A look at indigenous areas in Australia

This post examines the differences in areas with a high number of indigenous residents. The figures are derived from assigning an indigenous percentage to each ABS Statistical Area Level 1.

Household Size

Average household size by percentage indigenous Australian in area

Household sizes are significantly larger in areas with 80-100% indigenous Australians, compared with those in areas with 0-60%.

Age

Median age of persons by percentage indigenous Australian in area

Highly indigenous areas have much younger residents than non-indigenous areas. Areas with 90% or more indigenous residents have an average age 14 years younger than areas with no indigenous residents.

Monthly Mortgage Repayment

Median monthly mortgage repayment ($AUD) by percentage indigenous Australian in area

Mortgage repayments decrease steadily from $1868 each month in areas with 0% indigenous residents to a mean value of $4.95 for areas with 100% indigenous residents.

Weekly Rent

Median weekly rent ($AUD) by percentage indigenous Australian in area

Weekly rents are at a median of $303 for areas with no indigenous residents, and reduce to around $50 per week for areas with 90-100% indigenous residents.

Family Income

Median weekly family income ($AUD) by percentage indigenous Australian in area

Areas with no indigenous residents have a median family income of $1,602 per week. This is significantly more than areas with only 10% indigenous residents. Families in areas with 100% indigenous residents earn $583 per week.

Household Income

Median weekly household income ($AUD) by percentage indigenous Australian in area

This is a chart with some stark contrasts. Areas with no indigenous residents earn $1,390 per week. Beyond that, most areas have median household incomes of around $1,000 per week. The key exception is areas with 100% indigenous residents, where the households have a median income of $829.

Personal Income

Median weekly personal income ($AUD) by percentage indigenous Australian in area

Again, areas with no indigenous residents are significantly wealthier than other areas. Individuals in areas with 10-60% indigenous residents earn a fairly consistent amount of around 500$ per week. Beyond that level, individual incomes decrease significantly. People in areas with 100% indigenous residents earn around half of those in areas with 0-60% indigenous residents.