What demographic data is available in Placemaker?

What Census data Placemaker holds, where it comes from and what each figure counts

Placemaker holds Census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for 2011, 2016 and 2021, down to the smallest Census area. It shows who lives in a place – where they were born, the languages they speak, their education, income, households and housing – alongside Informed Decisions forecasts of how many people will live there. Use it to see who a service is for, not only how many people it serves.

Census data comes from the ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2011, 2016 and 2021. SEIFA comes from the ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas, 2021. Market share by school type is derived by Informed Decisions from the Census. Population and dwelling forecasts come from the Informed Decisions National Forecasting Program.

What's available

Theme	Datasets
Cultural diversity	Country of birth, language used at home, Indigenous status, religion
Education	Market share by school type, non-school qualification level, type of educational institution
Work and income	Household income, median household income, SEIFA, labour force status (including unemployment rate and participation rate), motor vehicles
Health and care	Need for assistance
Housing tenure and costs	Housing tenure, median mortgage repayment, median rent
Households	Household type, household life stage

Insights shows most of these as charts for a catchment. Median age, household income, rent and mortgage repayment appear there as headline figures.

Key concepts

Census years

Most datasets cover 2011, 2016 and 2021, so you can see change between any two of those years. Some cover 2021 only, because the question is new, its answer options changed or a comparison over time isn't meaningful. These are household income, median household income, median rent, median mortgage repayment and SEIFA.

SA1

Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1) is the smallest area the ABS publishes most Census data for – usually 200 to 800 people. Placemaker shades the map at SA1 by default, so you see the pattern at a small scale. You can also view the data at SA2, Suburb and Locality, Local Government Area, SA3, SA4, Greater Capital City Statistical Area and State or Territory. See What are standard ABS geographies?

Small numbers and perturbation

To protect privacy, the ABS makes small random adjustments to Census counts. This is called perturbation. Each area is adjusted separately, so the SA1s in an SA2 can add up to a slightly different total from the SA2 figure. The effect is largest where counts are small – a minority religion or country of birth in one SA1, or a share of a small population. For small groups, read the data at SA2 or above.

Suppressed (low counts)

Where a count is too small to report reliably, Placemaker marks the area 'Suppressed (low counts)' and shades it grey. It never shows a suppressed figure as zero.

Count, share and change

Where possible, each measure comes in four forms:

Count – the number of people, households or dwellings.
Share – that count as a percentage of its total. Each chart names its total: % of total population, % of persons aged 15 and over, % of households or % of occupied private dwellings.
Change (number) – the difference in the count between two Census years.
Change (percentage points) – the difference in the share between two Census years. A share that moves from 10% to 12% has changed by 2 percentage points.

Market share by school type and labour force status show change in percentage points only.

Unemployment rate and participation rate

Labour force status includes two rates you can map or chart directly:

Unemployment rate – unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force (people who are employed or looking for work).
Participation rate – the labour force as a percentage of all people aged 15 and over.

SEIFA

SEIFA ranks areas by relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage, using Census answers on income, education, jobs and housing. Placemaker shows four indexes:

Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD)
Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD)
Index of Economic Resources (IER)
Index of Education and Occupation (IEO)

SEIFA is a 2021 index only. A score describes the area as a whole, not every household in it. In Insights, SEIFA shows your catchment's scores without a benchmark.

How this applies in Placemaker

On the map: choose Demographics in Data layers to shade every area by one measure, then click an area to read its figures. See How to shade the map by demographic data in Placemaker.
In Insights: open the Demographics tab to read every chart for your catchment beside a benchmark, with change between Census years. See How to read demographic charts for a catchment in Placemaker.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Why is there no 2026 Census data?

A: The ABS releases 2026 Census results from 2027. Until then, 2021 is the latest Census year.

Q: Why don't my SA1 figures add up to the SA2 total?

A: The ABS adjusts each area's counts slightly to protect privacy, so totals built from SA1s can differ a little from the published SA2 figure. For small groups, use SA2 or above.

Q: Why are some areas on the map grey?

A: The count is too small to report reliably, so Placemaker marks it 'Suppressed (low counts)' rather than showing a number or zero.

Q: Why can't I see change over time for income, rent, mortgage repayments or SEIFA?

A: These datasets are 2021 only, because the question or its answer options changed between Censuses.

Q: Is the Census data the same as Informed Decisions forecasts?

A: No. The Census describes who lived in an area on Census night. Forecasts estimate how many people and dwellings there will be in future years. Use them together – the Census for who, forecasts for how many and when.

Q: Why do the charts say 'First Nations'?

A: Placemaker uses First Nations for people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. The data is the ABS Indigenous status variable.