5673.0.55.001 - Regional Wage and Salary Earner Statistics, Australia - Electronic Publication, 2000-01  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 19/12/2003   
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All

AUSTRALIA

This electronic release contains estimates of the characteristics of wage and salary earners for each state and territory of Australia for the year 2000-01. Data are included for smaller geographical areas within states/territories.

Estimates of the total number of wage and salary earners and their average wage and salary income by Local Government Area (LGA), (Statistical Subdivisions (SSDs) for the Australian Capital Territory), are presented in the Summary of Findings below. Data for metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas are also included. These areas align with the various levels of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC).

The statistics have been compiled from the Australian Taxation Office's (ATO) Individual Income Tax Return Database and are part of the Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) program to increase the range of regional data available to users of regional statistics, particularly through the use of administrative information from other government agencies. The ABS wishes to acknowledge the support the ATO has provided in compiling these statistics.

All individual income tax statistics provided to the ABS by the ATO have been in aggregated form only, at the Statistical Local Area (SLA) level. No information about individual taxpayers has been released to the ABS.

Various cross-tabulations of characteristics such as age, sex, occupation, wage and salary income and total income for the wage and salary earner population can be accessed through the attached data cubes. Most of these tables are available by SLA and are in the form of Excel spreadsheets.

It should be noted that the data presented here do not take account of whether wage and salary earners work on a full-time or part-time basis. Consequently, differences in the extent of part-time work may account for some differences in average wage and salary incomes across regions. Similarly, averages may be affected by overtime earnings and multiple job holdings. Further definitional details are contained in the Explanatory Notes.

For further information about these statistics, contact Mark Nowosilskyj on (08) 8237 7358 or mark.now@abs.gov.au, or call the National Information Service on 1300 135 070.


SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

For the financial year 2000-01, the average individual annual wage and salary income for wage and salary earners in Australia was $34,745. This was an increase of 4.2% over the previous year ($33,341) and a 21.9% increase on the average in 1995-96 ($28,494). The average annual rate of increase over the last five years has been 4.0%.

Total wage and salary income paid to Australia's wage and salary earners increased from $247.9 billion in 1999-00 to $259.6 billion in 2000-01, an increase of 4.7%. This was slightly lower than the annual average rate of increase for the last five years (4.9%). For the period 1995-96 to 2000-01 the overall increase was 27.1% (up from $204.2 billion in 1995-96). Over the same period the number of wage and salary earners have increased by 4.3%, from approximately 7.17 million persons in 1995-96 to just over 7.47 million persons in 2000-01.


METROPOLITAN AND NON-METROPOLITAN AUSTRALIA

In 2000-01, three-quarters of Australia's wage and salary earners resided in metropolitan areas (5.58 million persons). This proportion has increased slightly since 1995-96, from 74.0% to 74.7%. In comparison, 71.8% of Australia's total population aged 15 years and over at 30 June 1996 and 72.0% at 30 June 2001 resided in metropolitan areas.

Average wage and salary incomes for persons in metropolitan Australia are higher than those paid to employees in non-metropolitan areas, and the difference is widening. In 1995-96 the average wage and salary income for employees in metropolitan Australia was $29,500 compared with an average of $25,565 for those in non-metropolitan areas, a difference of $3,935 or 15.4%. In 2000-01, the average for metropolitan Australia had increased to $36,156, or $5,643 (18.5%) above the average for employees in non-metropolitan Australia ($30,513). Overall, the average annual growth rate over the last five years for average wage and salary incomes has been 4.2% for employees in metropolitan Australia compared with 3.6% for those in non-metropolitan areas.

AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGE AND SALARY INCOME, Metropolitan(a) and non-metropolitan Australia, 1995-96 to 2000-01

Change

1995-96
1996-97
1997-98
1998-99
1999-00
2000-01
1999-00 to 2000-01
1995-96 to 2000-01(b)
$
$
$
$
$
$
%
%

Metropolitan Aust.(a)
29,500
30,723
32,047
33,355
34,678
36,156
4.3
4.2
Non-metropolitan Aust.
25,565
26,650
27,616
28,614
29,373
30,513
3.9
3.6
Total Aust.
28,494
29,684
30,908
32,163
33,341
34,745
4.2
4.0
Metropolitan/non-metropolitan difference(c) (%)
15.4
15.3
16.0
16.6
18.1
18.5
-
-

(a) See Glossary for definition of metropolitan areas.
(b) Average annual rate of increase.
(c) Non-metropolitan Australia used as denominator to calculate percentage difference.
Source: ATO Income Tax Data.

AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGE AND SALARY INCOME,
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan Australia, 1995-96 to 2000-01


Graph -  Average Annual Wage and Salary Income, Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan Australia, 1995-96 to 2000-01
Source: ATO Income Tax Data.


STATES AND TERRITORIES

In 2000-01, employees in the Australian Capital Territory had the highest average wage and salary income ($39,580) followed by New South Wales ($37,191) and Northern Territory ($35,473). Tasmania had the lowest average with $30,411. In comparison to the Australian average, annual wage and salary incomes have generally been significantly higher, on average, in the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, significantly lower in Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia and generally close to the national average in Victoria, Western Australia and Northern Territory.

For the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Victoria and the Northern Territory average wage and salary incomes increased in 2000-01, over the previous year, by around 4.4% to 4.6%, while in Tasmania and Queensland the increase was 3.5%. The percentage increases in South Australia and Western Australia were 3.8% and 4.2% respectively.

WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS, States and Territories, 1995-96 to 2000-01
% Change

1995-96
1996-97
1997-98
1998-99
1999-00
2000-01
1999-00 to 2000-01
1995-96 to 2000-01(a)

WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS (no.)

New South Wales
2,444,827
2,440,020
2,483,507
2,513,282
2,528,389
2,534,813
0.3
0.7
Victoria
1,773,635
1,787,271
1,824,553
1,848,033
1,867,959
1,883,823
0.8
1.2
Queensland
1,288,417
1,298,547
1,327,345
1,346,333
1,363,424
1,377,663
1.0
1.3
South Australia
548,257
543,410
550,771
552,788
553,771
553,194
-0.1
0.2
Western Australia
695,440
707,601
724,649
727,615
725,906
729,200
0.5
1.0
Tasmania
170,273
167,719
165,200
164,483
163,623
165,065
0.9
-0.6
Northern Territory
81,666
82,515
83,876
78,835
78,011
76,078
-2.5
-1.4
Australian Capital Territory
146,596
142,547
143,369
144,966
145,988
146,881
0.6
0.0
Total Australia(b)
7,166,724
7,188,214
7,313,429
7,380,064
7,434,438
7,471,989
0.5
0.8

WAGE AND SALARY INCOME ($m)

New South Wales
73,075.5
76,153.9
81,242.4
85,951.7
90,101.9
94,271.4
4.6
5.2
Victoria
50,860.4
53,250.8
56,428.0
59,250.3
62,290.1
65,734.7
5.5
5.3
Queensland
34,142.1
35,873.2
38,034.5
40,183.3
41,958.9
43,869.7
4.6
5.1
South Australia
14,552.1
15,019.0
15,849.9
16,404.9
16,990.8
17,611.9
3.7
3.9
Western Australia
19,522.7
20,778.7
22,134.5
22,901.4
23,424.6
24,515.6
4.7
4.7
Tasmania
4,412.7
4,491.9
4,577.2
4,699.9
4,808.0
5,019.7
4.4
2.6
Northern Territory
2,302.2
2,445.3
2,577.9
2,624.7
2,644.8
2,698.7
2.0
3.2
Australian Capital Territory
4,887.8
4,857.6
5,035.4
5,294.8
5,530.9
5,813.5
5.1
3.5
Total Australia(b)
204,211.2
213,377.5
226,043.4
237,367.3
247,874.4
259,611.8
4.7
4.9

AVERAGE WAGE AND SALARY INCOME ($)

New South Wales
29,890
31,210
32,713
34,199
35,636
37,191
4.4
4.5
Victoria
28,676
29,794
30,927
32,061
33,347
34,894
4.6
4.0
Queensland
26,499
27,626
28,655
29,846
30,775
31,844
3.5
3.7
South Australia
26,542
27,638
28,778
29,677
30,682
31,837
3.8
3.7
Western Australia
28,072
29,365
30,545
31,475
32,269
33,620
4.2
3.7
Tasmania
25,915
26,782
27,707
28,574
29,385
30,411
3.5
3.3
Northern Territory
28,191
29,635
30,735
33,294
33,903
35,473
4.6
4.7
Australian Capital Territory
33,342
34,077
35,122
36,524
37,886
39,580
4.5
3.5
Total Australia(b)
28,494
29,684
30,908
32,163
33,341
34,745
4.2
4.0

(a) Average annual rate of increase.
(b) Total includes data that could not be allocated to a state or territory.
Note: Indigenous persons engaged in CDEP may be included in the above data for the years 1995-96 to 1997-98 and excluded for 1998-99 onwards. Consequently changes between 1997-98 and 1998-99 and 1995-96 and 2000-01 in particular need to be treated with caution. For further details please refer to the Explanatory Notes.
Source: ATO Income Tax Data.


LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS

In 2000-01, the local government area with the highest average wage and salary income in Australia was Mosman (A) in New South Wales with an annual average of $77,943. Woollahra (A) and North Sydney (A), also located on the shores of Sydney Harbour, had the second and third highest averages with $63,513 and $60,503 respectively. In Victoria, Stonnington (C), which includes the suburbs of Toorak, Malvern and Armadale, had the highest average wage and salary income ($52,365), while in Western Australia and Queensland the mining areas of Ashburton (S) and Peak Downs (S) were the LGAs in those states with the highest averages ($51,843 and $51,781 respectively). The seven LGAs with the highest average wage and salary incomes in 2000-01 are all located in the inner Sydney area.

LGAs WITH HIGHEST AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGE AND SALARY INCOME, Australia, 2000-01
LGA CodeLGA NameState
$

15350Mosman (A)NSW
77,943
18500Woollahra (A)NSW
63,513
15950North Sydney (A)NSW
60,503
14500Ku-ring-gai (A)NSW
59,241
14100Hunter's Hill (A)NSW
56,489
14700Lane Cove (A)NSW
55,041
18250Willoughby (C)NSW
54,271
26350Stonnington (C)Vic.
52,365
50250Ashburton (S)WA
51,843
35850Peak Downs (S)Qld
51,781

Source: ATO Income Tax Data.


The lowest annual average wage and salary income in 2000-01 was recorded for Wickepin shire in Western Australia ($19,844). It was the only local government area with an average below $20,000. Of the ten LGAs in Australia with the lowest averages, eight are located in Western Australia. These LGAs are all located in the Wheatbelt and Great Southern agricultural districts. However, it should be noted that the wage and salary data presented here exclude persons in their own business such as many farmers who are not wage and salary earners.

Isisford shire in central west Queensland and Streaky Bay district council on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia had the lowest average wage and salary incomes in those states with $20,692 and $23,225 respectively. Both of these LGAs are also predominantly agricultural areas.

In addition to agricultural districts, LGAs with significant tourism activity may also have low average wage and salary incomes due to the extent of part-time work (and therefore lower annual incomes) in the hospitality industry.

LGAs WITH LOWEST AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGE AND SALARY INCOME, Australia, 2000-01
LGA CodeLGA NameState
$

59100Wickepin (S)WA
19,844
51050Broomehill (S)WA
20,112
34050Isisford (S)Qld
20,692
54480Kent (S)WA
21,620
58190Tammin (S)WA
21,764
59170Williams (S)WA
22,854
54130Jerramungup (S)WA
23,107
47490Streaky Bay (DC)SA
23,225
54620Kondinin (S)WA
23,498
53010Dumbleyung (S)WA
23,633

Source: ATO Income Tax Data.