Person—area of usual residence, statistical area level 1 (SA1) code (ASGS Edition 3) N(11)

Identifying and definitional attributes

• Health, Standard 20/10/2021

Value domain attributes

Representational attributes

Collection and usage attributes

SA1 coding structure:

SA1s are identified by an 11-digit fully hierarchical code. The SA1 identifier is a 2-digit code, assigned within a Statistical area level 2 (SA2).

SA1s have a population of between 200 and 800 people with an average population size of approximately 400 people. SA1s in remote and regional areas generally have smaller populations than those in urban areas.

There are 61,845 SA1s. In aggregate, they cover the whole of Australia without gaps or overlaps. These include 34 non-spatial SA1 special-purpose codes, comprising Migratory–Offshore–Shipping, No Usual Address, and Outside Australia.

SA1s are designed to be either predominantly rural or predominantly urban in character, with SA1s in rural and remote areas generally having a lower population than in urban areas. SA1s are designed to be internally connected by road, except for groups of unpopulated islands and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, which may not be contiguous. Areas without permanent population (such as lakes, commercial developments, national parks etc.) are often represented by 'zero SA1s' - these are SA1s with an effective design population of zero.

SA1s are also used as the building blocks for a number of Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) defined regions including the Indigenous Structure, the Section of State and Urban Centre and Localities Structures, and the Remoteness Structure. Within the Non-ABS Structure, SA1s are used to approximate a number of administrative regions, such as Commonwealth Electoral Divisions and State Electoral Divisions.

Source and reference attributes

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2021. Statistical Area Level 1: Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3. Canberra: ABS.Viewed 10 August 2021. www.abs.gov.au/statistics/standards/australian-statistical-geography-standard-asgs-edition-3/jul2021-jun2026/main-structure-and-greater-capital-city-statistical-areas/statistical-area-level-1

Data element attributes

Collection and usage attributes

The geographical location is reported using an eleven digit numerical code to indicate the SA1 region within the reporting state or territory, as defined in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).

When collecting the geographical location of a person's usual place of residence, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recommends that 'usual' be defined as 'The address at which a person lives or intends to live for six months or more'. Apart from collecting a person's usual place of residence, there is also a need in some collections to collect area of residence immediately prior to or after assistance is provided, or at some other point in time.

Area of usual residence is reported using SA1 to enable accurate and flexible aggregation of information to larger areas (such as the ASGS Remoteness Area classification). The use of SA1 also supports accurate analyses relating the data to information compiled by the ABS on the demographic and other characteristics of the population of each SA1, such as socio-economic status of area of usual residence using the Socio-Economic Index for Areas (SEIFA).

Source and reference attributes

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016. Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 1 - Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas July 2016. ABS cat. no. 1270.0.55.001. Canberra: ABS.

Relational attributes