Yass Valley
Indicator: Population
Results for this indicator are also available for [an error occurred while processing this directive]
What the results tell us for Yass Valley
Yass Valley Council has experienced a relatively stable population over the reporting period. According to the 2006 Census there were 13,747 residents in the council with an estimated 14,112 in 2007. Since the end of the previous state of the environment peporting period, the population of the Council area is estimated to have increased by 2.3% or 896 persons.
Compared with New South Wales (NSW) as a whole, Yass Valley has a slightly higher rate of increase of aged persons, a lower Indigenous population and a small increase in the proportion of persons born overseas. Along with many other jurisdictions in Australia, Yass Valley Council will need to consider the future 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. These are similar to trends observed in other councils and for the state as a whole.
Population is growing in number and ageing slowly
The population in Yass Valley was 14,112 at the 2007 Census (Table 1). Based on the latest available Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures (2008), it can be seen that the population rose by 896 persons since 2004. This represents an annual average rate of growth of 2.3% for the period, compared with 0.7% average for the Australian Capital Region for the period, and 0.8% for NSW. Compared with all local government areas across the state, the Yass Valley ranked 6 out of 149 for the fastest growth and 56 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13,216 | 13,441 | 13,747 | 14,112 | 896 (2.3% 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 growth, Yass Valley Local Government Area, 2004 to 2007
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Catalogue No. 3218.0 (2008)
Since the 2004 report Yass Valley has experienced a growth in population. Examining this in the context of the age profile, it can be seen that the trend of decreasing youth noted in the last report has continued in this reporting period, but the decline has slowed, only falling 0.3% since 2001 and 1.5% in the 10 year period since 1996. However, the actual number of persons under 15 years has risen from 2,575 to 2,958. The “middle” age group remained relatively static in percentage terms with only a 0.1% rise (1996-2006), but as with the under 15 age group the real numbers actually increased. The proportion of the population aged 65+ increased by 1.4% since the 1996 census.
For the whole of NSW over the 1996-2006 period, a fall of 1.6% was observed for the under 15 age group, a 0.5% increase in the “middle” age group and a 1.1% increase in the over 65 age bracket. Comparing these variations to those in Yass Valley it can be seen that similarities are evident, with the local government area (LGA) experiencing a lower reduction in the youth age bracket than the state as a whole.
The median age as at 2006 was 39 years in Yass Valley compared with the state median of 37 years. In 2001 the median was 38 with 35 for the state, and in 1996, 35 and 34 years respectively. Percentages and figures are illustrated in Table 2.
This trend of an increasing median age has also been observed in other shires in the Region and will have resultant impacts on the LGA’s healthcare, social, economic and transport needs into the future.
| Age | 1996 | 2001 | 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| <15 years | 2,575 | 24.0 | 2,598 | 22.8 | 2,958 | 22.5 |
| 15–64 years | 6,970 | 65.1 | 7,471 | 65.7 | 8,589 | 65.2 |
| 65+ years | 1,163 | 10.9 | 1,311 | 11.5 | 1,618 | 12.3 |
| Totals | 10,708 | 100 | 11,380 | 100 | 13,165 | 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
Yass Valley’s population as at the 2006 Census was 49.9% male and 50.1% female. Compared with the gender distribution for New South Wales (49.3% males to 50.7% females), the LGA population is similar when compared to the trend observed in the state and most other LGA's. See Figures 2 and 3 for a comparison of the gender and age distribution for the LGA and NSW respectively.
Figure 2. Age and sex distribution, Yass Valley Local Government Area, 2006
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile Catalogue No. 2003.0
Figure 3. Age and sex distribution, New South Wales, 2006
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile Catalogue No. 2003.0
Origins
In 2006 87.1% of Yass Valley’s non-Indigenous residents were born in Australia, compared with 87.7% in 2001 and 88.1% in 1996 (Table 3). By comparison, New South Wales has experienced a drop of about 1% between Censuses (1996, 2001, and 2006). The proportion of Indigenous population for the Council area has increased since the last report to 1.9% from 1.8% in 2001 and 1.5% in 1996. This remains a lower percentage compared with the rest of the State (2.2%) in 2006. The “Born overseas” group has increased by 0.5% to 11% in the 2006 Census from 10.5% in 2001 compared with the gradual increase (0.65%) in proportion experienced by New South Wales as a whole.
| Origin | 1996 Census | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| Indigenous persons | 158 | 1.5 | 195 | 1.8 | 245 | 1.9 |
| Born in Australia | 9,360 | 88.1 | 9,734 | 87.7 | 11,085 | 87.1 |
| Born overseas (a) | 1,105 | 10.4 | 1,166 | 10.5 | 1,402 | 11.0 |
| Total | 10,623 | 100 | 11,095 | 100 | 12,732 | 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, 75% of council residents lived in one-family households consisting of 35.8% couples with children, 30.7% couples with no children and 8% were one-parent families. About 19.7% 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 3.7% since the 1996 Census whereas the percentage of households occupied by “Couple family without children” rose by 2.7%. This is similar to trends observed in other LGAs and the state as a whole indicative of couples choosing not to have children at all or delaying starting a family. The Social 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 | 1,533 | 39.5 | 1,533 | 36.5 | 1,731 | 35.8 |
| Couple family without children | 1,087 | 28.0 | 1,257 | 29.9 | 1,482 | 30.7 |
| One parent family | 310 | 8.0 | 353 | 8.4 | 388 | 8.0 |
| Other family | 38 | 0.9 | 27 | 0.6 | 25 | 0.5 |
| Total | 2,968 | 76.4 | 3,170 | 75.4 | 3,626 | 75.0 |
| Miscellaneous households: | ||||||
| Group household | 79 | 2.0 | 79 | 1.9 | 79 | 1.6 |
| Lone person household | 761 | 19.6 | 849 | 20.2 | 950 | 19.7 |
| Other household (c) | 72 | 1.9 | 107 | 2.5 | 178 | 3.7 |
| Total | 3,880 | 100 | 4,205 | 100 | 4,833 | 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 public administration and safety sector is the highest employer in the Yass Valley at the 2006 Census at 16.4%, increasing 3.8% since the 2001 census (Table 5). Compared with the state as a whole where this sector represented 6% of employment as at the 2006 Census, this indicates the importance of this sector to the LGA’s employment levels.
The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector is the second highest employer at 10.2% as at the 2006 Census although falling 3.6% since the 2001 Census. This fall is attributable to the affects of the drought in this region and the importance of this sector to employment levels in the shire. The state as a whole also experienced a fall in employment in this sector of 0.7%.
The construction sector represented 9.5% of the workforce in 2006 which is also the sector with the largest increase (2%) since 2001 and compares with 7.3% for the state as a whole.
| Industry of employment (a) | 1996 Census | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons | % | Persons | % | Persons | % | |
| Agriculture, forestry & fishing | 762 | 14.8 | 792 | 13.8 | 689 | 10.2 |
| Mining | 17 | 0.3 | 11 | 0.2 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Manufacturing | 175 | 3.4 | 240 | 4.2 | 231 | 3.4 |
| Electricity, gas, water & waste services | 113 | 2.2 | 110 | 1.9 | 113 | 1.7 |
| Construction | 338 | 6.6 | 430 | 7.5 | 640 | 9.5 |
| Wholesale trade | 168 | 3.3 | 161 | 2.8 | 150 | 2.2 |
| Retail trade | 446 | 8.7 | 522 | 9.1 | 613 | 9.0 |
| Accommodation & food services | 329 | 6.4 | 425 | 7.4 | 455 | 6.7 |
| Transport, postal & warehousing | 244 | 4.7 | 202 | 3.5 | 233 | 3.4 |
| Information media & telecommunications | 173 | 3.4 | 122 | 2.1 | 106 | 1.6 |
| Financial & insurance services | 100 | 1.9 | 101 | 1.8 | 101 | 1.5 |
| Rental, hiring & real estate services | 79 | 1.5 | 92 | 1.6 | 95 | 1.4 |
| Professional, scientific & technical services | 304 | 5.9 | 414 | 7.2 | 528 | 7.8 |
| Administrative & support services | 91 | 1.8 | 142 | 2.5 | 136 | 2.0 |
| Public administration & safety | 647 | 12.6 | 694 | 12.1 | 1,109 | 16.4 |
| Education & training | 376 | 7.3 | 423 | 7.4 | 504 | 7.5 |
| Health care & social assistance | 382 | 7.4 | 445 | 7.8 | 609 | 9.0 |
| Arts & recreation services | 62 | 1.2 | 69 | 1.2 | 69 | 1.0 |
| Other services | 208 | 4.0 | 215 | 3.8 | 202 | 3.0 |
| Inadequately described/Not stated | 122 | 2.4 | 112 | 1.9 | 174 | 2.6 |
| Total | 5,136 | 100 | 5,722 | 100 | 6,765 | 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 Yass Valley Council as at 30 June 2006 was $553 per week compared with $460 for New South Wales, and the Median Household Income was $1,164 ($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 Yass Valley Local Government Area: 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.
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/
