Australian Bureau of Statistics Census Data
Many students are required in their course to analyse the demographics of an area in Australia. They might be trying to do some market research and find out if an area is suited to a small business they are planning to create.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts a national Census of Population and Housing every five years. The last Census conducted was on the 9th August 2016. There have been two releases of data from the 2016 Census and another is due in October 2017.
You can find out lots of interesting information about a suburb, postcode, local government area, or larger regional areas in Australia. Information about the people living in the area such as age, income, educational level, ancestry and religion. You can find out the number of people with mortgages or renting, the types of dwellings in an area, and number of motor vehicles per dwelling etc.
All of this information helps our governments plan services such as aged care and child care facilities, schools, and infrastructure such as transportation and hospitals. Anyone in the community can freely access the Census information. Check out our Statistics LibGuide to access Census information and our help sheet that will show you how to search the data easily. You can also call into your local TAFE Library where a friendly librarian can show you how to access the Census.
