Section of State · Area profile
Major Urban
854 km²
A population increase of 13% since 2011 has helped Major Urban grow into a large community of over 1.2 million people. It is a diverse and highly educated area where many residents speak a language other than English at home. The community has seen a sharp rise in people identifying as having no religion and a significant increase in those holding university degrees. This mix of cultures and qualifications creates a professional atmosphere in a very walkable urban setting.
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The typical resident is 39, making the area slightly older than the national figure. While the proportion of children has remained steady, the number of seniors rose 2.9 percentage points since 2011 to reach 18.6%.
Born overseas, 28.9% of residents come from other countries, which is much higher than in most similar areas. English, Australian, and Scottish are the most common ancestries.
Language diversity is high here, with 23.1% of people using a language other than English at home—a figure that rose 4.5 percentage points since 2011. About 3.5% of the population speaks little or no English.
A large number of people report having no religion, at 44.2%, which is well above the national figure. This represents a significant jump of 17 percentage points since 2011.
The area is much more qualified than most similar places, with 26.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Both university degrees and Year 12 completions rose sharply since 2011.
Typical weekly household income is $1,527, which is a little below the national figure. However, the number of households earning $3,000 or more per week rose 11 percentage points since 2011.
More people here have long-term health conditions (30.0%) or mental health conditions (9.8%) compared to the national average. About 6.7% of residents need help with daily activities, which is much higher than in most similar areas.
Community support is strong, with a much higher than average 13.0% of people providing unpaid care. Those caring for children unpaid also sit above the national figure at 26.8%.
Living arrangements are varied, with 28.4% of people living alone and 15.4% of families being single-parent households, both of which are higher than the national typical.
Most homes are separate houses (73.1%), though this has fallen slightly since 2011. Typical weekly rent is $320, which is a little below the national figure but higher than in most similar areas.
Public transport use for commuting is much higher than in most areas, at 5.3%. About 8.1% of homes do not have a motor vehicle.
The area attracts newcomers, with 16.3% of the population being recent arrivals from overseas. This is a little above the national figure of 14.5%.
More adults are working or looking for work (61.5%) compared to most similar areas. Health care and social assistance is the most common industry for the local workforce.
This is a very walkable area, with a score of 7.0. Almost all residents live within a 15-minute walk of a park (99.2%) or public transport (97.3%).