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Kempsey vs Muswellbrook

Urban Area comparison ≈ 228 km apart · Kempsey profile · Muswellbrook profile

Kempsey Muswellbrook

Kempsey and Muswellbrook are two regional New South Wales areas with very different economic profiles. Muswellbrook is much wealthier, with a typical weekly household income of $1,603 and a far higher share of people earning $3,000 or more a week (18.4% compared to 7.7% in Kempsey). This is consistent with a larger share of the workforce in mining. In contrast, Kempsey is an older area with a typical resident aged 42, compared to 35 in Muswellbrook, and a higher proportion of homes owned outright (37.1% versus 26.3%).

Both areas sit near the national figure for the share of children under 15, with Kempsey at 18.3% and Muswellbrook at 22.0%. They also share similar levels of university qualifications and a similar number of people per home. However, the gaps between them are generally widening. Since 2011, the difference in typical family income has more than doubled to $613, and the gap in full-time employment has grown to 11 percentage points.

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Where they differ most

Unpaid child care: 6.3 pts higher in Muswellbrook Full-time: 10.8 pts higher in Muswellbrook Unpaid carers: 3.7 pts higher in Kempsey Needs assistance: 5.0 pts higher in Kempsey Household income: $522 higher in Muswellbrook

Demographics & Identity

Population in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +3,382 larger in Kempsey gap narrowing
15,654 18th pct 12,272 12th pct
Median age in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +7 yrs older in Kempsey gap widening
42 yrs 57th pct 35 yrs 11th pct
First Nations in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +5.2 pts higher in Kempsey gap widening
18.3% 96th pct 13.1% 90th pct
Aged 65+ in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +8.6 pts higher in Kempsey gap widening
22.6% 66th pct 14.0% 14th pct
Under 15 in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +3.8 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap steady
18.3% 53rd pct 22.0% 90th pct
De facto in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +2.6 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap steady
12.7% 56th pct 15.3% 87th pct

Age structure

22.7% Young adults (25–44) +5.6 pts ▸ 28.2%
24.3% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +0.5 pts 23.9%
22.6% Seniors (65+) ◂ +8.6 pts 14.0%
18.3% Children (0–14) +3.8 pts ▸ 22.0%
12.2% Youth (15–24) ◂ +0.2 pts 11.9%

Marital status

41.2% Never married ◂ +0.1 pts 41.1%
35.9% Married +3.9 pts ▸ 39.8%
10.6% Divorced ◂ +1.1 pts 9.5%
7.6% Widowed ◂ +2.5 pts 5.1%
4.7% Separated ◂ +0.2 pts 4.5%

Age & sex structure

Kempsey Muswellbrook

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +2.3 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap narrowing
6.6% 0th pct 8.9% 12th pct

Country of birth

84.4% Australia +0.3 pts ▸ 84.7%
1.6% England ◂ +0.6 pts 1.0%
0.7% New Zealand +0.8 pts ▸ 1.5%
0.7% Philippines +0.3 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.4% India +0.4 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.3% China +0.1 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.1% South Africa +0.3 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.1% Vietnam +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.1% Nepal +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%
0.1% Italy even 0.0%

Ancestry

39.6% Australian +4.6 pts ▸ 44.2%
38.1% English +0.1 pts ▸ 38.2%
9.7% Irish ◂ +0.7 pts 9.0%
7.6% Scottish +1.0 pts ▸ 8.5%
2.9% German +0.6 pts ▸ 3.5%
1.0% Italian +0.3 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.9% Filipino +0.3 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.6% Dutch +0.3 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.6% Chinese +0.3 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.4% Indian +0.4 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.3% Greek even 0.3%
0.0% Vietnamese +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

Language

Other language in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +1.9 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap narrowing
2.9% 2nd pct 4.9% 27th pct
Limited English in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +0.2 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap steady
0.2% 0th pct 0.4% 18th pct

Language used at home

84.4% English only +2.5 pts ▸ 86.9%
0.1% Punjabi +0.3 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.2% Tagalog +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.2% Mandarin +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.1% Cantonese +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.1% Arabic +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%
0.0% Hindi +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%
0.0% Greek even 0.1%
0.0% Italian even 0.1%
0.0% Vietnamese even 0.0%

Religion

No religion in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +0.4 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap narrowing
35.5% 15th pct 35.9% 17th pct

Religious affiliation

48.5% Christianity +4.0 pts ▸ 52.5%
35.5% No religion +0.4 pts ▸ 35.9%
14.6% Not stated ◂ +5.3 pts 9.3%
0.4% Buddhism +0.4 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.6% Other religions ◂ +0.1 pts 0.5%
0.2% Hinduism +0.3 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.1% Islam +0.3 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.0% Judaism +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +4.4 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap narrowing
28.7% 0th pct 33.1% 4th pct
Bachelor+ in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +1.0 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap narrowing
7.7% 0th pct 8.7% 2nd pct

Highest year of school

30.8% Year 10 +2.9 pts ▸ 33.7%
28.7% Year 12 +4.4 pts ▸ 33.1%
18.0% Year 9 or below ◂ +3.6 pts 14.4%
6.4% Year 11 +2.3 pts ▸ 8.7%

Highest qualification level

37.2% Certificate III / IV +8.5 pts ▸ 45.7%
10.4% Advanced diploma / diploma +1.1 pts ▸ 11.4%
10.4% Bachelor degree +1.0 pts ▸ 11.3%
2.9% Certificate I / II +0.2 pts ▸ 3.1%
1.6% Postgraduate degree +0.8 pts ▸ 2.4%
1.7% Graduate diploma / certificate +0.2 pts ▸ 1.9%

Field of qualification

11.5% Engineering & related +14.1 pts ▸ 25.6%
13.2% Management & commerce +2.3 pts ▸ 15.5%
11.3% Society & culture ◂ +3.1 pts 8.2%
9.3% Health ◂ +1.4 pts 7.9%
6.6% Education even 6.5%
5.1% Food, hospitality & personal services +0.5 pts ▸ 5.6%
5.3% Architecture & building ◂ +1.9 pts 3.4%
2.2% Agriculture & environment even 2.3%
1.4% Creative arts even 1.4%
0.9% Information technology even 1.0%
0.8% Natural & physical sciences +0.1 pts ▸ 0.9%

Income

Personal income in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +$217 higher in Muswellbrook gap widening
$542 0th pct $759 59th pct
Household income in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +$522 higher in Muswellbrook gap widening
$1,081 5th pct $1,603 68th pct
Family income in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +$613 higher in Muswellbrook gap widening
$1,340 4th pct $1,953 63rd pct
High earners in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +10.3 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap widening
3.3% 0th pct 13.5% 84th pct
High-income homes in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +10.7 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap widening
7.7% 3rd pct 18.4% 71st pct

Household income distribution

36.2% $650–$1,499 ◂ +10.2 pts 26.0%
23.8% $1,500–$2,999 +6.0 pts ▸ 29.9%
23.8% Under $650 ◂ +6.6 pts 17.3%
4.7% $3,000–$3,999 +4.8 pts ▸ 9.5%
3.1% $4,000 or more +5.9 pts ▸ 8.9%

Personal income distribution

48.3% Under $650 ◂ +8.1 pts 40.2%
27.1% $650–$1,499 ◂ +0.2 pts 26.9%
7.2% $1,500–$2,999 +11.5 pts ▸ 18.7%
0.9% $3,000 or more +3.2 pts ▸ 4.1%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +4.8 pts higher in Kempsey
36.8% 83rd pct 32.0% 44th pct
Mental health in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +1.2 pts higher in Kempsey
12.6% 88th pct 11.4% 67th pct
Needs assistance in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +5.0 pts higher in Kempsey gap widening
11.0% 100th pct 6.0% 32nd pct

Long-term health conditions reported

13.1% Arthritis ◂ +3.7 pts 9.4%
12.6% Mental health ◂ +1.2 pts 11.4%
10.9% Asthma +0.4 pts ▸ 11.3%
9.3% Other condition ◂ +1.7 pts 7.6%
7.0% Diabetes ◂ +1.3 pts 5.7%
5.9% Heart disease ◂ +2.0 pts 3.9%
3.6% Lung condition ◂ +1.4 pts 2.2%
3.5% Cancer ◂ +0.9 pts 2.6%
2.0% Stroke ◂ +1.0 pts 1.0%
1.5% Dementia ◂ +0.9 pts 0.6%

Number of long-term health conditions

47.2% None +9.5 pts ▸ 56.7%
21.8% One condition ◂ +1.1 pts 20.8%
8.8% Two conditions ◂ +1.8 pts 7.0%
6.2% Three or more ◂ +2.0 pts 4.1%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +2.1 pts higher in Kempsey gap narrowing
12.1% 7th pct 10.0% 0th pct
Unpaid carers in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +3.7 pts higher in Kempsey gap widening
14.2% 85th pct 10.5% 15th pct
Unpaid child care in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +6.3 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap widening
22.1% 12th pct 28.4% 86th pct
Defence service in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +0.6 pts higher in Kempsey
3.3% 56th pct 2.7% 24th pct
Housework 15h+ in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +0.3 pts higher in Kempsey gap narrowing
20.8% 37th pct 20.5% 33rd pct

Family & Households

Household size in Kempseyin Muswellbrook even gap narrowing
2.5 71st pct 2.5 71st pct
One-parent in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +7.0 pts higher in Kempsey gap widening
26.8% 100th pct 19.8% 86th pct
Living alone in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +0.7 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap steady
28.9% 55th pct 29.6% 62nd pct

Family composition

43.4% Couples with children +10.7 pts ▸ 54.1%
28.0% Couples without children ◂ +2.9 pts 25.1%
26.8% One-parent families ◂ +7.0 pts 19.8%
1.8% Other families ◂ +0.9 pts 0.9%

Household size

35.0% 2 people ◂ +3.4 pts 31.6%
28.9% 1 person +0.7 pts ▸ 29.6%
14.4% 3 people +0.2 pts ▸ 14.6%
11.0% 4 people +3.0 pts ▸ 14.0%
6.1% 5 people +0.4 pts ▸ 6.5%
4.4% 6 or more ◂ +0.9 pts 3.5%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +$25 higher in Muswellbrook gap narrowing
$285 37th pct $310 57th pct
Mortgage in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +$217 higher in Muswellbrook gap narrowing
$1,300 29th pct $1,517 46th pct
People / bedroom in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +0.10 higher in Kempsey gap widening
0.80 57th pct 0.70 0th pct
Renting in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +8.5 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap widening
29.5% 42nd pct 38.0% 86th pct
Owned outright in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +10.7 pts higher in Kempsey gap widening
37.1% 71st pct 26.3% 14th pct
Separate houses in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +3.5 pts higher in Kempsey gap narrowing
90.6% 89th pct 87.1% 72nd pct
3+ bedrooms in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +8.6 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap widening
75.2% 30th pct 83.8% 92nd pct

How homes are owned or rented

29.5% Rented +8.5 pts ▸ 38.0%
37.1% Owned outright ◂ +10.7 pts 26.3%
29.3% Owned with a mortgage +3.5 pts ▸ 32.8%
2.7% Not stated ◂ +1.4 pts 1.3%
1.5% Other tenure +0.1 pts ▸ 1.5%

Types of homes

90.6% Separate house ◂ +3.5 pts 87.1%
2.0% Townhouse / semi-detached +9.4 pts ▸ 11.4%
5.9% Flat or apartment ◂ +5.3 pts 0.6%
1.2% Other dwelling ◂ +0.9 pts 0.4%

Bedrooms per home

46.9% 3 bedrooms ◂ +6.3 pts 40.6%
22.6% 4 bedrooms +13.6 pts ▸ 36.3%
17.6% 2 bedrooms ◂ +6.6 pts 11.0%
5.7% 5 or more +1.3 pts ▸ 7.0%
3.7% 1 bedroom ◂ +0.4 pts 3.3%
0.6% Studio / none ◂ +0.4 pts 0.2%

Weekly rent distribution

53.2% $200–$349 ◂ +9.6 pts 43.6%
25.1% $350–$549 +11.9 pts ▸ 37.0%
16.6% Under $200 ◂ +1.5 pts 15.1%
0.7% $550–$749 +0.2 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.0% $750 or more +0.2 pts ▸ 0.2%

Monthly mortgage distribution

44.9% $1,000–$1,799 +1.0 pts ▸ 45.9%
26.8% Under $1,000 ◂ +8.0 pts 18.8%
17.4% $1,800–$2,999 +4.8 pts ▸ 22.3%
3.8% $3,000 or more +3.0 pts ▸ 6.8%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +0.8 pts higher in Kempsey gap steady
7.4% 79th pct 6.6% 59th pct
Work from home in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +2.0 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap steady
5.8% 30th pct 7.7% 45th pct
PT commute in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +0.2 pts higher in Kempsey gap narrowing
0.4% 30th pct 0.2% 9th pct

How people get to work

69.1% Car (driver) ◂ +1.3 pts 67.8%
5.8% Worked at home +2.0 pts ▸ 7.7%
6.5% Car (passenger) ◂ +1.5 pts 5.0%
2.5% Walked +0.1 pts ▸ 2.5%
0.4% Bus ◂ +0.2 pts 0.2%
0.2% Bicycle +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.0% Train +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

Motor vehicles per home

37.6% 1 vehicle +0.3 pts ▸ 37.9%
33.9% 2 vehicles +3.1 pts ▸ 37.0%
13.0% 3 vehicles ◂ +0.6 pts 12.3%
8.1% 4 or more ◂ +1.8 pts 6.3%
7.4% No vehicle ◂ +0.8 pts 6.6%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +9.4 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap widening
32.7% 8th pct 42.1% 64th pct
Recent arrivals in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +10.3 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap widening
5.7% 6th pct 15.9% 67th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +2.5 pts higher in Kempsey gap steady
8.6% 100th pct 6.0% 81st pct
Participation in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +15.5 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap widening
43.4% 1st pct 58.9% 55th pct
Full-time in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +10.8 pts higher in Muswellbrook gap widening
52.5% 13th pct 63.2% 86th pct

Industries people work in

0.2% Mining +22.1 pts ▸ 22.3%
21.5% Health care & social assistance ◂ +11.4 pts 10.0%
12.9% Retail trade ◂ +4.1 pts 8.8%
8.8% Education & training ◂ +2.5 pts 6.3%
8.2% Accommodation & food ◂ +0.5 pts 7.7%
7.7% Construction ◂ +1.9 pts 5.9%
7.1% Public administration & safety ◂ +3.0 pts 4.1%
6.5% Manufacturing ◂ +2.7 pts 3.8%
3.8% Administrative & support +1.7 pts ▸ 5.4%
3.6% Other services +0.9 pts ▸ 4.5%
4.3% Transport & warehousing ◂ +1.4 pts 2.8%
1.2% Electricity, gas & water +3.0 pts ▸ 4.2%

Occupations people work in

12.5% Technicians & trades +7.4 pts ▸ 19.9%
19.5% Community & personal service ◂ +8.7 pts 10.8%
7.4% Machinery operators & drivers +11.0 pts ▸ 18.5%
14.3% Professionals ◂ +3.7 pts 10.5%
13.8% Labourers even 13.7%
10.5% Sales workers ◂ +1.9 pts 8.6%
10.5% Clerical & administrative ◂ +1.2 pts 9.3%
9.6% Managers ◂ +3.0 pts 6.6%

Walkability

Walk score in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +0.3 higher in Muswellbrook
4.1 27th pct 4.5 35th pct
Types ≤15 min in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +0.5 more in Muswellbrook
3.9 23rd pct 4.4 37th pct
15-min city in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +0.4 pts higher in Muswellbrook
45.4% 29th pct 45.8% 30th pct
Walk to shops in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +1.8 pts higher in Kempsey
48.6% 33rd pct 46.8% 28th pct
Walk to transit in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +15.8 pts higher in Muswellbrook
69.7% 28th pct 85.5% 60th pct
Walk to school in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +15.3 pts higher in Muswellbrook
56.6% 32nd pct 71.9% 72nd pct
Walk to a park in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +2.4 pts higher in Muswellbrook
70.6% 12th pct 73.0% 14th pct
Walk to health in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +3.9 pts higher in Kempsey
34.8% 30th pct 30.9% 22nd pct
Amenities/1k in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +18.3 more in Kempsey
30.2 91st pct 11.9 21st pct
Intersections/km² in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +5 higher in Kempsey
10 24th pct 5 10th pct
Mean slope in Kempseyin Muswellbrook +0.1 pts higher in Muswellbrook
6.5% 72nd pct 6.6% 75th pct

Compare Kempsey with nearby areas

Port Macquarie Camden Haven Taree Coffs Harbour Forster - Tuncurry Armidale Grafton Nelson Bay Tamworth Medowie Newcastle - Maitland Singleton

Compare Muswellbrook with nearby areas

Singleton Newcastle - Maitland Morisset - Cooranbong Medowie Central Coast Tamworth Nelson Bay Mudgee Lithgow Sydney Taree Forster - Tuncurry

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Kempsey vs Muswellbrook [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sua/1017/kempsey/vs/1023/muswellbrook