Cultural diversity
Language used at home
About this topic
Language used at home shows which languages people speak in their home life and whether English or another language is used most often. It is a key indicator of cultural diversity and language retention within communities.
This topic is useful for planning communication, multicultural services, and local engagement. It should be analysed together with proficiency in English and birthplace, because language alone does not show migration history or support needs.
Interpretation notes
- The Census records the language used most often at home, so it does not capture every language a person can speak.
- Language used at home is not a measure of English proficiency, literacy, or migration history on its own.
Key insight
In 2021, English was the most common language used at home among residents in Ooralea, accounting for 83.4% (3,079 people). This share was lower than Mackay (R) (85%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 257 people, while its share fell by 0.8 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Ooralea - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language used at home for Ooralea in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Ooralea, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
English
2021 count
3,079
% of total
83.4%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
3,079
83.4%
-0.8pp
Not stated
2021 count
228
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
228
6.2%
-0.6pp
Tagalog
2021 count
55
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
55
1.5%
+0.2pp
Malayalam
2021 count
33
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
33
0.9%
-0.1pp
Bengali
2021 count
31
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
31
0.8%
+0.2pp
Hindi
2021 count
23
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
23
0.6%
+0.5pp
Filipino
2021 count
21
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
21
0.6%
+0.1pp
Nepali
2021 count
19
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
19
0.5%
+0.3pp
Mandarin
2021 count
19
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
19
0.5%
-0.4pp
Maltese
2021 count
17
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
17
0.5%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+257
-0.8pp
Not stated
0
-0.6pp
Tagalog
+11
+0.2pp
Malayalam
-2
-0.1pp
Bengali
+11
+0.2pp
Hindi
+19
+0.5pp
Filipino
+3
+0.1pp
Nepali
+12
+0.3pp
Mandarin
-12
-0.4pp
Maltese
+5
+0.1pp
Data table
Language used at home for Ooralea. Language used at home - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mackay (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mackay (R)% | Count | % | Mackay (R)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 3,079 | 83.4% | 85.0% | 2,822 | 84.2% | 86.7% | +257 | -0.8pp |
| Not stated | 228 | 6.2% | 9.1% | 228 | 6.8% | 7.9% | 0 | -0.6pp |
| Tagalog | 55 | 1.5% | 0.8% | 44 | 1.3% | 0.7% | +11 | +0.2pp |
| Malayalam | 33 | 0.9% | 0.2% | 35 | 1.0% | 0.1% | -2 | -0.1pp |
| Bengali | 31 | 0.8% | 0.1% | 20 | 0.6% | 0.1% | +11 | +0.2pp |
| Hindi | 23 | 0.6% | 0.2% | 4 | 0.1% | 0.2% | +19 | +0.5pp |
| Filipino | 21 | 0.6% | 0.5% | 18 | 0.5% | 0.5% | +3 | +0.1pp |
| Nepali | 19 | 0.5% | 0.1% | 7 | 0.2% | 0.0% | +12 | +0.3pp |
| Mandarin | 19 | 0.5% | 0.3% | 31 | 0.9% | 0.3% | -12 | -0.4pp |
| Maltese | 17 | 0.5% | 0.2% | 12 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +5 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 3,694 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 3,353 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +341 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.