Greater Perth

2016 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Area code 5GPER
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 31,212
Male 50.3%
Female 49.7%
Median age 22
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 12,852
Average people per household 3.2
Median weekly household income $1,365
Median monthly mortgage repayments $1,950
Median weekly rent $320

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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 Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Aboriginal 29,819 95.5 72,920 96.0 590,062 90.9
Torres Strait Islander 730 2.3 1,433 1.9 32,344 5.0
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 663 2.1 1,623 2.1 26,767 4.1

For the 2016 Census in Greater Perth, there were 31,212 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 50.3% were male and 49.7% were female.

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

Age Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Median age 22 -- 23 -- 23 --
0-4 years 3,585 11.5 8,409 11.1 73,265 11.3
5-14 years 7,072 22.7 16,962 22.3 147,134 22.7
15-24 years 6,350 20.3 14,074 18.5 123,719 19.1
25-34 years 4,760 15.3 11,452 15.1 88,861 13.7
35-44 years 3,381 10.8 8,860 11.7 72,394 11.2
45-54 years 2,983 9.6 7,894 10.4 67,415 10.4
55-64 years 1,924 6.2 5,136 6.8 45,433 7.0
65 years and over 1,156 3.7 3,192 4.2 30,952 4.8

In Greater Perth, the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 22 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 34.1% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 3.7% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Married 4,482 21.8 11,239 22.2 105,086 24.5
Separated 912 4.4 2,212 4.4 19,112 4.5
Divorced 1,345 6.5 2,587 5.1 28,796 6.7
Widowed 496 2.4 1,610 3.2 13,794 3.2
Never married 13,332 64.8 32,956 65.1 261,980 61.1

In Greater Perth, 21.8% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 11.0% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Social marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Registered marriage 3,379 20.0 7,947 19.2 86,716 23.1
De facto marriage 2,751 16.3 8,309 20.1 60,051 16.0
Not married 10,773 63.7 25,162 60.8 228,281 60.9

In Greater Perth, 20.0% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 16.3% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)
Education attendance Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Pre-school 641 4.8 1,590 5.2 16,698 6.4
Primary 4,556 34.0 10,756 35.4 97,859 37.5
Secondary 3,358 25.1 7,314 24.0 65,208 25.0
Technical or further education institution 626 4.7 1,155 3.8 14,227 5.5
University or tertiary institution 944 7.1 1,243 4.1 15,489 5.9
Other 277 2.1 479 1.6 5,047 1.9
Not stated 2,986 22.3 7,887 25.9 46,428 17.8

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Greater Perth, 42.9% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 34.0% were attending a primary school, 25.1% were attending a secondary school and 11.7% 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
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 1,398 6.8 2,154 4.3 24,911 5.8
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 1,056 5.1 1,880 3.7 23,795 5.5
Certificate level IV 766 3.7 1,436 2.8 14,308 3.3
Certificate level III 2,507 12.2 5,480 10.8 56,625 13.2
Year 12 3,147 15.3 6,950 13.7 59,949 14.0
Year 11 1,854 9.0 4,983 9.8 34,674 8.1
Year 10 3,952 19.2 10,472 20.7 77,265 18.0
Certificate level II 29 0.1 92 0.2 1,215 0.3
Certificate level I 3 0.0 20 0.0 241 0.1
Year 9 or below 2,115 10.3 6,343 12.5 64,604 15.1
No educational attainment 170 0.8 708 1.4 4,256 1.0
Not stated 3,125 15.2 9,070 17.9 56,698 13.2

Of people aged 15 and over in Greater Perth, 15.3% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 15.9% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 5.1% 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 Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Nyungar 277 0.9 387 0.5 443 0.1
Aboriginal English, so described 39 0.1 112 0.1 625 0.1
Wangkatha 33 0.1 198 0.3 208 0.0
Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 27 0.1 101 0.1 6,000 0.9
Kriol 22 0.1 2,367 3.1 7,108 1.1
 null  null  null  null  null  null  null
English only spoken at home 27,875 89.3 59,629 78.5 544,491 83.9

English was the only language spoken at home by 89.3% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Greater Perth. Indigenous languages spoken at home include Nyungar 0.9%, Aboriginal English, so described 0.1%, Wangkatha 0.1%, Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 0.1% and Kriol 0.1%.

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)
Ancestry, top responses Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Australian 21,905 49.8 45,794 45.9 399,843 45.0
English 7,699 17.5 14,567 14.6 152,758 17.2
Australian Aboriginal 4,394 10.0 20,368 20.4 140,480 15.8
Irish 2,074 4.7 3,490 3.5 45,887 5.2
Scottish 1,528 3.5 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 Greater Perth (including those who did not state an ancestry).

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Greater Perth, the most common ancestries were Australian 49.8%, English 17.5%, Australian Aboriginal 10.0%, Irish 4.7% and Scottish 3.5%.

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

Employment

Employment
People who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Worked full-time 5,227 48.8 11,109 47.1 106,960 48.0
Worked part-time 2,520 23.5 5,385 22.8 61,049 27.4
Away from work 790 7.4 1,871 7.9 14,143 6.4
Unemployed 2,164 20.2 5,241 22.2 40,486 18.2
Not in the labour force 9,258 45.0 24,363 48.1 190,132 44.3

There were 10,701 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Greater Perth. Of these 48.8% were employed full time, 23.5% were employed part-time and 20.2% 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
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Technicians and Trades Workers 1,357 15.9 2,736 14.9 24,399 13.4
Professionals 1,221 14.3 2,482 13.5 24,339 13.4
Clerical and Administrative Workers 1,219 14.3 2,247 12.2 23,174 12.7
Community and Personal Service Workers 1,193 14.0 2,831 15.4 30,991 17.0
Machinery Operators and Drivers 1,030 12.1 2,631 14.3 16,774 9.2
Labourers 992 11.6 2,440 13.3 27,814 15.3
Sales Workers 675 7.9 1,139 6.2 15,791 8.7
Managers 582 6.8 1,149 6.3 12,844 7.1

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Greater Perth, the most common occupations were Technicians and Trades Workers 15.9%, Professionals 14.3%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 14.3%, Community and Personal Service Workers 14.0%, Machinery Operators and Drivers 12.1%, Labourers 11.6%, Sales Workers 7.9% and Managers 6.8%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Iron Ore Mining 598 7.1 1,777 9.7 1,970 1.1
Primary Education 237 2.8 586 3.2 4,897 2.7
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 234 2.8 454 2.5 5,555 3.1
State Government Administration 234 2.8 346 1.9 4,176 2.3
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 191 2.3 383 2.1 5,542 3.0

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Greater Perth, the most common industries of employment were Iron Ore Mining 7.1%, Primary Education 2.8%, Supermarket and Grocery Stores 2.8%, State Government Administration 2.8% and Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 2.3%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly incomes
People aged 15 years and over
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Personal 471 -- 398 -- 441 --
Household 1,365 -- 1,210 -- 1,203 --

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Greater Perth was $471 and the median weekly household income was $1,365.

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

Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 11,370 55.3 28,306 55.9 263,334 61.4
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 5,506 26.8 15,384 30.4 136,079 31.7
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 2,199 10.7 6,219 12.3 58,541 13.7
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 2,528 12.3 6,249 12.3 63,303 14.8

In Greater Perth, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 55.3% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 26.8% provided care for children and 10.7% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 12.3% 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
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Average number of people per household 3.2 -- 3.3 -- 3.2 --
Average number of persons per bedroom 1 -- 1 -- 1 --
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 1.9 -- 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 Greater Perth, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 3.2 persons, with 1 persons per bedroom and 1.9 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
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent 320 -- 216 -- 250 --
Median monthly mortgage repayments 1,950 -- 1,830 -- 1,660 --

In Greater Perth, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $320 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,950.

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
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 1,981 15.4 4,014 15.1 42,536 16.2
One family household: Couple family with children 3,969 30.9 8,217 31.0 80,803 30.7
One family household: One parent family 3,502 27.2 6,970 26.3 67,528 25.7
One family household: Other family 306 2.4 740 2.8 5,547 2.1
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 92 0.7 196 0.7 2,223 0.8
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 168 1.3 531 2.0 4,951 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 291 2.3 673 2.5 5,768 2.2
Multiple family household: Other family 18 0.1 76 0.3 471 0.2
Other household 2,536 19.7 5,123 19.3 53,195 20.2

In Greater Perth, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households, 16.1% were a couple family with no children, 32.2% were a couple family with children and 29.5% 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
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Separate house 10,259 80.0 22,121 83.8 211,205 80.7
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 1,911 14.9 3,075 11.7 27,017 10.3
Flat or apartment 606 4.7 952 3.6 20,580 7.9
Other dwelling 51 0.4 241 0.9 2,897 1.1

In Greater Perth there were 12,852 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 80.0% were separate houses, 14.9% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 4.7% were flats or apartments and 0.4% 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
Greater Perth % Greater Perth Western Australia % Western Australia Australia % Australia
Owned outright 1,255 9.8 2,449 9.2 32,045 12.2
Owned with a mortgage 4,397 34.2 6,725 25.3 68,085 25.9
Rented 6,571 51.1 15,937 60.1 150,832 57.3
Other tenure type 103 0.8 220 0.8 1,888 0.7
Tenure type not stated 525 4.1 1,208 4.6 10,182 3.9

In Greater Perth, of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 9.8% were owned outright, 34.2% were owned with a mortgage and 51.1% 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.