Statistical Area Level 3 (SA3)
A regional area made up of neighbouring SA2s with similar characteristics, usually home to between 30,000 and 130,000 people. SA3s are used for regional statistics and fit together to form SA4s.
What an SA3 is
The ABS builds SA3s by grouping neighbouring SA2s that share similar geographic and social characteristics. In cities, an SA3 is often a well-known district. In the country, it usually covers a recognised region or a regional city and the towns that rely on it.
There are 367 SA3s in the 2026 boundaries. That includes 19 special codes for people who can't be placed on a map, such as people in transit or with no usual address.
Names
SA3s are named after the region they represent, like Southern Highlands, or after the regional city at their centre, like Wagga Wagga. That makes them one of the easier ABS levels to read.
Using SA3s
SA3s suit questions about a region rather than a neighbourhood: where a network should expand next, how a regional market compares with the capital, or where growth is concentrated. Many government datasets, particularly in health, are published at SA3, so it's also a common level for joining Census figures to other data.
They're too coarse for a single site. An SA3 can hold suburbs that look nothing alike, so move down to SA2s, suburbs or a catchment once you're choosing between locations.
SA3s in Censible
Censible lists SA3s under statistical areas, labelled by name and state with an SA3 tag, on the 2026 boundaries. They're a good level for ranking regions before narrowing down.
Source: ABS, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, Statistical Area Level 3.
Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2)
A medium-sized area defined by the ABS to represent a community that interacts socially and economically. Most have between 3,000 and 25,000 residents.
Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4)
The largest regions below state level in the ABS's main set of boundaries, built from whole SA3s. SA4s are designed to represent labour markets, and most hold between 100,000 and 500,000 people.
Local Government Area (LGA)
LGA stands for Local Government Area: the area a local council looks after. In ABS data, LGAs are the ABS's version of council boundaries, built from small mesh blocks so Census figures can be published for every council in Australia.
Questions people ask
There are 367 in the 2026 boundaries, including 19 special codes for people without a fixed location, such as people in transit.
Most have between 30,000 and 130,000 residents. In remote areas they can cover very large stretches of country.
No. Some SA3s cover a similar area to a council, but SA3s are drawn by the ABS for statistics, while council boundaries are set by state governments. The two don't always line up.