Level of socio-economic disadvantage
SEIFA (Socio-Economic Indexes For Areas) is a suite of four summary measures that have been created by the Australian Bureau of Statistics from 2006 Census information. The indexes can be used to explore different aspects of socio-economic conditions for different geographic areas. For each index, every geographic area in Australia is given a SEIFA number which shows how disadvantaged that area is compared with other areas in Australia or within a State.
Each index summarises a different aspect of the socio-economic conditions of people living in an area. They each summarise a different set of social and economic information. The indexes provide more general measures of socio-economic welfare than simply measuring specific indicators such as income or unemployment.
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Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas, Ashburton(S)
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Ranking within WA
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Score
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Rank
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Decile
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Percentile
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Relative Advantage & Disadvantage
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1023
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122
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9
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86
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Relative Disadvantage
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1033
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120
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9
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84
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Economic Resources
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1005
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77
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6
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54
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Education & Occupation
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934
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24
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2
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17
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Source: SEIFA, ABS
Ashburton(S) ranked highly across the State when looking at the socio-economic index for advantage and disadvantage, positioned in the top 20 of all local governments (ranking of 1 being the lowest and 142 the highest).
That ranking has remained relatively constant when narrowing the measures to look specifically at the economic and social measures of disadvantage, where resources and services available to people and households within the area are considered. Ashburton(S) was ranked 120th, the highest ranked local government area within the Pilbara.
The index of economic resources looks at a wide range of factors including household income, expenditure (e.g. rents) and wealth. While median incomes in Ashburton(S) are high in relation to the rest of the State, the high cost of living mean that the town is ranked 77th in the State.
Ashburton(S) ranks well down against the rest of the State for the index of education and occupation. This index takes into consideration the mix of occupations and qualifications required in the workforce, as well as the level of unemployment.
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Distribution of income
Between 2001 and 2006, household incomes in the upper echelons ($1200 - $1999 and $2000 per week) increased dramatically. In particular, the number of households earning over $2000 a week rose from 104 to 699. Notably the population has not changed much over the same period for Ashburton(S).
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