Personal Income in Australia

This is not the latest release View the latest release

Presents regional data on the number of income earners, amounts received, and the distribution of income for the 2011-12 to 2016-17 financial years

Reference period
2011-12 to 2016-17
Released
17/12/2019

Key statistics

  • Total personal income was $856.2 billion.
  • Median personal income was $48,360, up 1.4 per cent on 2015-16.
  • The largest income category was employee income, at 87.2 per cent of total personal income.

Main features

Sources of personal income

  • most persons (76.9 per cent) received Employee income as their main source (up from 76.7 per cent in the previous year)
  • Employee income was also the highest individual source of income, with a median of $49,083 (an increase of 1.4 per cent on the previous year)
  • the next highest source of income was Superannuation income, with a median of $20,669 (an increase of 3.7 per cent on the previous financial year), but this was the main source of income for only 1.7 per cent of persons (the same as the previous year)
     

Table 1 - Distribution indicators for total personal income

 Median Income ($)
 2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17
Employee income43,17344,64445,72546,99948,41349,083
Own unincorporated business income10,30310,17110,95311,58111,66911,757
Investment income392360337293242214
Superannuation income18,18418,00318,85719,73619,93320,669
Total income42,98744,77845,82846,85447,69248,360

 

 

State comparison

  • The Australian Capital Territory continues to record the highest median Total income, but the second slowest growth rate over the six year period
  • Western Australia had the third highest median Total income, but the slowest overall growth rate over the six year period
  • New South Wales had fourth highest median Total income but the fastest growth rate over the six year period
     

A selection of income indicators are presented in Table 1, providing an overview of the distribution of income across Australia.

Table 2 - Distribution indicators for total personal income

 Median Total IncomeMedian Total Income Growth RateIncome Share
 2016-17Last yearLast 6 yearsReceived by top 1%Received by top 5%Received by top 10%
 $%%%%%
Australia48,3601.412.59.422.533.6
New South Wales48,7001.313.710.724.235.2
Victoria47,7091.512.69.522.633.6
Queensland47,4251.211.58.321.032.0
South Australia46,9371.812.27.920.331.0
Western Australia51,450-2.06.99.022.133.5
Tasmania44,4371.413.27.219.229.8
Northern Territory58,669-1.312.36.418.329.1
Australian Capital Territory63,0380.010.46.518.428.9

 

 

Local government area median total income

In 2016-17, the three local government areas with the highest median total income in Australia were:

  • Ashburton in Western Australia,
  • Peppermint Grove in Western Australia, and
  • Roxby Downs in South Australia
     

The following median personal incomes are for areas with more than 1,000 earners.

Table 3 - Local government areas with the highest median total income

New South WalesVictoriaQueenslandSouth Australia
LGA$LGA$LGA$LGA$
Woollahra75,084Stonnington61,847Weipa77,798Roxby Downs84,659
Mosman73,822Yarra60,413Isaac68,105Walkerville59,114
North Sydney73,016Port Phillip60,039Mount Isa67,255Unley56,603
Hunters Hill69,778Bayside59,884Cloncurry60,951Burnside55,293
Lane Cove68,030Boroondara57,294Central Highlands56,673Prospect54,255
Western AustraliaTasmaniaNorthern TerritoryAustralian Capital Territory (a)
LGA$LGA$LGA$SA3$
Ashburton99,988Clarence48,283Palmerston65,231South Canberra77,093
Peppermint Grove85,705Hobart47,903Litchfield61,430Molonglo73,026
Port Hedland81,173Kingborough47,412Darwin59,747Woden Valley64,762
Karratha78,517Brighton45,950Alice Springs56,415Gungahlin63,897
East Pilbara76,076Sorell44,866Katherine53,706Weston Creek63,473

a. The Australian Capital Territory does not have local government areas, so information is presented at the Statistical Area 3 level.
 

 

Income inequality - Gini coefficient

The Gini coefficient is a summary indicator between 0 and 1 that indicates the degree of inequality among total incomes within a region. A value of 0 indicates that all earners reported the same amount of income in that region. Higher values represent relatively higher levels of income inequality. The following Gini coefficients are for areas with more than 1,000 earners living within them and excludes the Australian Capital Territory, which does not have local government areas.

In 2016-17,

the following local government areas had the least income inequality (the lowest Gini coefficients) in Australia:

  • Brighton region in Tasmania
  • Weipa region in Queensland
  • Roxby Downs region in South Australia
     

the following local government areas, all in Western Australia, had the most income inequality (the highest Gini coefficients) in Australia:

  • Peppermint Grove
  • Cottesloe
  • Nedlands
     

Data from the Survey of Income and Housing (SIH) provides the best source of information for calculating Gini coefficients and measuring income inequality. As such, estimates from Household Income and Wealth, Australia (cat. not. 6523.0) should be used wherever possible, particularly at the Australia, State and Territory, and Greater Capital City Statistical Area levels. Gini coefficients from Personal Income in Australia should be considered complementary information, which provide insights for lower geographic levels.

Table 4 - Local government areas with the lowest Gini coefficients, 2016-17

LGAState/TerritoryGiniProportion of high earners (top quartile)Income share received by top 10% of earnersMedian incomeMean income
coefficient%%$$
BrightonTasmania0.36614.823.745,95049,012
WeipaQueensland0.37047.824.777,79884,734
Roxby DownsSouth Australia0.37651.822.284,65987,325
PlayfordSouth Australia0.38113.324.844,56347,730
PalmerstonNorthern Territory0.38134.826.465,23173,505

 

 

Table 5 - Local government areas with the highest Gini coefficients, 2016-17

LGAState/TerritoryGiniProportion of high earners (top quartile)Income share received by top 10% of earnersMedian incomeMean income
coefficient%%$$
Peppermint GroveWestern Australia0.71952.260.085,705236,678
CottesloeWestern Australia0.70646.359.773,123181,139
NedlandsWestern Australia0.66844.853.368,874147,811
Mosman ParkWestern Australia0.66640.353.860,766128,534
MosmanNew South Wales0.66446.454.673,822161,608

 

 

Data downloads

Table 1 - Total income 2011-12 to 2016-17

Table 2a - Total income distribution 2011-12

Table 2b - Total income distribution 2012-13

Table 2c - Total income distribution 2013-14

Table 2d - Total income distribution 2014-15

Table 2e - Total income distribution 2015-16

Table 2f - Total income distribution 2016-17

Table 3 - Employee income 2011-12 to 2016-17

Table 4 - Employee income by age and sex 2011-12 to 2016-17

Table 5 - Investment income 2011-12 to 2016-17

Table 6 - Own unincorporated business income 2011-12 to 2016-17

Table 7 - Superannuation income 2011-12 to 2016-17

All data cubes

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 6524.0.55.002.

Back to top of the page