Fancy Woollahra? Check out what you would need

Have you ever wondered what kind of income it takes to live in an upmarket, leafy suburb like, say Woollahra?

Or just what people in struggle city, like Wollondilly, on Sydney’s fringes have to get by on?

Well, with a little help from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, we can help you there.

Take Walter, of Woollahra, for example.

He’s the average wage earner, in that very refined Sydney harbourside suburb.

And his wage, back in 2005-06, was $1,419 a week, or $73,811.

But what about his distant cousin, Wally, who also happens to be an average wage earner, in Wollondilly.

His pay packet, back then, recorded a total weekly wage of $802, or roughly $41,733 a year,

The picture is broadly similar for small business operators in the two suburbs.

The average annual income, for the unincorporated business owner in Woollahra, at that time, was $64,932.

In Wollondilly, the comparable figure was $17,615.

What, though, about those with investment income?

In Woollahra, the average investment income, for those who have investments, was $49,169 a year.

In Wollondilli, though, the comparable figure was $4,737.

And what about superannuants and those living on annuities?

In Woollahra, their average income at that time was $61,421.

In Wollondilli, it was $24,282.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, Woollahra and Wollondilli weren’t the only suburbs, towns or regions that the Statistician studied.

The Bureau has done all of them, right throughout Australia, for all financial years, from 2001-02 to 2005-06.

In Statistician’s talk, this information is contained in 10 “data cubes.”

That is, really big computer files. You can see them at www.abs.gov.au.

The data we have used was contained in the Bureau’s Estimates of Personal Income for Small Areas 2001-02 to 2005-06.
Nothing like this has been produced in Australia before – and this publication is a mammoth achievement.

The Australia Tax Office helped with the data.

But it came at a personal price.

So if you see a cross-eyed person on your bus or train tomorrow, please treat him – or her – kindly.

They will probably be from the  Bureau.