NEW SOUTH WALES

On this page:

Statistical Local Areas With Highest Average Wage and Salary Income
Wage and Salary Earners By Occupation
Wage and Salary Earners By Wage and Salary Income
Wage and Salary Earners By Sex
Wage and Salary Earners By Age
Total Income of Wage and Salary Earners



STATISTICAL LOCAL AREAS WITH HIGHEST AVERAGE WAGE AND SALARY INCOME


Of the ten Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) across Australia with the highest average wage and salary incomes, seven were located in New South Wales. Employees in the New South Wales SLAs of Mosman (A), Woollahra (A), Hunter's Hill (A), Ku-ring-gai (A) and North Sydney (A) had the highest average incomes from wages and salaries in Australia. Lane Cove (A) and Willoughby (C), also located in New South Wales were ranked seventh and eighth respectively. This article focuses on the five SLAs in New South Wales with the highest average wage and salary incomes in 2003-04.

Wage and salary earners residing in the inner metropolitan SLA of Mosman (A), which includes the suburbs of Mosman, Balmoral, Pearl Bay and Taronga Park, had the highest average income from wages and salaries at $88,658 in 2003-04, more than double the New South Wales average of $41,407.


To view images of the SLAs with the highest average wage and salary incomes via Google Maps Australia please click on the following links: Mosman (A), Woollahra (A), Hunter's Hill (A), Ku-ring-gai (A), North Sydney (A).

TABLE 1.1: STATISTICAL LOCAL AREAS WITH THE HIGHEST AVERAGE WAGE AND SALARY INCOME Selected Statistical Local Areas, New South Wales, 2003-04 Wage and salary earners Wage and salary income Average wage and salary income SLA Name No. $ $ Mosman (A) 10,997 974,968,556 88,658 Woollahra (A) 21,098 1,493,007,120 70,765 Hunter's Hill (A) 4,674 321,653,778 68,818 Ku-ring-gai (A) 39,786 2,624,949,220 65,977 North Sydney (A) 30,918 2,010,082,623 65,013 New South Wales 2,588,415 107,179,688,262 41,407 Source: ATO Income Tax Data

WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS BY OCCUPATION


In 2003-04, employees in these high income New South Wales SLAs were most likely to be working as Professionals. The occupation of Professionals includes persons working in fields that are characterised by the need for a skill level equal to a bachelor degree or higher qualification, or at least five years' relevant experience, such as chemists, architects, accountants, engineers or dentists.

Following Professionals, the next most common occupation of employment was Managers and administrators. Mosman (A) had the highest proportion of wage and salary earners employed as Managers and administrators in Australia at 23%. In Woollahra (A), Hunter's Hill (A), Ku-ring-gai (A) and North Sydney (A), around 20% of wage and salary earners were employed as Managers and administrators, well above the New South Wales average of 9%.

TABLE 1.2: PROPORTION OF WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS BY OCCUPATION, Selected Statistical Local Areas, New South Wales, 2003-04 Manag- ers and admini- strators Profess- ionals Associ- ate prof- ession- als Trades- persons and related workers Advanc- ed clerical and service workers Interme- diate clerical, sales and service workers Interme- diate product- ion and transport workers Element- ary clerical, sales and service workers Labour- ers and related workers Not stated SLA Name % % % % % % % % % % Mosman (A) 22.5 27.6 8.2 2.5 4.8 12.7 0.9 5.3 1.4 14.1 Woollahra (A) 20.6 29.3 8.0 2.7 4.7 14.2 1.0 5.5 2.0 12.0 Hunter's Hill (A) 19.9 28.0 7.1 3.9 4.6 15.0 1.6 6.2 2.5 11.1 Ku-ring-gai (A) 18.7 31.0 6.3 2.9 4.4 14.0 1.0 6.8 1.6 13.1 North Sydney (A) 19.2 32.3 7.4 2.5 4.7 13.8 1.0 4.2 1.4 13.5 New South Wales 9.4 18.9 6.7 9.6 3.2 17.0 6.3 9.0 8.8 11.2 Source: ATO Income Tax Data.

WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS BY WAGE AND SALARY INCOME


A common characteristic of the wage and salary earner residents of these New South Wales SLAs was that around a quarter of wage and salary earners had a wage and salary income of $78,000 or more. Mosman (A) had the highest proportion of wage and salary earners in this income range at 28%, well above the New South Wales average of 8%. Overall, in Mosman (A) nearly 50% of wage and salary earners earnt $52,000 or more, almost double the New South Wales average of 26% of wage and salary earners in this income range. In each of the other four SLAs, over 40% of wage and salary earners earnt $52,000 or more.

TABLE 1.3: PROPORTION OF WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS BY WAGE AND SALARY INCOME RANGES, Selected Statistical Local Areas, New South Wales, 2003-04 $1 to less than $10,400 $10,400 to less than $20,800 $20,800 to less than $31,200 $31,200 to less than $41,600 $41,600 to less than $52,000 $52,000 to less than $78,000 $78,000 or more SLA Name % % % % % % % Mosman (A) 8.8 10.4 10.4 11.7 11.6 19.4 27.8 Woollahra (A) 9.4 10.9 11.5 13.3 12.4 19.8 22.7 Hunter's Hill (A) 10.2 11.1 11.9 12.1 12.7 19.3 22.7 Ku-ring-gai (A) 12.9 12.4 11.7 11.5 10.5 17.1 23.9 North Sydney (A) 8.1 9.7 10.4 12.7 13.5 21.8 23.9 New South Wales 11.9 14.5 16.5 17.2 13.7 17.8 8.4 Source: ATO Income Tax Data.

WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS BY SEX


Across New South Wales there were more male wage and salary earners than female wage and salary earners, with males accounting for 53% of the wage and salary earner population.

In the SLAs with the highest average wage and salary incomes, the composition of male and female wage and salary earners varied. Both North Sydney (A) and Woollahra (A) had more female than male wage and salary earners, whereas in Mosman (A) there was an equal proportion of male and female wage and salary earners. In Ku-ring-gai (A) and Hunter's Hill (A) there were slightly more male wage and salary earners than female wage and salary earners.

GRAPH 1.1: PROPORTION OF WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS BY SEX, Selected Statistical Local Areas, New South Wales, 2003-04 Source: ATO Income Tax Data.

WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS BY AGE


In 2003-04, in North Sydney (A), over half the wage and salary earner population was aged 34 years or younger. Woollahra (A) also had a high proportion of wage and salary earners aged 34 years or younger at just under 50% of the wage and salary earner population followed by Mosman (A) at 43%. Interestingly, these are also the SLAs that had either a higher proportion of female wage and salary earners than male wage and salary earners or equal proportions (see Graph 1.1).

In contrast, in Ku-ring-gai (A) and Hunter's Hill (A), the greatest proportion of wage and salary earners were in the older age groups, with over 40% of wage and salary earners in Ku-ring-gai (A) aged 45 years and over, and just under 40% of wage and salary earners in Hunter's Hill (A) in that age group.

TABLE 1.4: PROPORTION OF WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS BY AGE, Selected Statistical Local Areas, New South Wales, 2003-04 15-24 years 25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55 years and over SLA Name % % % % % Mosman (A) 12.7 29.9 23.6 17.9 16.0 Woollahra (A) 12.5 36.0 20.9 15.8 14.8 Hunter's Hill (A) 15.2 22.8 24.2 21.0 16.8 Ku-ring-gai (A) 18.4 16.9 23.0 23.9 17.8 North Sydney (A) 11.9 41.5 20.8 14.4 11.5 New South Wales 18.8 25.4 23.6 20.7 11.5 Source: ATO Income Tax Data.

TOTAL INCOME OF WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS


Wage and salary earners in these high ranking SLAs tended to have more income from sources other than wages and salaries than the average New South Wales wage and salary earner.

Average total income, which is average wage and salary income in addition to any income or loss from sources such as investments, superannuation and annuities, own unincorporated businesses and government cash benefits, was highest for wage and salary earners residing in Mosman (A) at $99,609 in 2003-04. In this SLA the average wage and salary earner received $10,951 from sources other than wages and salaries, compared to $2,026 state wide.

TABLE 1.5: AVERAGE WAGE AND SALARY INCOME, AVERAGE TOTAL INCOME AND DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AVERAGE TOTAL INCOME AND AVERAGE WAGE AND SALARY INCOME, Selected Statistical Local Areas, New South Wales, 2003-04 Average wage and salary income Average total income Average total income less Average wage and salary income SLA Name $ $ $ Mosman (A) 88,658 99,609 10,951 Woollahra (A) 70,765 80,632 9,867 Hunter's Hill (A) 68,818 75,858 7,040 Ku-ring-gai (A) 65,977 73,037 7,060 North Sydney (A) 65,013 70,042 5,029 New South Wales 41,407 43,433 2,026 Source: ATO Income Tax Data

To access wage and salary data for all SLAs in Australia click on the following link to Regional Wage and Salary Earner Statistics, Australia - Data Cubes, 2003-04 (cat. no. 5673.0.55.003).