# Bicheno vs Swansea — 2021 Census comparison

Urban Centre comparison · about 34 km apart

Bicheno and Swansea are two nearby Tasmanian towns with distinct profiles. Swansea is far older, with a typical resident aged 63 and 46% of the population aged 65 or over. In contrast, Bicheno has a more diverse and qualified population; it has far more recent overseas arrivals (25.9% compared to 12.1% in Swansea) and far more residents who completed Year 12 (45.9% versus 29.2%). Bicheno also has a much higher share of people with no religion (51.3% against 34.5% in Swansea) and more adults working or looking for work.

Since 2011, several of these gaps have flipped or shifted. The two areas share many daily realities, including similar typical weekly rents of around $240 and a

## Where they differ most

- PT commute: 1.2 pts higher in Bicheno
- Limited English: 0.6 pts higher in Bicheno
- Aged 65+: 17.9 pts higher in Swansea
- No religion: 16.9 pts higher in Bicheno
- Year 12: 16.8 pts higher in Bicheno

## Demographics & Identity

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population | 797 | 711 | 86 larger in Bicheno | gap widening |
| Median age | 53 yrs | 63 yrs | 10 yrs older in Swansea | gap narrowing |
| First Nations | 4.1% | 3.2% | 0.9 pts higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |
| Aged 65+ | 28.1% | 46.0% | 17.9 pts higher in Swansea | gap steady |
| Under 15 | 10.7% | 7.2% | 3.5 pts higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |
| De facto | 14.2% | 10.5% | 3.6 pts higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |

### Age structure

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Seniors (65+) | 28.1% | 46.0% | -17.9 |
| Older adults (45–64) | 31.4% | 29.0% | +2.4 |
| Young adults (25–44) | 23.7% | 14.3% | +9.4 |
| Children (0–14) | 10.7% | 7.2% | +3.5 |
| Youth (15–24) | 5.5% | 4.6% | +0.9 |

### Marital status

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Married | 51.3% | 53.0% | -1.7 |
| Never married | 26.7% | 18.8% | +7.9 |
| Divorced | 10.6% | 13.8% | -3.2 |
| Widowed | 5.7% | 12.5% | -6.8 |
| Separated | 4.0% | 2.4% | +1.5 |

### Age profile

Share of each region's population by age band and sex.

| Age band | Bicheno male | Bicheno female | Swansea male | Swansea female |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 0–4 | 2.1% | 2.3% | 1.5% | 1.9% |
| 5–9 | 1.7% | 2.0% | 1.5% | 1.2% |
| 10–14 | 1.8% | 1.5% | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| 15–19 | 1.6% | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.9% |
| 20–24 | 1.6% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.4% |
| 25–29 | 2.8% | 2.5% | 1.9% | 1.6% |
| 30–34 | 3.1% | 3.6% | 1.0% | 0.5% |
| 35–39 | 3.4% | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2.3% |
| 40–44 | 1.8% | 2.0% | 1.6% | 1.4% |
| 45–49 | 3.7% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 0.8% |
| 50–54 | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.8% | 3.1% |
| 55–59 | 4.9% | 5.7% | 3.4% | 4.0% |
| 60–64 | 5.0% | 5.3% | 6.5% | 6.3% |
| 65–69 | 5.8% | 4.9% | 5.4% | 7.4% |
| 70–74 | 3.9% | 4.1% | 5.6% | 4.6% |
| 75–79 | 2.2% | 3.1% | 4.5% | 3.7% |
| 80–84 | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.3% | 2.5% |
| 85+ | 1.5% | 0.4% | 3.0% | 5.3% |

## Ancestry & Birthplace

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Born overseas | 19.8% | 15.0% | 4.8 pts higher in Bicheno | gap widening |

### Country of birth

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Australia | 74.8% | 77.4% | -2.6 |
| England | 4.1% | 4.8% | -0.6 |
| Nepal | 4.3% | 1.3% | +3.0 |
| Philippines | 0.0% | 1.8% | -1.8 |
| China | 1.4% | 0.7% | +0.7 |
| New Zealand | 1.0% | 0.7% | +0.3 |
| India | 0.9% | 1.0% | -0.1 |
| Italy | 0.0% | 0.7% | -0.7 |
| South Africa | 0.6% | 0.0% | +0.6 |
| Vietnam | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

### Ancestry

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| English | 43.7% | 49.1% | -5.4 |
| Australian | 33.8% | 37.3% | -3.5 |
| Scottish | 9.0% | 13.1% | -4.0 |
| Irish | 11.0% | 11.3% | -0.2 |
| German | 2.6% | 2.8% | -0.2 |
| Dutch | 2.6% | 0.4% | +2.2 |
| Filipino | 0.0% | 2.1% | -2.1 |
| Chinese | 2.0% | 0.6% | +1.4 |
| Italian | 1.3% | 1.7% | -0.4 |
| Indian | 1.0% | 0.0% | +1.0 |
| Greek | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Vietnamese | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

## Language

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Other language | 10.4% | 4.8% | 5.6 pts higher in Bicheno | gap widening |
| Limited English | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.6 pts higher in Bicheno |  |

### Language used at home

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| English only | 82.9% | 89.3% | -6.4 |
| Mandarin | 1.9% | 0.4% | +1.5 |
| Tagalog | 0.0% | 0.6% | -0.6 |
| Italian | 0.5% | 0.0% | +0.5 |
| Arabic | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Vietnamese | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Cantonese | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Punjabi | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Greek | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Hindi | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

## Religion

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| No religion | 51.3% | 34.5% | 16.9 pts higher in Bicheno | gap widening |

### Religious affiliation

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Christianity | 35.1% | 53.6% | -18.5 |
| No religion | 51.3% | 34.5% | +16.9 |
| Not stated | 7.0% | 9.4% | -2.4 |
| Hinduism | 4.6% | 2.0% | +2.7 |
| Buddhism | 1.1% | 0.4% | +0.7 |
| Islam | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Judaism | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| Other religions | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

## Education & Qualifications

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Year 12 | 45.9% | 29.2% | 16.8 pts higher in Bicheno | gap widening |
| Bachelor+ | 20.7% | 13.4% | 7.3 pts higher in Bicheno | gap widening |

### Highest year of school

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Year 12 | 45.9% | 29.2% | +16.8 |
| Year 10 | 26.7% | 37.4% | -10.7 |
| Year 9 or below | 10.6% | 19.1% | -8.6 |
| Year 11 | 9.0% | 6.8% | +2.1 |

### Highest qualification level

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate III / IV | 25.7% | 34.3% | -8.6 |
| Bachelor degree | 22.0% | 14.3% | +7.7 |
| Advanced diploma / diploma | 16.2% | 18.6% | -2.3 |
| Postgraduate degree | 9.9% | 6.0% | +3.9 |
| Graduate diploma / certificate | 3.4% | 4.9% | -1.5 |
| Certificate I / II | 2.7% | 2.9% | -0.2 |

### Field of qualification

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Management & commerce | 17.4% | 16.3% | +1.1 |
| Engineering & related | 11.9% | 14.0% | -2.1 |
| Education | 12.6% | 8.9% | +3.7 |
| Health | 6.5% | 11.4% | -4.9 |
| Architecture & building | 7.0% | 10.3% | -3.3 |
| Society & culture | 9.0% | 8.9% | +0.1 |
| Food, hospitality & personal services | 8.7% | 8.0% | +0.7 |
| Agriculture & environment | 3.1% | 3.1% | +0.0 |
| Creative arts | 2.7% | 3.1% | -0.5 |
| Natural & physical sciences | 1.7% | 1.1% | +0.6 |
| Information technology | 1.2% | 1.1% | +0.1 |

## Income

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Personal income | $636 | $556 | $80 higher in Bicheno | gap widening |
| Household income | $1,057 | $913 | $144 higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |
| Family income | $1,330 | $1,307 | $23 higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |
| High earners | 4.1% | 1.5% | 2.6 pts higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |
| High-income homes | 7.0% | 1.9% | 5.0 pts higher in Bicheno | gap widening |

### Household income distribution

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $650–$1,499 | 39.7% | 39.8% | -0.1 |
| Under $650 | 22.9% | 29.6% | -6.7 |
| $1,500–$2,999 | 19.7% | 25.5% | -5.8 |
| $3,000–$3,999 | 4.1% | 1.0% | +3.1 |
| $4,000 or more | 2.9% | 1.0% | +1.9 |

### Personal income distribution

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Under $650 | 47.8% | 50.9% | -3.1 |
| $650–$1,499 | 33.7% | 32.1% | +1.6 |
| $1,500–$2,999 | 9.2% | 6.4% | +2.8 |
| $3,000 or more | 1.4% | 0.0% | +1.4 |

## Health & Disability

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Health condition | 35.0% | 47.7% | 12.7 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Mental health | 7.2% | 12.8% | 5.6 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Needs assistance | 5.6% | 12.7% | 7.0 pts higher in Swansea | gap steady |

### Long-term health conditions reported

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Arthritis | 13.2% | 24.8% | -11.6 |
| Mental health | 7.2% | 12.8% | -5.6 |
| Other condition | 5.9% | 10.7% | -4.8 |
| Asthma | 9.7% | 8.0% | +1.6 |
| Diabetes | 4.8% | 9.4% | -4.7 |
| Heart disease | 6.4% | 6.9% | -0.5 |
| Cancer | 4.9% | 6.3% | -1.4 |
| Dementia | 1.0% | 4.4% | -3.4 |
| Lung condition | 3.8% | 3.7% | +0.1 |
| Stroke | 0.0% | 1.4% | -1.4 |

### Number of long-term health conditions

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| None | 56.0% | 45.0% | +11.0 |
| One condition | 25.0% | 26.3% | -1.3 |
| Two conditions | 6.1% | 12.5% | -6.4 |
| Three or more | 4.3% | 7.5% | -3.2 |

## Community Participation

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteering | 23.2% | 22.3% | 0.9 pts higher in Bicheno | gap steady |
| Unpaid carers | 11.9% | 12.0% | 0.1 pts higher in Swansea | gap narrowing |
| Unpaid child care | 21.8% | 14.0% | 7.8 pts higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |
| Defence service | 4.6% | 6.5% | 2.0 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Housework 15h+ | 24.6% | 25.1% | 0.5 pts higher in Swansea | gap steady |

## Family & Households

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Household size | 2.0 | 1.9 | 0.1 larger in Bicheno | gap narrowing |
| One-parent | 12.3% | 11.0% | 1.2 pts higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |
| Living alone | 29.9% | 34.7% | 4.9 pts higher in Swansea | gap steady |

### Family composition

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Couples without children | 48.9% | 63.4% | -14.5 |
| Couples with children | 37.2% | 25.8% | +11.4 |
| One-parent families | 12.3% | 11.0% | +1.2 |
| Other families | 1.3% | 0.9% | +0.4 |

### Household size

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2 people | 46.7% | 52.2% | -5.6 |
| 1 person | 29.9% | 34.7% | -4.9 |
| 3 people | 11.0% | 6.4% | +4.6 |
| 4 people | 9.6% | 5.4% | +4.2 |
| 5 people | 1.2% | 2.9% | -1.7 |
| 6 or more | 1.2% | 1.0% | +0.2 |

## Housing & Dwellings

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Rent | $243 | $240 | $3 higher in Bicheno |  |
| Mortgage | $1,300 | $1,079 | $221 higher in Bicheno | gap widening |
| People / bedroom | 0.80 | 0.70 | 0.10 higher in Bicheno | gap widening |
| Renting | 26.1% | 22.6% | 3.5 pts higher in Bicheno | gap steady |
| Owned outright | 49.6% | 54.8% | 5.2 pts higher in Swansea | gap narrowing |
| Separate houses | 94.2% | 93.6% | 0.6 pts higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |
| 3+ bedrooms | 64.6% | 62.7% | 1.9 pts higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |

### How homes are owned or rented

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Owned outright | 49.6% | 54.8% | -5.2 |
| Rented | 26.1% | 22.6% | +3.5 |
| Owned with a mortgage | 20.9% | 17.2% | +3.7 |
| Other tenure | 2.0% | 3.8% | -1.8 |
| Not stated | 1.4% | 2.5% | -1.1 |

### Types of homes

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Separate house | 94.2% | 93.6% | +0.6 |
| Townhouse / semi-detached | 1.2% | 5.4% | -4.3 |
| Flat or apartment | 2.6% | 0.0% | +2.6 |
| Other dwelling | 1.2% | 2.2% | -1.1 |

### Bedrooms per home

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 3 bedrooms | 44.6% | 46.2% | -1.5 |
| 2 bedrooms | 26.7% | 28.7% | -2.0 |
| 4 bedrooms | 18.0% | 12.4% | +5.6 |
| 1 bedroom | 7.0% | 5.7% | +1.2 |
| 5 or more | 2.0% | 4.1% | -2.1 |
| Studio / none | 0.9% | 0.0% | +0.9 |

### Weekly rent distribution

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $200–$349 | 55.6% | 60.6% | -5.0 |
| Under $200 | 25.6% | 21.1% | +4.4 |
| $350–$549 | 13.3% | 0.0% | +13.3 |
| $550–$749 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| $750 or more | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

### Monthly mortgage distribution

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $1,000–$1,799 | 31.9% | 37.0% | -5.1 |
| Under $1,000 | 33.3% | 35.2% | -1.9 |
| $1,800–$2,999 | 23.6% | 9.3% | +14.4 |
| $3,000 or more | 5.6% | 9.3% | -3.7 |

## Transport & Vehicles

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| No car | 2.9% | 4.2% | 1.3 pts higher in Swansea | gap narrowing |
| Work from home | 9.0% | 8.8% | 0.2 pts higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |
| PT commute | 1.2% | 0.0% | 1.2 pts higher in Bicheno | gap steady |

### How people get to work

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Car (driver) | 53.0% | 53.6% | -0.6 |
| Walked | 13.6% | 12.6% | +1.0 |
| Worked at home | 9.0% | 8.8% | +0.2 |
| Car (passenger) | 3.2% | 5.4% | -2.2 |
| Bus | 1.2% | 0.0% | +1.2 |
| Bicycle | 0.9% | 0.0% | +0.9 |
| Train | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 |

### Motor vehicles per home

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2 vehicles | 40.6% | 45.0% | -4.4 |
| 1 vehicle | 40.3% | 39.1% | +1.2 |
| 3 vehicles | 11.2% | 6.8% | +4.3 |
| 4 or more | 3.2% | 6.8% | -3.6 |
| No vehicle | 2.9% | 4.2% | -1.3 |

## Migration & Movement

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Recent movers | 42.5% | 37.7% | 4.8 pts higher in Bicheno | gap widening |
| Recent arrivals | 25.9% | 12.1% | 13.8 pts higher in Bicheno | gap widening |

## Jobs & Industry

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Unemployment | 6.3% | 4.7% | 1.5 pts higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |
| Participation | 51.9% | 41.6% | 10.3 pts higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |
| Full-time | 45.5% | 41.4% | 4.1 pts higher in Bicheno | gap narrowing |

### Industries people work in

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Accommodation & food | 24.9% | 26.4% | -1.5 |
| Health care & social assistance | 5.2% | 15.7% | -10.5 |
| Agriculture, forestry & fishing | 9.3% | 7.3% | +2.0 |
| Retail trade | 8.4% | 9.2% | -0.8 |
| Construction | 8.1% | 8.4% | -0.3 |
| Manufacturing | 7.8% | 5.4% | +2.5 |
| Education & training | 7.0% | 4.6% | +2.4 |
| Administrative & support | 5.2% | 3.1% | +2.2 |
| Transport & warehousing | 4.9% | 5.0% | -0.1 |
| Professional & technical | 4.6% | 0.0% | +4.6 |
| Public administration & safety | 1.2% | 4.2% | -3.1 |
| Wholesale trade | 1.7% | 2.7% | -0.9 |

### Occupations people work in

| Category | Bicheno % | Swansea % | Gap (pts) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Labourers | 20.3% | 22.6% | -2.3 |
| Managers | 17.1% | 18.8% | -1.7 |
| Professionals | 15.4% | 4.6% | +10.8 |
| Technicians & trades | 10.7% | 13.4% | -2.7 |
| Community & personal service | 11.9% | 13.0% | -1.1 |
| Clerical & administrative | 9.3% | 7.3% | +2.0 |
| Machinery operators & drivers | 3.8% | 8.8% | -5.0 |
| Sales workers | 7.5% | 7.7% | -0.1 |

## Walkability

| Statistic | Bicheno | Swansea | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Walk score | 5.7 | 5.8 | 0.0 higher in Swansea |  |
| Types ≤15 min | 6.0 | 6.0 |  |  |
| 15-min city | 69.0% | 72.7% | 3.7 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Walk to shops | 89.1% | 72.3% | 16.9 pts higher in Bicheno |  |
| Walk to transit | 48.1% | 66.4% | 18.3 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Walk to school | 59.2% | 65.8% | 6.6 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Walk to a park | 76.2% | 100.0% | 23.8 pts higher in Swansea |  |
| Walk to health | 84.2% | 62.4% | 21.8 pts higher in Bicheno |  |
| Amenities/1k | 38.9 | 39.4 | 0.5 more in Swansea |  |
| Intersections/km² | 42 | 48 | 7 higher in Swansea |  |
| Mean slope | 9.4% | 5.0% | 4.4 pts higher in Bicheno |  |

Interactive comparison: https://censusatlas.au/compare/ucl/UCL621002/bicheno/vs/UCL621030/swansea