We have new geographical area metadata available for you, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
ABS defines geographical areas, called Statistical Areas (SA), used for collecting and releasing census data.
SA1 and SA2 are now available for your use.
Meshblock boundaries (red) within SA1 boundaries (blue).
What’s the difference between Meshblocks and Statistical Areas?
Meshblocks are the smallest of the Statistical Areas. AddressFinder has provided meshblock data for some time.
Meshblocks are used to make up Level 1 Statistical Areas (SA1)
SA1s are used to make up Level 2 Statistical Areas (SA2)
SA2s are used to make up Level 3 Statistical Areas (SA3)
SA1s are used to make up Level 2 Statistical Areas (SA2)
SA2s are used to make up Level 3 Statistical Areas (SA3)
SA3s are used to make up Level 4 Statistical Areas (SA4)
The next level up from SA4s are State and Territories
Tell me more
We included SA1 IDs in our database because they are the key to unlocking useful information for our customers. Most census related data is released at a SA1 level. For good measure, we made SA2 IDs available too.
As these IDs are subject to change, with each census, you can choose which census year’s IDs to collect. We have made the 2016 census data, the default option.
Community profiles
If you are interested in customer segmentation, and want to make use of census data, start collecting SA1 data and use it to unlock the treasures of the census.
