On Census night 2021, 5.1% of Australians in the labour force were unemployed. Suburb by suburb the rate varied far more: the middle locality had 4.3%, a tenth of localities had 2.0% or less, and another tenth 8.2% or more. 392 localities, home to 1.0 million people, had a rate of 10% or more. The Northern Territory had the widest range and the largest share of residents in such localities, 14.2%, followed by Tasmania at 7.7%; in Victoria and Western Australia the share was below 4%, and in the ACT almost none.
Census unemployment is self-reported on Census night, 10 August 2021, when lockdowns were in place in parts of the country.
A Census count, taken during lockdowns
The Census asks everyone aged 15 and over whether they worked or looked for work in the week before Census night. The unemployment rate is the number who were unemployed as a share of all those working or looking. For each suburb and locality it is the input to Labour Resilience & Jobs (24113), one of the five parts of APN Bedrock™ (Socio-Economic Position) (24110), where a lower rate ranks higher.
The 2021 Census was taken on 10 August 2021. The ABS notes that COVID-19 related lockdowns were in place on Census night and in the weeks before and after it, and that because the Census is completed by respondents themselves, answers about work can differ from those given in the monthly Labour Force Survey, where trained interviewers assist. The Census rate is therefore best read as a comparison between places at one moment, not as a measure of the labour market at the time.
How the rate varied between localities
| State or territory | Localities | Lowest tenth | Middle locality | Highest tenth | Localities at 10% or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory | 162 | 1.7% | 5.0% | 27.3% | 51 |
| Tasmania | 319 | 2.3% | 4.9% | 9.2% | 28 |
| South Australia | 692 | 2.3% | 4.6% | 8.2% | 49 |
| Queensland | 1,493 | 2.2% | 4.6% | 9.3% | 118 |
| New South Wales | 2,085 | 2.0% | 4.1% | 7.7% | 85 |
| Victoria | 1,229 | 1.7% | 3.9% | 6.7% | 24 |
| Western Australia | 697 | 2.2% | 4.4% | 8.1% | 36 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 101 | 2.8% | 3.7% | 4.6% | 1 |
| Australia | 6,782 | 2.0% | 4.3% | 8.2% | 392 |
APN calculation based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data: Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile, August 2021, Table G46. Unemployment rate at the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of localities in each state. Unemployed people as a share of the labour force aged 15 and over; localities with more than 200 residents.
In every state and territory the middle locality had a rate between 3.7% and 5.0%. The difference lies at the top. In the Northern Territory, a tenth of localities had rates of 27.3% or more; elsewhere the highest tenth began between 4.6% (ACT) and 9.3% (Queensland). Queensland and New South Wales had the most localities at 10% or more, 118 and 85. At the other end, 306 localities recorded no unemployed people at all; 295 of them had fewer than 500 residents.
Where higher unemployment was concentrated
Residents in localities with an unemployment rate of 10% or more, 2021
APN calculation based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data: Census of Population and Housing 2021, General Community Profile, August 2021, Table G46. Share of residents living in localities with an unemployment rate of 10% or more. Unemployed people as a share of the labour force aged 15 and over; localities with more than 200 residents.
Nationally, 4.4% of residents lived in a locality where at least one in ten people in the labour force was unemployed. The share was 14.2% in the Northern Territory and 7.7% in Tasmania, against 3.1% in Victoria, 3.1% in Western Australia and almost none in the ACT. How each state’s residents sit on the combined socio-economic measure is set out in The Socio-Economic Ladder, State by State.
What this does not show
Unemployment counts only people looking for work; people who have stopped looking, or who worked few hours, are not unemployed on this measure. Small labour forces make rates in small localities volatile, so a few people can move a rate by several points. The labour market has changed since August 2021, and labour force results from the 2026 Census are scheduled for release in October 2027. Localities of 200 residents or fewer are excluded.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (Reference period: 2021) 2021 Census QuickStats: Australia [https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/AUS], ABS Website, accessed 7 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (Reference period: 2021) Census of Population and Housing: General Community Profile [https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/datapacks], ABS Website, accessed 7 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (Reference period: 2021) Comparing the 2021 Census and the Labour Force Survey [https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/detailed-methodology-information/information-papers/comparing-2021-census-and-labour-force-survey], ABS Website, accessed 7 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (Reference period: 2021) Employment in the 2021 Census [https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/employment-2021-census], ABS Website, accessed 7 October 2026.
ABS material is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Calculations, standardisations and index readings are APN’s and are not attributable to the ABS.
Findings are presented on the basis of data and evidence alone.
