The average income of Canberra households in 1980 was $8390 more than the average of the rest of households around Australia, The Canberra Times reported on this day 41 years ago.
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According to figures prepared by Ibis Corporate Services, the average household income in Canberra for the year of 1979-1980 was $29,400. Other households across the nation had an average income of $21,010.
Household income was not to be confused with personal income, as the main reason for the disparity between the averages was that Canberra had 1.58 workers per household, compared to the 1.34 workers per household elsewhere.
A director of Ibis, Mr Phil Ruvthen, said there was a "higher-than-normal concentration of skilled people in Canberra", leading to cases of higher-paying jobs such as ambassadors, doctors, retailers, senior public servants and people in government-related jobs on high incomes.
He said Washington was similar to Canberra, where household incomes were much higher than elsewhere in the US.
Although Canberra had a higher average household income than the rest of the nation, home ownership was lower in the capital city, with a rate of 66 per cent, as opposed to the 73 per cent rate in the rest of the country.
Mr Ruvthen said this was more an indication of lifestyle, rather than poverty.