WA · Meekatharra Council

Meekatharra, 6642

Est. population · Jun 2025

907

Growth (1 yr)

+0.4%

Growth (5 yr)

+4.6%

Median age

33

Median income

$1,273/wk

Employment rate

44.3%

Languages at home

18.7%non-English

Most common: Australian Indigenous languages, Mandarin, Spanish

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

16.6/100
Below average

679th in WA

Verified 78% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Heritage area
  • Excellent transport
  • Education hub
  • National parks
  • High desirability
What Meekatharra is known for: Heritage area, Excellent transport, Education hub, National parks, High desirability

Suburb profile

Meekatharra offers a slower smaller community life in Meekatharra Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. A younger crowd gives the area energy, with plenty of young families in the mix. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name.

Pocket parks and green corners give residents room to get outside without leaving the neighbourhood. A car helps for most daily errands, though buses still link the suburb further afield. Housing is more affordable than in many parts of the state.

Crime trends have improved of late compared with the previous period. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

Versus similar regional towns, the suburb reads below average on desirability, chiefly because local dining and lifestyle amenities trail behind. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Meekatharra snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

907

+0.4% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

36.9%

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

#63

among Country & regional · Established

Safety

30th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

36th

percentile in WA

Advantage (IRSAD)

1/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

1st

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
16.6/100 — Below average
National rank
6854th in Australia
State rank
679th in WA
Peer rank
#63 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#310 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
78%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

907(June 2025)

+0.4% annual · +4.6% over 5 years · 36th percentile in WA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.4%
5-year growth
+4.6%
Change in 1 year
+4
Change in 5 years
+40
Growth rank in WA
36th 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 (~850), extrapolated at -1.6% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
849
Median age
33
Median household income / week
$1,273
Dwelling vacancy
36.9%
Unoccupied private dwellings
132 of 358
Median monthly mortgage
$650
Employment rate
44.3%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
194 / 7 / 9 (+ 7 other)

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

  • Estimated Resident PopulationAustralian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Community & culture

No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Crime & safety

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

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Aug 2026)
7,497
Against the person
2,625
Against property
3,363
Rate per 1,000 residents
8,265.7
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 1 residents
State safety percentile
30.4th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-23.8%

Most common offence types

  • Assault (Family)1259
  • Breach Of Violence Restraint Order548
  • Drug Offences961
  • Property Damage903
  • Stealing1430

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

  • WA Police district crime statisticsWestern Australia Police Force · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Aug 2026; Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 · Updated · Quarterly timeseries XLSX; district-level aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
1
Median school ICSEA
672
Median ICSEA percentile
1th
School list
  • Meekatharra District High SchoolCombined · Government · ICSEA 672 · 1th percentile · LBOTE 72% · 104 students · Top SEA quarter 1%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

2 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Great Northern Hwy Transwa Meekatharra
  • Great Northern Hwy Transwa Meekatharra

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Public transport stop coverage

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insightsSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
2
Parks (OSM)
2

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)

Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
1
Nearest hospital
Meekatharra Hospital (27.2 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
On site
  • Meekatharra HospitalHospital

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
10
Participants per 1,000 residents
11.0

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
38° / 23°
Rainfall
90 mm · ~11 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
30° / 16°
Rainfall
80 mm · ~10 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
20° / 7°
Rainfall
61 mm · ~8 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
30° / 15°
Rainfall
21 mm · ~3 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

3 heritage places

  • Bundi Club, Meekatharra58 Darlot St, Meekatharra1531
  • Masonic Lodge (fmr), Meekatharra80 Darlot St, Meekatharra1530
  • Presbyterian Church, Meekatharra75 Darlot St, Meekatharra1529

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage registerState heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via WA bush fire prone area mapping.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Bushfire hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlaysState government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Durack
Member of Parliament
Melissa PRICE (Liberal)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
119,942
Turnout (2025)
78.3%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-5.5 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 60.1%Labor 39.9%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 433.4 km away).

Coalition 54.0%Labor 46.0%

6.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -14.7 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • MeekatharraLabor 46.3% · Coalition 53.7% TPP (2025)19.0 km away
  • Mount MagnetLabor 29.5% · Coalition 70.5% TPP (2025)190.8 km away
  • NewmanLabor 45.0% · Coalition 55.0% TPP (2025)366.6 km away
  • ParaburdooLabor 56.6% · Coalition 43.4% TPP (2025)381.0 km away
  • MullewaLabor 29.0% · Coalition 71.0% TPP (2025)383.8 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)
1/10
IRSD decile (2021)
1/10

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 (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

More in Meekatharra Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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