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 Keith, accounting for 31.8%.

Section overview

Individual income quartiles

Keith - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises individual income quartiles for Keith in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Tatiara (DC) and change since 2016.

Individual income quartiles snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Keith, with comparison markers for Tatiara (DC).

Keith
Tatiara (DC)

Lowest group

2021 count

234

% of total

22.5%

Change from 2016

+3.1pp

Medium lowest

2021 count

330

% of total

31.8%

Change from 2016

+2.0pp

Medium highest

2021 count

309

% of total

29.8%

Change from 2016

-3.8pp

Highest group

2021 count

165

% of total

15.9%

Change from 2016

-1.3pp

Data table

Individual income quartiles for Keith. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Tatiara (DC).

Individual income quartiles for Keith. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Tatiara (DC).
Individual income quartiles for Keith. Individual income quartiles. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Tatiara (DC).
Category20212016Change
Count%Tatiara (DC)%Count%Tatiara (DC)%Countpp
Lowest group23422.5%20.0%19219.4%20.5%+42+3.1pp
Medium lowest33031.8%29.2%29529.8%28.9%+35+2.0pp
Medium highest30929.8%33.9%33233.6%34.6%-23-3.8pp
Highest group16515.9%16.9%17017.2%15.9%-5-1.3pp
Total persons aged 15+1,038100.0%100.0%989100.0%100.0%+490.0pp