ABS income data

The following data sources provide official statistics on income. These sources are linked to PLIDA and are helpful when considering admin income comparisons. 

The Survey of Income and Housing (SIH) gathers detailed information on all types of current income, housing costs and household characteristics. It collects these from a sample of private dwellings across Australia (excluding very remote areas) over the course of the financial year. All usual residents of these dwellings aged 15 years and over participate in the survey.

SIH 2019-20 was collected using an online or in-person interview method between July 2019 and June 2020. It collected information from 15,011 households, which contained 29,123 people aged 15 years and over.

SIH imputes missing responses to questions (item non-response) using a suitable donor record. Results are also weighted to correct for sampling differences and non-response, using population benchmarks.  Further information about the SIH 2019-20 methodology and data quality can be found in the survey’s user guide.

The Census of Population and Housing, 2021 provides information on the Australian population as of 10 August 2021 (Census night). It aimed to count every person and dwelling in Australia on Census night, including people in private homes, hotels, hospitals, and other types of accommodation. 

The Census collected information about total ‘usual’ income from people aged 15 years and over in a single question. The question provided a selection of response categories featuring income ranges in weekly and annual amounts. The item does not clearly apply a current or annual income concept; however, it does reflect the income available at Census time.

Census also obtained information on other items including age, sex, housing, education, employment and cultural background. More information about the Census methodology is available in the Census methodology guide.