Census data about employment and occupation will be released in October 2022.
Income and work: Census
Information on income, occupation and employment
Key statistics
- The national median personal income is $805 per week. This is a $143 increase since 2016. This includes the adult population from 15 years to over 85 years, including those who are unemployed or retired.
- The Australian Capital Territory has the highest median personal income at $1,203 per week. Tasmania has the lowest median personal income at $701.
- There are over 9.6 million people earning below the national median personal income or earning no income.
Image
Median weekly household income

Description
Median weekly household income
Based on place of enumeration. Excludes visitor only and other non-classifiable households.
Source: Total household income (weekly) (HIND)
Median income | Negative income | Nil income | $1-$149 | $150-$299 | $300-$399 | $400-$499 | $500-$649 | $650-$799 | $800-$999 | $1,000-$1,249 | $1,250-$1,499 | $1,500-$1,749 | $1,750-$1,999 | $2,000-$2,999 | $3,000 or more | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New South Wales | 813 | 48,024 | 558,019 | 199,715 | 301,947 | 497,863 | 497,263 | 472,795 | 453,482 | 518,187 | 580,866 | 436,915 | 379,950 | 289,392 | 519,595 | 373,538 |
Victoria | 803 | 40,097 | 462,585 | 181,402 | 259,576 | 393,575 | 398,650 | 378,559 | 366,570 | 437,356 | 483,105 | 365,266 | 321,293 | 229,793 | 392,855 | 263,112 |
Queensland | 787 | 28,996 | 303,632 | 140,223 | 201,611 | 325,481 | 326,763 | 322,430 | 306,103 | 360,782 | 384,211 | 280,697 | 242,883 | 177,863 | 291,027 | 170,135 |
South Australia | 734 | 9,293 | 103,721 | 50,776 | 81,493 | 131,617 | 135,058 | 121,526 | 111,354 | 128,716 | 141,776 | 101,079 | 82,849 | 58,086 | 87,386 | 47,071 |
Western Australia | 848 | 14,775 | 175,789 | 74,433 | 106,129 | 153,779 | 149,720 | 146,826 | 135,161 | 155,856 | 182,352 | 143,853 | 132,068 | 100,717 | 190,276 | 127,181 |
Tasmania | 701 | 3,018 | 29,744 | 14,983 | 25,490 | 44,367 | 46,543 | 40,553 | 37,358 | 41,024 | 44,639 | 30,046 | 24,860 | 17,270 | 23,812 | 11,468 |
Northern Territory | 936 | 1,319 | 11,169 | 6,751 | 15,308 | 11,024 | 9,485 | 8,923 | 8,737 | 12,176 | 16,339 | 13,793 | 13,095 | 9,734 | 16,841 | 7,360 |
Australian Capital Territory | 1,203 | 1,238 | 24,751 | 11,408 | 13,363 | 15,655 | 17,863 | 19,285 | 19,895 | 26,161 | 33,173 | 30,992 | 31,827 | 25,579 | 53,018 | 29,121 |
Australia(b) | 805 | 146,805 | 1,669,570 | 679,812 | 1,005,072 | 1,573,594 | 1,581,612 | 1,511,161 | 1,438,936 | 1,680,606 | 1,866,801 | 1,402,863 | 1,229,021 | 908,593 | 1,575,067 | 1,029,073 |
Please note that there are small random adjustments 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 table totals.
(a) Count of persons aged 15 years and over. Based on place of usual residence. Excludes overseas visitors.
(b) Includes Other Territories.
Source: Total personal income (weekly) (INCP)
Census data stories and concepts
How Census data is used
Learn how Census data helps community groups, businesses and governments make important decisions.
Census data informs planning for mining fly-in fly-out facilities
Global market research and consulting company Frost & Sullivan used Census data to inform how organisations provide services to fly-in fly-out workers. Census data helped it estimate the total size of the facilities management market in remote areas of Australia.
Mark Dougan, Head of Frost & Sullivan Australia and New Zealand, said the credibility of the data it uses for research is critical and Census data is a key contributor.
“With high quality data, we can help make clients and markets more efficient and informed. That comes from the highest possible completion rate for the Census and highest levels of accuracy,” Mr Dougan said.
“We looked at mining sites for fly-in fly-out workers. The camps in these sites are often run by third-party organisations that contract out cleaning, catering and maintenance.
“We knew what the daily charge per resident would be to cover these costs. We also needed to find out how many workers would be staying in the camps across remote Australia at any one time.”
Census data provided the number of individuals staying in company-provided accommodation in remote areas on the night of the Census.
“This told us there were about 70,000 individuals using these services, which we then used to calculate the value of the facilities management market.”
Frost & Sullivan provides insights to help businesses plan and grow. The company analyses data to help its clients make strategic decisions to innovate or enter new markets.
By providing analysis of the fly-in fly-out market, Frost & Sullivan has assisted facility management companies to plan, budget and be more competitive.
“Census data adds credibility and enables better informed decisions to be made across a broad spectrum,” said Mr Dougan.
See more Census stories.
Key questions in 2021 Census
- What is the total of all income the person usually receives?
- Last week, did the person have a job of any kind?
- In the main job held last week, was the person: (Working for an employer; Working in own business)?
- Was the person's business (Unincorporated; Incorporated)?
- Does the person’s business employ people?
- In the main job held last week, what was the person's occupation?
- What are the main tasks that the person usually performs in that occupation?
- For the main job held last week, what was the employer’s business name?
- What best describes the industry or business of the employer at the location where the person works?
- What are the main goods produced or main services provided by the employer’s business?
- For the main job held last week, what was the person’s workplace address?
- Last week, how many hours did the person work in all jobs?
- Did the person actively look for work at any time in the last four weeks?
- If the person had found a job, could the person have started work last week?
The questions from the 2021 Census are output into variables. To see descriptions of the variables, including data use considerations, relevant to this topic see the 2021 Census dictionary: Income and work.
Data downloads
Data table for Income and work data summary
Other relevant data downloads can be found on the following pages:
Snapshot of Australia
- Total personal income (weekly) by state and territory of usual residence - 2016, 2021
Other ABS links
To access more 2021 Census data, see Search Census data or to build your own data sets, see Census data tools.
Explore other ABS data: