Demographics

Demographics is the characteristics of human populations and population segments, especially when used to identify consumer markets (American Heritage Dictionary)

The information here is designed to give business people, students and anyone else who is interested a “feel” for the population of the district – who they are, and where are they heading. It is important to not only know the size of your market, but also such things as income, age spread and ethnicity.

The main source for this information is from the last New Zealand census. However, we are always looking for newer or more relevant sources of information, and will update these pages when we have better data.

Please contact us if you want information that isn’t covered here or is about specific areas within the district. We will do what we can to help you.


population The average population growth over the last decade of 1.7% is above the national average of 1.2%. The lifestyle opportunities along with further service-based growth are likely to attract more new residents to the region. READ MORE	income The average hourly income for Central Otago workers is at or close to the national average. Most residents earn within the medium income range with a minority falling into the low and high income brackets. READ MORE	age and gender The Central Otago gender split is 50:50 male/female. The median age of 43 years is higher than the national average. This figure reflects the high number of retired people, and the trend for young people to leave the area for overseas travel and training/ education opportunities. READ MORE


ethnicity The majority of the Central Otago population is European with less than 20% of residents of Maori and other ethnic origins. READ MORE	qualifications On average the Central Otago population has fewer formal qualifications than the national average, which is typical for a semi-rural region. However, up-skilling and further education is happening with a growing number of tertiary education providers such as Otago Polytechnic’s Cromwell campus. READ MORE	births and deaths The Central Otago population has increased on average by 2.1% over the last 10 years. A major contributor to this growth is the number of births which consistently outnumber deaths each year. READ MORE


marital status Central Otago people are more likely to be in a stable relationship with 55% – 10% more than the national average – married. READ MORE	access to telecommunications The Central Otago population is well connected to a range of telecommunications with the fax, cell phone and internet use on par with the national average. READ MORE