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 Sinclair, accounting for 30%.

Section overview

Individual income quartiles

Sinclair - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises individual income quartiles for Sinclair in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Esperance (S) and change since 2016.

Individual income quartiles snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Sinclair, with comparison markers for Esperance (S).

Sinclair
Esperance (S)

Lowest group

2021 count

146

% of total

25.5%

Change from 2016

+1.5pp

Medium lowest

2021 count

172

% of total

30.0%

Change from 2016

+1.7pp

Medium highest

2021 count

156

% of total

27.2%

Change from 2016

+0.9pp

Highest group

2021 count

99

% of total

17.3%

Change from 2016

-4.0pp

Data table

Individual income quartiles for Sinclair. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Esperance (S).

Individual income quartiles for Sinclair. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Esperance (S).
Individual income quartiles for Sinclair. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Esperance (S).
Category20212016Change
Count%Esperance (S)%Count%Esperance (S)%Countpp
Lowest group14625.5%22.5%14424.0%21.4%+2+1.5pp
Medium lowest17230.0%27.3%17028.3%26.5%+2+1.7pp
Medium highest15627.2%24.4%15826.3%24.6%-2+0.9pp
Highest group9917.3%25.8%12821.3%27.6%-29-4.0pp
Total persons aged 15+573100.0%100.0%600100.0%100.0%-270.0pp