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 lowest income quartile held the largest share among residents aged 15 and over in Tomahawk, accounting for 42.5%.

Section overview

Individual income quartiles

Tomahawk - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises individual income quartiles for Tomahawk in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Dorset (M) and change since 2016.

Individual income quartiles snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Tomahawk, with comparison markers for Dorset (M).

Tomahawk
Dorset (M)

Lowest group

2021 count

17

% of total

42.5%

Change from 2016

+21.1pp

Medium lowest

2021 count

16

% of total

40.0%

Change from 2016

-27.9pp

Medium highest

2021 count

7

% of total

17.5%

Change from 2016

+6.8pp

Highest group

2021 count

0

% of total

0.0%

Change from 2016

0.0pp

Data table

Individual income quartiles for Tomahawk. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Dorset (M).

Individual income quartiles for Tomahawk. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Dorset (M).
Individual income quartiles for Tomahawk. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Dorset (M).
Category20212016Change
Count%Dorset (M)%Count%Dorset (M)%Countpp
Lowest group1742.5%28.8%621.4%24.5%+11+21.1pp
Medium lowest1640.0%35.6%1967.9%39.0%-3-27.9pp
Medium highest717.5%22.6%310.7%23.9%+4+6.8pp
Highest group00.0%13.0%00.0%12.6%00.0pp
Total persons aged 15+40100.0%100.0%28100.0%100.0%+120.0pp