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Barkly vs Central Desert

Council (LGA) comparison ≈ 494 km apart · Barkly profile · Central Desert profile

Barkly Central Desert

Barkly and Central Desert are both sparsely populated areas of the Northern Territory, but they differ significantly in their economic and social profiles. Central Desert has a far higher proportion of First Nations people (79.2% compared to 66.6% in Barkly) and those who speak a First Nations language (92.2% versus 65.6%). Barkly is notably more affluent, with a typical weekly family income of $1,035, which is far higher than the $635 seen in Central Desert. Barkly also provides better access to amenities, as 73.8% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries, compared to 50.2% in Central Desert.

Everyday life shares many similarities across both regions, from the share of one-parent families (around 27%) to the proportion of people who served in the Defence Force (about 1%). However, several gaps have widened since 2011, particularly regarding income. The difference in typical weekly personal income has grown to $184, and the gap in full-time employment has also increased, with Barkly now 11 percentage points higher than Central Desert.

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Where they differ most

Other language: 26.2 pts higher in Central Desert Mortgage: $589 higher in Barkly First Nations: 12.6 pts higher in Central Desert Renting: 12.3 pts higher in Central Desert Participation: 11.1 pts higher in Barkly

Demographics & Identity

Population in Barklyin Central Desert +2,725 larger in Barkly gap narrowing
6,316 38th pct 3,591 29th pct
Median age in Barklyin Central Desert +2 yrs older in Barkly gap widening
30 yrs 5th pct 28 yrs 2nd pct
First Nations in Barklyin Central Desert +12.6 pts higher in Central Desert gap widening
66.6% 96th pct 79.2% 98th pct
Aged 65+ in Barklyin Central Desert +1.2 pts higher in Barkly gap steady
7.2% 7th pct 6.0% 5th pct
Under 15 in Barklyin Central Desert +2.1 pts higher in Central Desert gap steady
24.8% 93rd pct 26.9% 98th pct
De facto in Barklyin Central Desert +0.2 pts higher in Central Desert gap narrowing
11.1% 24th pct 11.3% 25th pct

Age structure

31.5% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +0.9 pts 30.5%
24.8% Children (0–14) +2.1 pts ▸ 26.9%
21.5% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +2.2 pts 19.4%
15.2% Youth (15–24) +1.9 pts ▸ 17.1%
7.2% Seniors (65+) ◂ +1.2 pts 6.0%

Marital status

45.0% Never married +0.7 pts ▸ 45.7%
40.7% Married +0.6 pts ▸ 41.3%
5.3% Divorced ◂ +0.9 pts 4.5%
4.9% Separated ◂ +0.9 pts 4.0%
4.0% Widowed +0.6 pts ▸ 4.6%

Age & sex structure

Barkly Central Desert

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Barklyin Central Desert +5.4 pts higher in Barkly gap widening
9.0% 29th pct 3.6% 5th pct

Country of birth

83.9% Australia +5.2 pts ▸ 89.1%
1.2% Philippines ◂ +1.0 pts 0.2%
1.1% England ◂ +0.7 pts 0.5%
1.0% New Zealand ◂ +0.3 pts 0.7%
1.0% India ◂ +0.7 pts 0.3%
0.5% Nepal ◂ +0.5 pts 0.0%
0.2% China ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.2% South Africa ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.1% Vietnam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.0% Italy even 0.0%

Ancestry

11.8% English ◂ +5.6 pts 6.2%
11.7% Australian ◂ +5.6 pts 6.1%
3.8% Irish ◂ +1.9 pts 1.9%
3.3% Scottish ◂ +1.7 pts 1.5%
1.9% German ◂ +0.7 pts 1.2%
1.6% Filipino ◂ +1.4 pts 0.2%
1.1% Indian ◂ +0.9 pts 0.2%
0.8% Chinese ◂ +0.3 pts 0.5%
0.6% Italian ◂ +0.2 pts 0.4%
0.4% Dutch even 0.4%
0.4% Greek ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%
0.1% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Language

Other language in Barklyin Central Desert +26.2 pts higher in Central Desert gap narrowing
50.0% 92nd pct 76.2% 100th pct
Limited English in Barklyin Central Desert even gap narrowing
5.4% 89th pct 5.4% 89th pct

Language used at home

41.1% English only ◂ +25.3 pts 15.8%
0.6% Tagalog ◂ +0.6 pts 0.0%
0.2% Mandarin +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.3% Greek ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%
0.2% Punjabi ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%
0.2% Hindi ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.1% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Arabic ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Italian ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Cantonese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Religion

No religion in Barklyin Central Desert +9.7 pts higher in Barkly gap steady
30.2% 19th pct 20.5% 6th pct

Religious affiliation

53.2% Christianity +12.3 pts ▸ 65.5%
30.2% No religion ◂ +9.7 pts 20.5%
13.3% Not stated ◂ +1.2 pts 12.1%
1.1% Other religions ◂ +0.1 pts 1.0%
1.0% Hinduism ◂ +0.8 pts 0.3%
0.6% Islam ◂ +0.4 pts 0.2%
0.5% Buddhism ◂ +0.3 pts 0.3%
0.1% Judaism ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Barklyin Central Desert +9.5 pts higher in Barkly gap widening
28.7% 9th pct 19.2% 0th pct
Bachelor+ in Barklyin Central Desert +3.9 pts higher in Barkly gap widening
10.2% 26th pct 6.2% 7th pct
Schools in Barklyin Central Desert +1 more in Barkly
13 60th pct 12 57th pct
Schools/1k kids in Barklyin Central Desert +4.13 more in Central Desert
8.31 82nd pct 12.44 88th pct
Students in Barklyin Central Desert +331 more in Barkly
1,040 38th pct 709 32nd pct
Avg size in Barklyin Central Desert +21 larger in Barkly
80 15th pct 59 10th pct
ICSEA in Barklyin Central Desert +52 higher in Barkly
664 1st pct 612 0th pct

Highest year of school

26.3% Year 9 or below +9.8 pts ▸ 36.1%
28.7% Year 12 ◂ +9.5 pts 19.2%
21.5% Year 10 ◂ +0.1 pts 21.4%
9.7% Year 11 +1.5 pts ▸ 11.2%

Highest qualification level

25.1% Certificate III / IV ◂ +3.4 pts 21.8%
13.8% Bachelor degree ◂ +2.2 pts 11.6%
10.6% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +4.1 pts 6.5%
5.7% Postgraduate degree ◂ +1.5 pts 4.2%
3.9% Certificate I / II +1.6 pts ▸ 5.5%
2.9% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +1.2 pts 1.7%

Field of qualification

10.9% Society & culture ◂ +1.6 pts 9.3%
8.3% Education +1.6 pts ▸ 9.9%
9.9% Engineering & related ◂ +1.5 pts 8.3%
9.0% Management & commerce ◂ +1.5 pts 7.6%
8.8% Health ◂ +3.1 pts 5.7%
5.3% Agriculture & environment ◂ +0.8 pts 4.5%
4.9% Architecture & building ◂ +2.5 pts 2.5%
1.8% Creative arts +1.7 pts ▸ 3.5%
3.3% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +1.5 pts 1.8%
0.7% Natural & physical sciences +1.4 pts ▸ 2.1%
0.8% Information technology ◂ +0.8 pts 0.0%

Income

Personal income in Barklyin Central Desert +$184 higher in Barkly gap widening
$456 7th pct $272 0th pct
Household income in Barklyin Central Desert +$352 higher in Barkly gap widening
$1,474 57th pct $1,122 16th pct
Family income in Barklyin Central Desert +$400 higher in Barkly gap widening
$1,035 6th pct $635 0th pct
High earners in Barklyin Central Desert +2.4 pts higher in Barkly gap steady
7.1% 36th pct 4.7% 13th pct
High-income homes in Barklyin Central Desert +9.2 pts higher in Barkly gap widening
13.1% 44th pct 3.9% 0th pct

Household income distribution

28.4% $650–$1,499 +6.6 pts ▸ 35.0%
28.9% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +0.9 pts 28.0%
15.0% Under $650 +8.2 pts ▸ 23.2%
7.2% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +5.1 pts 2.1%
5.9% $4,000 or more ◂ +4.1 pts 1.8%

Personal income distribution

51.4% Under $650 +16.2 pts ▸ 67.6%
20.6% $650–$1,499 ◂ +9.6 pts 11.0%
12.6% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +5.1 pts 7.5%
1.7% $3,000 or more ◂ +0.4 pts 1.2%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Barklyin Central Desert +0.9 pts higher in Central Desert
18.3% 9th pct 19.2% 11th pct
Mental health in Barklyin Central Desert +1.0 pts higher in Barkly
2.8% 4th pct 1.8% 0th pct
Needs assistance in Barklyin Central Desert +0.7 pts higher in Barkly gap steady
3.2% 13th pct 2.5% 8th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

7.2% Diabetes +3.0 pts ▸ 10.2%
4.6% Heart disease ◂ +0.4 pts 4.2%
4.5% Other condition ◂ +0.8 pts 3.7%
3.9% Asthma ◂ +0.7 pts 3.1%
2.8% Mental health ◂ +1.0 pts 1.8%
2.4% Arthritis ◂ +0.6 pts 1.8%
1.0% Cancer ◂ +0.7 pts 0.3%
0.9% Lung condition even 0.9%
0.6% Stroke ◂ +0.3 pts 0.3%
0.5% Dementia even 0.4%

Number of long-term health conditions

68.7% None +1.7 pts ▸ 70.5%
13.2% One condition +1.7 pts ▸ 14.9%
3.3% Two conditions +0.2 pts ▸ 3.5%
1.7% Three or more ◂ +1.0 pts 0.7%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Barklyin Central Desert +2.8 pts higher in Barkly gap steady
9.1% 9th pct 6.3% 2nd pct
Unpaid carers in Barklyin Central Desert +0.3 pts higher in Barkly gap narrowing
9.6% 21st pct 9.3% 19th pct
Unpaid child care in Barklyin Central Desert +8.9 pts higher in Central Desert gap steady
37.8% 95th pct 46.7% 100th pct
Defence service in Barklyin Central Desert +0.3 pts higher in Barkly
1.4% 10th pct 1.2% 6th pct
Housework 15h+ in Barklyin Central Desert +8.3 pts higher in Barkly gap widening
20.4% 36th pct 12.1% 7th pct

First Nations

First Nations people in Barklyin Central Desert +1,362 larger in Barkly
4,205 87th pct 2,843 86th pct
Median age in Barklyin Central Desert +1 yrs older in Barkly
26 yrs 57th pct 25 yrs 50th pct
Year 12 in Barklyin Central Desert +2.4 pts higher in Barkly
13.5% 2nd pct 11.2% 0th pct
Unemployment in Barklyin Central Desert +5.4 pts higher in Central Desert
28.0% 92nd pct 33.5% 95th pct
Median income in Barklyin Central Desert +$110 higher in Barkly
$351 7th pct $241 0th pct
Household income in Barklyin Central Desert +$268 higher in Barkly
$1,121 23rd pct $853 7th pct
Indigenous language in Barklyin Central Desert +26.7 pts higher in Central Desert
65.6% 96th pct 92.2% 100th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Barklyin Central Desert +0.9 larger in Central Desert gap widening
3.2 93rd pct 4.1 100th pct
One-parent in Barklyin Central Desert +0.6 pts higher in Barkly gap steady
27.4% 93rd pct 26.8% 93rd pct
Living alone in Barklyin Central Desert +8.5 pts higher in Barkly gap steady
28.3% 45th pct 19.9% 10th pct

Family composition

54.9% Couples with children +0.5 pts ▸ 55.4%
27.4% One-parent families ◂ +0.6 pts 26.8%
15.7% Couples without children ◂ +1.3 pts 14.4%
1.9% Other families +1.5 pts ▸ 3.4%

Household size

18.1% 6 or more +12.5 pts ▸ 30.6%
28.3% 1 person ◂ +8.5 pts 19.9%
23.6% 2 people ◂ +6.6 pts 17.1%
7.8% 5 people +4.1 pts ▸ 11.9%
11.4% 3 people ◂ +1.3 pts 10.1%
10.6% 4 people ◂ +1.0 pts 9.7%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Barklyin Central Desert +$40 higher in Barkly gap widening
$115 7th pct $75 0th pct
Mortgage in Barklyin Central Desert +$589 higher in Barkly gap widening
$1,087 29th pct $498 0th pct
People / bedroom in Barklyin Central Desert +0.20 higher in Central Desert gap widening
1.20 96th pct 1.40 100th pct
Renting in Barklyin Central Desert +12.3 pts higher in Central Desert gap narrowing
59.6% 91st pct 71.9% 95th pct
Owned outright in Barklyin Central Desert +6.8 pts higher in Barkly gap steady
9.5% 5th pct 2.7% 0th pct
Separate houses in Barklyin Central Desert +5.0 pts higher in Central Desert gap narrowing
85.2% 37th pct 90.2% 54th pct
3+ bedrooms in Barklyin Central Desert +4.0 pts higher in Central Desert gap narrowing
65.7% 17th pct 69.7% 24th pct

How homes are owned or rented

59.6% Rented +12.3 pts ▸ 71.9%
19.3% Other tenure +0.1 pts ▸ 19.4%
9.5% Owned outright ◂ +6.8 pts 2.7%
7.9% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +6.8 pts 1.1%
3.8% Not stated +0.1 pts ▸ 3.9%

Types of homes

85.2% Separate house +5.0 pts ▸ 90.2%
7.3% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +4.7 pts 2.5%
3.3% Flat or apartment ◂ +1.5 pts 1.8%
3.3% Other dwelling ◂ +0.9 pts 2.4%

Bedrooms per home

50.3% 3 bedrooms +0.1 pts ▸ 50.3%
18.6% 2 bedrooms ◂ +0.3 pts 18.3%
12.7% 4 bedrooms +3.0 pts ▸ 15.7%
10.9% 1 bedroom ◂ +5.2 pts 5.7%
2.7% 5 or more +0.9 pts ▸ 3.6%
1.4% Studio / none ◂ +1.0 pts 0.4%

Weekly rent distribution

60.3% Under $200 +25.5 pts ▸ 85.8%
12.4% $200–$349 ◂ +8.5 pts 3.9%
7.3% $350–$549 ◂ +7.3 pts 0.0%
0.8% $550–$749 ◂ +0.8 pts 0.0%
0.3% $750 or more ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

40.5% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +40.5 pts 0.0%
38.1% Under $1,000 ◂ +0.6 pts 37.5%
11.9% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +11.9 pts 0.0%
0.0% $3,000 or more even 0.0%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Barklyin Central Desert +3.1 pts higher in Barkly gap narrowing
34.0% 95th pct 31.0% 94th pct
Work from home in Barklyin Central Desert +0.6 pts higher in Central Desert gap steady
5.5% 15th pct 6.0% 17th pct
PT commute in Barklyin Central Desert +1.8 pts higher in Central Desert gap narrowing
1.0% 50th pct 2.8% 74th pct
PT stops in Barklyin Central Desert even
0 0th pct 0 0th pct
Stops/1k in Barklyin Central Desert even
0.00 0th pct 0.00 0th pct
Departures/1k in Barklyin Central Desert even
0.0 0th pct 0.0 0th pct
PT routes in Barklyin Central Desert even
0 0th pct 0 0th pct

How people get to work

44.9% Car (driver) ◂ +14.4 pts 30.5%
25.5% Walked +13.5 pts ▸ 39.0%
8.3% Car (passenger) ◂ +1.2 pts 7.1%
5.5% Worked at home +0.6 pts ▸ 6.0%
1.0% Bus +1.8 pts ▸ 2.8%
1.8% Bicycle ◂ +1.4 pts 0.4%
0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

39.8% 1 vehicle +4.9 pts ▸ 44.6%
34.0% No vehicle ◂ +3.1 pts 31.0%
18.1% 2 vehicles ◂ +3.0 pts 15.0%
4.6% 3 vehicles ◂ +0.1 pts 4.5%
3.8% 4 or more +0.4 pts ▸ 4.2%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Barklyin Central Desert +6.0 pts higher in Barkly gap narrowing
30.2% 28th pct 24.2% 11th pct
Recent arrivals in Barklyin Central Desert +6.4 pts higher in Central Desert gap widening
25.7% 90th pct 32.1% 97th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Barklyin Central Desert +6.5 pts higher in Central Desert gap widening
12.0% 90th pct 18.4% 94th pct
Participation in Barklyin Central Desert +11.1 pts higher in Barkly gap widening
45.6% 12th pct 34.5% 4th pct
Full-time in Barklyin Central Desert +10.9 pts higher in Barkly gap widening
73.4% 93rd pct 62.5% 67th pct

Industries people work in

19.0% Public administration & safety +1.1 pts ▸ 20.2%
17.6% Health care & social assistance ◂ +5.1 pts 12.5%
16.6% Agriculture, forestry & fishing ◂ +1.9 pts 14.7%
13.2% Education & training +3.2 pts ▸ 16.4%
2.0% Mining +5.7 pts ▸ 7.7%
6.8% Retail trade +0.1 pts ▸ 6.9%
5.6% Construction ◂ +2.4 pts 3.2%
4.4% Accommodation & food ◂ +1.9 pts 2.4%
2.7% Arts & recreation +0.8 pts ▸ 3.5%
1.8% Administrative & support +0.8 pts ▸ 2.7%
2.2% Other services ◂ +0.5 pts 1.6%
0.2% Media & telecommunications +1.7 pts ▸ 1.9%

Occupations people work in

19.4% Community & personal service +2.5 pts ▸ 21.9%
18.8% Professionals +1.7 pts ▸ 20.4%
16.9% Labourers ◂ +2.2 pts 14.7%
14.4% Managers +1.7 pts ▸ 16.1%
10.0% Technicians & trades ◂ +4.5 pts 5.5%
9.8% Clerical & administrative ◂ +2.4 pts 7.4%
4.0% Machinery operators & drivers +3.9 pts ▸ 7.9%
4.3% Sales workers ◂ +0.6 pts 3.6%

Economy & Advantage

IRSAD decile in Barklyin Central Desert even
1 0th pct 1 0th pct
IRSD decile in Barklyin Central Desert even
1 0th pct 1 0th pct
IER decile in Barklyin Central Desert even
1 0th pct 1 0th pct
IEO decile in Barklyin Central Desert +1 higher in Barkly
2 14th pct 1 0th pct
IRSAD score in Barklyin Central Desert +93 higher in Barkly
790 7th pct 697 0th pct
ERP in Barklyin Central Desert +3,278 higher in Barkly
7,448 38th pct 4,170 29th pct
Growth in Barklyin Central Desert +2.3 pts higher in Barkly
3.6% 50th pct 1.3% 25th pct
Businesses in Barklyin Central Desert +151 higher in Barkly
176 15th pct 25 2nd pct
Approvals in Barklyin Central Desert +3 higher in Barkly
48 48th pct 45 47th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Barklyin Central Desert +116 higher in Barkly
384 21st pct 268 9th pct
Max temp in Barklyin Central Desert +1.0 higher in Barkly
34.9 100th pct 33.9 97th pct
Min temp in Barklyin Central Desert +2.5 higher in Barkly
19.8 94th pct 17.3 88th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Barklyin Central Desert +1.9 higher in Barkly
4.1 59th pct 2.2 16th pct
Types ≤15 min in Barklyin Central Desert +2.2 more in Barkly
4.9 72nd pct 2.7 20th pct
15-min city in Barklyin Central Desert +44.5 pts higher in Barkly
60.9% 72nd pct 16.4% 9th pct
Walk to shops in Barklyin Central Desert +23.6 pts higher in Barkly
73.8% 80th pct 50.2% 55th pct
Walk to transit in Barklyin Central Desert even
0.0% 0th pct 0.0% 0th pct
Walk to school in Barklyin Central Desert +3.5 pts higher in Barkly
83.3% 82nd pct 79.8% 80th pct
Walk to a park in Barklyin Central Desert +52.1 pts higher in Barkly
76.1% 59th pct 24.1% 8th pct
Walk to health in Barklyin Central Desert +4.7 pts higher in Central Desert
64.9% 82nd pct 69.6% 85th pct
Amenities/1k in Barklyin Central Desert +2.7 more in Central Desert
15.4 36th pct 18.1 47th pct
Intersections/km² in Barklyin Central Desert even
0 0th pct 0 0th pct
Mean slope in Barklyin Central Desert +0.4 pts higher in Central Desert
2.6% 7th pct 3.1% 18th pct

Compare Barkly with nearby areas

Mount Isa Doomadgee Roper Gulf Burke Alice Springs Central Desert Boulia Mornington

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). Barkly vs Central Desert [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/lga/LGA70420/barkly/vs/LGA70620/central-desert