Level-three statistical areas typically contain between 30,000 and 130,000 inhabitants. In regional areas, a level-three statistical area can represent the functional area of a town or city with more than 20,000 inhabitants. A level-three statistical area comprises multiple level-two statistical areas.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics uses a five-digit code to recognize a level-three statistical area. The five-digit code contains discrete identifiers for all regions in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard main structure to which the area belongs, including the level-three statistical area itself.