Population
Table 1 presents a summary of population change in the Northern Midlands over the past 20 years.  It can be seen that the population continues to grow but at a slower rate than in previous years.  The Northern Midlands population increased 9.6% increase between 1981-1991, compared with 6.3% between 1996-2006.

Table 1: Population by census years in towns and localities

* The data available to date from the 2006 ABS census on these towns utilises different boundaries to those of previous censuses. Rather than just reporting data relevant to people within the towns' boundaries, the 2006 data is for the towns plus significant sections of the surrounding rural areas. Thus these towns appear to have significantly increased in size, whilst the number of people in the 'other' category has dramatically decreased.

Age

Table 2: Age Structure, 2006

Indigenous Status
At the 2006 census, 2.3% of the Northern Midlands population reported being of indigenous origin which equates to the national average.

The percentage of Northern Midlands residents stating they were Australian born has dropped: falling from 91.6% in 1991, to 88.2% in 2001 and 86.3% in 2006.   

92.2% of Northern Midlands residents are Australian citizens, compared to a national average of 78%.   7.6% were born overseas, compared to the national average of 20%.   4.3% of residents were born in England, 2% in New Zealand, 0.7% in Scotland, 0.5% in Germany and 0.4% in the Netherlands

English is the only language spoken at home in 94.7% of Northern Midlands households, compared to 78.5% Australia wide.

Marital status for population aged over 15 years, 2006

Table 3: Marital Status 2006

Family characteristics, 2006

Table 4: Families 2006