Cultural diversity
Ancestry
About this topic
Ancestry describes a person's cultural association and ethnic background, and Census respondents can report more than one ancestry. It is a broader cultural measure than country of birth because it can reflect family heritage across generations.
This topic helps show the size and diversity of cultural groups in an area, including groups whose members were born in Australia. Because multiple ancestries can be reported, ancestry totals can exceed the total population, so it is best read with birthplace, language used at home, and religion.
Interpretation notes
- People can report up to two ancestries, so category totals represent responses rather than a single unduplicated person count.
- ABS advises that ancestry is best used with birthplace and language, because ancestry alone is a broad measure of ethnicity and cultural background.
- The 2021 form added separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mark boxes, so those categories need caution in over-time comparison.
Key insight
In 2021, the largest ancestry groups among residents in Mitchell (NSW) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Mitchell (NSW) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Mitchell (NSW) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Bathurst Regional (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mitchell (NSW), with comparison markers for Bathurst Regional (A).
Australian
2021 count
217
% of total
18.4%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
217
18.4%
-0.5pp
English
2021 count
189
% of total
16.0%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
189
16.0%
-1.5pp
Irish
2021 count
49
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
-3.6pp
49
4.2%
-3.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
39
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
+2.4pp
39
3.3%
+2.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
39
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
39
3.3%
0.0pp
German
2021 count
17
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
17
1.4%
-0.6pp
Italian
2021 count
10
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
10
0.8%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-30
-0.5pp
English
-40
-1.5pp
Irish
-53
-3.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
+27
+2.4pp
Scottish
-4
0.0pp
German
-9
-0.6pp
Italian
0
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Mitchell (NSW). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Bathurst Regional (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Bathurst Regional (A)% | Count | % | Bathurst Regional (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 217 | 18.4% | 42.1% | 247 | 18.9% | 43.3% | -30 | -0.5pp |
| English | 189 | 16.0% | 40.9% | 229 | 17.5% | 40.6% | -40 | -1.5pp |
| Irish | 49 | 4.2% | 14.3% | 102 | 7.8% | 15.2% | -53 | -3.6pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 39 | 3.3% | 6.4% | 12 | 0.9% | 0.7% | +27 | +2.4pp |
| Scottish | 39 | 3.3% | 10.6% | 43 | 3.3% | 10.3% | -4 | 0.0pp |
| German | 17 | 1.4% | 3.3% | 26 | 2.0% | 3.5% | -9 | -0.6pp |
| Italian | 10 | 0.8% | 1.9% | 10 | 0.8% | 1.8% | 0 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).