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 highest income quartile held the largest share among residents aged 15 and over in Clapham, accounting for 35.5%.

Section overview

Individual income quartiles

Clapham - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises individual income quartiles for Clapham in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mitcham (C) and change since 2016.

Individual income quartiles snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Clapham, with comparison markers for Mitcham (C).

Clapham
Mitcham (C)

Lowest group

2021 count

282

% of total

22.0%

Change from 2016

-1.5pp

Medium lowest

2021 count

256

% of total

20.0%

Change from 2016

-1.3pp

Medium highest

2021 count

289

% of total

22.5%

Change from 2016

-1.0pp

Highest group

2021 count

456

% of total

35.5%

Change from 2016

+3.9pp

Data table

Individual income quartiles for Clapham. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mitcham (C).

Individual income quartiles for Clapham. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mitcham (C).
Individual income quartiles for Clapham. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mitcham (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Mitcham (C)%Count%Mitcham (C)%Countpp
Lowest group28222.0%23.0%29723.5%23.3%-15-1.5pp
Medium lowest25620.0%23.7%26921.3%23.1%-13-1.3pp
Medium highest28922.5%23.0%29723.5%22.9%-8-1.0pp
Highest group45635.5%30.3%39931.6%30.7%+57+3.9pp
Total persons aged 15+1,283100.0%100.0%1,262100.0%100.0%+210.0pp