profile

Major Urban Rural Balance

Major Urban and Rural Balance are far apart and offer very different lifestyles. Major Urban is a very walkable city area where 27% of adults have a bachelor degree or higher and the typical weekly household income is $1,863. In contrast, Rural Balance is a sparsely populated, car-dependent area where the typical weekly household income is much lower at $1,142 and only 9.8% of adults hold a university degree. A major difference is the cultural makeup; 16.3% of people in Rural Balance are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, compared to just 1.9% in Major Urban.

Both areas sit close to the national figure for the share of people who provide unpaid care. Outside of that, they have tracked differently since 2011. The gap in Year 12 completion has narrowed, though it remains far higher in Major Urban at 62.4% compared to 30% in Rural Balance. Similarly, the gap in the proportion of people with no religion has shrunk, though this figure is still far higher in Major Urban at 42.1%.

Open map →

Where they differ most

Year 12: 32.4 pts higher in Major Urban Participation: 25.8 pts higher in Major Urban Population: 2,042,786 larger in Major Urban Recent movers: 19.4 pts higher in Major Urban Separate houses: 19.3 pts higher in Rural Balance

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2,042,786 larger in Major Urban gap widening
2,043,762 89th pct 976 24th pct
Median age in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6 yrs older in Rural Balance gap narrowing
37 yrs 14th pct 43 yrs 62nd pct
First Nations in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +14.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
1.9% 18th pct 16.3% 86th pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
15.7% 45th pct 21.1% 76th pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
19.0% 79th pct 12.4% 23rd pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
11.5% 17th pct 12.6% 45th pct

Age structure

29.1% Young adults (25–44) +1.1 pts ▸ 30.1%
24.1% Older adults (45–64) +4.9 pts ▸ 29.0%
15.7% Seniors (65+) +5.4 pts ▸ 21.1%
19.0% Children (0–14) ◂ +6.6 pts 12.4%
12.1% Youth (15–24) ◂ +3.6 pts 8.5%

Marital status

47.5% Married ◂ +6.1 pts 41.4%
36.2% Never married +3.6 pts ▸ 39.8%
8.7% Divorced ◂ +0.9 pts 7.8%
4.4% Widowed +1.8 pts ▸ 6.2%
3.2% Separated +1.7 pts ▸ 4.9%

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 +6.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
36.4% 98th pct 43.0% 100th pct

Country of birth

59.1% Australia ◂ +16.6 pts 42.5%
7.9% England ◂ +5.3 pts 2.7%
2.8% New Zealand +4.7 pts ▸ 7.5%
2.8% India ◂ +1.7 pts 1.1%
1.8% South Africa ◂ +1.8 pts 0.0%
1.5% Philippines ◂ +0.6 pts 0.9%
1.3% China ◂ +0.9 pts 0.4%
0.8% Vietnam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.7%
0.8% Italy ◂ +0.8 pts 0.0%
0.2% Nepal ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%

Ancestry

36.8% English ◂ +20.2 pts 16.6%
27.8% Australian ◂ +12.2 pts 15.6%
8.8% Irish ◂ +5.2 pts 3.6%
5.5% Chinese +3.3 pts ▸ 8.8%
8.7% Scottish ◂ +3.9 pts 4.7%
5.5% Italian ◂ +4.8 pts 0.7%
3.6% Indian ◂ +3.1 pts 0.5%
2.8% German ◂ +2.2 pts 0.6%
2.0% Dutch ◂ +1.4 pts 0.6%
1.9% Filipino ◂ +0.8 pts 1.0%
1.1% Vietnamese ◂ +1.1 pts 0.0%
0.7% Greek ◂ +0.7 pts 0.0%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
21.4% 78th pct 28.3% 86th pct
Limited English in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
2.7% 74th pct 5.7% 91st pct

Language used at home

73.6% English only ◂ +36.4 pts 37.2%
2.4% Mandarin +4.8 pts ▸ 7.2%
1.1% Italian ◂ +1.1 pts 0.0%
1.1% Vietnamese ◂ +1.1 pts 0.0%
1.0% Punjabi ◂ +1.0 pts 0.0%
0.9% Cantonese ◂ +0.5 pts 0.4%
0.8% Arabic ◂ +0.8 pts 0.0%
0.7% Tagalog ◂ +0.1 pts 0.6%
0.6% Hindi ◂ +0.6 pts 0.0%
0.2% Greek ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +15.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
42.1% 55th pct 26.8% 10th pct

Religious affiliation

42.1% No religion ◂ +15.2 pts 26.8%
41.8% Christianity ◂ +16.2 pts 25.6%
6.5% Not stated +31.5 pts ▸ 38.0%
2.6% Buddhism +4.7 pts ▸ 7.3%
3.1% Islam ◂ +1.5 pts 1.5%
2.4% Hinduism ◂ +1.9 pts 0.5%
1.3% Other religions even 1.3%
0.3% Judaism ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +32.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
62.4% 87th pct 30.0% 14th pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +17.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
27.0% 86th pct 9.8% 14th pct

Highest year of school

62.4% Year 12 ◂ +32.4 pts 30.0%
17.4% Year 10 ◂ +1.4 pts 16.0%
6.2% Year 9 or below +3.8 pts ▸ 10.0%
8.1% Year 11 ◂ +3.7 pts 4.4%

Highest qualification level

28.4% Bachelor degree ◂ +19.3 pts 9.1%
25.9% Certificate III / IV ◂ +8.0 pts 18.0%
15.2% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +7.6 pts 7.5%
9.3% Postgraduate degree ◂ +5.5 pts 3.9%
3.9% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +3.5 pts 0.5%
2.3% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.3 pts 2.1%

Field of qualification

19.0% Management & commerce ◂ +12.9 pts 6.1%
16.7% Engineering & related ◂ +10.1 pts 6.6%
11.4% Society & culture ◂ +5.0 pts 6.4%
11.0% Health ◂ +7.0 pts 4.0%
7.9% Education ◂ +2.9 pts 5.0%
4.9% Architecture & building +1.2 pts ▸ 6.1%
5.1% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +1.6 pts 3.5%
3.8% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +2.5 pts 1.3%
3.5% Creative arts ◂ +1.6 pts 1.9%
2.9% Information technology ◂ +2.2 pts 0.6%
1.5% Agriculture & environment +0.8 pts ▸ 2.2%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$200 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$862 72nd pct $662 29th pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$721 higher in Major Urban gap steady
$1,863 71st pct $1,142 0th pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$815 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$2,262 77th pct $1,447 12th pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +10.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
15.2% 84th pct 4.9% 16th pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +15.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
24.3% 74th pct 9.3% 0th pct

Household income distribution

23.4% $650–$1,499 +7.5 pts ▸ 30.8%
29.2% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +10.2 pts 18.9%
14.3% Under $650 +9.9 pts ▸ 24.2%
13.5% $4,000 or more ◂ +10.4 pts 3.1%
10.8% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +4.6 pts 6.2%

Personal income distribution

38.3% Under $650 ◂ +7.5 pts 30.8%
29.2% $650–$1,499 ◂ +8.7 pts 20.5%
20.1% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +11.2 pts 8.8%
6.2% $3,000 or more ◂ +4.1 pts 2.1%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +8.0 pts higher in Major Urban
26.0% 41st pct 17.9% 14th pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.8 pts higher in Major Urban
8.4% 46th pct 3.6% 13th pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
4.6% 43rd pct 3.3% 19th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

8.4% Mental health ◂ +4.8 pts 3.6%
7.6% Other condition ◂ +2.4 pts 5.2%
7.4% Arthritis ◂ +1.1 pts 6.3%
7.3% Asthma ◂ +3.5 pts 3.8%
4.3% Diabetes +0.9 pts ▸ 5.2%
3.5% Heart disease +1.0 pts ▸ 4.5%
2.7% Cancer ◂ +0.7 pts 2.0%
0.8% Stroke +0.8 pts ▸ 1.6%
1.5% Lung condition ◂ +0.6 pts 0.9%
0.7% Dementia +0.2 pts ▸ 0.9%

Number of long-term health conditions

66.6% None ◂ +22.0 pts 44.6%
18.2% One condition ◂ +7.0 pts 11.2%
5.3% Two conditions ◂ +1.9 pts 3.4%
2.5% Three or more +1.0 pts ▸ 3.5%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
15.1% 44th pct 18.5% 67th pct
Unpaid carers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
10.8% 42nd pct 9.9% 28th pct
Unpaid child care in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +14.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
29.2% 89th pct 15.1% 19th pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.3 pts higher in Major Urban
2.8% 26th pct 1.5% 11th pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
19.6% 45th pct 15.8% 28th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.1 larger in Major Urban gap narrowing
2.6 71st pct 2.5 57th pct
One-parent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
13.4% 43rd pct 18.6% 88th pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
25.2% 42nd pct 32.2% 94th pct

Family composition

60.0% Couples with children ◂ +14.6 pts 45.4%
25.4% Couples without children +4.6 pts ▸ 30.0%
13.4% One-parent families +5.2 pts ▸ 18.6%
1.2% Other families +4.4 pts ▸ 5.6%

Household size

32.8% 2 people +2.4 pts ▸ 35.2%
25.2% 1 person +7.0 pts ▸ 32.2%
16.5% 4 people ◂ +1.5 pts 15.0%
16.4% 3 people ◂ +6.3 pts 10.1%
6.3% 5 people ◂ +0.6 pts 5.7%
2.8% 6 or more +2.9 pts ▸ 5.7%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$221 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$350 78th pct $129 3rd pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$650 higher in Major Urban gap steady
$1,900 76th pct $1,250 8th pct
People / bedroom in Major Urbanin Rural Balance even gap narrowing
0.80 29th pct 0.80 29th pct
Renting in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.8 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
27.0% 43rd pct 30.8% 59th pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
28.3% 29th pct 35.7% 58th pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +19.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
77.2% 25th pct 96.5% 87th pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +18.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
82.2% 85th pct 63.9% 8th pct

How homes are owned or rented

41.7% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +26.3 pts 15.4%
28.3% Owned outright +7.4 pts ▸ 35.7%
27.0% Rented +3.8 pts ▸ 30.8%
1.2% Not stated +9.4 pts ▸ 10.6%
1.7% Other tenure +4.4 pts ▸ 6.2%

Types of homes

77.2% Separate house +19.3 pts ▸ 96.5%
14.6% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +14.6 pts 0.0%
7.9% Flat or apartment ◂ +7.9 pts 0.0%
0.3% Other dwelling ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%

Bedrooms per home

38.9% 4 bedrooms ◂ +15.1 pts 23.8%
37.0% 3 bedrooms ◂ +1.3 pts 35.7%
12.8% 2 bedrooms +3.9 pts ▸ 16.7%
6.3% 5 or more ◂ +1.9 pts 4.4%
3.6% 1 bedroom +2.1 pts ▸ 5.7%
0.2% Studio / none ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%

Weekly rent distribution

10.4% Under $200 +52.4 pts ▸ 62.9%
43.4% $350–$549 ◂ +23.4 pts 20.0%
34.2% $200–$349 ◂ +9.9 pts 24.3%
6.4% $550–$749 ◂ +6.4 pts 0.0%
2.5% $750 or more ◂ +2.5 pts 0.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

30.6% $1,000–$1,799 +6.6 pts ▸ 37.1%
35.5% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +26.9 pts 8.6%
12.7% Under $1,000 +18.7 pts ▸ 31.4%
15.8% $3,000 or more ◂ +15.8 pts 0.0%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
5.1% 45th pct 2.5% 23rd pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
7.5% 35th pct 7.6% 36th pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
5.3% 87th pct 4.0% 74th pct

How people get to work

62.1% Car (driver) +3.3 pts ▸ 65.3%
7.5% Worked at home +0.1 pts ▸ 7.6%
4.4% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.2 pts 4.3%
3.1% Bus +0.9 pts ▸ 4.0%
1.5% Walked +2.4 pts ▸ 4.0%
2.2% Train ◂ +2.2 pts 0.0%
0.7% Bicycle ◂ +0.7 pts 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

39.9% 2 vehicles +0.5 pts ▸ 40.4%
35.5% 1 vehicle ◂ +1.5 pts 34.0%
12.8% 3 vehicles +3.5 pts ▸ 16.3%
6.7% 4 or more ◂ +0.8 pts 5.9%
5.1% No vehicle ◂ +2.6 pts 2.5%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +19.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
39.6% 57th pct 20.1% 1st pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
10.7% 42nd pct 3.1% 7th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Rural Balance even gap narrowing
5.3% 52nd pct 5.3% 52nd pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +25.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
65.3% 88th pct 39.6% 19th pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
60.0% 68th pct 55.6% 32nd pct

Industries people work in

6.0% Public administration & safety +12.3 pts ▸ 18.2%
14.2% Health care & social assistance ◂ +8.2 pts 6.1%
6.5% Accommodation & food +5.1 pts ▸ 11.6%
8.9% Retail trade ◂ +0.7 pts 8.2%
8.8% Education & training ◂ +2.8 pts 6.1%
8.8% Construction ◂ +0.9 pts 7.9%
7.9% Professional & technical ◂ +4.9 pts 3.0%
3.1% Administrative & support +3.6 pts ▸ 6.7%
6.5% Mining ◂ +2.0 pts 4.6%
5.2% Manufacturing ◂ +2.2 pts 3.0%
3.9% Other services +1.0 pts ▸ 4.9%
4.5% Transport & warehousing ◂ +1.5 pts 3.0%

Occupations people work in

24.0% Professionals ◂ +12.2 pts 11.9%
14.5% Technicians & trades +1.6 pts ▸ 16.1%
11.8% Managers +3.4 pts ▸ 15.2%
12.5% Clerical & administrative +0.3 pts ▸ 12.8%
8.6% Labourers +4.1 pts ▸ 12.8%
12.0% Community & personal service ◂ +0.5 pts 11.6%
8.0% Sales workers ◂ +1.9 pts 6.1%
6.9% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +0.5 pts 6.4%

Walkability

Walk score in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.5 higher in Major Urban
6.2 85th pct 0.7 15th pct
Types ≤15 min in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.2 more in Major Urban
5.9 86th pct 0.7 16th pct
15-min city in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +72.8 pts higher in Major Urban
74.1% 86th pct 1.2% 6th pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +66.5 pts higher in Major Urban
70.3% 78th pct 3.8% 15th pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +95.3 pts higher in Major Urban
95.3% 88th pct 0.0% 0th pct
Walk to school in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +81.3 pts higher in Major Urban
81.3% 86th pct 0.0% 0th pct
Walk to a park in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +53.6 pts higher in Major Urban
97.2% 84th pct 43.6% 29th pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +54.3 pts higher in Major Urban
55.8% 82nd pct 1.5% 22nd pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +50.3 more in Rural Balance
15.2 30th pct 65.6 90th pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +163 higher in Major Urban
166 91st pct 3 21st pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.9 pts higher in Rural Balance
6.1% 63rd pct 10.0% 92nd 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

Other Urban Rural Balance Bounded Locality Major Urban Other Urban Major Urban Rural Balance Bounded Locality Other Urban Rural Balance Bounded Locality 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/SOS93/rural-balance