Compare

Alice Springs vs Central Desert

Name: Alice Springs vs Central Desert — 2021 Census comparison
Creator: Australian Bureau of Statistics
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Council (LGA) comparison ≈ 387 km apart · Alice Springs profile · Central Desert profile

Alice Springs Central Desert

Alice Springs and Central Desert are two distinct parts of the Northern Territory located nearly 400km apart. Alice Springs is a larger hub with a higher typical weekly household income of $2,142 and a more qualified workforce, where 27.2% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher. In contrast, Central Desert is more sparsely populated and has a much stronger First Nations presence, with 79.2% of residents identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander compared to 20.6% in Alice Springs. This is also reflected in language, as 92.2% of people in Central Desert speak a First Nations language, which is far higher than the 36.5% in Alice Springs.

Both areas share a similar dry environment with nearly identical annual rainfall of around 270mm. While they are alike in this way, many other gaps have widened since 2011. The difference in typical weekly incomes and the share of people who completed Year 12 have both increased. At the same time, the gap in the proportion of First Nations people and those using a language other than English at home has narrowed.

Open map →

Where they differ most

First Nations: 58.6 pts higher in Central Desert Other language: 51.7 pts higher in Central Desert Year 12: 36.2 pts higher in Alice Springs Renting: 28.7 pts higher in Central Desert Separate houses: 26.0 pts higher in Central Desert

Demographics & Identity

Population in Alice Springs in Central Desert +22,321 larger in Alice Springs gap steady

25,912 63rd pct 3,591 29th pct

Median age in Alice Springs in Central Desert +6 yrs older in Alice Springs gap steady

34 yrs 12th pct 28 yrs 2nd pct

Age structure

34.3% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +3.8 pts 30.5%

20.8% Children (0–14) +6.0 pts ▸ 26.9%

24.6% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +5.2 pts 19.4%

10.7% Youth (15–24) +6.4 pts ▸ 17.1%

9.6% Seniors (65+) ◂ +3.6 pts 6.0%

Marital status

46.5% Never married ◂ +0.8 pts 45.7%

39.2% Married +2.1 pts ▸ 41.3%

7.6% Divorced ◂ +3.2 pts 4.5%

3.0% Widowed +1.6 pts ▸ 4.6%

3.6% Separated +0.4 pts ▸ 4.0%

Age & sex structure

Alice Springs Central Desert

Bars show the share of each area's own population, so differently sized areas stay comparable.

Ancestry & Birthplace

Country of birth

67.1% Australia +22.0 pts ▸ 89.1%

3.7% India ◂ +3.5 pts 0.3%

3.2% New Zealand ◂ +2.5 pts 0.7%

2.4% England ◂ +1.9 pts 0.5%

2.3% Philippines ◂ +2.1 pts 0.2%

0.8% Nepal ◂ +0.8 pts 0.0%

0.7% China ◂ +0.6 pts 0.1%

0.6% South Africa ◂ +0.5 pts 0.1%

0.3% Vietnam ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%

0.3% Italy ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%

Ancestry

26.9% English ◂ +20.7 pts 6.2%

26.1% Australian ◂ +20.0 pts 6.1%

9.2% Irish ◂ +7.3 pts 1.9%

7.6% Scottish ◂ +6.0 pts 1.5%

5.1% German ◂ +3.9 pts 1.2%

3.6% Indian ◂ +3.4 pts 0.2%

2.8% Filipino ◂ +2.6 pts 0.2%

2.3% Italian ◂ +2.0 pts 0.4%

2.1% Chinese ◂ +1.6 pts 0.5%

1.5% Dutch ◂ +1.1 pts 0.4%

0.4% Vietnamese ◂ +0.4 pts 0.0%

0.4% Greek ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

Language

Language used at home

68.1% English only ◂ +52.3 pts 15.8%

1.6% Punjabi ◂ +1.5 pts 0.1%

1.1% Tagalog ◂ +1.1 pts 0.0%

1.0% Mandarin ◂ +0.7 pts 0.3%

0.7% Hindi ◂ +0.6 pts 0.1%

0.4% Arabic ◂ +0.4 pts 0.0%

0.4% Vietnamese ◂ +0.4 pts 0.0%

0.3% Italian ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%

0.3% Cantonese ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%

0.1% Greek ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Religion

Religious affiliation

41.0% Christianity +24.5 pts ▸ 65.5%

42.9% No religion ◂ +22.4 pts 20.5%

9.0% Not stated +3.1 pts ▸ 12.1%

2.4% Hinduism ◂ +2.2 pts 0.3%

2.0% Other religions ◂ +1.0 pts 1.0%

1.5% Buddhism ◂ +1.2 pts 0.3%

1.0% Islam ◂ +0.8 pts 0.2%

0.2% Judaism ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Schools in Alice Springs in Central Desert +6 more in Alice Springs

18 71st pct 12 57th pct

Schools/1k kids in Alice Springs in Central Desert +9.10 more in Central Desert

3.33 45th pct 12.44 88th pct

Students in Alice Springs in Central Desert +3,978 more in Alice Springs

4,687 64th pct 709 32nd pct

Avg size in Alice Springs in Central Desert +201 larger in Alice Springs

260 55th pct 59 10th pct

ICSEA in Alice Springs in Central Desert +320 higher in Alice Springs

932 27th pct 612 0th pct

Highest year of school

55.5% Year 12 ◂ +36.2 pts 19.2%

10.1% Year 9 or below +26.0 pts ▸ 36.1%

14.8% Year 10 +6.6 pts ▸ 21.4%

11.0% Year 11 +0.2 pts ▸ 11.2%

Highest qualification level

26.1% Bachelor degree ◂ +14.5 pts 11.6%

25.8% Certificate III / IV ◂ +4.1 pts 21.8%

12.8% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +6.3 pts 6.5%

11.0% Postgraduate degree ◂ +6.9 pts 4.2%

1.8% Certificate I / II +3.7 pts ▸ 5.5%

4.6% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +2.9 pts 1.7%

Field of qualification

15.5% Health ◂ +9.9 pts 5.7%

14.9% Management & commerce ◂ +7.4 pts 7.6%

14.8% Society & culture ◂ +5.5 pts 9.3%

11.2% Engineering & related ◂ +2.9 pts 8.3%

8.1% Education +1.8 pts ▸ 9.9%

5.3% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +3.5 pts 1.8%

1.9% Agriculture & environment +2.6 pts ▸ 4.5%

4.2% Architecture & building ◂ +1.7 pts 2.5%

3.1% Creative arts +0.4 pts ▸ 3.5%

2.1% Natural & physical sciences even 2.1%

1.8% Information technology ◂ +1.8 pts 0.0%

Income

Personal income in Alice Springs in Central Desert +$859 higher in Alice Springs gap widening

$1,131 89th pct $272 0th pct

Household income in Alice Springs in Central Desert +$1,020 higher in Alice Springs gap widening

$2,142 88th pct $1,122 16th pct

Family income in Alice Springs in Central Desert +$1,849 higher in Alice Springs gap widening

$2,484 87th pct $635 0th pct

Household income distribution

20.0% $650–$1,499 +14.9 pts ▸ 35.0%

32.1% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +4.1 pts 28.0%

10.5% Under $650 +12.7 pts ▸ 23.2%

14.4% $4,000 or more ◂ +12.5 pts 1.8%

13.2% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +11.1 pts 2.1%

Personal income distribution

27.7% Under $650 +39.9 pts ▸ 67.6%

32.8% $650–$1,499 ◂ +21.8 pts 11.0%

26.3% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +18.8 pts 7.5%

4.8% $3,000 or more ◂ +3.6 pts 1.2%

Health & Disability

Long-term health conditions reported

5.0% Diabetes +5.2 pts ▸ 10.2%

6.8% Asthma ◂ +3.7 pts 3.1%

6.6% Other condition ◂ +2.9 pts 3.7%

6.0% Mental health ◂ +4.2 pts 1.8%

4.9% Arthritis ◂ +3.1 pts 1.8%

2.9% Heart disease +1.3 pts ▸ 4.2%

1.8% Cancer ◂ +1.5 pts 0.3%

1.1% Lung condition ◂ +0.3 pts 0.9%

0.7% Stroke ◂ +0.4 pts 0.3%

0.5% Dementia ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%

Number of long-term health conditions

68.7% None +1.8 pts ▸ 70.5%

16.0% One condition ◂ +1.1 pts 14.9%

4.0% Two conditions ◂ +0.5 pts 3.5%

2.1% Three or more ◂ +1.3 pts 0.7%

Community Participation

First Nations

First Nations people in Alice Springs in Central Desert +2,500 larger in Alice Springs

5,343 88th pct 2,843 86th pct

Median age in Alice Springs in Central Desert +2 yrs older in Alice Springs

27 yrs 64th pct 25 yrs 50th pct

Median income in Alice Springs in Central Desert +$211 higher in Alice Springs

$452 21st pct $241 0th pct

Household income in Alice Springs in Central Desert +$502 higher in Alice Springs

$1,355 48th pct $853 7th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Alice Springs in Central Desert +1.5 larger in Central Desert gap narrowing

2.6 79th pct 4.1 100th pct

Family composition

56.5% Couples with children ◂ +1.1 pts 55.4%

17.5% One-parent families +9.2 pts ▸ 26.8%

24.5% Couples without children ◂ +10.1 pts 14.4%

1.5% Other families +1.8 pts ▸ 3.4%

Household size

4.5% 6 or more +26.1 pts ▸ 30.6%

29.8% 2 people ◂ +12.7 pts 17.1%

27.1% 1 person ◂ +7.2 pts 19.9%

17.5% 3 people ◂ +7.4 pts 10.1%

14.5% 4 people ◂ +4.9 pts 9.7%

6.6% 5 people +5.3 pts ▸ 11.9%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Alice Springs in Central Desert +$300 higher in Alice Springs gap widening

$375 82nd pct $75 0th pct

Mortgage in Alice Springs in Central Desert +$1,302 higher in Alice Springs gap widening

$1,800 74th pct $498 0th pct

People / bedroom in Alice Springs in Central Desert +0.50 higher in Central Desert gap steady

0.90 86th pct 1.40 100th pct

How homes are owned or rented

43.2% Rented +28.7 pts ▸ 71.9%

36.1% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +35.0 pts 1.1%

2.7% Other tenure +16.7 pts ▸ 19.4%

15.7% Owned outright ◂ +13.1 pts 2.7%

2.2% Not stated +1.7 pts ▸ 3.9%

Types of homes

64.2% Separate house +26.0 pts ▸ 90.2%

27.9% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +25.4 pts 2.5%

4.2% Flat or apartment ◂ +2.4 pts 1.8%

2.0% Other dwelling +0.4 pts ▸ 2.4%

Bedrooms per home

41.9% 3 bedrooms +8.4 pts ▸ 50.3%

22.1% 2 bedrooms ◂ +3.8 pts 18.3%

19.1% 4 bedrooms ◂ +3.5 pts 15.7%

8.6% 1 bedroom ◂ +2.9 pts 5.7%

4.3% 5 or more ◂ +0.7 pts 3.6%

1.6% Studio / none ◂ +1.2 pts 0.4%

Weekly rent distribution

18.9% Under $200 +66.9 pts ▸ 85.8%

37.4% $350–$549 ◂ +37.4 pts 0.0%

20.9% $200–$349 ◂ +17.0 pts 3.9%

12.3% $550–$749 ◂ +12.3 pts 0.0%

3.3% $750 or more ◂ +3.3 pts 0.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

12.4% Under $1,000 +25.1 pts ▸ 37.5%

36.9% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +36.9 pts 0.0%

35.0% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +35.0 pts 0.0%

11.3% $3,000 or more ◂ +11.3 pts 0.0%

Transport & Vehicles

PT stops in Alice Springs in Central Desert +99 more in Alice Springs

99 61st pct 0 0th pct

Stops/1k in Alice Springs in Central Desert +3.82 more in Alice Springs

3.82 56th pct 0.00 0th pct

Departures/1k in Alice Springs in Central Desert +215.4 more in Alice Springs

215.4 61st pct 0.0 0th pct

PT routes in Alice Springs in Central Desert +8 more in Alice Springs

8 52nd pct 0 0th pct

Stop walk in Alice Springs in Central Desert

2 14th pct —

How people get to work

66.0% Car (driver) ◂ +35.5 pts 30.5%

4.8% Walked +34.2 pts ▸ 39.0%

7.6% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.5 pts 7.1%

3.2% Worked at home +2.9 pts ▸ 6.0%

4.0% Bicycle ◂ +3.6 pts 0.4%

1.5% Bus +1.4 pts ▸ 2.8%

0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

37.0% 1 vehicle +7.6 pts ▸ 44.6%

34.6% 2 vehicles ◂ +19.6 pts 15.0%

8.7% No vehicle +22.2 pts ▸ 31.0%

13.0% 3 vehicles ◂ +8.5 pts 4.5%

6.7% 4 or more ◂ +2.5 pts 4.2%

Migration & Movement

Jobs & Industry

Industries people work in

22.5% Health care & social assistance ◂ +10.0 pts 12.5%

17.4% Public administration & safety +2.7 pts ▸ 20.2%

9.4% Education & training +7.0 pts ▸ 16.4%

0.4% Agriculture, forestry & fishing +14.2 pts ▸ 14.7%

0.4% Mining +7.2 pts ▸ 7.7%

7.6% Retail trade ◂ +0.7 pts 6.9%

7.2% Construction ◂ +4.0 pts 3.2%

5.8% Accommodation & food ◂ +3.4 pts 2.4%

5.1% Professional & technical ◂ +4.1 pts 1.1%

4.6% Other services ◂ +3.0 pts 1.6%

2.4% Arts & recreation +1.0 pts ▸ 3.5%

3.5% Transport & warehousing ◂ +2.8 pts 0.7%

Occupations people work in

25.4% Professionals ◂ +5.0 pts 20.4%

17.6% Community & personal service +4.3 pts ▸ 21.9%

12.3% Managers +3.9 pts ▸ 16.1%

7.1% Labourers +7.6 pts ▸ 14.7%

12.7% Clerical & administrative ◂ +5.3 pts 7.4%

12.6% Technicians & trades ◂ +7.1 pts 5.5%

3.6% Machinery operators & drivers +4.4 pts ▸ 7.9%

6.2% Sales workers ◂ +2.5 pts 3.6%

Economy & Advantage

IRSAD decile in Alice Springs in Central Desert +7 higher in Alice Springs

8 71st pct 1 0th pct

IRSD decile in Alice Springs in Central Desert +6 higher in Alice Springs

7 64th pct 1 0th pct

IER decile in Alice Springs in Central Desert +2 higher in Alice Springs

3 29th pct 1 0th pct

IEO decile in Alice Springs in Central Desert +8 higher in Alice Springs

9 86th pct 1 0th pct

IRSAD score in Alice Springs in Central Desert +307 higher in Alice Springs

1,004 77th pct 697 0th pct

ERP in Alice Springs in Central Desert +26,705 higher in Alice Springs

30,875 64th pct 4,170 29th pct

Growth in Alice Springs in Central Desert +7.1 pts higher in Alice Springs

8.4% 83rd pct 1.3% 25th pct

Businesses in Alice Springs in Central Desert +2,121 higher in Alice Springs

2,146 59th pct 25 2nd pct

Approvals in Alice Springs in Central Desert +25 higher in Central Desert

20 35th pct 45 47th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Alice Springs in Central Desert +8 higher in Alice Springs

276 10th pct 268 9th pct

Max temp in Alice Springs in Central Desert +3.0 higher in Central Desert

30.9 88th pct 33.9 97th pct

Min temp in Alice Springs in Central Desert +3.7 higher in Central Desert

13.7 74th pct 17.3 88th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Alice Springs in Central Desert +2.7 higher in Alice Springs

4.9 72nd pct 2.2 16th pct

Types ≤15 min in Alice Springs in Central Desert +2.1 more in Alice Springs

4.8 71st pct 2.7 20th pct

15-min city in Alice Springs in Central Desert +40.1 pts higher in Alice Springs

56.4% 65th pct 16.4% 9th pct

Walk to shops in Alice Springs in Central Desert +6.9 pts higher in Alice Springs

57.1% 66th pct 50.2% 55th pct

Walk to transit in Alice Springs in Central Desert +86.4 pts higher in Alice Springs

86.4% 80th pct 0.0% 0th pct

Walk to school in Alice Springs in Central Desert +3.0 pts higher in Central Desert

76.7% 78th pct 79.8% 80th pct

Walk to a park in Alice Springs in Central Desert +66.8 pts higher in Alice Springs

90.8% 75th pct 24.1% 8th pct

Walk to health in Alice Springs in Central Desert +34.9 pts higher in Central Desert

34.7% 44th pct 69.6% 85th pct

Amenities/1k in Alice Springs in Central Desert +4.2 more in Central Desert

13.9 29th pct 18.1 47th pct

Intersections/km² in Alice Springs in Central Desert +10 higher in Alice Springs

10 72nd pct 0 0th pct

Mean slope in Alice Springs in Central Desert +0.1 pts higher in Central Desert

2.9% 15th pct 3.1% 18th pct

Compare Alice Springs with nearby areas

MacDonnell Central Desert Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yunkunytjatjara Barkly Boulia Coober Pedy Diamantina Unincorporated SA

Compare Central Desert with nearby areas

MacDonnell Alice Springs Halls Creek Barkly Victoria Daly Ngaanyatjarraku Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yunkunytjatjara Katherine

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Alice Springs vs Central Desert [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/lga/LGA70200/alice-springs/vs/LGA70620/central-desert