The 2021 Census Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) data was released yesterday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This data offers a snapshot of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage across Australia and is used by governments of all levels to understand their communities.

The results are a mixed bag for the Northern Rivers with Ballina and Byron ranking higher than Lismore followed by Richmond Valley and Kyogle.

On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is a Disadvantaged community and 10 is an Advantaged community, Lismore registered a 5, so in the middle.

Socio-economic status data is commonly used by governments, industry and researchers. Using SEIFA, they can identify areas that need funding or services, business opportunities, the relationship between socio-economic disadvantage and health or educational outcomes, and much more. 

After each Census, the ABS analyses certain information collected, including income, education, employment, occupation, housing, and family structure. This is then used to give each area a relative “rank” to indicate its socio-economic status. SEIFA ranks are available for Local Government Areas (LGAs), suburbs, and other areas. The lower the rank the more disadvantaged that LGA is.

Lismore is ranked number 46 out of 129 LGAs in NSW and 224 out of 545 LGAs in Australia.

By comparison:

• Ballina had a rank of 98 in NSW and 411 nationally,
• Byron ranked 100 in NSW and 423 nationally,
• Richmond Valley 14 in NSW and 99 nationally and
• Kyogle 13 in NSW and 96 nationally.

On the Northern Rivers, the coastal areas are more advantaged than those LGAs more to the west.

When ranked on Economic Resources (inputs to the production of goods and services. There are four economic resources: land, labour, capital, and technology) Lismore fares worse, ranked 36, Ballina stays the same at 98, Byron 97, Richmond Valley increases to 30 and Kyogle 21.

Lismore's highest ranking is in Education and Occupation.

Lismore jumps to 75 in NSW, Ballina 93, Byron, 106, Richmond Valley 2 (only behind Muswellbrook) and Kyogle 45.

When looking at the Top 10 Most Advantaged LGAs in Australia, nine of the 10 most advantaged LGAs are on waterfronts or close to water, including Sydney Harbour, the Darwin waterfront, and the Swan River in Perth. Woollahra on Sydney harbour’s southern shore ranks first among the most advantaged LGA in Australia.

The Top 10 Most Disadvantaged LGAs are all in Queensland and the Northern Territory.