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Major Urban vs Rural Balance

Section of State comparison ≈ 2,764 km apart · Major Urban profile · Rural Balance profile

Major Urban Rural Balance

Major Urban and Rural Balance are vastly different places separated by nearly 2,800 km. Major Urban is a young, well-qualified hub where the typical resident is 33 and 27.9% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher. In contrast, Rural Balance is sparsely populated and much older, with a typical age of 43. There are also deep financial gaps between them; typical weekly household income is far higher in Major Urban at $2,187, compared to $1,142 in Rural Balance.

While the gap in the share of people who have completed Year 12 has narrowed since 2011, other divides are growing. For example, the gap in the share of people working or looking for work has narrowed, but the lead in full-time employment has widened for Major Urban. Despite these disparities, both areas are very similar in the share of people who need help with daily activities and the proportion of residents who provide unpaid care.

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Where they differ most

Year 12: 30.2 pts higher in Major Urban Separate houses: 37.7 pts higher in Rural Balance Recent movers: 30.1 pts higher in Major Urban Participation: 30.3 pts higher in Major Urban Population: 121,231 larger in Major Urban

Demographics & Identity

Population in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +121,231 larger in Major Urban gap widening
122,207 60th pct 976 24th pct
Median age in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +10 yrs older in Rural Balance gap widening
33 yrs 6th pct 43 yrs 62nd pct
First Nations in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
10.7% 76th pct 16.3% 86th pct
Aged 65+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +11.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
9.5% 16th pct 21.1% 76th pct
Under 15 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +7.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
20.3% 89th pct 12.4% 23rd pct
De facto in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
15.6% 92nd pct 12.6% 45th pct

Age structure

35.7% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +5.6 pts 30.1%
22.5% Older adults (45–64) +6.5 pts ▸ 29.0%
9.5% Seniors (65+) +11.6 pts ▸ 21.1%
20.3% Children (0–14) ◂ +7.9 pts 12.4%
12.1% Youth (15–24) ◂ +3.6 pts 8.5%

Marital status

43.6% Never married ◂ +3.8 pts 39.8%
42.0% Married ◂ +0.5 pts 41.4%
8.1% Divorced ◂ +0.3 pts 7.8%
3.0% Widowed +3.2 pts ▸ 6.2%
3.4% Separated +1.5 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 +13.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
29.9% 88th pct 43.0% 100th pct

Country of birth

61.9% Australia ◂ +19.4 pts 42.5%
1.7% New Zealand +5.8 pts ▸ 7.5%
4.2% Philippines ◂ +3.3 pts 0.9%
3.1% India ◂ +2.0 pts 1.1%
2.6% England +0.1 pts ▸ 2.7%
2.1% Nepal ◂ +2.1 pts 0.0%
1.1% China ◂ +0.7 pts 0.4%
0.8% Vietnam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.7%
0.5% South Africa ◂ +0.5 pts 0.0%
0.3% Italy ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%

Ancestry

27.0% Australian ◂ +11.4 pts 15.6%
26.4% English ◂ +9.8 pts 16.6%
4.7% Chinese +4.1 pts ▸ 8.8%
8.4% Irish ◂ +4.8 pts 3.6%
7.2% Scottish ◂ +2.5 pts 4.7%
5.5% Filipino ◂ +4.4 pts 1.0%
3.9% German ◂ +3.3 pts 0.6%
3.2% Greek ◂ +3.2 pts 0.0%
3.2% Indian ◂ +2.7 pts 0.5%
2.4% Italian ◂ +1.6 pts 0.7%
1.3% Dutch ◂ +0.7 pts 0.6%
1.1% Vietnamese ◂ +1.1 pts 0.0%

Language

Other language in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.1 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
26.2% 84th 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

64.1% English only ◂ +26.9 pts 37.2%
1.7% Mandarin +5.5 pts ▸ 7.2%
2.5% Greek ◂ +2.5 pts 0.0%
2.1% Tagalog ◂ +1.4 pts 0.6%
1.0% Vietnamese ◂ +1.0 pts 0.0%
0.9% Punjabi ◂ +0.9 pts 0.0%
0.6% Hindi ◂ +0.6 pts 0.0%
0.6% Cantonese ◂ +0.2 pts 0.4%
0.4% Italian ◂ +0.4 pts 0.0%
0.2% Arabic ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%

Religion

No religion in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +14.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
40.9% 48th pct 26.8% 10th pct

Religious affiliation

40.9% No religion ◂ +14.0 pts 26.8%
10.9% Not stated +27.1 pts ▸ 38.0%
37.2% Christianity ◂ +11.6 pts 25.6%
3.1% Buddhism +4.2 pts ▸ 7.3%
4.2% Hinduism ◂ +3.7 pts 0.5%
2.3% Islam ◂ +0.8 pts 1.5%
1.2% Other religions +0.1 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.1% Judaism ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +30.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
60.2% 85th pct 30.0% 14th pct
Bachelor+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +18.2 pts higher in Major Urban gap steady
27.9% 88th pct 9.8% 14th pct

Highest year of school

60.2% Year 12 ◂ +30.2 pts 30.0%
13.9% Year 10 +2.1 pts ▸ 16.0%
6.5% Year 9 or below +3.6 pts ▸ 10.0%
9.8% Year 11 ◂ +5.4 pts 4.4%

Highest qualification level

25.7% Bachelor degree ◂ +16.6 pts 9.1%
25.0% Certificate III / IV ◂ +7.0 pts 18.0%
13.1% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +5.5 pts 7.5%
11.3% Postgraduate degree ◂ +7.5 pts 3.9%
4.2% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +3.8 pts 0.5%
2.2% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.1 pts 2.1%

Field of qualification

19.4% Management & commerce ◂ +13.3 pts 6.1%
13.6% Engineering & related ◂ +7.0 pts 6.6%
12.4% Society & culture ◂ +6.0 pts 6.4%
11.2% Health ◂ +7.2 pts 4.0%
7.5% Education ◂ +2.5 pts 5.0%
3.8% Architecture & building +2.3 pts ▸ 6.1%
4.8% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +1.2 pts 3.5%
3.2% Information technology ◂ +2.6 pts 0.6%
2.5% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +1.2 pts 1.3%
2.3% Creative arts ◂ +0.4 pts 1.9%
1.9% Agriculture & environment +0.4 pts ▸ 2.2%

Income

Personal income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$459 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$1,121 81st pct $662 29th pct
Household income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$1,045 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$2,187 86th pct $1,142 0th pct
Family income in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$1,012 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$2,459 86th pct $1,447 12th pct
High earners in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +10.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
15.8% 86th pct 4.9% 16th pct
High-income homes in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +18.6 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
27.9% 85th pct 9.3% 0th pct

Household income distribution

33.6% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +14.6 pts 18.9%
18.6% $650–$1,499 +12.2 pts ▸ 30.8%
9.7% Under $650 +14.5 pts ▸ 24.2%
14.7% $4,000 or more ◂ +11.6 pts 3.1%
13.2% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +7.1 pts 6.2%

Personal income distribution

32.4% $650–$1,499 ◂ +12.0 pts 20.5%
26.7% Under $650 +4.1 pts ▸ 30.8%
25.6% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +16.7 pts 8.8%
4.9% $3,000 or more ◂ +2.8 pts 2.1%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.0 pts higher in Major Urban
19.9% 19th pct 17.9% 14th pct
Mental health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.3 pts higher in Major Urban
5.9% 23rd pct 3.6% 13th pct
Needs assistance in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
3.7% 27th pct 3.3% 19th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

6.5% Other condition ◂ +1.3 pts 5.2%
5.1% Arthritis +1.2 pts ▸ 6.3%
5.9% Asthma ◂ +2.2 pts 3.8%
5.9% Mental health ◂ +2.3 pts 3.6%
3.7% Diabetes +1.5 pts ▸ 5.2%
2.4% Heart disease +2.1 pts ▸ 4.5%
1.8% Cancer +0.2 pts ▸ 2.0%
0.5% Stroke +1.1 pts ▸ 1.6%
1.1% Lung condition ◂ +0.2 pts 0.9%
0.4% Dementia +0.6 pts ▸ 0.9%

Number of long-term health conditions

68.7% None ◂ +24.2 pts 44.6%
14.6% One condition ◂ +3.4 pts 11.2%
3.7% Two conditions ◂ +0.3 pts 3.4%
1.6% Three or more +1.9 pts ▸ 3.5%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +2.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
15.9% 49th pct 18.5% 67th pct
Unpaid carers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.9 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
8.9% 24th pct 9.9% 28th pct
Unpaid child care in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +11.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
27.0% 79th pct 15.1% 19th pct
Defence service in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.4 pts higher in Major Urban
6.9% 97th pct 1.5% 11th pct
Housework 15h+ in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.4 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
16.2% 29th 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 +3.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
15.2% 58th pct 18.6% 88th pct
Living alone in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +8.0 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
24.1% 34th pct 32.2% 94th pct

Family composition

58.8% Couples with children ◂ +13.4 pts 45.4%
24.7% Couples without children +5.3 pts ▸ 30.0%
15.2% One-parent families +3.4 pts ▸ 18.6%
1.3% Other families +4.3 pts ▸ 5.6%

Household size

31.8% 2 people +3.5 pts ▸ 35.2%
24.1% 1 person +8.0 pts ▸ 32.2%
18.3% 3 people ◂ +8.2 pts 10.1%
15.6% 4 people ◂ +0.6 pts 15.0%
6.5% 5 people ◂ +0.8 pts 5.7%
3.7% 6 or more +2.0 pts ▸ 5.7%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$251 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$380 86th pct $129 3rd pct
Mortgage in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +$756 higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
$2,006 86th pct $1,250 8th pct
People / bedroom in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +0.10 higher in Major Urban gap steady
0.90 79th pct 0.80 29th pct
Renting in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +16.8 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
47.7% 92nd pct 30.8% 59th pct
Owned outright in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +19.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
16.0% 5th pct 35.7% 58th pct
Separate houses in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +37.7 pts higher in Rural Balance gap widening
58.8% 5th pct 96.5% 87th pct
3+ bedrooms in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +4.0 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
67.8% 19th pct 63.9% 8th pct

How homes are owned or rented

47.7% Rented ◂ +16.8 pts 30.8%
16.0% Owned outright +19.7 pts ▸ 35.7%
33.4% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +17.9 pts 15.4%
1.7% Not stated +8.8 pts ▸ 10.6%
1.3% Other tenure +4.9 pts ▸ 6.2%

Types of homes

58.8% Separate house +37.7 pts ▸ 96.5%
28.3% Flat or apartment ◂ +28.3 pts 0.0%
11.7% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +11.7 pts 0.0%
0.9% Other dwelling ◂ +0.9 pts 0.0%

Bedrooms per home

41.6% 3 bedrooms ◂ +5.9 pts 35.7%
21.3% 4 bedrooms +2.5 pts ▸ 23.8%
23.7% 2 bedrooms ◂ +7.0 pts 16.7%
6.0% 1 bedroom ◂ +0.2 pts 5.7%
5.0% 5 or more ◂ +0.6 pts 4.4%
0.7% Studio / none ◂ +0.7 pts 0.0%

Weekly rent distribution

10.4% Under $200 +52.4 pts ▸ 62.9%
40.7% $350–$549 ◂ +20.7 pts 20.0%
27.3% $200–$349 ◂ +3.0 pts 24.3%
13.8% $550–$749 ◂ +13.8 pts 0.0%
3.2% $750 or more ◂ +3.2 pts 0.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

39.9% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +31.3 pts 8.6%
26.9% $1,000–$1,799 +10.2 pts ▸ 37.1%
10.7% Under $1,000 +20.7 pts ▸ 31.4%
17.4% $3,000 or more ◂ +17.4 pts 0.0%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.7 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
6.1% 61st pct 2.5% 23rd pct
Work from home in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +3.6 pts higher in Rural Balance gap steady
4.0% 12th pct 7.6% 36th pct
PT commute in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.4 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
2.5% 55th pct 4.0% 74th pct

How people get to work

67.4% Car (driver) ◂ +2.1 pts 65.3%
4.0% Worked at home +3.6 pts ▸ 7.6%
6.1% Car (passenger) ◂ +1.9 pts 4.3%
4.0% Walked even 4.0%
2.5% Bus +1.5 pts ▸ 4.0%
1.9% Bicycle ◂ +1.9 pts 0.0%
0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

39.7% 2 vehicles +0.7 pts ▸ 40.4%
35.9% 1 vehicle ◂ +1.9 pts 34.0%
12.5% 3 vehicles +3.7 pts ▸ 16.3%
6.1% No vehicle ◂ +3.7 pts 2.5%
5.8% 4 or more +0.2 pts ▸ 5.9%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +30.1 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
50.2% 88th pct 20.1% 1st pct
Recent arrivals in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +17.5 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
20.6% 76th pct 3.1% 7th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +1.2 pts higher in Rural Balance gap narrowing
4.1% 27th pct 5.3% 52nd pct
Participation in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +30.3 pts higher in Major Urban gap narrowing
69.9% 100th pct 39.6% 19th pct
Full-time in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +12.9 pts higher in Major Urban gap widening
68.5% 85th pct 55.6% 32nd pct

Industries people work in

19.2% Public administration & safety ◂ +1.0 pts 18.2%
14.5% Health care & social assistance ◂ +8.4 pts 6.1%
8.2% Accommodation & food +3.4 pts ▸ 11.6%
8.4% Education & training ◂ +2.3 pts 6.1%
7.4% Retail trade +0.8 pts ▸ 8.2%
7.8% Construction +0.1 pts ▸ 7.9%
3.1% Administrative & support +3.6 pts ▸ 6.7%
5.7% Professional & technical ◂ +2.7 pts 3.0%
3.7% Other services +1.1 pts ▸ 4.9%
1.9% Mining +2.6 pts ▸ 4.6%
4.4% Transport & warehousing ◂ +1.3 pts 3.0%
2.4% Manufacturing +0.6 pts ▸ 3.0%

Occupations people work in

22.7% Professionals ◂ +10.9 pts 11.9%
13.6% Technicians & trades +2.5 pts ▸ 16.1%
15.3% Community & personal service ◂ +3.8 pts 11.6%
12.7% Managers +2.5 pts ▸ 15.2%
14.0% Clerical & administrative ◂ +1.2 pts 12.8%
7.6% Labourers +5.1 pts ▸ 12.8%
7.1% Sales workers ◂ +1.0 pts 6.1%
5.0% Machinery operators & drivers +1.4 pts ▸ 6.4%

Walkability

Walk score in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.9 higher in Major Urban
6.6 90th pct 0.7 15th pct
Types ≤15 min in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +5.5 more in Major Urban
6.2 90th pct 0.7 16th pct
15-min city in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +78.9 pts higher in Major Urban
80.1% 93rd pct 1.2% 6th pct
Walk to shops in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +74.8 pts higher in Major Urban
78.6% 86th pct 3.8% 15th pct
Walk to transit in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +95.3 pts higher in Major Urban
95.3% 89th 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 +52.5 pts higher in Major Urban
96.1% 81st pct 43.6% 29th pct
Walk to health in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +59.3 pts higher in Major Urban
60.8% 88th pct 1.5% 22nd pct
Amenities/1k in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +41.5 more in Rural Balance
24.1 60th pct 65.6 90th pct
Intersections/km² in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +86 higher in Major Urban
89 78th pct 3 21st pct
Mean slope in Major Urbanin Rural Balance +6.0 pts higher in Rural Balance
3.9% 14th pct 10.0% 92nd pct

Compare Major Urban with nearby areas

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

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/SOS70/major-urban/vs/SOS93/rural-balance