Census reveals the 'typical' South Australian

	MEDIA RELEASE
11 April 2017	Embargoed: 11.30 am (Canberra time)	40/2017

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has today revealed the first insights from the 2016 Census of Population and Housing, releasing a preview of the key characteristics that make the ‘typical’ South Australian in 2016 and highlighting Australia’s diversity.

Today’s release comes ahead of the first Census data release on Tuesday, 27 June 2017. This will include datasets for all national, state/territory and capital cities, along with datasets for small population groups and small geographic areas such as suburbs and Local Government Areas, showing that there’s nothing ‘typical’ about Australians at all!

In the meantime, the 2016 Census has revealed the ‘typical’ South Australian is a 40 year old female, a year older than the ‘typical’ South Australian in 2011 and two years older than in 2006. She was born in Australia, has English ancestry, and speaks English at home.

Like the ‘typical’ Australian, the ‘typical’ South Australian is married and lives in a couple family with two children. She lives in a home with three bedrooms and two motor vehicles. She has also completed Year 12, and does between five and 14 hours of unpaid domestic work per week.

Like most states, the ‘typical’ Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person in South Australia is female. She is 23 years old – a year older than she was in 2011, and two years older than in 2006.

The ‘typical’ South Australian home is owned with a mortgage, as it was in 2011, whereas in 2006 it was owned outright.

Both of the ‘typical’ South Australian’s parents were born in Australia, which is a characteristic shared with the ‘typical’ Australian.

The ‘typical’ migrant in South Australia was born in England, speaks English at home, and is female. The Census shows the ‘typical’ migrant in South Australia is getting younger – in 2016, she was 49 years old, one year younger than in 2011, and three years younger than in 2006.

The information released today is just a glimpse of what can be expected when 2016 Census data is released in June, thanks to the participation of Australians in last year’s Census. The June release will follow the completion of the ABS’ usual data quality assurance process and the Census Independent Assurance Panel’s quality assurance work.

The Census is Australia’s richest data source, giving insight into Australian life, showing how our local communities and nation have changed over time, and helping governments, business and communities plan for the future. It provides the most comprehensive information about regional areas and small population groups, which helps inform government funding decision-making, policy development and service delivery.

All ‘typical’ Australia profiles, including states and territories are available from the ABS website.

Further information on the release schedule of the 2016 Census is also available from the ABS website.
Note:
• The mode is the most commonly occurring value in a distribution.
• Statements of typical age in this release are median values. The median is the middle value in distribution when the values are arranged in ascending or descending order.
• The most common response for each data item is calculated independently. For example, if the 'typical' person is male and the 'typical' person does 5-14 hours of unpaid domestic work per week, this does not imply that the 'typical' male does 5-14 hours of unpaid domestic work per week.
• No detailed Census data will be issued with this information. Datasets for the above characteristics will be released as part of the main release of 2016 Census data on Tuesday, 27 June 2017.