National Skip to main content Archived content. This page is no longer actively maintained and may not function as intended. For the latest information and statistics visit the ABS Website. Australian Bureau of Statistics Search for: Submit search query: MENU Statistics Census Participating in a survey About 'Typical' Australian National New South Wales Victoria Queensland South Australia Western Australia Tasmania Northern Territory Australian Capital Territory Census reveals the typical Australian (Media Release) NATIONAL Who was the typical Australian in 2016? Thanks to the 2016 Census, we know that the typical Australian is a 38 year old female. Lets call her Claire. A decade ago, the typical Australian would have been a year younger. Australias population has changed a lot over the past 105 years in 1911, when the first Census was taken, the typical Aussie was a 24 year old male, but women have outnumbered men since 1979. The typical Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person is also female, but shes younger: 23 years old, in fact. Looking across the country, the Census tells us the typical Australian male or female was born in Australia, has English ancestry and parents also born in Australia. But there are plenty of local differences. For example, a typical person from New South Wales, Victoria or Western Australia has at least one parent who was born overseas. Want to know more? The Census also tells us the typical Aussie is married with two children, completed Year 12 and lives in a three bedroom house with two motor vehicles. Men are from Maroochydore, women are from Werombi How about the differences between Australian males and females? The typical Aussie male is 37 years old and spends less than five hours a week on domestic work. The typical Aussie female is 38 years old and spends between five and 14 hours a week on domestic work. The typical Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander female is 24 years old, which is two years older than the typical Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander male. How we live now, as opposed to then The typical Australian lives in a three-bedroom house. However, the typical Western Australian has a bit more space, living in a four-bedroom house. This was the case in 2011 and 2006 as well. In 2016, the typical Australian home is owned with a mortgage, but location makes a difference. The typical Tasmanian home is owned outright, while the typical Northern Territory home is rented. In 2006, the typical Aussie home was owned outright. Where was the typical migrant born? Australia has a growing proportion of people who were born overseas. The typical migrant in Australia was born in England and is 44 years old (a change from 46 years old a decade ago). There are differences between the states. The typical migrant in Queensland was born in New Zealand. In Victoria, theyre born in India. And in New South Wales, its China. Were an eclectic lot While the Census provides plenty of info on the typical Australian, it also shows were a big, diverse community. Theres nothing typical about Australians. The 'Typical' Australian Median Age 38 Sex (Mode) Female Country of Birth of Person (Mode) Australia Country of Birth of Parents (Mode) Both parents born in Australia Language Spoken at Home (Mode) English Ancestry 1st Response (Mode) English Social Marital Status (Mode) Married in a registered marriage Family Composition (Mode) Couple family with children Count of All Children in Family (Mode) Two children in family Highest Year of School Completed (Mode) Year 12 or equivalent Unpaid Domestic Work: Number of Hours (Mode) 5 to 14 hours Number of Motor Vehicles (Mode) Two vehicles Number of Bedrooms in Private Dwelling (Mode) Three bedrooms Tenure Type (Dwelling Count) (Mode) Owned with a mortgage Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people Median Age 23 Sex (Mode) Female Persons born overseas Median Age 44 Sex (Mode) Female Country of Birth of Person (Mode) England Language Spoken at Home (Mode) English Note: The mode is the most commonly occurring value in a distribution. Statements of typical age in this release are median values. The median is the middle value in distribution when the values are arranged in ascending or descending order. The most common response for each data item is calculated independently. For example, if the 'typical' person is male and the 'typical' person does 5-14 hours of unpaid domestic work per week, this does not imply that the 'typical' male does 5-14 hours of unpaid domestic work per week. No detailed Census data will be issued with this information. Datasets for the above characteristics will be released as part of the main release of 2016 Census data on Tuesday, 27 June 2017. This page last updated 9 December 2022 Archived content. This page is no longer actively maintained and may not function as intended. For the latest information and statistics visit the ABS Website. Creative commons Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Accessibility Staff login