Section of State · Area profile
Rural Balance
221,913 km²
Spanning over 221,000 square kilometres of vast landscape, Rural Balance is a predominantly older community of about 428,900 people. The area is defined by its stability and aging population, with a typical resident now 47 years old. It is a place where home ownership is very high and the pace of life is slow, with far fewer people moving in or out compared to the national average. This creates a settled atmosphere where long-term residency is the norm.
Explore Rural Balance by topic
The area is far older than most, with 21.2% of people aged 65 and over, a figure that has risen significantly since 2011. While the population grew by 7.6% over the decade, the proportion of children under 15 has fallen to 16.9%.
Most residents were born in Australia (81.4%), and the area has a much lower proportion of overseas-born people at 10.4% compared to the national figure of 27.7%. English and Australian ancestries are the most common.
English is the dominant language, spoken by 87.5% of residents. Only 4.3% of people use another language at home, and very few (0.6%) speak little or no English, which is far below the national average.
A large number of residents report no religion (44.8%), a figure that rose by 18 points since 2011 and is well above the national average. Christianity remains common at 43.3%.
More adults have a bachelor degree or higher (17.3%) than in most similar areas, though this is still well below the national figure of 26.3%. Year 12 completion has also risen to 45.1% since 2011.
Typical weekly household income is about $1,659, which is around the middle for this level. The number of households earning $3,000 or more a week rose significantly by 13 points since 2011 to reach 19.9%.
Long-term health conditions affect 29.2% of the population, which is a little above the national figure. Arthritis is the most common condition, affecting 10.2% of residents.
Volunteering is much higher here than in most areas, with 20.5% of people helping out, though this is down from 2011. Unpaid care for others is also common, with 14.6% of people providing such support.
Homes tend to be larger, with an average of 2.6 people per household. One-parent families are much less common here (8.6%) than in the rest of Australia (14.1%).
Detached houses dominate the landscape at 98.1%, and nearly half (47.7%) are owned outright. Renting is very rare, with only 9.8% of households renting, far below the national figure.
The area is heavily reliant on cars, with only 1.2% of homes having no motor vehicle. Very few people use public transport to commute (0.4%), but 21.5% of the workforce works from home.
The community is very stable, with only 27.6% of people moving in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas are also much lower than the national average at 7.0%.
Agriculture, forestry and fishing is a major employer for 17.8% of the workforce. Unemployment is very low at 2.9%, which is much lower than most similar areas.
The area is almost entirely car-dependent, with a walkability score of 1.0. Only 4.9% of homes have a 15-minute-city walkshed, and very few residents can walk to health services or groceries.