WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS, TIME SERIES
Introduction
Summary Statistics, Australia, 2010-11
Further Information
INTRODUCTION
In 2010-11, a total of 10,039,401 Australians who lodged tax forms reported income from Wages and salaries. For the same year, $521.3 billion or 80.6% of total income (from all sources) came from Wages and salaries specifically.
While average Wages and salaries income for all Australia (persons) in 2010-11 was $51,923, males recorded a higher average of $62,699 compared with $40,312 for females. In addition, younger people (aged 15-34 years) recorded an average Wages and salaries income of $40,055, well under the national average ($51,923). The greater participation in part-time work by females and 15-34 year olds has impacted on these results.
As the economic well-being of most Australians is largely affected by the amount of income they receive, the analysis of geographical variations in Wages and salaries over time can provide valuable information about relative advantage and disadvantage in regions and the nature of regional economies in general. While not directly covered by the information in this publication, wealth is also recognised as an important contributor to economic well-being; some people on low incomes may have property and business assets to draw on, whilst others on high incomes may also have high levels of debt.
Using the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS), data are provided for a variety of new regions: Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2s); Statistical Area Level 3 (SA3s); Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4s); and Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSAs). Local Government Area (LGA) details are also provided, along with state and territory information.
Wage and salary earner statistics in this issue are primarily presented for the 2010-11 financial year, although some time series information (going back to 2005-06) is available in this summary and the data cubes attached to this publication.
This article illustrates ways that Wages and salaries data can be used to explore regional variations in income. Further analysis of regional incomes can be undertaken using the data contained in the spreadsheets in the Downloads tab of this release. Users are also invited to explore the complementary ABS publication, Estimates of Personal Income for Small Areas, Time Series, 2005-06 to 2010-11, (cat. no. 6525.0.55.002), which expands the coverage of income to also include earnings from Investment, Superannuation and annuities, Own unincorporated businesses and other sources. Broader, multifaceted data for small regions can be found in the ABS's National Regional Profile.
The statistics presented here have been compiled using aggregated individual income data for postcodes from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has confidentialised and transformed the source data further, to enable its release for smaller geographic regions. The ABS wishes to acknowledge the ATO for its support in compiling these statistics.
Readers should note that some data for Local Government Areas and earlier years have recently been revised - they may differ from details published previously. A more direct geographical conversion and data randomisation process has been applied, leading to higher quality estimates.
SUMMARY STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA, 2010-11
On average, Australians earned $51,923 in Wages and salaries income in 2010-11. Table 1 shows the Australian Capital Territory with the highest average of $60,987, followed by Western Australia ($57,365) and the Northern Territory ($54,082). 2010-11 was the first time in recent years that New South Wales missed the 'top three'.
The lowest average Wages and salaries income levels were recorded by Tasmania ($43,521) and South Australia ($46,551).
Average Wages and salaries were higher in the Greater Capital City Statistical Areas than the rest of each state or territory. This held for all jurisdictions. The difference was most pronounced in New South Wales, with average Wages and salaries for Greater Sydney ($57,612) exceeding the Rest of NSW level ($46,514) by $11,098 for 2010-11. The gap narrowed for Tasmania with an average Wages and salaries income differential of just $3,871 between Greater Hobart and Rest of Tasmania.
The largest percentage of Australia's 10 million Wage and salary earners were found in New South Wales (31.3%), Victoria (24.7%), Queensland (20.1%) and Western Australia (10.8%), reflecting the larger populations in those states. Table 1 summarises the key findings for 2010-11.
Table 1. WAGE AND SALARY EARNERS SUMMARY, AUSTRALIA, 2010-11
|
| Region | Wage and salary earners(a) | Wage and salary
earners as a percentage
of Australian total(a) | Total Wages and
salaries income(a) | Wages and salaries
income as a percentage
of Australian total(a) | Average annual
Wages and
salaries income |
no. | % | $ billion | % | $ |
|
| New South Wales | 3 146 772 | 31.3 | 169.7 | 32.6 | 53 917 |
| Greater Sydney | 2 099 196 | 20.9 | 120.9 | 23.2 | 57 612 |
| Rest of NSW | 1 047 576 | 10.4 | 48.7 | 9.3 | 46 514 |
| Victoria | 2 482 112 | 24.7 | 124.8 | 23.9 | 50 276 |
| Greater Melbourne | 1 902 715 | 19.0 | 99.8 | 19.1 | 52 470 |
| Rest of Victoria | 579 397 | 5.8 | 25.0 | 4.8 | 43 072 |
| Queensland | 2 018 871 | 20.1 | 100.7 | 19.3 | 49 863 |
| Greater Brisbane | 1 005 982 | 10.0 | 52.5 | 10.1 | 52 171 |
| Rest of Queensland | 1 012 889 | 10.1 | 48.2 | 9.2 | 47 571 |
| South Australia | 711 763 | 7.1 | 33.1 | 6.4 | 46 551 |
| Greater Adelaide | 561 193 | 5.6 | 26.9 | 5.2 | 47 862 |
| Rest of South Australia | 150 570 | 1.5 | 6.3 | 1.2 | 41 665 |
| Western Australia | 1 087 230 | 10.8 | 62.4 | 12.0 | 57 365 |
| Greater Perth | 866 313 | 8.6 | 50.4 | 9.7 | 58 181 |
| Rest of WA | 220 917 | 2.2 | 12.0 | 2.3 | 54 168 |
| Tasmania | 219 536 | 2.2 | 9.6 | 1.8 | 43 521 |
| Greater Hobart | 97 596 | 1.0 | 4.5 | 0.9 | 45 671 |
| Rest of Tasmania | 121 940 | 1.2 | 5.1 | 1.0 | 41 800 |
| Northern Territory | 86 293 | 0.8 | 4.7 | 0.9 | 54 082 |
| Greater Darwin | 61 839 | 0.6 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 55 788 |
| Rest of NT | 24 454 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 49 768 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 192 722 | 1.9 | 11.8 | 2.3 | 60 987 |
| Australia(b) | 10 039 401 | 100.0 | 521.3 | 100.0 | 51 923 |
|
| (a) State and territory totals may not exactly match the sum of their components due to rounding. |
| (b) Totals for Australia include data for Wage and salary earners from the Other Territories and region/s unknown. Hence they do not exactly match the sum of the State/Territory components. |
Table 2 presents Wages and salaries income from another perspective - percentage distribution across 5 broad income ranges:
Table 2. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF EARNERS, SELECTED WAGES AND SALARIES INCOME RANGES, AUSTRALIA, 2010-11
|
| Region | $0 to less than
$15 600(a) | $15 600 to less than $31 200 | $31 200 to less than $52 000 | $52 000 to less than $78 000 | $78 000 and over |
% | % | % | % | % |
|
| New South Wales | 17.7 | 17.1 | 25.0 | 20.5 | 19.7 |
| Greater Sydney | 16.9 | 16.3 | 24.0 | 21.2 | 21.7 |
| Rest of NSW | 19.3 | 18.8 | 27.0 | 19.0 | 15.8 |
| Victoria | 18.4 | 17.5 | 26.2 | 21.1 | 16.8 |
| Greater Melbourne | 17.6 | 16.9 | 25.7 | 21.7 | 18.2 |
| Rest of Victoria | 21.0 | 19.6 | 28.0 | 19.4 | 11.9 |
| Queensland | 18.1 | 17.3 | 26.5 | 21.0 | 17.0 |
| Greater Brisbane | 17.0 | 16.2 | 26.2 | 22.6 | 18.0 |
| Rest of Queensland | 19.2 | 18.4 | 26.9 | 19.5 | 16.0 |
| South Australia | 18.4 | 18.0 | 28.4 | 21.2 | 14.0 |
| Greater Adelaide | 17.5 | 17.5 | 28.4 | 21.9 | 14.7 |
| Rest of South Australia | 21.8 | 19.9 | 28.3 | 18.7 | 11.3 |
| Western Australia | 17.5 | 16.3 | 22.2 | 20.1 | 23.9 |
| Greater Perth | 17.2 | 16.0 | 22.2 | 20.8 | 23.8 |
| Rest of WA | 19.0 | 17.3 | 22.0 | 17.7 | 24.0 |
| Tasmania | 19.8 | 18.9 | 29.3 | 20.4 | 11.6 |
| Greater Hobart | 18.8 | 17.7 | 28.7 | 21.7 | 13.1 |
| Rest of Tasmania | 20.7 | 19.9 | 29.8 | 19.3 | 10.3 |
| Northern Territory | 14.3 | 15.0 | 24.1 | 25.6 | 21.1 |
| Greater Darwin | 12.8 | 14.5 | 23.8 | 26.8 | 22.0 |
| Rest of NT | 18.0 | 16.2 | 24.7 | 22.4 | 18.7 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 14.4 | 12.6 | 19.1 | 25.3 | 28.6 |
| Australia(b) | 18.1 | 17.2 | 25.4 | 20.9 | 18.5 |
|
| (a) Some Wage and salary earners on low incomes are excluded from this category since they are not required to lodge tax forms. |
| (b) Data for Australia includes details for Wage and salary earners from the Other Territories and region/s unknown. |
Tasmania had 19.8% of its Wage and salary earners in the lowest ($0 to less than $15,600) income range, more than the corresponding national level of 18.1%. High proportions were also recorded by South Australia and Victoria - both with 18.4%.
At the higher end of the income range, 18.5% of Wage and salary earners in Australia received $78,000 and over. Of all jurisdictions, the Australian Capital Territory was the highest, with 28.6% of its Wage and salary earners reporting incomes of $78,000 and over - followed by Western Australia (23.9%) and the Northern Territory (21.1%). The Greater capital city regions tended to have a higher percentage of high income earners with the exception of Western Australia - where 24.0% of Wage and salary earners in the Rest of Western Australia reported incomes of $78,000 and over, compared with 23.8% for Greater Perth.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Additional analysis, state and sub-state breakdowns and datacubes, are available in
Wage and Salary Earner Statistics for Small Areas, Time Series, 2005-06 to 2010-11 (cat. no. 5673.0.55.003).
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