Cape York

Latest release
2021 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Geography type Indigenous Regions
Area code IREG303
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 8,906
Male 49.1%
Female 50.9%
Median age 24
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families 2,260
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 2,378
Average number of people per household 3.6
Median weekly household income $1,140
Median monthly mortgage repayments $2,000
Median weekly rent (a) $125

(a) For 2021, median weekly rent calculations exclude dwellings being occupied rent-free.

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All tables refer to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander persons in Cape York, unless otherwise stated.
Small random changes have been made to all cell values for privacy reasons. These changes may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from the table totals.

People and population

Indigenous status
All people 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander total 8,906 51.7 237,303 4.6 812,728 3.2
Aboriginal 5,321 30.9 193,405 3.8 742,882 2.9
Torres Strait Islander 1,126 6.5 21,772 0.4 33,765 0.1
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 2,466 14.3 22,122 0.4 36,083 0.1
Non-Indigenous 6,294 36.6 4,635,042 89.9 23,375,949 91.9
Not stated 2,006 11.7 283,793 5.5 1,234,112 4.9

More information on Place of Usual Residence (PURP), Indigenous status (INGP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Age
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Median age 24 N/A 23 N/A 24 N/A
0-4 years 929 10.4 25,731 10.8 85,941 10.6
5-14 years 1,913 21.5 54,439 22.9 179,604 22.1
15-24 years 1,616 18.1 44,204 18.6 150,057 18.5
25-34 years 1,346 15.1 33,612 14.2 117,969 14.5
35-44 years 1,013 11.4 25,219 10.6 87,910 10.8
45-54 years 1,021 11.5 23,680 10.0 81,802 10.1
55-64 years 643 7.2 17,354 7.3 61,759 7.6
65 years and over 427 4.8 13,065 5.5 47,677 5.9

More information on Age (AGEP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Registered marital status
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Married 568 9.4 33,341 21.2 127,525 23.3
Separated 87 1.4 6,967 4.4 23,982 4.4
Divorced 101 1.7 10,657 6.8 37,473 6.8
Widowed 171 2.8 4,181 2.7 16,329 3.0
Never married 5,139 84.7 101,985 64.9 341,871 62.5

Note: In December 2017, amendments to the Marriage Act 1961 came into effect enabling marriage equality for all couples. For 2021, registered marriages include all couples.

More information on Registered marital status (MSTP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Social marital status
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over, usually resident and present in the household on Census night 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Registered marriage (a) 487 8.8 30,074 21.4 112,643 23.0
De facto marriage (b) 1,876 33.9 25,417 18.0 81,295 16.6
Not married 3,180 57.5 85,357 60.6 296,032 60.4

(a) In December 2017, amendments to the Marriage Act 1961 came into effect enabling marriage equality for all couples. For 2021, registered marriages include all couples.
(b) De facto marriage is when two people live together as partners who are not in a registered marriage. It includes people who report de facto, partner, common law husband/wife/spouse, lover, girlfriend or boyfriend.

More information on Social marital status (MDCP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Education

Type of educational institution attending
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people attending an educational institution 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Preschool 199 7.1 6,070 6.6 25,485 8.0
Primary 1,274 45.4 35,874 38.9 120,864 37.9
Secondary 678 24.2 26,207 28.4 83,631 26.2
Tertiary - Vocational education (including TAFE and private training providers) 92 3.3 4,967 5.4 21,273 6.7
Tertiary - University or higher education 35 1.2 6,362 6.9 21,149 6.6
Other 23 0.8 2,803 3.0 7,310 2.3
Not stated 512 18.2 9,970 10.8 38,814 12.2

More information Type of educational institution attending (TYPP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Level of highest educational attainment
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 113 1.9 11,028 7.0 40,554 7.4
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 218 3.6 10,614 6.8 34,681 6.3
Certificate level IV 210 3.5 6,227 4.0 23,374 4.3
Certificate level III 922 15.2 27,557 17.5 84,821 15.5
Year 12 947 15.6 28,526 18.2 82,998 15.2
Year 11 637 10.5 11,349 7.2 43,335 7.9
Year 10 1,253 20.7 28,737 18.3 102,707 18.8
Certificate level II 19 0.3 344 0.2 1,262 0.2
Certificate level I 3 0.0 52 0.0 241 0.0
Year 9 or below 847 14.0 18,908 12.0 75,326 13.8
Inadequately described 86 1.4 3,131 2.0 11,038 2.0
No educational attainment 49 0.8 1,193 0.8 5,242 1.0
Not stated 748 12.3 9,409 6.0 41,467 7.6

More information on Level of highest educational attainment (HEAP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Cultural diversity

Australian Indigenous language, top responses
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 1,687 18.9 7,380 3.1 7,596 0.9
Cape York Peninsula Languages, nec 909 10.2 2,691 1.1 2,688 0.3
Wik Mungkan 881 9.9 947 0.4 953 0.1
Guugu Yimidhirr 680 7.6 781 0.3 791 0.1
Kuuk Thayorre 172 1.9 176 0.1 174 0.0
 null  null  null  null  null  null  null
Australian Indigenous languages used at home 4,703 52.8 19,018 8.0 76,978 9.5
English only used at home 3,665 41.2 202,342 85.3 683,122 84.1

More information on Language used at home (LANP), Whether reported using an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language at home (LNGP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Ancestry, top responses
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Australian Aboriginal 7,473 83.9 194,063 81.8 695,359 85.6
Torres Strait Islander 3,427 38.5 38,500 16.2 57,353 7.1
Australian 509 5.7 78,079 32.9 277,467 34.1
English 283 3.2 35,211 14.8 131,618 16.2
Irish 43 0.5 9,006 3.8 31,853 3.9

Note 1: 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 sum of all ancestry responses for an area will not equal the total number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in the area.
Note 2: Calculated percentages represent a proportion of the number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in the area (including those who did not state an ancestry). In 2016 QuickStats percentages were based on total number of responses and will not be comparable to this table.

More information on Ancestry multi response (ANCP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Income and work

Participation in the labour force
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
In the labour force 2,837 46.8 88,971 56.6 296,172 54.1
Not in the labour force 2,837 46.8 64,129 40.8 234,314 42.8
Not stated 388 6.4 4,029 2.6 16,695 3.1

Note 1: Calculated percentages represent a proportion of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 and over in the area.
Note 2: The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's labour force. More information is provided in Comparing 2021 Census and Labour Force Survey.
Note 3: For information on Community Development Program participation (CDPP), please refer to the Census Dictionary. CDPP data is available in TableBuilder.

More information on Labour force status (LFSP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Employment status
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Employed  null  null  null  null  null  null
Worked full-time 1,303 45.9 42,934 48.3 144,659 48.8
Worked part-time 599 21.1 25,926 29.1 87,019 29.4
Away from work (a) 272 9.6 8,254 9.3 28,075 9.5
Total employed 2,175 76.7 77,118 86.7 259,754 87.7
Unemployed 663 23.4 11,853 13.3 36,419 12.3

Note 1: Calculated percentages represent a proportion of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 and over, who reported being in the labour force in the area.
Note 2: The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's labour force. More information is provided in Comparing 2021 Census and Labour Force Survey.
Note 3: For information on Community Development Program participation (CDPP), please refer to the Census Dictionary. CDPP data is available in TableBuilder.

(a) Counts employed people who reported 0 hours of work the week before the Census or did not state their hours of work.

More information on Labour force status (LFSP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Occupation, top responses
Employed Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Community and Personal Service Workers 428 19.7 13,289 17.2 45,221 17.4
Machinery Operators and Drivers 321 14.8 7,488 9.7 23,291 9.0
Labourers 284 13.1 12,156 15.8 37,003 14.2
Professionals 271 12.5 9,392 12.2 36,013 13.9
Technicians and Trades Workers 237 10.9 10,330 13.4 35,333 13.6
Clerical and Administrative Workers 230 10.6 9,217 12.0 30,731 11.8
Managers 158 7.3 5,606 7.3 21,218 8.2
Sales Workers 116 5.3 7,120 9.2 22,365 8.6

More information on Occupation (OCCP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Industry of employment, top responses
Employed Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Local Government Administration 418 19.2 2,337 3.0 6,639 2.6
Bauxite Mining 216 9.9 258 0.3 313 0.1
Other Social Assistance Services 97 4.5 3,030 3.9 10,154 3.9
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 73 3.4 2,897 3.8 9,313 3.6
Combined Primary and Secondary Education 70 3.2 908 1.2 3,592 1.4

More information on Industry of employment (INDP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Median weekly incomes (a)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Personal (b) 402 N/A 563 N/A 540 N/A
Family (c) 1,054 N/A 1,510 N/A 1,527 N/A
Household (d) 1,140 N/A 1,517 N/A 1,507 N/A

(a) Incomes are collected in ranges. The medians are then calculated using information from the Survey of Income and Housing.
(b) Excludes people aged 15 years and over who did not state their income.
(c) Excludes families where at least one family member aged 15 years and over did not state their income.
(d) Excludes households where at least one household member aged 15 years and over did not state their income.

More information on Total personal income (weekly) (INCP), Total family income (weekly) (FINF), Total household income (weekly) (HIND), Indigenous household indicator (INGDWTD), Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander family indicator (INGF)
Personal income data is based on place of usual residence
Family and household income data is based on place of enumeration

Unpaid work and care

Unpaid work and care
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (week before Census Night) 4,037 66.6 93,340 59.4 328,022 59.9
Provided unpaid care for child/children (during two weeks before Census Night) 2,430 40.1 46,884 29.8 166,628 30.5
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability, health condition or due to old age (during two weeks before Census Night) 625 10.3 20,506 13.1 76,568 14.0
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 444 7.3 16,824 10.7 58,029 10.6

More information on Unpaid domestic work: number of hours (DOMP), Unpaid child care (CHCAREP), Unpaid assistance to a person with a disability, health condition, or due to old age (UNCAREP), Voluntary work for an organisation or group (VOLWP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Health

Type of long-term health condition
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Arthritis 119 1.3 13,964 5.9 50,807 6.3
Asthma 267 3.0 30,328 12.8 107,162 13.2
Cancer (including remission) 40 0.4 3,684 1.6 12,927 1.6
Dementia (including Alzheimer's) 25 0.3 1,084 0.5 3,610 0.4
Diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes) 677 7.6 14,227 6.0 47,688 5.9
Heart disease (including heart attack or angina) 314 3.5 8,644 3.6 30,160 3.7
Kidney disease 100 1.1 2,678 1.1 10,053 1.2
Lung condition (including COPD or emphysema) 47 0.5 4,813 2.0 17,552 2.2
Mental health condition (including depression or anxiety) 169 1.9 29,713 12.5 107,776 13.3
Stroke 30 0.3 2,004 0.8 7,059 0.9
Any other long-term health condition(s) 374 4.2 20,408 8.6 70,592 8.7
No long-term health condition(s) 6,296 70.7 138,929 58.5 462,348 56.9
Not stated 970 10.9 17,857 7.5 65,539 8.1

Note 1: Measures the number of people who reported that they have been told by a doctor or nurse that they have any of these long-term health conditions.
Note 2: Respondents had the option of reporting multiple long-term health conditions. Therefore, the sum of all long-term health condition responses for an area will not equal the total number of people in the area.
Note 3: Calculated percentages represent a proportion of the number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in the area (including those who did not answer the long-term health conditions question).

More information on Type of long-term health condition (LTHP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Count of selected long-term health conditions
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
None of the selected conditions 6,577 73.8 147,859 62.3 493,110 60.7
One condition 1,058 11.9 47,176 19.9 167,204 20.6
Two conditions 201 2.3 15,219 6.4 54,174 6.7
Three or more conditions 100 1.1 9,182 3.9 32,701 4.0
Not stated 970 10.9 17,857 7.5 65,539 8.1

Note: Selected long-term health conditions include arthritis, asthma, cancer (including remission), dementia (including Alzheimer's), diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes), heart disease (including heart attack or angina), kidney disease, lung condition (including COPD or emphysema), mental health condition (including depression or anxiety) and stroke. Other long-term health conditions are not included in this count.

More information on Count of selected long-term health conditions (CLTHP)
Table based on place of usual residence

Housing

Dwelling characteristics
Occupied private dwellings (excl. visitor only households and other non-classifiable households) where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Number of dwellings requiring one or more extra bedroom(s) (a) 588 24.7 9,479 9.3 31,268 8.9
Average number of people per household 3.6 N/A 3.2 N/A 3.1 N/A
Average number of persons per bedroom 1.3 N/A 1 N/A 1 N/A
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 1.2 N/A 1.9 N/A 1.9 N/A

(a) The Canadian National Occupancy Standard for Housing Appropriateness is used to determine whether there are enough bedrooms in the dwelling for the usual residents. See Housing suitability information below for more details.

More information on Number of bedrooms in private dwelling (BEDD), Household composition (HHCD), Indigenous household indicator (INGDWTD), Housing suitability (HOSD)
Table based on place of enumeration

Mortgage and Rent
Occupied private dwellings (excl. visitor only households and other non-classifiable households) where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent (a) $125 N/A $305 N/A $300 N/A
Median monthly mortgage repayments $2,000 N/A $1,670 N/A $1,721 N/A

(a) Median rent calculations exclude dwellings being occupied rent-free, this is not comparable to 2016 QuickStats data.

More information on Rent (weekly) dollar values (RNTD), Mortgage repayments (monthly) dollar values (MRED), Indigenous household indicator (INGDWTD)
Table based on place of enumeration

Family household composition
Occupied private dwellings (excl. visitor only households and other non-classifiable households) where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 305 12.8 18,041 17.8 62,751 17.8
One family household: Couple family with children 761 32.0 30,193 29.7 104,435 29.7
One family household: One parent family 530 22.3 25,214 24.8 86,135 24.5
One family household: Other family 108 4.5 2,079 2.0 7,040 2.0
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 18 0.8 570 0.6 2,130 0.6
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 107 4.5 2,042 2.0 6,813 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 125 5.3 2,678 2.6 8,606 2.4
Multiple family household: Other family 11 0.5 108 0.1 412 0.1
Other household 408 17.2 20,562 20.3 73,717 20.9

Note: This table counts the types of families within family households at the dwelling level. In multiple family households, only the family composition of the primary family is recorded. Other household includes lone person households and group households.

More information on Family household composition (dwelling) (HCFMD)
Table based on place of enumeration

Dwelling structure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Separate house 2,032 85.4 80,529 79.3 281,729 80.0
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc. 227 9.5 11,082 10.9 38,396 10.9
Flat or apartment 68 2.9 8,530 8.4 27,919 7.9
Other dwelling 23 1.0 1,003 1.0 2,861 0.8

More information on Dwelling structure (STRD)
Table based on place of enumeration

Tenure type
Occupied private dwellings (excl. visitor only households and other non-classifiable households) where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander 		Cape York % Cape York Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Owned outright 126 5.3 12,395 12.2 48,452 13.8
Owned with a mortgage (a) 110 4.6 26,096 25.7 96,647 27.5
Rented (b) 1,990 83.7 59,211 58.3 192,703 54.7
Other (c) 67 2.8 1,295 1.3 5,582 1.6
Not stated 94 4.0 2,502 2.5 8,652 2.5

(a) Includes dwellings purchased under a shared equity scheme.
(b) Excludes dwellings being occupied rent-free, this is not comparable to 2016 QuickStats data.
(c) Comprises dwellings occupied rent-free, occupied under a life tenure scheme and other tenure type

More information on Tenure type (TEND)
Table based on place of enumeration

Please note that there are small random adjustments 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 table totals.