Here in The Eagle’s Nest we’ve been struggling to get excited about the 2011 Census data released yesterday. (Better paid, more expensive *Yawn*)
Fortunately Andrew Barr has set a minion to work finding highlights.
Population
— The (usual resident) population of the ACT in 2011 was 357,220 people, up 33,185 people and 10.2 per cent from the 324,035 people counted in 2006.
— The median age of people in the ACT in 2011 was 34 years, the same as in 2006, but three years younger than the national figure of 37 years.
— The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population counted in the ACT in 2011 was 5,183 people, up 1,311 or 33.9 per cent from the 3,872 people counted in 2006. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represented 1.45 per cent of the ACT population in 2011, up from 1.19 per cent in 2006.
Birthplace and languages
— Nearly one in every four people (24.2 per cent) usually resident in the ACT in 2011 were born overseas, up from 21.7 per cent in 2006.
— The main countries of birth for ACT residents were Australia (71.4 per cent), followed by England (3.7 per cent) and China (1.8 per cent). Australia and England were also the two main countries of birth for ACT residents in 2006, but China has replaced New Zealand in third place. At the national level, New Zealand remains the third main country of birth with China in fourth place.
— Mandarin continued to be the main language other than English spoken at home for ACT residents in 2011, the same as in 2006 although the proportion of households increased marginally (1.9 and 1.1 per cent respectively).
— Vietnamese became the second most common language other than English spoken in 1.1 per cent of ACT households in 2011, replacing Italian, which ranked second in 2006.
Household income
— Median household income in the ACT in 2011 was $1,920, up from $1,493 in 2006. The 2011 median income for ACT households is $686 above the national median per week.
Dwellings
— The total number of dwellings counted in the ACT in 2011 was 145,475, up 13,888 or 10.6 per cent on the 131,587 dwellings counted in 2006.
— This is a faster increase in dwelling stock than that recorded for Australia as a whole of 8.2 per cent. There was a 9.8 per cent increase in occupied private dwellings in the ACT between 2006 and 2011 while the figure at the national level was 7.7 per cent.
Dwelling structure
— Dwelling structure continues to be dominated by separate houses, accounting for 70.7 per cent of occupied private dwellings in the ACT in 2011. Consistent with the national trend, the proportion of separate houses is down from 73.9 per cent in 2006, as townhouses and flats, units or apartments take up larger shares of the dwelling stock.
— Townhouses accounted for 14.9 per cent of stock in the ACT in 2011, up from 13.8 per cent in 2006.
— Flats, units and apartments accounted for 14.2 per cent of dwelling stock in the ACT in 2011, up from 12.1 per cent in 2006.
— Compared with national dwelling stock, the ACT has a lower proportion of separate houses (70.7 per cent in the ACT and 73.8 per cent nationally), a comparable share of flats, units and apartments (14.2 per cent in the ACT and 14.6 per cent nationally), and a larger share of townhouses 14.9 per cent in the ACT and 9.9 per cent nationally).
— There was no change reported in average household size for ACT in 2011 compared with 2006 (2.6 persons per household). This is exactly equal to the national figure but above South Australia and Tasmania (both 2.4 persons per household) and well below the Northern Territory (2.9 persons per household).
Dwelling tenure
— For residents of the ACT in 2011, the majority of dwellings were owned, either outright (28.4 per cent) or with a mortgage (38.9 per cent).
— The proportion of dwellings owned outright in 2011 was down slightly on the 2006 figure (29.9 per cent), while the proportion owned with a mortgage increased marginally (from 38.6 per cent in 2006).
— The proportion of dwellings owned outright in the ACT in 2011 (28.4 per cent) was less than at the national level (32.1 per cent), reflecting the younger age structure of ACT residents.
— The proportion of dwellings in the ACT in 2011 that were rented was 30.6 per cent, up slightly from 29.4 per cent in 2006. This is a slightly higher proportion than at the national level (29.6 per cent in 2011).
Housing costs
— Median household rents in the ACT have risen from $260 per week in 2006 to $380 per week in 2011. This was a 46.2 per cent increase over the five year period, but this increase was the second lowest of all the states and territories after NSW (42.9 per cent).
— The median household rent in the ACT was 33.3 per cent above the national median of $285 per week in 2011 and was the highest of all the states and territories.
— Median household mortgage repayments in the ACT have risen from $1,500 per month in 2006 to $2,167 per month in 2011. This was a 44.5 per cent increase over the five year period.
— The median household mortgage repayment in the ACT in 2011 was 20.4 per cent above the national median of $1,800 and was the highest of all the states and territories.
— Compared with other capital cities, in 2011 Canberra had:
— The highest median weekly rent of all capital cities at $380 (Canberra also had highest median weekly rent in 2006);
— The second slowest increase in median weekly rent of 46.2 per cent (after Sydney – 40.4 per cent) Darwin jumped 80.0 per cent and Perth 77.8 per cent;
— The equal highest monthly mortgage repayments of all the capital cities with $2,167 (equal to Sydney and Darwin). The increase in median monthly mortgage repayments in Canberra between 2006 and 2011 ($650) was well above the increase in Sydney ($367) but below the increase in Darwin ($778) and Perth ($700).