Kimberley

2016 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Area code 51001
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 14,308
Male 48.3%
Female 51.7%
Median age 25
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 3,708
Average people per household 3.5
Median weekly household income $920
Median monthly mortgage repayments $2,167
Median weekly rent $119

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People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People tables are based on a person's place of usual residence on Census night

People Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Aboriginal 13,867 96.9 72,920 96.0 590,062 90.9
Torres Strait Islander 91 0.6 1,433 1.9 32,344 5.0
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 350 2.4 1,623 2.1 26,767 4.1

For the 2016 Census in Kimberley, there were 14,308 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 48.3% were male and 51.7% were female.

View the data quality statements for: Place of Usual Residence (PURP) Indigenous status (INGP)

Age Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Median age 25 -- 23 -- 23 --
0-4 years 1,581 11.1 8,409 11.1 73,265 11.3
5-14 years 3,058 21.4 16,962 22.3 147,134 22.7
15-24 years 2,486 17.4 14,074 18.5 123,719 19.1
25-34 years 2,286 16.0 11,452 15.1 88,861 13.7
35-44 years 1,805 12.6 8,860 11.7 72,394 11.2
45-54 years 1,491 10.4 7,894 10.4 67,415 10.4
55-64 years 985 6.9 5,136 6.8 45,433 7.0
65 years and over 605 4.2 3,192 4.2 30,952 4.8

In Kimberley, the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 25 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 32.5% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 4.2% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Married 2,129 22.0 11,239 22.2 105,086 24.5
Separated 362 3.7 2,212 4.4 19,112 4.5
Divorced 280 2.9 2,587 5.1 28,796 6.7
Widowed 356 3.7 1,610 3.2 13,794 3.2
Never married 6,531 67.6 32,956 65.1 261,980 61.1

In Kimberley, 22.0% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 6.6% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Social marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Registered marriage 1,343 16.7 7,947 19.2 86,716 23.1
De facto marriage 1,940 24.1 8,309 20.1 60,051 16.0
Not married 4,764 59.2 25,162 60.8 228,281 60.9

In Kimberley, 16.7% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 24.1% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)
Education attendance Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Pre-school 251 4.8 1,590 5.2 16,698 6.4
Primary 1,920 36.9 10,756 35.4 97,859 37.5
Secondary 1,090 21.0 7,314 24.0 65,208 25.0
Technical or further education institution 147 2.8 1,155 3.8 14,227 5.5
University or tertiary institution 83 1.6 1,243 4.1 15,489 5.9
Other 62 1.2 479 1.6 5,047 1.9
Not stated 1,649 31.7 7,887 25.9 46,428 17.8

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Kimberley, 36.4% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 36.9% were attending a primary school, 21.0% were attending a secondary school and 4.4% were attending a tertiary or technical institution.

View the data quality statement for Educational Institution Attendee Status (TYSTAP)
Level of highest educational attainment
People aged 15 years and over
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 241 2.5 2,154 4.3 24,911 5.8
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 228 2.4 1,880 3.7 23,795 5.5
Certificate level IV 166 1.7 1,436 2.8 14,308 3.3
Certificate level III 869 9.0 5,480 10.8 56,625 13.2
Year 12 1,339 13.9 6,950 13.7 59,949 14.0
Year 11 1,042 10.8 4,983 9.8 34,674 8.1
Year 10 1,879 19.4 10,472 20.7 77,265 18.0
Certificate level II 21 0.2 92 0.2 1,215 0.3
Certificate level I 8 0.1 20 0.0 241 0.1
Year 9 or below 1,220 12.6 6,343 12.5 64,604 15.1
No educational attainment 294 3.0 708 1.4 4,256 1.0
Not stated 2,188 22.6 9,070 17.9 56,698 13.2

Of people aged 15 and over in Kimberley, 13.9% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 10.6% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 2.4% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

View the data quality statement for Level of highest educational attainment (HEAP)

Cultural & language diversity

Australian Indigenous language, top responses Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Kriol 2,315 16.2 2,367 3.1 7,108 1.1
Bardi 303 2.1 314 0.4 318 0.0
Walmajarri 262 1.8 274 0.4 284 0.0
Jaru 202 1.4 208 0.3 215 0.0
Kija 158 1.1 161 0.2 164 0.0
 null  null  null  null  null  null  null
English only spoken at home 8,155 57.0 59,629 78.5 544,491 83.9

English was the only language spoken at home by 57.0% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Kimberley. Indigenous languages spoken at home include Kriol 16.2%, Bardi 2.1%, Walmajarri 1.8%, Jaru 1.4% and Kija 1.1%.

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)
Ancestry, top responses Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Australian Aboriginal 8,251 49.6 20,368 20.4 140,480 15.8
Australian 4,693 28.2 45,794 45.9 399,843 45.0
English 1,072 6.4 14,567 14.6 152,758 17.2
Irish 279 1.7 3,490 3.5 45,887 5.2
Scottish 230 1.4 2,659 2.7 30,843 3.5

Respondents had the option of reporting up to two ancestries on their Census form, and this is captured by the Ancestry Multi Response (ANCP) variable used in this table. Therefore, the total responses count will not equal the persons count for this area. Calculated percentages represent a proportion of all responses from people in Kimberley (including those who did not state an ancestry).

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Kimberley, the most common ancestries were Australian Aboriginal 49.6%, Australian 28.2%, English 6.4%, Irish 1.7% and Scottish 1.4%.

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

Employment

Employment
People who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Worked full-time 1,531 42.6 11,109 47.1 106,960 48.0
Worked part-time 811 22.5 5,385 22.8 61,049 27.4
Away from work 294 8.2 1,871 7.9 14,143 6.4
Unemployed 962 26.7 5,241 22.2 40,486 18.2
Not in the labour force 5,309 55.0 24,363 48.1 190,132 44.3

There were 3,598 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Kimberley. Of these 42.6% were employed full time, 22.5% were employed part-time and 26.7% were unemployed.

The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's unemployment rate. More information about Census and labour force status is provided in Understanding the Census and Census Data.

For information on the Community Development Programme (CDP) please refer to the Census Data Dictionary. CDP data is available in TableBuilder.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status (LFSP)
Occupation, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Community and Personal Service Workers 641 24.4 2,831 15.4 30,991 17.0
Professionals 463 17.6 2,482 13.5 24,339 13.4
Labourers 328 12.5 2,440 13.3 27,814 15.3
Clerical and Administrative Workers 327 12.4 2,247 12.2 23,174 12.7
Technicians and Trades Workers 269 10.2 2,736 14.9 24,399 13.4
Managers 190 7.2 1,149 6.3 12,844 7.1
Machinery Operators and Drivers 155 5.9 2,631 14.3 16,774 9.2
Sales Workers 108 4.1 1,139 6.2 15,791 8.7

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Kimberley, the most common occupations were Community and Personal Service Workers 24.4%, Professionals 17.6%, Labourers 12.5%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 12.4%, Technicians and Trades Workers 10.2%, Managers 7.2%, Machinery Operators and Drivers 5.9% and Sales Workers 4.1%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Combined Primary and Secondary Education 121 4.7 376 2.1 2,639 1.4
Primary Education 120 4.7 586 3.2 4,897 2.7
Other Social Assistance Services 101 3.9 389 2.1 5,302 2.9
Secondary Education 76 2.9 367 2.0 3,079 1.7
Other Allied Health Services 69 2.7 153 0.8 1,218 0.7

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Kimberley, the most common industries of employment were Combined Primary and Secondary Education 4.7%, Primary Education 4.7%, Other Social Assistance Services 3.9%, Secondary Education 2.9% and Other Allied Health Services 2.7%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly incomes
People aged 15 years and over
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Personal 331 -- 398 -- 441 --
Household 920 -- 1,210 -- 1,203 --

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Kimberley was $331 and the median weekly household income was $920.

View the data quality statements for: Total personal income (INCP) Total household income (HIND)

Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 5,963 61.8 28,306 55.9 263,334 61.4
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 3,505 36.3 15,384 30.4 136,079 31.7
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 1,511 15.6 6,219 12.3 58,541 13.7
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 1,182 12.2 6,249 12.3 63,303 14.8

In Kimberley, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 61.8% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 36.3% provided care for children and 15.6% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 12.2% of people did voluntary work through an organisation or a group.

View the data quality statements for: Unpaid domestic work (DOMP) Unpaid child care (CHCAREP) Unpaid assistance (UNCAREP) Voluntary work (VOLWP)

Dwellings

dwelling characteristics | dwelling structure

Dwelling characteristics

Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households

Dwelling characteristics
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Average number of people per household 3.5 -- 3.3 -- 3.2 --
Average number of persons per bedroom 1.2 -- 1 -- 1 --
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 1 -- 1.7 -- 1.7 --

There has been change in methodology used to calculate the average number of persons per bedroom. To compare the time series for average number of persons per bedroom please refer to Understanding the Census and Census Data

In Kimberley, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 3.5 persons, with 1.2 persons per bedroom and 1 registered motor vehicles per dwelling.

View the data quality statements for: Number of Bedrooms in Private Dwelling (BEDD) Household composition (HHCD) Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

Housing costs
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent 119 -- 216 -- 250 --
Median monthly mortgage repayments 2,167 -- 1,830 -- 1,660 --

In Kimberley, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $119 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,167.

View the data quality statements for: Rent weekly payments (RNTD) Mortgage monthly repayments (MRED) Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

Family household composition
Counts the types of families within family households at the dwelling level
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 467 12.6 4,014 15.1 42,536 16.2
One family household: Couple family with children 1,054 28.3 8,217 31.0 80,803 30.7
One family household: One parent family 949 25.5 6,970 26.3 67,528 25.7
One family household: Other family 178 4.8 740 2.8 5,547 2.1
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 44 1.2 196 0.7 2,223 0.8
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 154 4.1 531 2.0 4,951 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 146 3.9 673 2.5 5,768 2.2
Multiple family household: Other family 25 0.7 76 0.3 471 0.2
Other household 702 18.9 5,123 19.3 53,195 20.2

In Kimberley, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households, 13.7% were a couple family with no children, 32.5% were a couple family with children and 29.4% were a one parent family.

In multiple family households, only the family composition of the primary family is recorded. Other household includes lone person households and group households.

View the data quality statement for Family Household Composition, dwelling level (HCFMD)

Dwelling structure

Dwelling structure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Separate house 3,163 86.6 22,121 83.8 211,205 80.7
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 284 7.8 3,075 11.7 27,017 10.3
Flat or apartment 140 3.8 952 3.6 20,580 7.9
Other dwelling 67 1.8 241 0.9 2,897 1.1

In Kimberley there were 3,708 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 86.6% were separate houses, 7.8% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 3.8% were flats or apartments and 1.8% were other dwellings.

View the data quality statement for Dwelling structure (STRD)
Tenure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Kimberley % Kimberley Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Owned outright 202 5.5 2,449 9.2 32,045 12.2
Owned with a mortgage 290 7.8 6,725 25.3 68,085 25.9
Rented 2,949 79.7 15,937 60.1 150,832 57.3
Other tenure type 52 1.4 220 0.8 1,888 0.7
Tenure type not stated 207 5.6 1,208 4.6 10,182 3.9

In Kimberley, of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 5.5% were owned outright, 7.8% were owned with a mortgage and 79.7% were rented.

View the data quality statement for Tenure type (TEND)

Small random adjustments have been made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from the table totals. For further information, go to the User Guide for QuickStats.

Data reported for Australia and Other Territories now includes Norfolk Island, following an amendment to the Acts Interpretation Act, 1901. Because Norfolk Island has not previously been included in the Census, any 2011 benchmarks will not include Norfolk Island.