Mer Island

Demographics & education

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

In the 2016 Census, there were 450 people in Mer Island. Of these 50.8% were male and 49.2% were female. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people made up 96.4% of the population.

The median age of people in Mer Island was 25 years. Children aged 0 - 14 years made up 28.0% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 6.5% of the population.

Of people in Mer Island aged 15 years and over, 23.5% were married and 2.5% were either divorced or separated.

In Mer Island, of people aged 15 years and over, 27.7% of people were in a registered marriage and 27.7% were in a de facto marriage.

In Mer Island 39.7% of people were attending an educational institution. Of these, 34.3% were in primary school, 12.8% in secondary school and 0.0% in a tertiary or technical institution.

Of people aged 15 and over in Mer Island, 16.2% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 8.1% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 1.2% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

Cultural & language diversity

The most common ancestries in Mer Island were Torres Strait Islander 72.1%, Australian 4.3%, Australian Aboriginal 3.2%, English 2.4% and Irish 1.4%.

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 Mer Island (including those who did not state an ancestry).

In Mer Island, 97.3% of people were born in Australia. The only other response for country of birth was Finland 0.7%.

In Mer Island, 83.6% of people had both parents born in Australia and 1.3% of people had both parents born overseas.

In Mer Island, the only stated responses for country of birth of male parents were Australia 85.1% and Papua New Guinea 0.7%.

In Mer Island, the only stated responses for country of birth of female parents were Australia 84.0%, Papua New Guinea 0.9% and Finland 0.7%.

The most common responses for religion in Mer Island were Anglican 45.7%, Not stated 16.7%, Christian, nfd 16.1%, Pentecostal 10.0% and Other Spiritual Beliefs 2.6%. In Mer Island, Christianity was the largest religious group reported overall (93.9%) (this figure excludes not stated responses).

In Mer Island 3.6% of people only spoke English at home. The only other responses for language spoken at home were Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 52.6%, Meriam Mir 23.6% and Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Kalaw Lagaw Ya 0.7%.

Employment

There were 125 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Mer Island. Of these 32.8% were employed full time, 24.0% were employed part-time and 36.0% 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.

Of employed people in Mer Island, 16.7% worked 1 to 15 hours, 4.8% worked 16 to 24 hours and 32.1% worked 40 hours or more.

The only other responses for occupation in Mer Island were Professionals 24.3%, Community and Personal Service Workers 14.9%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 13.5%, Sales Workers 13.5%, Technicians and Trades Workers 12.2%, Labourers 10.8% and Managers 6.8%.

Of the employed people in Mer Island, the most common responses for industry of employment included Local Government Administration 31.1%, Primary Education 17.6%, Child Care Services 5.4%, Supermarket and Grocery Stores 4.1% and State Government Administration 4.1%.

The median weekly personal income for people aged 15 years and over in Mer Island was $322.

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

In Mer Island, on the day of the Census, the most common methods of travel to work for employed people included Car, as driver 34.2%, Walked only 31.5%, Car, as passenger 19.2%, Other 6.8% and Bus 4.1%. On the day, 3.8% of employed people used public transport (train, bus, ferry, tram/light rail) as at least one of their methods of travel to work and 47.9% used car (either as driver or as passenger).

In Mer Island, of people aged 15 years and over, 60.0% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 26.7% provided care for children and 11.5% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 7.5% 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)

Of people who did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census in Mer Island, 15.1% worked 5 to 14 hours, 0.9% worked 15 to 29 hours and 2.2% worked 30 hours or more.

Family composition

Of the families in Mer Island, 57.8% were couple families with children, 16.7% were couple families without children and 25.6% were one parent families.

In Mer Island, 23.8% of single parents were male and 76.2% were female.

Employment status of couple families

In Mer Island, of couple families with children, 10.6% had both partners employed full-time, 0.0% had both employed part-time and 6.1% had one employed full-time and the other part-time.

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.

Dwelling structure

Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households

In Mer Island, 82.1% of private dwellings were occupied and 17.9% were unoccupied.

View the data quality statements for: Dwelling type (DWTD) Dwelling Structure (STRD)

Of occupied private dwellings in Mer Island, 96.6% were separate houses, 0.0% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 3.4% were flats or apartments and 0.0% were other dwellings.

In Mer Island, of occupied private dwellings 9.4% had 1 bedroom, 4.7% had 2 bedrooms and 20.0% had 3 bedrooms. The average number of bedrooms per occupied private dwelling was 3.5. The average household size was 3.8 people.

View the data quality statements for: Number of bedrooms in a private dwelling (BEDD) Number of persons usually resident in dwelling (NPRD)

Of occupied private dwellings in Mer Island, 4.3% were owned outright, 0.0% were owned with a mortgage and 84.8% were rented.

Household composition

In Mer Island, of all households, 76.4% were family households, 23.6% were single person households and 0.0% were group households.

In Mer Island, 27.4% of households had a weekly household income of less than $650 and 5.5% of households had a weekly income of more than $3000.

Mortgage & rent

Proportions are calculated using all tenure types for occupied private dwellings. This excludes visitor only and other non-classifiable households.

The number of households where rent payments were 30% or more of an imputed income measure are expressed in this table as a proportion of the total number of households in an area (including those households which were not renting, and excluding the small proportion of visitor only and other non-classifiable households). The nature of the income imputation means that the reported proportion may significantly overstate the true proportion.

The number of households where mortgage repayments were 30% or more of an imputed income measure are expressed in this table as a proportion of the total number of households in an area (including those households which were renting, and excluding the small proportion of visitor only and other non-classifiable households). The nature of the income imputation means that the reported proportion may significantly overstate the true proportion.

Number of motor vehicles

In Mer Island, 29.8% of occupied private dwellings had one registered motor vehicle garaged or parked at their address, 9.5% had two registered motor vehicles and 0.0% had three or more registered motor vehicles.

Internet connection

In Mer Island, 86.2% of households had at least one person access the internet from the dwelling. This could have been through a desktop/laptop computer, mobile or smart phone, tablet, music or video player, gaming console, smart TV or any other device.

People characteristics

In Mer Island, 50.6% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were male and 49.4% were female. The median age was 24 years.

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

Dwelling characteristics

Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households. These tables represent occupied private dwellings where at least one Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait islander person was present.

In Mer Island, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 4.1 persons, with 1.2 persons per bedroom. The median household income was $979.

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

In Mer Island, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $120 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $0.

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