Income

Individual income quartiles

About this topic

Individual income quartiles group people aged 15 years and over into four evenly sized income ranges so the distribution of personal income can be compared objectively across areas and over time. The quartile method focuses on relative position in the income distribution rather than raw dollar brackets.

This topic is useful because direct income amounts are affected by inflation and wider economic change. Quartiles provide a clearer way to compare whether an area is becoming relatively lower, middle, or higher income over time.

Interpretation notes

  • This is a derived distribution of personal income for people aged 15 years and over, with each quartile representing a quarter of the income distribution.
  • Quartiles show relative position rather than fixed dollar brackets, which makes them more robust for comparisons over time.

Key insight

In 2021, the medium-low income quartile held the largest share among residents aged 15 and over in Talofa, accounting for 34.6%.

Section overview

Individual income quartiles

Talofa - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises individual income quartiles for Talofa in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Byron (A) and change since 2016.

Individual income quartiles snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Talofa, with comparison markers for Byron (A).

Talofa
Byron (A)

Lowest group

2021 count

17

% of total

21.8%

Change from 2016

-3.9pp

Medium lowest

2021 count

27

% of total

34.6%

Change from 2016

+15.0pp

Medium highest

2021 count

10

% of total

12.8%

Change from 2016

-6.2pp

Highest group

2021 count

24

% of total

30.8%

Change from 2016

-4.9pp

Data table

Individual income quartiles for Talofa. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Byron (A).

Individual income quartiles for Talofa. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Byron (A).
Individual income quartiles for Talofa. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Byron (A).
Category20212016Change
Count%Byron (A)%Count%Byron (A)%Countpp
Lowest group1721.8%20.8%12225.7%20.1%-105-3.9pp
Medium lowest2734.6%31.6%9319.6%33.7%-66+15.0pp
Medium highest1012.8%26.3%9019.0%27.2%-80-6.2pp
Highest group2430.8%21.3%16935.7%19.0%-145-4.9pp
Total persons aged 15+78100.0%100.0%474100.0%100.0%-3960.0pp