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 Farley were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Farley - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Farley in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Maitland (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Farley, with comparison markers for Maitland (C).
English
2021 count
268
% of total
44.3%
Change from 2016
-4.8pp
268
44.3%
-4.8pp
Australian
2021 count
217
% of total
35.9%
Change from 2016
-2.6pp
217
35.9%
-2.6pp
Irish
2021 count
62
% of total
10.2%
Change from 2016
-2.2pp
62
10.2%
-2.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
58
% of total
9.6%
Change from 2016
-
58
9.6%
-
Scottish
2021 count
54
% of total
8.9%
Change from 2016
-3.0pp
54
8.9%
-3.0pp
Indian
2021 count
10
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-
10
1.7%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+161
-4.8pp
Australian
+133
-2.6pp
Irish
+35
-2.2pp
Scottish
+28
-3.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Farley. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Maitland (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Maitland (C)% | Count | % | Maitland (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 268 | 44.3% | 43.1% | 107 | 49.1% | 43.9% | +161 | -4.8pp |
| Australian | 217 | 35.9% | 44.3% | 84 | 38.5% | 45.6% | +133 | -2.6pp |
| Irish | 62 | 10.2% | 10.7% | 27 | 12.4% | 12.3% | +35 | -2.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 58 | 9.6% | 7.2% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Scottish | 54 | 8.9% | 10.5% | 26 | 11.9% | 10.8% | +28 | -3.0pp |
| Indian | 10 | 1.7% | 1.1% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).