Australia’s most unequal suburbs

Unsurprisingly, NSW has come out on top as Australia’s most unequal state, with Sydney being home to most of the country’s most unbalanced suburbs in terms of income distribution.

According to the Bureau of Statistics, the top 1 per cent of earners in NSW received 10.5 per cent of the state’s income in the 2012-13 financial year, the highest proportion across the country.

This was closely followed by Victoria’s top 1 per cent which accounted for 9.4 per cent of the state’s income.

States with the highest share of income going to the top 1 per cent

New South Wales	10.5
Victoria	9.4
Queensland	8.2
South Australia	8.0
Western Australia	8.7
Tasmania	7.5
Northern Territory	6.5
Australian Capital Territory	6.4
Australia	9.3

Source: ABS

The breakdown by city is equally unsurprisingly, with Sydney taking the crown as the country’s most unbalanced city – the richest 1 per cent of earners in the city earnt more than 11 per cent of all income.

By suburbs, the statistics show that NSW is home to nine of the top 20 suburbs where the highest share of income goes to the richest 1 per cent.

Suburbs with the highest share of income going to the top 1 per cent

Suburbs	State	Percentage
Sydney - Haymarket - The Rocks	NSW	22.9
Double Bay - Bellevue Hill	NSW	22.5
Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay	NSW	22.5
Gidgegannup	WA	20.9
Toorak	VIC	20.7
Terrey Hills - Duffys Forest	NSW	20.2
Mosman Park - Peppermint Grove	WA	20.0
South Yarra - West	VIC	19.4
Newstead - Bowen Hills	QLD	19.1
Redfern - Chippendale	NSW	18.7
Mosman	NSW	18.5
Bondi - Tamarama - Bronte	NSW	18.3
Hamilton (Qld)	QLD	18.3
Hunters Hill - Woolwich	NSW	18.0
Albert Park	VIC	17.7
Paradise Point - Hollywell	QLD	17.6
Main Beach	QLD	17.6
South Yarra - East	VIC	17.4
Flinders	SA	17.0
Woollahra	NSW	16.9

Source: ABS

The remaining 11 suburbs were relatively equally divided across Victoria, QLD and WA, with one SA suburb.

In Sydney’s CBD, Haymarket, The Rocks, Rose Bay, Vaucluse, Watsons Bay, Double Bay and Belleuve Hill more than 22 per cent of all income went to the top 1 per cent of earners.

Sydney’s Redfern-Chippendale area, Mosman and eastern suburbs – Bondi, Tamarama, Bronte and Woollahra – also ranked among Australia’s most unequal suburbs with 16.9-18.7 of the area’s combined income being accrued by the top 1 per cent of earners.