Population Composition by Age and Sex

Across Ashburton(S), the proportion of males between the ages of 25 and 59 and females between the ages of 25 and 34 are inordinately higher than the state proportion. This may be due to the resources activity in the region attracting a larger number of working age persons, with the proportion employed in the mining industry increasing to 47.2% of the working population in 2006, from 29.5% ten years before. In contrast, the proportion of 10 to 19 year olds of both sexes is significantly lower than the state average.

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Population Composition by Sex

All Pilbara LGAs showed higher populations of males than females in all years. In general, the male population was more mobile than the female population, showing greater fluctuation between Census years.

In Ashburton(S) the male to female ratio fell between 1996 and 2001, but climbed again between 2001 and 2006, with the latest Census results displaying over 150 males to every 100 females.

Population Composition by Age

In Ashburton(S), as with all LGAs in the Pilbara, 30 – 44 year olds were the largest population group in each Census year. The 30 – 44 and 45 – 64 age groups showed the greatest increases from 1996 through to 2006. The 65+ age group remained relatively static throughout, showing small increases from 1996 to 2006.

The most striking development over the last ten years has been the changing composition of the more mature aged section of the population, with those aged 45 to 64 making up a consistently larger component.    

Major Ancestry Groups

In Ashburton(S), the two largest ancestry groups were Australian and English. As with all LGA’s across the Pilbara, the number of people with Scottish ancestry rose significantly between 2001 and 2006.

(In the above table, Australian is comprised of ‘Australian’ and ‘Aboriginal Australian’ as listed in the Census Time Series Profile. New Zealander is comprised of ‘New Zealander’ and ‘Maori’ as listed in the Census Time Series Profile)

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