Census reveals the 'typical' Northern Territorian

	MEDIA RELEASE
11 April 2017	Embargoed: 11.30 am (Canberra time)	43/2017

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’ Northern Territorian 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 that the ‘typical’ Northern Territorian is a 34 year old male. He is four years younger than the ‘typical’ Australian, but one year older than the ‘typical’ Northern Territorian in 2011 and 2006.

This ‘typical’ Northern Territorian was born in Australia, has English ancestry, speaks English at home, and lives in a couple family with two children. However, unlike the ‘typical’ Australian, the ‘typical’ Northern Territorian is unmarried.

He also lives in a home with three bedrooms and two motor vehicles, has completed Year 12, and does between five and 14 hours of unpaid domestic work per week.

The ‘typical’ Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person in the Northern Territory is also male. He is 25 years old. However this wasn’t the case in 2011 and 2006, when the ‘typical’ Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person in the Northern Territory was female. In 2011, she was 23 and in 2006 she was 22.

In 2016, the ‘typical’ home in the Northern Territory was rented, as it was in 2011 and 2006.

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

The ‘typical’ migrant in the Northern Territory was born in England and speaks English at home. He is male – unlike the ‘typical’ migrant in all other states. The ‘typical’ migrant in the Northern Territory is also younger than the ‘typical’ migrant in other states and territories – in 2016, he was 40 years old, two years younger than in 2011 and six 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.