Tennant Creek · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
How well-off the area is, how fast its population is growing, and the businesses and new homes here.
A small population increase of 2.7% since 2021 marks the latest shift for Tennant Creek. The town faces significant economic challenges, with an overall advantage score of 867, which is among the smallest across the country.
All statistical area 2 (sa2) areas, 2021. The marker is Tennant Creek — lower than 99% of areas.
| Tennant Creek | 1 |
|---|---|
| 0860, NT | 1 |
SEIFA indexes ranking relative advantage and disadvantage.
Tennant Creek is among the most disadvantaged areas in the nation, scoring 1 out of 10 for overall advantage. Access to money and resources is also very low, ranking smaller than about 90% of similar areas.
1
Lower than 99% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% most disadvantaged areas in Australia, 10 = among the 10% most advantaged. IRSAD summarises both advantage and disadvantage, so a high score reflects relatively many high-income, well-educated households and few low-income, low-skill ones.
1
Lower than 99% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% most disadvantaged areas in Australia, 10 = among the least disadvantaged. IRSD focuses on disadvantage alone (low income, low education, unemployment, unskilled occupations), so a higher decile means relatively less disadvantage.
1
Lower than 99% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Economic Resources, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% lowest areas for economic resources in Australia, 10 = among the highest. IER reflects the income, housing costs, dwelling size and assets of households, so a higher decile means relatively greater economic resources.
4
Lower than 64% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Education and Occupation, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% lowest areas for education and occupation in Australia, 10 = among the highest. IEO reflects residents' qualifications and the skill level of their jobs, so a higher decile means a more highly educated and skilled workforce.
867
Lower than 93% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, 2021, as a raw index score (standardised so the Australian average is about 1000). Higher scores indicate relatively greater advantage; lower scores greater disadvantage.
Annual population estimates and change since the census.
The population grew by 2.7% since 2021, though this is lower than most areas and well below the Northern Territory figure of 6.6%.
3,587
Lower than 87% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Estimated resident population (ABS), 2025.
2.7%
Lower than 66% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Population growth since the 2021 Census, from ABS annual estimates.
Operating businesses and dwellings approved.
There are 160 businesses operating in the area, which is among the smallest number of businesses for areas of this level.
160
Lower than 93% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Operating businesses (ABS Counts of Australian Businesses), June 2025.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Economy & Advantage in Tennant Creek [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/702021056/tennant-creek/topic/economy-advantage
