ACT closer to income equality than rest of Australia

The average household in the territory also has higher disposable income than the average Australian household, and higher than average wealth.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics' household income and wealth figures released on Friday show income inequality has remained stable across the country, while income growth has been slow.

In the ACT, the top 20 per cent of earners account for 35.9 per cent of disposable income, the smallest share of all the states and territories, while in NSW the top earners take home 41.8 per cent of disposable income.

This means the ACT's GINI co-efficient, a measure of equality where zero is perfect equality, is 0.287.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics director of income surveys Tracey Chester, this data is important because of the story it tells around where Australia's wealth lies.

"This data really describes the situation as it's happening in Australia. We always have our key figures, national wealth has topped $1 million, but you can look at the distribution within Australia and within states and territories to understand the spread of wealth across the country.

"Traditionally what we find in Australia, and the same holds true for the states and territories, income is more evenly distributed than wealth."

According to the figures, the top 20 per cent of Australians own 60 per cent of the country's wealth, averaging $3.2 million per household.

Ms Chester said the biggest contributor to household wealth was property, followed by superannuation.

"Over the last 10 years average superannuation has nearly doubled from $112,500 to $213,700 in 2017-18.

"It's also making a greater contribution to people's wealth."

The average Canberra household has assets worth $1.24 million, above the national average and sitting behind New South Wales and Victoria.

While Canberra households have more in superannuation than every other state and territory, the average household in NSW and Victoria holds more wealth in property.

The average Canberra household has $1256 in weekly disposable income, above every other state and territory.

Growth in disposable income has slowed significantly in the past 10 years.

"Since the global financial crisis we have seen a lot slower growth in the average disposable incomes of Australians. Nationally in the last 10 years average weekly household incomes the increase has been $44," Ms Chester said.

"Interestingly in the four years leading up to 2007-08 it increased $220 in real terms."