Total Household Income (weekly) (HIND)
This variable is the sum of Total Personal Income (weekly) of each resident aged 15 years or older who was present in the household on Census night. This variable is applicable to all occupied private dwellings enumerated in the 2016 Census.
How this variable is created
This variable is calculated by summing the personal incomes reported by all household members aged 15 years and over. The Census collects personal income in ranges, so before these can be summed a specific dollar amount needs to be allocated to each person. Median incomes for each range, derived using data from the Survey of Income and Housing, are used for this purpose. For more information about this survey see the Survey of Income and Housing, User Guide.
Household income is not calculated where a household member aged 15 years and over did not state their income, or was temporarily absent. These households are coded to the 'Partial income stated' category. If there is a need to recalculate this variable under different circumstances, the derived variable Household Income Derivation Indicator (HIDD) can be used in conjunction with Total Personal Income (weekly) to create a new household income variable.
In most cases, the income of visitors to a household is excluded from Total Household Income (weekly). The exception to this is households that comprise only visitors. Total Household Income (weekly) is calculated for these households in order to collect data on household income in tourist areas.
An image of this question is provided below.
Variable history
A variable relating to household income was first used during the 1976 census. The categories for annual income dollar ranges have been revised for the 2016 Census.
Non-response rate
Non-response rate only applies to data items that directly reflect responses to individual Census form questions. Total Household Income (weekly) does not have a non-response rate as it is a derived value created during Census processing for applicable households. For more information, refer to Understanding Census data quality.
Data usage notes
Total Household Income (weekly) and Total Family Income (weekly) are the standard Census multiple income classifications, and are designed to satisfy a broad range of Census requirements. If there is a need to recalculate this variable under different circumstances users can use the derived variable Household Income Derivation Indicator in conjunction with Total Personal Income (weekly) to create a new household income variable.
Further information
A definition of Total Household Income (weekly) is available in the 2016 Census Dictionary.
Household form question image
Question 33 as it appeared on the 2016 Census Household Form:
A text only version of the online Census Household form is available from the Downloads tab.
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