WEIPA is the boom town of Cape York as census figures revealed it is the highest earning community in the region and also one of the fastest growing.
Overall, Cape York showed steady growth in both population and household income, although there were some exceptions, with Weipa standing out.
The median household income for Weipa was $2978 per week at the time of last year’s census, well up on the state average of $1675 and national average of $1963.
Cooktown’s median household income was $1215.
Both Cape York towns had big increases to the median household income, with Weipa’s rising 19.5 per cent in a five-year period and Cooktown’s going up by 13.8 per cent in the same timeframe.
However, Cooktown’s median income was well below the likes of Bamaga ($1630), Coen ($1379) and Lakeland ($1640).
The community with the lowest median income in Cape York was Napranum ($788), although Hope Vale ($836) and Wujal Wujal ($840) were not far behind.
In terms of population growth, Mapoon continues to make large strides, with the small western Cape community almost doubling in size in the last 20 years.
Although still small in stature with 432 residents, it is a massive increase from the 239 in 2001 and marks a huge 40 per cent rise in the last five years.
Weipa has also spread its wings over the last two decades.
In 2001, the township had 2830 residents and that had increased by 44 per cent when the census was conducted last year, with Weipa’s population now 4100.
However, the growth also shows the need for more housing in both Weipa and across the Cape, with most towns now at a critical shortage of vacant homes.
Cooktown had a small population increase (4.7%) in the five-year gap between census surveys, with a major shortage of available rental properties impacting growth.
However, Cook Shire’s population went up by 8.2%, with strong growth in Lakeland.
NATIONAL STATS
IN Australia, 812,000 people identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in the 2021 census, which represented 3.2% of the population.
This was up from 2.8% in 2016 and 2.5% in 2011.
In 2021, the largest proportion of the Indigenous population lived in New South Wales (34.2%) and Queensland (29.2%).
More than a third (36.7%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households reported an equivalised total household weekly income of $1000 or more in 2021.
The median equivalised total household weekly income for Indigenous households was $830.
The 2021 census counted nearly 25.5 million people (25,422,788) in Australia, excluding overseas visitors, on census night.
This was an increase of over two million people, or 8.6 per cent, since the 2016 census.
Australia’s census count has more than doubled in the last 50 years, with the 1971 census counting more than 12 million people.
CENSUS RESULTS
AURUKUN
People: 1101
Male: 47.9%
Female: 52.1%
Median age: 29
Median income: $1069
Median rent: $125
Indigenous: 88.7%
Top religion: Uniting 51.1%
No religion: 31%
BAMAGA
People: 1186
Male: 49.2%
Female: 50.8%
Median age: 25
Median income: $1630
Median rent: $120
Indigenous: 78.3%
Top religions: Pentecostal 30.8%, Anglican 29.7%
COEN
People: 320
Male: 53.9%
Female: 46.1%
Median age: 31
Median income: $1379
Median rent: $123
Indigenous: 73.8%
No religion: 37.2%
Top religion: Catholic 18.8%
COOKTOWN
People: 2746
Male: 51%
Female: 49%
Median age: 44
Median income: $1215
Median rent: $230
Indigenous: 17.3%
No religion: 40.6%
Top religion: Catholic 12.3%
COOK SHIRE COUNCIL
People: 4511
Male: 53.6%
Female: 46.4%
Median age: 42
Median income: $1159
Median rent: $200
Indigenous: 21.1%
No religion: 38.8%
Top religion: Catholic 13.3%
HOPE VALE
People: 976
Male: 51.7%
Female: 48.3%
Median age: 28
Median income: $836
Median rent: $120
Indigenous: 88.4%
Top religion: Lutheran 73.8%
No religion: 10%
KOWANYAMA
People: 1079
Male: 48.4%
Female: 51.7%
Median age: 29
Median income: $1132
Median rent: $115
Indigenous: 86.8%
Top religion: Anglican 71.8%
No religion: 10.6%
LAKELAND
People: 333
Male: 61.7%
Female: 38.3%
Median age: 34
Median income: $1640
Median rent: $250
Indigenous: 8.7%
No religion: 28.5%
Top religion: Catholic 25.5%
LAURA
People: 133
Male: 53.4%
Female: 46.6%
Median age: 39
Median income: $1666
Median rent: $120
Indigenous: 66.2%
No religion: 21.8%
Top religion: Anglican 14.3%
LOCKHART RIVER
People: 640
Male: 52.4%
Female: 47.6%
Median age: 27
Median income: $1066
Median rent: $125
Indigenous: 78.4%
Top religion: Anglican 60%
No religion: 20.9%
MAPOON
People: 432
Male: 49.9%
Female: 50.1%
Median age: 27
Median income: $1010
Median rent: $120
Indigenous: 78.2%
No religion: 50.7%
Top religion: Uniting 6.9%
NAPRANUM
People: 883
Male: 49.5%
Female: 50.5%
Median age: 27
Median income: $788
Median rent: $121
Indigenous: 81.1%
No religion: 40.5%
Top religion: Uniting 19.4%
NPARC
People: 2781
Male: 48.6%
Female: 51.4%
Median age: 23
Median income: $1331
Median rent: $120
Indigenous: 82.2%
Top religion: Anglican 26.8%
No religion: 18.2%
PORMPURAAW
People: 611
Male: 50.6%
Female: 49.4%
Median age: 34
Median income: $1071
Median rent: $120
Indigenous: 78.4%
Top religion: Anglican 68.9%
No religion: 12.4%
WEIPA
People: 4100
Male: 52.7%
Female: 47.3%
Median age: 30
Median income: $2978
Median rent: $500
Indigenous: 26.8%
No religion: 46.8%
Top religion: Catholic 16.2%
WUJAL WUJAL
People: 276
Male: 45.4%
Female: 54.6%
Median age: 29
Median income: $840
Median rent: $70
Indigenous: 93.5%
Top religion: Lutheran 77.2%
No religion: 8.3%
