# Cairns - Atherton vs Geraldton — 2021 Census comparison

Indigenous Region comparison · about 2,900 km apart

Cairns - Atherton and Geraldton are both large regional areas, but they differ sharply in their First Nations populations. Cairns - Atherton has a far larger First Nations community, with 28,466 people compared to 6,114 in Geraldton. In Cairns - Atherton, First Nations language is spoken by 22.1% of people, which is far higher than the 7.7% in Geraldton. Educational outcomes also differ, as Year 12 completion for First Nations students is far higher in Cairns - Atherton at 41.4% than the 26.0% in Geraldton.

Both areas sit around the national figure for First Nations unemployment, which is exactly 18.2% in both places. They also share similar accessibility, with about 76% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a park and walkability scores that are nearly identical. While Geraldton has a far higher share of homes near public transport, Cairns - Atherton has more homes within walking distance of groceries.

## First Nations

| Statistic | Cairns - Atherton | Geraldton | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| First Nations people | 28,466 | 6,114 | 22,352 larger in Cairns - Atherton |  |
| Median age | 24 yrs | 26 yrs | 2 yrs older in Geraldton |  |
| Year 12 | 41.4% | 26.0% | 15.3 pts higher in Cairns - Atherton |  |
| Unemployment | 18.2% | 18.2% |  |  |
| Median income | $503 | $464 | $39 higher in Cairns - Atherton |  |
| Household income | $1,338 | $1,207 | $131 higher in Cairns - Atherton |  |
| Indigenous language | 22.1% | 7.7% | 14.4 pts higher in Cairns - Atherton |  |

## Walkability

| Statistic | Cairns - Atherton | Geraldton | Gap | Trend |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Walk score | 4.0 | 3.9 | 0.1 higher in Cairns - Atherton |  |
| Types ≤15 min | 3.9 | 4.0 | 0.0 more in Geraldton |  |
| 15-min city | 46.9% | 48.4% | 1.5 pts higher in Geraldton |  |
| Walk to shops | 48.9% | 44.7% | 4.2 pts higher in Cairns - Atherton |  |
| Walk to transit | 46.8% | 59.5% | 12.8 pts higher in Geraldton |  |
| Walk to school | 48.1% | 51.2% | 3.1 pts higher in Geraldton |  |
| Walk to a park | 76.0% | 76.7% | 0.7 pts higher in Geraldton |  |
| Walk to health | 33.9% | 41.8% | 7.8 pts higher in Geraldton |  |
| Intersections/km² | 0 | 0 |  |  |
| Mean slope | 5.9% | 4.5% | 1.4 pts higher in Cairns - Atherton |  |

Interactive comparison: https://censusatlas.au/compare/ireg/IREG309/cairns-atherton/vs/IREG502/geraldton