Cairns

2016 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Area code 306
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 23,957
Male 47.7%
Female 52.3%
Median age 22
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 8,431
Average people per household 3.3
Median weekly household income $1,052
Median monthly mortgage repayments $1,582
Median weekly rent $240

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People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People tables are based on a person's place of usual residence on Census night

People Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Aboriginal 15,337 64.0 148,940 79.9 590,062 90.9
Torres Strait Islander 4,813 20.1 21,056 11.3 32,344 5.0
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 3,807 15.9 16,487 8.8 26,767 4.1

For the 2016 Census in Cairns, there were 23,957 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 47.7% were male and 52.3% were female.

View the data quality statements for: Place of Usual Residence (PURP) Indigenous status (INGP)

Age Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Median age 22 -- 22 -- 23 --
0-4 years 2,635 11.0 21,857 11.7 73,265 11.3
5-14 years 5,894 24.6 44,223 23.7 147,134 22.7
15-24 years 4,291 17.9 35,876 19.2 123,719 19.1
25-34 years 2,999 12.5 24,524 13.2 88,861 13.7
35-44 years 2,783 11.6 20,754 11.1 72,394 11.2
45-54 years 2,480 10.4 18,739 10.0 67,415 10.4
55-64 years 1,723 7.2 12,308 6.6 45,433 7.0
65 years and over 1,147 4.8 8,194 4.4 30,952 4.8

In Cairns, the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 22 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 35.6% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 4.8% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Married 2,772 18.0 26,266 21.8 105,086 24.5
Separated 606 3.9 5,219 4.3 19,112 4.5
Divorced 807 5.2 7,870 6.5 28,796 6.7
Widowed 545 3.5 3,492 2.9 13,794 3.2
Never married 10,694 69.3 77,564 64.4 261,980 61.1

In Cairns, 18.0% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 9.2% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Social marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Registered marriage 2,397 17.3 22,449 21.1 86,716 23.1
De facto marriage 2,455 17.7 18,992 17.9 60,051 16.0
Not married 9,019 65.0 64,807 61.0 228,281 60.9

In Cairns, 17.3% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 17.7% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)
Education attendance Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Pre-school 381 4.2 3,597 4.9 16,698 6.4
Primary 3,764 41.2 29,132 39.8 97,859 37.5
Secondary 2,473 27.1 19,602 26.8 65,208 25.0
Technical or further education institution 325 3.6 3,177 4.3 14,227 5.5
University or tertiary institution 384 4.2 4,645 6.3 15,489 5.9
Other 227 2.5 1,750 2.4 5,047 1.9
Not stated 1,576 17.3 11,357 15.5 46,428 17.8

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns, 38.1% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 41.2% were attending a primary school, 27.1% were attending a secondary school and 7.8% were attending a tertiary or technical institution.

View the data quality statement for Educational Institution Attendee Status (TYSTAP)
Level of highest educational attainment
People aged 15 years and over
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 685 4.4 6,490 5.4 24,911 5.8
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 879 5.7 7,156 5.9 23,795 5.5
Certificate level IV 462 3.0 3,808 3.2 14,308 3.3
Certificate level III 1,987 12.9 17,714 14.7 56,625 13.2
Year 12 2,822 18.3 21,285 17.7 59,949 14.0
Year 11 1,459 9.4 9,701 8.1 34,674 8.1
Year 10 2,779 18.0 21,474 17.8 77,265 18.0
Certificate level II 26 0.2 280 0.2 1,215 0.3
Certificate level I 10 0.1 58 0.0 241 0.1
Year 9 or below 1,931 12.5 15,282 12.7 64,604 15.1
No educational attainment 124 0.8 920 0.8 4,256 1.0
Not stated 1,911 12.4 13,484 11.2 56,698 13.2

Of people aged 15 and over in Cairns, 18.3% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 15.9% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 5.7% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

View the data quality statement for Level of highest educational attainment (HEAP)

Cultural & language diversity

Australian Indigenous language, top responses Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 711 3.0 5,742 3.1 6,000 0.9
Kriol 205 0.9 354 0.2 7,108 1.1
Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Kalaw Lagaw Ya 125 0.5 912 0.5 939 0.1
Kuku Yalanji 102 0.4 318 0.2 314 0.0
Djabugay 46 0.2 46 0.0 49 0.0
 null  null  null  null  null  null  null
English only spoken at home 20,388 85.1 161,165 86.4 544,491 83.9

English was the only language spoken at home by 85.1% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns. Indigenous languages spoken at home include Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 3.0%, Kriol 0.9%, Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Kalaw Lagaw Ya 0.5%, Kuku Yalanji 0.4% and Djabugay 0.2%.

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)
Ancestry, top responses Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Australian 14,556 44.0 114,137 43.5 399,843 45.0
Australian Aboriginal 5,627 17.0 36,062 13.8 140,480 15.8
English 3,898 11.8 41,381 15.8 152,758 17.2
Torres Strait Islander 2,050 6.2 13,059 5.0 14,948 1.7
Irish 1,181 3.6 13,013 5.0 45,887 5.2

Respondents had the option of reporting up to two ancestries on their Census form, and this is captured by the Ancestry Multi Response (ANCP) variable used in this table. Therefore, the total responses count will not equal the persons count for this area. Calculated percentages represent a proportion of all responses from people in Cairns (including those who did not state an ancestry).

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns, the most common ancestries were Australian 44.0%, Australian Aboriginal 17.0%, English 11.8%, Torres Strait Islander 6.2% and Irish 3.6%.

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

Employment

Employment
People who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Worked full-time 3,252 41.6 30,836 46.8 106,960 48.0
Worked part-time 2,034 26.0 17,867 27.1 61,049 27.4
Away from work 504 6.5 3,935 6.0 14,143 6.4
Unemployed 2,020 25.9 13,259 20.1 40,486 18.2
Not in the labour force 7,144 46.3 51,070 42.4 190,132 44.3

There were 7,810 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Cairns. Of these 41.6% were employed full time, 26.0% were employed part-time and 25.9% were unemployed.

The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's unemployment rate. More information about Census and labour force status is provided in Understanding the Census and Census Data.

For information on the Community Development Programme (CDP) please refer to the Census Data Dictionary. CDP data is available in TableBuilder.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status (LFSP)
Occupation, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Labourers 1,167 20.1 8,925 17.0 27,814 15.3
Community and Personal Service Workers 1,117 19.3 8,935 17.0 30,991 17.0
Clerical and Administrative Workers 802 13.8 6,728 12.8 23,174 12.7
Professionals 753 13.0 6,202 11.8 24,339 13.4
Technicians and Trades Workers 598 10.3 7,056 13.4 24,399 13.4
Sales Workers 450 7.8 4,797 9.1 15,791 8.7
Machinery Operators and Drivers 406 7.0 5,130 9.7 16,774 9.2
Managers 315 5.4 3,333 6.3 12,844 7.1

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns, the most common occupations were Labourers 20.1%, Community and Personal Service Workers 19.3%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 13.8%, Professionals 13.0%, Technicians and Trades Workers 10.3%, Sales Workers 7.8%, Machinery Operators and Drivers 7.0% and Managers 5.4%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 223 3.9 1,812 3.4 5,542 3.0
Local Government Administration 208 3.7 2,109 4.0 5,511 3.0
Other Social Assistance Services 206 3.6 1,349 2.6 5,302 2.9
Primary Education 187 3.3 1,434 2.7 4,897 2.7
Other Fruit and Tree Nut Growing 183 3.2 213 0.4 261 0.1

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns, the most common industries of employment were Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 3.9%, Local Government Administration 3.7%, Other Social Assistance Services 3.6%, Primary Education 3.3% and Other Fruit and Tree Nut Growing 3.2%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly incomes
People aged 15 years and over
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Personal 434 -- 453 -- 441 --
Household 1,052 -- 1,222 -- 1,203 --

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns was $434 and the median weekly household income was $1,052.

View the data quality statements for: Total personal income (INCP) Total household income (HIND)

Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 9,134 59.2 75,703 62.9 263,334 61.4
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 4,758 30.8 38,265 31.8 136,079 31.7
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 1,858 12.0 15,171 12.6 58,541 13.7
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 2,283 14.8 18,300 15.2 63,303 14.8

In Cairns, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 59.2% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 30.8% provided care for children and 12.0% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 14.8% of people did voluntary work through an organisation or a group.

View the data quality statements for: Unpaid domestic work (DOMP) Unpaid child care (CHCAREP) Unpaid assistance (UNCAREP) Voluntary work (VOLWP)

Dwellings

dwelling characteristics | dwelling structure

Dwelling characteristics

Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households

Dwelling characteristics
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Average number of people per household 3.3 -- 3.3 -- 3.2 --
Average number of persons per bedroom 1.1 -- 1 -- 1 --
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 1.4 -- 1.7 -- 1.7 --

There has been change in methodology used to calculate the average number of persons per bedroom. To compare the time series for average number of persons per bedroom please refer to Understanding the Census and Census Data

In Cairns, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 3.3 persons, with 1.1 persons per bedroom and 1.4 registered motor vehicles per dwelling.

View the data quality statements for: Number of Bedrooms in Private Dwelling (BEDD) Household composition (HHCD) Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

Housing costs
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent 240 -- 270 -- 250 --
Median monthly mortgage repayments 1,582 -- 1,733 -- 1,660 --

In Cairns, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $240 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,582.

View the data quality statements for: Rent weekly payments (RNTD) Mortgage monthly repayments (MRED) Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

Family household composition
Counts the types of families within family households at the dwelling level
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 1,113 13.2 11,886 15.9 42,536 16.2
One family household: Couple family with children 2,348 27.8 23,609 31.6 80,803 30.7
One family household: One parent family 2,545 30.2 19,239 25.8 67,528 25.7
One family household: Other family 221 2.6 1,624 2.2 5,547 2.1
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 63 0.7 576 0.8 2,223 0.8
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 150 1.8 1,381 1.8 4,951 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 216 2.6 1,702 2.3 5,768 2.2
Multiple family household: Other family 26 0.3 117 0.2 471 0.2
Other household 1,751 20.8 14,572 19.5 53,195 20.2

In Cairns, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households, 13.9% were a couple family with no children, 29.6% were a couple family with children and 32.7% were a one parent family.

In multiple family households, only the family composition of the primary family is recorded. Other household includes lone person households and group households.

View the data quality statement for Family Household Composition, dwelling level (HCFMD)

Dwelling structure

Dwelling structure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Separate house 6,031 71.9 60,179 80.9 211,205 80.7
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 808 9.6 6,987 9.4 27,017 10.3
Flat or apartment 1,386 16.5 6,288 8.5 20,580 7.9
Other dwelling 165 2.0 909 1.2 2,897 1.1

In Cairns there were 8,431 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 71.9% were separate houses, 9.6% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 16.5% were flats or apartments and 2.0% were other dwellings.

View the data quality statement for Dwelling structure (STRD)
Tenure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Cairns % Cairns Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Owned outright 763 9.1 7,727 10.3 32,045 12.2
Owned with a mortgage 1,497 17.8 17,634 23.6 68,085 25.9
Rented 5,742 68.2 46,197 61.8 150,832 57.3
Other tenure type 39 0.5 409 0.5 1,888 0.7
Tenure type not stated 381 4.5 2,743 3.7 10,182 3.9

In Cairns, of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 9.1% were owned outright, 17.8% were owned with a mortgage and 68.2% were rented.

View the data quality statement for Tenure type (TEND)

Small random adjustments have been made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from the table totals. For further information, go to the User Guide for QuickStats.

Data reported for Australia and Other Territories now includes Norfolk Island, following an amendment to the Acts Interpretation Act, 1901. Because Norfolk Island has not previously been included in the Census, any 2011 benchmarks will not include Norfolk Island.