Section of State
Section of State (SOS) groups together Urban Centres and Localities (UCLs) into comparable classes based on the population of the UCL according to the 2021 Census of Population and Housing. This enables the comparison of similar sized UCLs using a range of Census data.
SOS design criteria
The population of Urban Centres and Localities is used as the basis for allocating Section of State. The table below gives the population ranges for each category.
| Identifier | Name | Definition | Urban or Rural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Major Urban | Major Urban represents a combination of all Urban Centres with a population of 100,000 or more | Urban |
| 1 | Other Urban | Other Urban represents a combination of all Urban Centres with a population less than or equal to 99,999 | Urban |
| 2 | Bounded Locality (a) | Bounded Localities represent a combination of all Localities | Rural |
| 3 | Rural Balance | Rural Balance represents the Remainder of State/Territory | Rural |
(a) Bounded Localities can include some large localities with a population over 1,000.
SOS name criteria
The four different Section of State categories are Major Urban, Other Urban, Bounded Locality and Rural Balance. State and territory identifiers are not added to Section of State names, meaning they are not unique.
SOS coding structure
Section of State categories are identifiable by a 2-digit hierarchical code made up of a 1-digit State/Territory identifier followed by a 1-digit Section of State identifier. Due to the inclusion of state and territory identifiers, Section of State codes are unique. Examples are shown below.
| S/T | SOS code | SOS name |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | Major Urban |
| 5 | 3 | Rural Balance |
Non-spatial special purpose codes are also part of the Section of State classification.
- 7 is reserved for cases where people are coded to Migratory – Offshore – Shipping Statistical Areas Level 1.
- 9 is reserved for cases where people are coded to No usual address Statistical Areas level 1.
- ZZ is reserved for cases where people are coded to Outside Australia.
| S/T | SOS code | SOS name |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 7 | Migratory - Offshore - Shipping (Tas.) |
| 1 | 9 | No usual address (NSW) |