Wanganui District Council Community Profile
The Community Profile provides information about your local community.
Population
At the 2006 Census of Population and Dwellings:
- The usually resident population count for Wanganui District1 Council was 42,639, a change of -1.5% since 2001.
- In comparison, the population for New Zealand as a whole had increased by 7.8% since 2001.
| Wanganui District | New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 20,481 | 1,965,618 |
| Female | 22,158 | 2,062,329 |
| Total | 42,639 | 4,027,947 |
| Change Since 2001 Census | -630 | 290,670 |
1The area used for this profile is based on Statistics New Zealand's regional council.
Age Profile
- 21.6% of people in Wanganui District Council were under the age of 15 years, compared with 21.5% for all of New Zealand.
- 17.3% of people in Wanganui District Council were age 65 years or over, compared with 12.3% for all of New Zealand.
| Wanganui District | New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| 0-14 | 21.6% | 21.5% |
| 15-64 | 61.1% | 66.2% |
| 65+ | 17.3% | 12.3% |
Ethnic groups (total responses)
At the 2006 census:
- 66.4% of people in Wanganui District Council said they belong to the European ethnic group, compared with 61.2% percent for all of New Zealand.
| Wanganui District | New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| European | 66.4% | 61.2% |
| Maori | 19.7% | 13.3% |
| Pacific Peoples | 2.1% | 6.2% |
| Asian | 2.1% | 8.3% |
| MELAA1 | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Other | 9.5% | 10.1% |
1People represented in MELAA include people of Middle Eastern, African and Latin American ethnicities.
Employment
At the 2006 Census:
- The unemployment rate in Wanganui District was 4.0%, compared with 3.4% for all of New Zealand.
- The most popular occupational group in the Wanganui District was Manufacturing. The most popular occupational group for New Zealand as a whole was Manufacturing.
Income
At the 2006 Census:
- The median income of people in Wanganui District Council is $19,800, compared with $24,400 for all of New Zealand.
| Wanganui District | New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| $5,000 or Less | 10.3% | 12.1% |
| $5,001 - $10,000 | 8.2% | 7.2% |
| $10,001 - $20,000 | 26.3% | 19.5% |
| $20,001 - $30,000 | 15.3% | 13.8% |
| $30,001 - $50,000 | 18.9% | 21.1% |
| $50,001 or More | 9.7% | 16.2% |
| Not Stated | 11.3% | 10.2% |
Households
At the 2006 Census:
- The average household size in Wanganui District was 2.5 people, compared with 2.8 for all of New Zealand.
- 85.4% of households in Wanganui District Council had access to a telephone, compared with 87.8% for all of New Zealand.
- 65.0% of households in Wanganui District Council had access to a cellphone, compared with 71.1% for all of New Zealand.
- 47.9% of households in Wanganui District Council had access to a internet, compared with 58.0% for all of New Zealand.
- 85.0% of households in Wanganui District Council had access to a motor vehicle, compared with 88.1% for all of New Zealand.
- There were 16,875 households in Wanganui District Council.
- For dwellings that were rented, the average weekly rent paid for permanent private dwellings in Wanganui District Council was $141, compared with $225 for New Zealand as a whole.
- 69.9% of dwellings in Wanganui District were owned with or without a mortgage, compared with 68.9% for all of New Zealand.
Business
At the 2006 Census:
- There were 2,916 businesses in Wanganui District compared with 354,087 for all of New Zealand.
The information in this profile is based on the 2006 Census of Population and Dwellings, the 2001 Household Expenditure Survey and the New Zealand Business Demographic Statistics.
All population statistics are for the usually resident population count and have been randomly rounded to base three to preserve confidentiality.
Percentages have been calculated against complete responses; that is, they exclude cases where no answers were provided and have been calculated on the rounded data so do not always total 100%.


