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Major Urban vs Rural Balance

Section of State comparison ≈ 136 km apart · Major Urban profile · Rural Balance profile

Major Urban Rural Balance

Major Urban and Rural Balance are distinct environments separated by about 136 km. Major Urban is a very walkable area where 21.7% of people arrived from overseas recently and 31.5% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher. In contrast, Rural Balance is car-dependent and has a much older population, with a typical age of 46 compared to 38 in Major Urban. Housing also differs sharply: 46.2% of homes in Rural Balance are owned outright, while 31.7% of households in Major Urban rent.

These gaps in education and language are widening, as the share of people using another language at home is now 12 percentage points higher in Major Urban than in Rural Balance. Despite these growing divides, the two areas share similar typical weekly incomes and almost identical rates of full-time employment at 54.8%. They also have a similar share of children under 15, sitting around 16% in both places.

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Where they differ most

Renting: 20.6 pts higher in Major Urban Year 12: 17.4 pts higher in Major Urban Other language: 12.0 pts higher in Major Urban No car: 6.7 pts higher in Major Urban Separate houses: 16.1 pts higher in Rural Balance

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +90,090 larger in Major Urban gap widening
197,451 70th pct 107,361 59th pct
Median age in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +8 yrs older in Rural Balance gap widening
38 yrs 21st pct 46 yrs 79th pct
First Nations in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
4.4% 42nd pct 5.7% 53rd pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
18.8% 60th pct 20.2% 69th pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
16.4% 40th pct 16.7% 42nd pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
13.2% 62nd pct 14.8% 82nd pct

Age structure

23.2% Older adults (45–64) +8.9 pts ▸ 32.1%
30.1% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +9.0 pts 21.1%
18.8% Seniors (65+) +1.4 pts ▸ 20.2%
16.4% Children (0–14) +0.4 pts ▸ 16.7%
11.6% Youth (15–24) ◂ +1.7 pts 9.9%

Marital status

41.9% Married +9.5 pts ▸ 51.4%
39.7% Never married ◂ +8.1 pts 31.6%
9.7% Divorced +0.2 pts ▸ 9.9%
5.7% Widowed ◂ +1.7 pts 4.0%
3.0% Separated +0.1 pts ▸ 3.1%

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 +9.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
20.9% 73rd pct 11.6% 28th pct

Country of birth

74.8% Australia +6.3 pts ▸ 81.1%
3.2% England +1.1 pts ▸ 4.3%
2.7% China ◂ +2.6 pts 0.2%
2.1% Nepal ◂ +1.9 pts 0.1%
2.0% India ◂ +1.8 pts 0.2%
0.8% New Zealand +0.6 pts ▸ 1.4%
0.5% Philippines ◂ +0.3 pts 0.2%
0.5% Vietnam ◂ +0.4 pts 0.1%
0.5% South Africa ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%
0.2% Italy ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%

Ancestry

41.5% English +3.8 pts ▸ 45.3%
36.2% Australian +6.9 pts ▸ 43.1%
10.6% Irish ◂ +0.3 pts 10.3%
9.3% Scottish +0.8 pts ▸ 10.1%
4.4% Chinese ◂ +3.9 pts 0.6%
3.6% German +0.4 pts ▸ 4.0%
1.9% Dutch +0.5 pts ▸ 2.4%
2.0% Italian ◂ +0.7 pts 1.2%
1.9% Indian ◂ +1.6 pts 0.3%
0.9% Greek ◂ +0.6 pts 0.3%
0.7% Filipino ◂ +0.3 pts 0.4%
0.5% Vietnamese ◂ +0.4 pts 0.1%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +12.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
15.1% 69th pct 3.2% 0th pct
Limited English in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
1.5% 60th pct 0.3% 10th pct

Language used at home

80.3% English only +10.4 pts ▸ 90.7%
3.1% Mandarin ◂ +2.9 pts 0.2%
0.9% Punjabi ◂ +0.8 pts 0.0%
0.6% Cantonese ◂ +0.5 pts 0.0%
0.5% Vietnamese ◂ +0.5 pts 0.1%
0.5% Hindi ◂ +0.4 pts 0.0%
0.5% Greek ◂ +0.4 pts 0.1%
0.3% Arabic ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%
0.3% Italian ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%
0.2% Tagalog ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
49.8% 90th pct 51.4% 100th pct

Religious affiliation

49.8% No religion +1.6 pts ▸ 51.4%
36.6% Christianity +1.7 pts ▸ 38.4%
6.2% Not stated +2.5 pts ▸ 8.7%
3.2% Hinduism ◂ +3.0 pts 0.2%
1.5% Islam ◂ +1.2 pts 0.3%
1.5% Buddhism ◂ +0.9 pts 0.5%
1.1% Other religions ◂ +0.7 pts 0.4%
0.1% Judaism even 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +17.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
59.1% 84th pct 41.7% 47th pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +14.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
31.5% 95th pct 17.4% 71st pct

Highest year of school

59.1% Year 12 ◂ +17.4 pts 41.7%
21.2% Year 10 +11.4 pts ▸ 32.6%
7.6% Year 9 or below +1.8 pts ▸ 9.5%
6.7% Year 11 +2.2 pts ▸ 8.8%

Highest qualification level

23.1% Certificate III / IV +13.0 pts ▸ 36.1%
28.9% Bachelor degree ◂ +9.5 pts 19.5%
15.3% Postgraduate degree ◂ +9.4 pts 5.9%
12.5% Advanced diploma / diploma +1.9 pts ▸ 14.3%
4.7% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +1.6 pts 3.2%
2.1% Certificate I / II +0.6 pts ▸ 2.7%

Field of qualification

21.2% Management & commerce ◂ +8.2 pts 13.0%
10.2% Engineering & related +6.1 pts ▸ 16.3%
13.9% Society & culture ◂ +3.0 pts 10.9%
11.1% Health ◂ +0.8 pts 10.3%
8.1% Education +0.1 pts ▸ 8.2%
4.9% Architecture & building +1.8 pts ▸ 6.8%
1.8% Agriculture & environment +4.3 pts ▸ 6.1%
4.9% Food, hospitality & personal services +0.1 pts ▸ 5.0%
4.2% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +1.3 pts 3.0%
4.1% Information technology ◂ +2.7 pts 1.4%
3.8% Creative arts ◂ +0.7 pts 3.1%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$89 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$779 60th pct $690 37th pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$108 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$1,534 45th pct $1,426 35th pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$187 higher in Major Urban gap steady
$1,923 53rd pct $1,736 35th pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
9.6% 57th pct 7.5% 38th pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
18.0% 52nd pct 14.5% 37th pct

Household income distribution

28.7% $650–$1,499 +2.3 pts ▸ 31.0%
29.7% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +0.6 pts 29.0%
17.3% Under $650 ◂ +0.3 pts 17.0%
9.1% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +1.1 pts 8.0%
8.9% $4,000 or more ◂ +2.4 pts 6.4%

Personal income distribution

40.4% Under $650 +3.9 pts ▸ 44.2%
34.2% $650–$1,499 ◂ +2.4 pts 31.9%
16.5% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +2.4 pts 14.1%
3.2% $3,000 or more ◂ +0.7 pts 2.5%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 pts higher in Major Urban
31.9% 74th pct 31.4% 71st pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.1 pts higher in Major Urban
11.7% 84th pct 9.6% 59th pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
6.3% 76th pct 5.2% 54th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

10.9% Arthritis +1.1 pts ▸ 12.1%
11.7% Mental health ◂ +2.1 pts 9.6%
8.9% Other condition ◂ +0.8 pts 8.1%
8.8% Asthma ◂ +0.4 pts 8.4%
4.5% Diabetes ◂ +0.1 pts 4.5%
4.0% Heart disease +0.3 pts ▸ 4.3%
3.2% Cancer +0.2 pts ▸ 3.4%
1.9% Lung condition +0.3 pts ▸ 2.3%
1.1% Stroke ◂ +0.1 pts 1.0%
0.9% Dementia ◂ +0.6 pts 0.3%

Number of long-term health conditions

61.0% None ◂ +1.2 pts 59.9%
21.1% One condition ◂ +0.1 pts 21.1%
7.1% Two conditions ◂ +0.1 pts 7.0%
3.7% Three or more ◂ +0.3 pts 3.4%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
18.9% 69th pct 19.6% 77th pct
Unpaid carers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
12.4% 63rd pct 13.6% 87th pct
Unpaid child care in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
26.5% 73rd pct 25.7% 62nd pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.3 pts higher in Rural Balance
3.9% 71st pct 4.2% 81st pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
19.3% 42nd pct 27.0% 100th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.1 larger in Rural Balance gap narrowing
2.4 29th pct 2.5 57th pct
One-parent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
17.1% 78th pct 10.1% 18th pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
28.9% 68th pct 22.4% 23rd pct

Family composition

51.7% Couples with children +2.3 pts ▸ 54.0%
30.0% Couples without children +5.3 pts ▸ 35.3%
17.1% One-parent families ◂ +7.0 pts 10.1%
1.3% Other families ◂ +0.7 pts 0.6%

Household size

33.8% 2 people +7.3 pts ▸ 41.0%
28.9% 1 person ◂ +6.5 pts 22.4%
16.0% 3 people ◂ +1.8 pts 14.2%
13.6% 4 people ◂ +0.2 pts 13.3%
5.3% 5 people +0.6 pts ▸ 5.9%
2.5% 6 or more +0.7 pts ▸ 3.2%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$100 higher in Major Urban gap widening
$350 78th pct $250 30th pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$167 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$1,517 42nd pct $1,350 22nd pct
People / bedroom in Major Urbanin Rural Balance even gap steady
0.80 29th pct 0.80 29th pct
Renting in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +20.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
31.7% 67th pct 11.1% 3rd pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +13.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
33.1% 45th pct 46.2% 93rd pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +16.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
82.3% 34th pct 98.4% 100th pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +8.3 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
70.3% 27th pct 78.6% 66th pct

How homes are owned or rented

33.1% Owned outright +13.2 pts ▸ 46.2%
32.2% Owned with a mortgage +5.7 pts ▸ 37.9%
31.7% Rented ◂ +20.6 pts 11.1%
1.7% Other tenure +1.5 pts ▸ 3.2%
1.2% Not stated +0.3 pts ▸ 1.5%

Types of homes

82.3% Separate house +16.1 pts ▸ 98.4%
10.0% Flat or apartment ◂ +9.8 pts 0.2%
7.2% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +6.8 pts 0.4%
0.3% Other dwelling +0.4 pts ▸ 0.8%

Bedrooms per home

47.4% 3 bedrooms ◂ +0.1 pts 47.2%
18.0% 4 bedrooms +6.5 pts ▸ 24.4%
22.5% 2 bedrooms ◂ +7.8 pts 14.7%
5.0% 5 or more +2.0 pts ▸ 7.0%
5.5% 1 bedroom ◂ +1.2 pts 4.3%
0.4% Studio / none +0.6 pts ▸ 0.9%

Weekly rent distribution

29.0% $200–$349 +14.9 pts ▸ 43.9%
41.4% $350–$549 ◂ +22.0 pts 19.4%
17.0% Under $200 +9.3 pts ▸ 26.3%
8.0% $550–$749 ◂ +6.2 pts 1.8%
1.6% $750 or more ◂ +1.2 pts 0.4%

Monthly mortgage distribution

40.3% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +1.6 pts 38.7%
21.2% Under $1,000 +6.5 pts ▸ 27.8%
25.3% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +3.6 pts 21.6%
8.9% $3,000 or more ◂ +2.0 pts 6.8%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
8.0% 81st pct 1.3% 13th pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
7.9% 38th pct 12.5% 64th pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
5.1% 86th pct 0.7% 22nd pct

How people get to work

58.1% Car (driver) +6.4 pts ▸ 64.5%
7.9% Worked at home +4.6 pts ▸ 12.5%
6.1% Car (passenger) ◂ +2.2 pts 3.8%
5.5% Walked ◂ +2.4 pts 3.1%
5.0% Bus ◂ +4.4 pts 0.6%
1.3% Bicycle ◂ +1.2 pts 0.2%
0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

34.6% 2 vehicles +4.6 pts ▸ 39.2%
38.8% 1 vehicle ◂ +17.4 pts 21.4%
11.9% 3 vehicles +9.4 pts ▸ 21.2%
6.7% 4 or more +10.1 pts ▸ 16.8%
8.0% No vehicle ◂ +6.7 pts 1.3%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +9.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
40.2% 62nd pct 30.5% 27th pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +14.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
21.7% 78th pct 7.8% 29th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
6.6% 72nd pct 4.4% 30th pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
61.5% 73rd pct 59.3% 61st pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Rural Balance even gap narrowing
54.8% 27th pct 54.8% 27th pct

Industries people work in

17.3% Health care & social assistance ◂ +4.5 pts 12.9%
1.6% Agriculture, forestry & fishing +12.8 pts ▸ 14.4%
10.7% Education & training ◂ +2.5 pts 8.2%
10.2% Public administration & safety ◂ +4.5 pts 5.7%
7.4% Construction +2.7 pts ▸ 10.1%
9.6% Retail trade ◂ +2.4 pts 7.2%
8.4% Accommodation & food ◂ +2.4 pts 6.0%
4.8% Manufacturing +2.4 pts ▸ 7.2%
6.6% Professional & technical ◂ +2.1 pts 4.5%
3.3% Transport & warehousing +0.9 pts ▸ 4.2%
3.6% Other services even 3.6%
2.9% Administrative & support ◂ +0.1 pts 2.8%

Occupations people work in

25.2% Professionals ◂ +9.0 pts 16.2%
12.1% Managers +6.1 pts ▸ 18.1%
12.3% Technicians & trades +3.4 pts ▸ 15.7%
14.3% Community & personal service ◂ +3.5 pts 10.8%
12.9% Clerical & administrative ◂ +2.6 pts 10.3%
8.9% Labourers +3.6 pts ▸ 12.5%
8.5% Sales workers ◂ +1.7 pts 6.7%
4.2% Machinery operators & drivers +3.4 pts ▸ 7.6%

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 +5.1 more in Major Urban
5.8 83rd pct 0.7 15th pct
15-min city in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +66.6 pts higher in Major Urban
70.0% 81st pct 3.4% 18th pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +60.7 pts higher in Major Urban
65.9% 74th pct 5.2% 29th pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +85.8 pts higher in Major Urban
94.7% 86th pct 8.9% 29th pct
Walk to school in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +69.5 pts higher in Major Urban
73.3% 76th pct 3.7% 10th pct
Walk to a park in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +72.7 pts higher in Major Urban
97.6% 86th pct 24.8% 19th pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +51.2 pts higher in Major Urban
53.1% 78th pct 1.9% 29th pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.3 more in Rural Balance
20.6 50th pct 28.0 75th pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +79 higher in Major Urban
80 75th pct 0 14th pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.7 pts higher in Rural Balance
10.2% 93rd pct 10.8% 95th pct

Compare Major Urban with nearby areas

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

Compare Rural Balance with nearby areas

Other Urban Major Urban Bounded Locality Major Urban Bounded Locality Other Urban Rural Balance Rural Balance Major Urban Bounded Locality Major 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/SOS60/major-urban/vs/SOS63/rural-balance