West MacDonnell Ranges · Indigenous Area

First Nations in West MacDonnell Ranges

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities — how many people identify as First Nations, and how they fare on age, schooling, work, income and language. From the ABS 2021 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Profile; the ABS notes these counts are an undercount.

Much higher proportions of First Nations people speak a traditional language in West MacDonnell Ranges compared to other areas. There are 672 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here, who tend to be noticeably older than the typical First Nations person across Australia.

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📍 West MacDonnell Ranges, Indigenous Area

Where West MacDonnell Ranges sits — Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people

672
  • 1–1: 8 areas
  • 1–2: 0 areas
  • 2–3: 0 areas
  • 3–4: 1 area
  • 4–6: 1 area
  • 6–9: 0 areas
  • 9–12: 3 areas
  • 12–18: 0 areas
  • 18–25: 1 area
  • 25–36: 0 areas
  • 36–52: 1 area
  • 52–74: 0 areas
  • 74–106: 0 areas
  • 106–151: 5 areas
  • 151–217: 5 areas
  • 217–310: 9 areas
  • 310–444: 33 areas
  • 444–636: 49 areas
  • 636–910: 60 areas
  • 910–1,302: 78 areas
  • 1,302–1,864: 44 areas
  • 1,864–2,668: 53 areas
  • 2,668–3,819: 28 areas
  • 3,819–5,466: 23 areas
  • 5,466–7,823: 15 areas
  • 7,823–11,198: 6 areas
  • 11,198–16,027: 6 areas
  • 16,027–22,940: 1 area

All indigenous area areas, 2021. The marker is West MacDonnell Ranges — lower than 72% of areas.

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people compared with the state and national average
West MacDonnell Ranges672
Northern Territory 61,115

Population & age

How many people identify as First Nations, and the typical age.

The typical First Nations resident is 30 years old. This is noticeably older than the Northern Territory figure of 26 and the national figure of 24.

Education

School completion among First Nations people.

Year 12 completion for First Nations people is very low at 11.8%. This is far below the 23.2% seen across the Northern Territory and the 37% national figure.

Work

Engagement with the labour force.

Unemployment for First Nations people is 27.7%, which is much higher than most areas. This is well above the Northern Territory rate of 20.8% and far above the Australian rate of 12.3%.

Income

Personal and household incomes.

Household income is much lower than most areas at $963, which is well below the Northern Territory figure of $1,318. Typical personal income is $310, which is about the same as the Northern Territory but far below the national figure of $540.

Language & culture

Use of an Australian Indigenous language at home.

Cultural connection is strong, with 80.4% of First Nations people speaking a traditional language. This is far above both the Northern Territory rate of 60.1% and the Australian figure of 12.3%.

Sources

  • Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).

More for West MacDonnell Ranges

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). First Nations in West MacDonnell Ranges [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/iare/IARE709014/west-macdonnell-ranges/topic/first-nations