Cootamundra
Indicator: Population
Results for this indicator are also available for [an error occurred while processing this directive]
What the results tell us for Cootamundra
Cootamundra Shire continued to experience a decrease in population growth. According to the 2006 Census there were 7,597 residents in the Shire with an estimated 7,527 in 2007. Since the end of the previous State of the Environment Reporting period, the population of the Shire is estimated to have decreased by 0.2% or 24 persons.
Compared with New South Wales (NSW) as a whole Cootamundra has a higher aged population, a slightly higher Indigenous population and a small increase in the proportion of persons born overseas compared which concords with a gradual increase for the State. Along with many other jurisdictions in Australia, Cootamundra council will need to consider the impacts of an ageing population on its economy, and infrastructure.
The composition of households has continued the trend noted in the 2004 report with a further reduction in the number of households comprising couples with children and a consequent increase in couples without children and also lone person households. Cootamundra’s Community Plan is committed to addressing these issues.
Population is reducing in number but growing in age
The population in Cootamundra Shire was 7,597 at the 2006 Census (Table 1). Based on the latest available ABS figures (2008), it can be seen that the population fell by 24 from 2004 to 2007. This represents an annual average negative rate of growth of -0.5% for the period, compared with 0.7% average for the Australian Capital Region for the period, and 0.8% for New South Wales as a whole. Compared with all local government areas across the state, the Shire ranked 127 out of 149 for the fastest growth and 139 out of 152 for the largest growth. Figure 1 illustrates the population for the years 2004 to 2007, showing the annual estimated residential population at 30 June for each year.
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | Population Change2004-2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7,551 | 7,587 | 7,597 | 7,527 | -24 (-0.2% p.a.) |
See About the data for Australian Bureau of Statistics comments on years 2001-2007; Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Catalogue No. 3218.0 (2008)
Figure 1. Population in Cootamundra Shire, 2004 to 2007
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Catalogue No. 3218.0 (2008)
Since the 2004 report the Shire has experienced negative growth in population but this needs to be seen in the context of the age profile. As stated in the previous report, there are fewer youth and more aged people. This trend has continued through the current reporting period. The percentage of “under 15’s” in the population dropped by 3% in the period 1996 to 2006 compared with a drop of 4.2% from 1986 to 1996. The “middle” age group decreased by 1.5% (1996-2006) as opposed to the increase of 1.4% in the earlier 10 year period. On the other hand the more senior group increased by 4.6% compared with the 3.8% increase during the earlier period. The median age as at 2006 was 43 years in Cootamundra Shire compared with the state median of 37 years. In 2001 the median was 39 with 35 for the state, and in 1996, 36 and 34 years respectively. These trends are illustrated in Table 2.
These trends are similar to those evident in other Shires in the Region and will have resultant impacts on the Shire’s healthcare, social, economic and transport needs into the future.
| Age | 1996 | 2001 | 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| <15 years | 1,763 | 23.6 | 1,622 | 22.7 | 1,475 | 20.7 |
| 15–64 years | 4,543 | 60.9 | 4,317 | 60.5 | 4,241 | 59.4 |
| 65+ years | 1,151 | 15.4 | 1,193 | 16.7 | 1,425 | 20.0 |
| Totals | 7,457 | 100 | 7,132 | 100 | 7,141 | 100 |
See About the data for Australian Bureau of Statistics comments on this table; Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile Catalogue No. 2003.0
Ethnicity and diversity
Gender
Cootamundra Shire’s population as at the 2006 Census was split 47.9% male and 52.1% female. Compared with the gender distribution for New South Wales (49.3% males to 50.7% females), the Shire’s population has a 2% bias toward females. See Figures 2 and 3 for a comparison of the gender and age distribution for the Shire and New South Wales respectively.
Figure 2. Age and sex distribution, Cootamundra Shire, 2006
Source of data: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile Catalogue No. 2003.0
Figure 3. Age and sex distribution, New South Wales, 2006
Source of data: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile Catalogue No. 2003.0
Origins
In 2006 91.3% of Cootamundra Shire’s non-Indigenous residents were born in Australia, compared with 92.1% in 2001 and 83.9% in 1996(Table 3). By comparison, New South Wales has experienced a drop of about 1% between Censuses (1996, 2001, 2006). The proportion of indigenous population for the Shire has remained stable since the last report with a drop of only 4 persons, having grown from 2.4% at the 2001 Census to 3.6% in 2006. This remains a higher percentage compared with the rest of the state (2.2%) in 2006. The ‘Born overseas’ group has increased to 5.1% in the 2006 Census from 4.2% in 2001 compared with the gradual increase(0.65%) in proportion experienced by New South Wales as a whole.
| Origin | 1996 | 2001 | 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| Indigenous persons | 178 | 2.4 | 263 | 3.7 | 259 | 3.6 |
| Born in Australia | 6,940 | 93.5 | 6,525 | 92.1 | 6,472 | 91.3 |
| Born overseas (a) | 306 | 4.1 | 298 | 4.2 | 361 | 5.1 |
| Total | 7,424 | 100 | 7,086 | 100 | 7,092 | 100 |
See About the data for notes on (a); Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile Catalogue No. 2003.0
Households and family type
In 2006, 69% of Shire residents lived in one-family households consisting of 26.5% couples with children, 31.4% couples with no children and 10.3% were one-parent families. About 27.6% of the population consisted of lone person households. (Table 4). The group with the most significant percentage drop was the “Couple family with children” group, having fallen by 7% since the 1996 Census to 26.5% whereas the percentage of households occupied by “Couple family without children” rose by 4.3% to 31.4%. This reflects the same patterns observed in NSW as a whole although the variations are slightly higher in the Shire. The Social and Community Plan should explore these patterns further and identify whether there are emerging social planning issues for the Shire.
| Household composition | 1996 Census | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwellings | % | Dwellings | % | Dwellings | % | |
| One family household: | ||||||
| Couple family with children | 958 | 33.4 | 845 | 29.7 | 778 | 26.5 |
| Couple family without children | 777 | 27.1 | 830 | 29.1 | 923 | 31.4 |
| One parent family | 301 | 10.5 | 291 | 10.2 | 301 | 10.3 |
| Other family | 29 | 1.0 | 26 | 0.9 | 24 | 0.8 |
| Total | 2,065 | 72.00 | 1,992 | 69.9 | 2,026 | 69.0 |
| Miscellaneous households: | ||||||
| Group household | 56 | 1.9 | 52 | 1.8 | 51 | 1.7 |
| Lone person household | 702 | 24.5 | 761 | 26.7 | 809 | 27.6 |
| Other household (c) | 45 | 1.6 | 44 | 1.5 | 49 | 1.7 |
| Total | 2,868 | 100 | 2,849 | 100 | 2,935 | 100 |
For notes on (a), (b) and (c) see About the data; Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile, Catalogue No. 2003.0
Where people are working and what they are earning
The agriculture, forestry and fishing industry continues as the highest employer as at the 2006 census at 11.8% but has fallen from 16.3% in 2001. This is still significantly higher than the level for the state as a whole (2.7%) employed in this industry. The drop over the last 5 years is likely contributable to the drought and it’s affect on this Shire which relies heavily on employment in this sector.
Employment in the retail sector remains stable and is the second highest employer at 11.5% as at the 2006 Census. This mirrors the state as a whole with 11.1% of employment in this industry. However employment in the manufacturing sector as experienced a 2.6% increase which is the largest increase over the 5 years (2001 to 2006). Conversely, for the state as a whole employment in this sector has fallen 1.4% to 9.6% in 2006 compared with 2001.
The Health care and social assistance sector has experienced a 2% increase in employment levels from the 2001 to 2006 census (9.3% to 11.3% respectively).
| Industry of employment (a) | 1996 Census | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons | % | Persons | % | Persons | % | |
| Agriculture, forestry & fishing | 367 | 13.0 | 461 | 16.3 | 332 | 11.8 |
| Mining | 5 | 0.2 | 3 | 0.1 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Manufacturing | 301 | 10.7 | 232 | 8.2 | 305 | 10.8 |
| Electricity, gas, water & waste services | 19 | 0.7 | 30 | 1.1 | 29 | 1.0 |
| Construction | 116 | 4.1 | 152 | 5.4 | 166 | 5.9 |
| Wholesale trade | 165 | 5.8 | 145 | 5.1 | 88 | 3.1 |
| Retail trade | 307 | 10.9 | 329 | 11.7 | 323 | 11.5 |
| Accommodation & food services | 134 | 4.7 | 174 | 6.2 | 176 | 6.25 |
| Transport, postal & warehousing | 283 | 10.0 | 245 | 8.7 | 242 | 8.6 |
| Information media & telecommunications | 45 | 1.6 | 22 | 0.8 | 19 | 0.7 |
| Financial & insurance services | 61 | 2.2 | 54 | 1.9 | 45 | 1.6 |
| Rental, hiring & real estate services | 26 | 0.9 | 32 | 1.1 | 26 | 0.9 |
| Professional, scientific & technical services | 84 | 3.0 | 93 | 3.3 | 132 | 4.7 |
| Administrative & support services | 54 | 1.9 | 72 | 2.5 | 65 | 2.3 |
| Public administration & safety | 162 | 5.7 | 134 | 4.7 | 152 | 5.4 |
| Education & training | 212 | 7.5 | 204 | 7.2 | 220 | 7.8 |
| Health care & social assistance | 289 | 10.2 | 261 | 9.3 | 318 | 11.3 |
| Arts & recreation services | 13 | 0.5 | 17 | 0.6 | 18 | 0.6 |
| Other services | 111 | 3.9 | 109 | 3.9 | 109 | 3.9 |
| Inadequately described/Not stated | 67 | 2.4 | 53 | 1.9 | 44 | 1.6 |
| Total | 2,821 | 100 | 2,822 | 100 | 2,814 | 100 |
For notes on (a) see About the data; Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile, Catalogue No. 2003.0
The Median Individual Income for the Cootamundra Shire as at 30 June 2006 was $361 per week compared with $460 for New South Wales, and the Median Household Income was $659 ($1,034 for the state).
About the data
Data for this indicator were sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Data for Table 1— Estimated Residential Population Australian Bureau of Statistics Catalogue No. 3218.0. Years 2004-2006 are preliminary rebased figures, whereas 2007 figures are preliminary. The figure for 2004 was only preliminary at the time of writing the 2004 State of the Environment Report; therefore it has now been revised. As explained in the Extract from Explanatory Notes, Australian Bureau of Statistics—Catalogue No. 3218.0 (2008), ‘To meet the conflicting demands for accuracy and timeliness there are several versions of sub-state/territory population estimates. Preliminary estimates are normally available nine months after the reference date (i.e. March), revised estimates twelve months later and rebased and final estimates after the following census.' Estimated population is preliminary rebased for 2002 to 2006, based on results of the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, and preliminary for 2007. At the time of writing, final 2006 Census-based estimates for 2002 to 2006, together with the first revision of 2007 were not yet available.
Data for Table 2 – Selected Person Characteristics: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Time Series Profile (T01), Catalogue No. 2003.0, Commonwealth of Australia, 2006.
Data for Table 3 – Selected Person Characteristics: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Time Series Profile (T01), Catalogue No. 2003.0, Commonwealth of Australia, 2006, (a) Includes 'Australian External Territories', 'Inadequately described', 'At sea' and 'Not elsewhere classified'.
Data for Table 4 —Dwelling Structure by Household Composition and Family Composition: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Time Series Profile (T14), Catalogue No. 2003.0, Commonwealth of Australia, 2006 (a) The 'Household Composition' variable replaced 'Household Type', which was used in 1996 and 2001; (b) The 'Family Composition' variable replaced 'Family Type', which was used in 1996 and 2001; (c) Comprises 'Visitors only' and 'Other not classifiable' households.
Data for Table 5 — Industry types in Cootamundra Shire: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Time Series Profile (T25), Catalogue No. 2003.0, Commonwealth of Australia, 2006. (a) Industry of employment was coded to the 2006 Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) edition. This has replaced the 1993 ANZSIC edition.
Population density is calculated by dividing the estimated residential population at 2004 into the size of the whole council area minus conservation lands and state forests because few, if any, people live in those areas of land use.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007) Regional Population Growth, Australia, 1996 to 2006, Catalogue No. 3218.0 — ‘Estimated Residential Population—30 June ', Commonwealth of Australia, http://www.abs.gov.au/
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008) Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2006-07, Catalogue No. 3218.0 — ‘Population Estimates by Local Government Area, 2001 to 2007 — 30 June', Commonwealth of Australia, http://www.abs.gov.au/
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006) Time Series Profile, Catalogue No. 2003.0, Commonwealth of Australia, http://www.abs.gov.au/
