428,903 ▲ +7.6%
Higher than 76% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 398,717
- 2016: 414,055
- 2021: 428,903
The number of people who usually live in the area, counted on Census night.
Rural Balance · Section of State
Demographics & Identity in Rural Balance
Who lives here — how many people, how old they are, and how communities identify.
A growing population that is getting notably older is the story for Rural Balance. The area has added about 30,186 people since 2011, but the typical resident is now far older than the national figure at 47 years. This aging trend is clear, as the proportion of seniors has jumped by 6.8 percentage points over the last decade.
428,903
▲ +7.6%
- 1–2: 3 areas
- 2–3: 0 areas
- 3–5: 0 areas
- 5–9: 0 areas
- 9–16: 2 areas
- 16–28: 1 area
- 28–49: 1 area
- 49–85: 0 areas
- 85–149: 1 area
- 149–260: 1 area
- 260–453: 0 areas
- 453–789: 4 areas
- 789–1,376: 2 areas
- 1,376–2,399: 1 area
- 2,399–4,182: 3 areas
- 4,182–7,292: 0 areas
- 7,292–12,713: 3 areas
- 12,713–22,166: 1 area
- 22,166–38,647: 3 areas
- 38,647–67,381: 3 areas
- 67,381–117,481: 2 areas
- 117,481–204,831: 6 areas
- 204,831–357,126: 2 areas
- 357,126–622,657: 5 areas
- 622,657–1,085,615: 2 areas
- 1,085,615–1,892,791: 2 areas
- 1,892,791–3,300,120: 1 area
- 3,300,120–5,753,827: 3 areas
All section of state areas, 2021. The marker is Rural Balance — higher than 76% of areas.
| Rural Balance | 428,903 |
|---|---|
| Australia | 25,422,788 |
Population
How many people, and the typical age.
Rural Balance is larger than about 79% of similar areas, with a total population of 428,903 people. The typical resident is 47, which is much higher than most areas and far older than the Australian average.
47 yrs ▲ +9.3%
Older than 86% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 43 yrs
- 2016: 45 yrs
- 2021: 47 yrs
Half the population is older than this age, and half younger.
Age profile
How the population splits across age groups.
Seniors aged 65 and over make up 21.2% of the population, which is well above the national figure. This helps explain why the area is so much older than most, while the share of children under 15 has fallen to 16.9%.
21.2% ▲ +47.6%
Higher than 77% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 14.4%
- 2016: 18.0%
- 2021: 21.2%
Share of the population aged 65 years and over.
16.9% ▼ -12.4%
Lower than 55% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 19.3%
- 2016: 18.0%
- 2021: 16.9%
Share of the population aged under 15 years.
Age structure
View on map →In Rural Balance, the largest group is Older adults (45–64) at 32%, followed by Seniors (65+) (21%) and Young adults (25–44) (20%).
Identity & relationships
First Nations identity and marital status.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 1.5% of the population, which is much lower than most similar areas. Most residents are married at 53.7%, while those in de facto relationships account for 12.3%.
1.5% ▲ +55.3%
Lower than 88% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 0.9%
- 2016: 1.1%
- 2021: 1.5%
Share of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
12.3% ▲ +33.9%
Lower than 65% of section of state areas.
- 2011: 9.2%
- 2016: 10.7%
- 2021: 12.3%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in a de facto marriage (registered marriages excluded).
Marital status
View on map →In Rural Balance, Married is the majority at 54%; Never married is next at 30%.
Age & sex structure
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Rural Balance
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Demographics & Identity in Rural Balance [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sos/SOS23/rural-balance/topic/demographics-identity