Important Information | National Trend | Regional Trend | Territorial Authority Trends
Household Income Tables
This analysis explores the total annual household income of owner-occupied households, to give an indication of affordability for the owning population of New Zealand.
National Trend
In 2001, the median household income for households in private occupied dwellings was $39,600, compared with $30,900 in 1991 (these figures are not adjusted for inflation). The median income for owner-occupied households was higher, at $44,800 in 2001, compared with $34,200 in 1991. By contrast, the median income for renting households was considerably lower at $29,900 in 2001, compared with $23,300 in 1991.
Since 1991 the number of owner-occupied households with higher incomes has almost doubled. Owner-occupied households with incomes over $70,000 have increased from 14.4 percent (108,120) of total owner-occupied households in 1991 to 26.6 percent (198,936) of total owner-occupied households in 2001. In contrast, owner-occupied households with incomes of $15,000 or less have decreased from 16.6 percent (124,227) of total owner-occupied households in 1991 to 11.9 percent (88,926) of owner-occupied households in 2001.
As figure 1 shows, just over 30 percent of owner-occupied households had incomes over $50,000 in 1991. By 2001, nearly half (44.5 percent) of all owner-occupied households had incomes over $50,000. This is higher than the percentages for total private occupied dwellings for both 1991 and 2001 at 26.3 percent and 39.1 percent, respectively.
Figure 1
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Census of Population and Dwellings, 1991, 1996 and 2001
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Regional Trend
In 2001, the national median household income for owner-occupied households was $44,800. Auckland and Wellington were the only regions to have higher median household incomes for owner-occupied households than the national median, at $56,200 and $54,200, respectively. In 2001, the highest median household income for renting households was $37,600, recorded in Auckland Region.
Between 1991 and 2001, median household incomes for owner-occupied households increased at the fastest rates in the Auckland and Tasman Regions (39.5 percent and 35 percent, respectively). The region with the smallest growth in median income for owner-occupied households was West Coast Region, at 20.4 percent, approximately half the increase recorded in Auckland Region.
In 2001, more than one-third of owner-occupied households in Auckland Region (37.6 percent) and Wellington Region (36.0 percent) were receiving over $70,000 annually. Waikato Region had the next highest proportion of owner-occupied households receiving over $70,000, at 24.7 percent.
West Coast Region, in 2001, had the largest percentage of owner-occupied households with incomes of $15,000 or less, at 18.9 percent. This was 7 percentage points greater than the national figure and approximately double the percentage of Wellington and Auckland Regions, which had the smallest percentages, at 8.9 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively (see figure 2).
Figure 2
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Census of Population and Dwellings, 2001
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Territorial Authority Trends
There is a much greater variance in median household income for owner-occupied households at the territorial authority level. In 2001, the three territorial authorities with the highest median incomes for owner-occupied households were in the North Island. Wellington City had the highest median income of $67,800, followed by Porirua City, at $61,600, and Auckland City, at $61,300. In contrast, owner-occupied households in the Buller District had the lowest median household income of all territorial authorities, which at $27,000 was less than half that of Wellington City. Owner-occupied households in the Opotiki District had the next lowest median household income of $28,000. For renting households, in 2001, the highest median household income was also recorded in Wellington City, at $46,800, followed by the South Island district of Queenstown-Lakes, at $42,900.
Between 1991 and 2001, owner-occupied households in the Queenstown-Lakes District experienced the largest increase in median household income (52.4 percent). Auckland City was just under 1 percentage point behind (51.7 percent). These increases contrast with Kawerau District's median household income, which experienced a decrease of 10.9 percent (the only territorial authority to experience a decrease). Kawerau District was also over 20 percentage points less than the corresponding figure for Wairoa District, which had the lowest increase, at 13.3 percent.
In 2001, the territorial authorities that had the highest proportions of owner-occupied households receiving over $70,000 annually were the same as those with the highest median incomes: 48.2 percent of households in Wellington City, 43.3 percent in Auckland City, and 41.9 percent in Porirua City received $70,001 or more annually. Contrastingly, owner-occupied households in the Buller District and Opotiki District had the highest proportions of households receiving $15,000 or less annually (23.4 percent and 22.0 percent, respectively).
Figure 3
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Census of Population and Dwellings, 1991, 1996 and 2001
Figure 4
Source: Statistics New Zealand, Census of Population and Dwellings, 1991, 1996 and 2001
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Important Information
Owner-occupied
Unless otherwise stated, owner-occupied households include the tenure of household categories:
- Dwelling owned or partly owned by usual resident(s), who make mortgage payments
- Dwelling owned or partly owned by usual resident(s), who do not make mortgage payments
- Dwelling owned or partly owned by usual resident(s), mortgage arrangements not further defined
Household Income
Total household income is calculated by adding together all income received by members of the household. Household income can be received from a number of different sources including wage and salaries, government transfers and investments. To overcome collection difficulties income is collected as an income range rather than an actual dollar amount.
Total annual household income categories used in this analysis:
- Zero income
- $1 - $5,000
- $5,001 - $10,000
- $10,001 - $15,000
- $15,001 - $20,000
- $20,001 - $25,000
- $25,001 - $30,000
- $30,001 - $40,000
- $40,001 - $50,000
- $50,001 - $70,000
- $70,001 or more
Total household income excludes any incomplete households.
Calculations
Percentages have been calculated using stated answers only.