Archived content. See ABS Website for latest information and statistics
ABS Home

Census home > Help & feedback > Using Census data

Which product is right for me?

This page provides information to help you find out where to start, to obtain the Census information you need.

Information for teachers and students and people with a general interest

You will find general information about what the Census is, how it is conducted and what happens to the data in About the Census and in the publication How Australia Takes a Census (cat. no. 2903.0). Information about the 2011 Census is in the News & Media section.

Analytical articles presenting commentary and statistical analysis using the 2011 Census data are available, see Reflecting a Nation: Stories from the 2011 Census (cat. no. 2071.0). This publication also contains several articles about the history of the Census.

Go to Data & analysis and start by clicking on different states and capital cities on the map. Go to QuickStats and search for an area you are interested in. This product will give you a snapshot of information for this area. For more detailed information, look at the Community Profile for the same area.

These two products will give you a good overview of the area and help you get started using Census data. Try using the advanced search, by entering an address or selecting an area from the map.

QuickStats provides a selection of general topics and data about an area - it does not include all Census topics. Community Profiles cover most topics from the Census.

Many tables, graphs and text about Census data are available free. You will be able to print or copy information from these pages into an assignment or presentation.

Words and acronyms that are used when talking about the Census and Census data are explained in the Census Glossary.

Information for university students, lecturers and researchers, businesses, market researchers and consultants, and government users

To get a quick snapshot of a community or larger area you are interested in, go to the QuickStats page. 2011 QuickStats will also highlight key differences between 2006 and 2011 Census data at the state and national level. For more comprehensive information about the area, go to the Community Profiles page.

If you need to combine data in a way that is not provided by QuickStats and Community Profiles, you can use TableBuilder Basic or TableBuilder Pro to choose any geographic area and create your own tables, graphs and maps.

TableBuilder Basic offers topic databases and some predefined tables to help you get started.

In TableBuilder Pro, you can define your own custom groups and save them, and share these with other users.

You may want to consider accessing our Customised Data Services for customised tables or advice.

If you are using Geographic Information Systems or other mapping and tabulation systems, you can use Census DataPacks to import data into your own systems.

See Product help for a comparison of costs, licencing requirements and features of these products and services.

Using Census data

Which product is right for me?

Groups of people

Communities, areas & locations

Comparing data

Formats & costs

Data FAQs

Statistical Geography

More help

Archived content. See ABS Website for latest information and statistics