Remoteness Area · Area profile
Major Cities of Australia
586 km²
A high-earning and well-qualified population sets Major Cities of Australia apart from the national average. The area is noticeably younger than most of the country, with a typical resident aged 35 and a population that grew by 27% since 2011. This is a diverse, mobile community where many residents were born overseas and a high proportion of adults hold university degrees. The combination of professional careers and urban living creates a fast-paced environment with high incomes and a strong lean toward secularism.
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The typical resident is 35, which is noticeably younger than the national figure of 38. While the number of seniors has risen since 2011, the population remains young, with children under 15 making up 18.3% of the community.
Born overseas, 28.8% of the population comes from outside Australia, a figure that rose 4.6 points since 2011. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, followed by Irish and Scottish.
Language diversity is high, with 24.6% of people using a language other than English at home, up 6.5 points since 2011. Mandarin is the most common non-English language spoken.
A large portion of the community identifies as having no religion, at 44.2%, which is well above the national figure of 38.9%. This trend has grown significantly, rising 15 points since 2011.
The workforce is highly qualified, with 43% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher, far above the national figure of 26.3%. Year 12 completion is also far above the national average at 77.1%.
Incomes are very high here; the typical household earns $2,372 a week, well above the national figure of $1,746. About 36.4% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, which is among the highest for similar areas.
Mental health conditions are more common here than in most areas, affecting 10% of residents. However, the proportion of people needing help with daily activities is a little below the national average.
Volunteering is more common here than nationally, with 18.4% of people pitching in. The area also has a high rate of people who served in the Defence Force, at 6%.
First Nations residents in this area have a much higher typical personal income than the national figure. They also have a far higher Year 12 completion rate, at 58.9% compared to 37% nationally.
Families with children are common, making up 59.8% of households. About 25.8% of people live alone, which is about the same as the national figure.
Renting is common at 30.7%, and the typical weekly rent of $450 is a little above the national figure. Detached houses are less common here than across Australia, making up 63.2% of homes.
Public transport use for commuting is a little above the national figure. While 10.9% of people work from home—up from 2.7% in 2011—this is still far below the national average.
The population is very mobile, with 46.1% of people having moved in the last five years. This is well above the national figure of 40.7%.
More people are working or looking for work here than in most similar areas. Full-time employment is well above the national figure at 65.8%, and the unemployment rate is a little lower than the national average.
The area is very walkable, with a score of 7.0. Almost every home is within a 10-minute walk of public transport and a 15-minute walk of a park.