suburb.guide

WA · Kalgoorlie-Boulder Council

Boulder, 6432

Est. population · Jun 2025

5,281

Growth (1 yr)

-0.2%

Growth (5 yr)

+4.5%

Median age

35

Median income

$1,968/wk

Employment rate

59.3%

University qualified

6.2%

Work from home

2.1%

Languages at home

10.1%non-English

Most common: Tagalog, Filipino, Afrikaans

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

39.9/100
Below average

373rd in WA

Verified 90% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • Arts precinct
  • Heritage area
  • Regional centre
What Boulder is known for: Green suburb, Arts precinct, Heritage area, Regional centre

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Boulder, WA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Boulder, WA Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/wa/boulder

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Suburb profile

Boulder is a major regional centre in Western Australia, in Kalgoorlie-Boulder Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development. Notable landmarks include Boulder CWA Hall, Boulder Town Hall & Offices and Queen's Methodist Church, Boulder.

Public transport is an exceptional strength, well above typical levels for major regional centres. School access is exceptionally strong. Household incomes sit well above the peer median, with household incomes 57% above the peer median. Crime in the wider Goldfields-Esperance Police District remains above typical levels but is improving. Reported offences have fallen 23% year on year. The main trade-offs are fewer university qualifications and limited health access, with university qualifications 43% below the peer median.

Boulder is a better fit for people who value school access and public transport more than university qualifications.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Major regional centre · compared with major regional centres in Western Australia (122)

Strengths

  • School access is exceptionally strong
  • Public transport is a relative strength
  • Household incomes sit well above the peer median

Weaknesses

  • University qualifications are less common than in comparable places
  • Health-facility access is relatively limited

What stands out

  • Boulder CWA Hall
  • Boulder Town Hall & Offices
  • Queen's Methodist Church, Boulder
  • Crime in the wider Goldfields-Esperance Police District remains above typical levels but is improving

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Boulder compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$550/wk

Population (ERP)

5,281

-0.2% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

15.3%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#16

among Country & regional · Established

Pop. growth

5th

percentile in WA

Rented dwellings

36%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

2/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

15th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
39.9/100 — Below average
National rank
4435th in Australia
State rank
373rd in WA
Peer rank
#16 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#106 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
90%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

All types (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
$550
Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
718

Median weekly rent from WA rental bond lodgements. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

  • WA rental bond lodgements — Department of Communities (WA) · wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv · Updated · Monthly bond summaries

Population

Estimated resident population

5,281(June 2025)

-0.2% annual · +4.5% over 5 years · 5th percentile in WA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
-0.2%
5-year growth
+4.5%
Change in 1 year
-9
Change in 5 years
+226
Growth rank in WA
5th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~5,200), extrapolated at -0.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
4,872
Median age
35
Median household income / week
$1,968
Dwelling vacancy
15.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings
295 of 1,933
Median monthly mortgage
$1,302
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$300
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
21.5% / 42.8% / 35.7%
Employment rate
59.3%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
2.1% / 2.4% / 80.3%
Walked or cycled to work
2.3%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,340 / 258 / 0 (+ 38 other)

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

6.2% of adults have a university degree, compared with 23.8% across Western Australia. 23.1% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified6.2% · 23.8% WA
  • Diploma qualified5% · 9.3% WA
  • Trade / vocational23.1% · 17.8% WA
  • Year 12 or below65.7% · 49.1% WA

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Engineering and related technologies38.7%
  • Management and commerce15.4%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services9.4%
  • Society and culture9%
  • Health8.2%
  • Education6.7%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$72,507

89th percentile in WA · +23% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$77,000

93rd percentile in WA · +18% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
9.0%

15th percentile in WA · -35% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$44,135

20th percentile in WA · -30% vs Australia

Residents with business income
4.0%

6th percentile in WA · -61% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 6432 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
4,349
Taxpayers reporting net rent
391
Median net rent
-$593
Taxpayers reporting business income
191
Taxable income vs state median
+19%
Salary / wages vs state median
+23%
Rental investment vs state median
-25%
Super vs state median
-31%
Business income vs state median
-50%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in WA, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

10.1% speak a language other than English at home; 21.8% born overseas

Language at home
3,647 English only · 409 other
Non-English at home
10.1%
Born overseas
894 (21.8%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
409 (8.4%)
Australian citizens
3,507
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
14

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Tagalog31 · 22.8%
  • Filipino22 · 16.2%
  • Afrikaans15 · 11%
  • Australian Indigenous languages13 · 9.6%
  • Hindi10 · 7.4%
  • Thai9 · 6.6%
  • Mandarin8 · 5.9%
  • Portuguese6 · 4.4%

Religion

46.6%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 46.6%, while Christianity accounts for 32.9%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion46.6%42.5%
Christianity32.9%41.1%
Other / not stated20.5%16.4%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic15.6%18.7%
Anglican6%10.1%
Christian (not further defined)3.3%3.4%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Figures are for the Goldfields-Esperance Police District, not this suburb alone.

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Sep 2026)
6,479
Against the person
2,215
Against property
2,879
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
142.8
State crime-rate percentile
91.2th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-27.8%

Most common offence types

  • Assault (Family)
  • Assault (Non-Family)
  • Drug Offences
  • Property Damage
  • Stealing

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

  • WA Police district crime statistics — Western Australia Police Force · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Sep 2026; Jan 2026 to Sep 2026 · Updated · Quarterly timeseries XLSX; district-level aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
9
Median school ICSEA (9 schools)
920
Median ICSEA percentile
15th
School list
  • Boulder Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 869 · 6th percentile · LBOTE 14% · 263 students · Top SEA quarter 1% · 0.5 km awayView on My School →
  • Kalgoorlie School Of The AirPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1029 · 59th percentile · LBOTE 8% · 68 students · Top SEA quarter 14% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
  • St Joseph's SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 994 · 44th percentile · LBOTE 34% · 193 students · Top SEA quarter 8% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Eastern Goldfields Education Support CentreSpecial · Government · ICSEA 879 · 7th percentile · LBOTE 8% · 47 students · Top SEA quarter 3% · 1.1 km awayView on My School →
  • Kalgoorlie-Boulder Community High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 890 · 9th percentile · LBOTE 22% · 854 students · Top SEA quarter 3% · 1.1 km awayView on My School →
  • O'Connor Education Support CentreSpecial · Government · ICSEA 920 · 15th percentile · LBOTE 41% · 52 students · Top SEA quarter 8% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
  • O'Connor Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 922 · 16th percentile · LBOTE 29% · 761 students · Top SEA quarter 5% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
  • South Kalgoorlie Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 909 · 13th percentile · LBOTE 32% · 350 students · Top SEA quarter 4% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Goldfields Baptist CollegeCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1017 · 54th percentile · LBOTE 35% · 239 students · Top SEA quarter 17% · 2.0 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

32 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Federal Rd After Harvey St
  • Federal Rd After Holmes St
  • Federal Rd After Tupper St
  • Lane St After Johnston St
  • Lane St After North Tce

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

51 mapped amenities

1 cafes · 2 pubs · 1 bakeries · 1 places of worship · 1 playgrounds · 1 sports centres · 4 swimming pools · 1 caravan parks

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • A car helps for daily needs
  • Great for outdoor family life — 10 parks mapped in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
  • Well connected by public transport — 32 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
38/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.21
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.82
Parks per 1,000 residents
2.05
Food & drink(4)
  • Goldfield PastriesBakery
  • Tippett'sCafe
  • Grand HotelPub
  • Pub
Shopping(3)
  • Darby's LiquorBottle shop
  • XXXXBottle shop
  • Reddy ExpressConvenience store
Everyday services(3)
  • ShellPetrol station
  • UnitedPetrol station
  • Boulder LPOPost office
Community(5)
  • Palace Theatre Recreation CentreCommunity centre
  • Boulder Primary SchoolSchool

    Lane Street, Boulder

  • Kalgoorlie School Of The AirSchool

    Brookman Street, Boulder

  • Saint Joseph's SchoolSchool

    Burt Street, Boulder

  • Boulder Town HallTownhall
Health & services(1)
  • Boulder Medical CentreClinic

    49 Burt Street, Boulder

Sport & outdoors(14)
  • Boulder Rotary ParkPark
  • Max Bennett ParkPark
  • Park (4)
  • Playground
  • Public toilets
  • Sports centre
  • Digger Daws OvalSports field
  • Swimming pool (4)
Camping & holiday parks(1)
  • Kalgoorlie Discovery Holiday ParkCaravan park

    286 Burt Street, Boulder

Places to stay(1)
  • Wyworrie Guest HouseGuest house
Entertainment(2)
  • Eastern Goldfields Historical SocietyMuseum
  • Loopline Railway MuseumMuseum
Transport(2)

1 bus stops · 1 transport platforms

Other(9)
  • Bench
  • Bicycle Parking (2)
  • Courthouse
  • Parking (4)
  • Place of worship
  • Australia PostPost Box
  • The Salvation Army Thrift StoreSecond Hand
  • Shelter (3)
  • TelstraTelephone

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Boulder Rotary ParkPark
  • Max Bennett ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
1%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
10
Parks (OSM)
10
Typical summer maximum
33°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Places of worship

1 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • Place of worship

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
1
Nearest hospital
Kalgoorlie Regional Hospital (4.3 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
GP clinics in suburb
1
GPs tagged bulk billing (OSM)
0 of 1
Aged-care services
2

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

  • Boulder Medical CentreBurt StreetClinic
Aged-care services
  • Silver Chain Goldfields HCP Level 2KALGOORLIEHome Care
  • Silver Chain Goldfields HCP Level 4BOULDERHome Care

Australian Government–subsidised services from the AIHW GEN list (30 June 2025), assigned to this suburb by location.

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
127
Participants per 1,000 residents
24.0

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
33° / 17°
Rainfall
69 mm · ~9 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
26° / 13°
Rainfall
73 mm · ~9 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
18° / 6°
Rainfall
67 mm · ~8 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
26° / 11°
Rainfall
43 mm · ~5 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

11 heritage places

  • Boulder CWA HallHamilton St, Boulder16652
  • Boulder Railway Station, Subway & LooplineHamilton St, Boulder4639
  • Boulder Subway BridgeLot 3603 Burt St, Boulder24921
  • Boulder Police Station (fmr)Piesse St, Boulder209
  • Boulder Police Station, Quarters and Court House (fmr)72 Burt St, Boulder179
  • Boulder Primary School200 Lane St, Boulder203
  • Boulder Town Hall & Offices118-120 Burt St, Boulder184
  • Kalgoorlie School of the Air253 Piesse St, Boulder212
  • Masonic Temple134 Burt St, Boulder175
  • Queen's Methodist Church, Boulder36-38 Piesse St, Boulder210

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via WA bush fire prone area mapping. Flood cover uses floodplain mapping against the suburb boundary where published.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
O'Connor
Member of Parliament
Rick WILSON (Liberal)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
122,006
Turnout (2025)
86.7%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-6.6 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 63.3%Labor 36.7%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 49.4 km away).

Coalition 54.5%Labor 45.5%

8.8 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -7.8 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • BoulderLabor 45.9% · Coalition 54.1% TPP (2025)0.5 km away
  • Kalgoorlie SouthLabor 47.2% · Coalition 52.8% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
  • SomervilleLabor 36.4% · Coalition 63.6% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
  • KalgoorlieLabor 44.7% · Coalition 55.3% TPP (2025)3.0 km away
  • Kalgoorlie NorthLabor 43.5% · Coalition 56.5% TPP (2025)4.9 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
2/10
IRSD decile (2021)
2/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Kalgoorlie-Boulder Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Western Australia.