Median house price
—
No data available
WA · Plantagenet Council
Mount Barker, 6324
Est. population · Jun 2025
3,069
Growth (1 yr)
+0.5%
Growth (5 yr)
+7.1%
Median age
48
Median income
$1,104/wk
Employment rate
48.9%
Languages at home
9.1%non-English
Most common: Afrikaans, Australian Indigenous languages, Filipino
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Heritage area
- Excellent transport
- Education hub
- National parks
Suburb profile
Set among the hills of Plantagenet Council, Mount Barker is a mid-sized suburb with bushland views and a cooler, leafier feel. A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name.
Green space punches above what many regional towns offer, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area. Homes are relatively cheap compared with the wider market, which keeps entry costs lower.
Reported crime has been falling recently. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
The desirability picture is below average, weighed down by softer local dining and lifestyle amenities relative to similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
Mount Barker snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$375/wk
Population (ERP)
3,069
+0.5% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
17.2%
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
#96
among Country & regional · Mature
Safety
6th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
36th
percentile in WA
Advantage (IRSAD)
2/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
23rd
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
- 28.1/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5874th in Australia
- State rank
- 531st in WA
- Peer rank
- #96 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #202 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 78%
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)
- $375
- Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
- 167
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 (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
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
3,069(June 2025)
+0.5% annual · +7.1% over 5 years · 36th percentile in WA
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +0.5%
- 5-year growth
- +7.1%
- Change in 1 year
- +14
- Change in 5 years
- +203
- 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 (~3,250), extrapolated at +1.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 2,855
- Median age
- 48
- Median household income / week
- $1,104
- Dwelling vacancy
- 17.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 216 of 1,257
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,226
- Employment rate
- 48.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 992 / 26 / 3 (+ 16 other)
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs 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
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian 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)
- 3,627
- Against the person
- 983
- Against property
- 1,654
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 1,181.8
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 3 residents
- State safety percentile
- 6th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -21.5%
Most common offence types
- Assault (Family)435
- Breach Of Violence Restraint Order369
- Drug Offences621
- Property Damage421
- Stealing645
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- WA Police district crime statistics — Western 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
- 945
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 23th
School list
- Mount Barker Community CollegeCombined · Government · ICSEA 945 · 23th percentile · LBOTE 14% · 632 students · Top SEA quarter 6%View on My School →
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Public transport
1 public transport stops in this suburb
- Transwa Bay Transwa Mt Barker
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · current · Updated
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 insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Wilson Park Nature PlaygroundPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 35
- Parks (OSM)
- 3
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
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
- 2
- Nearest hospital
- Plantagenet Hospital (2.0 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
- Emergency department in suburb
- On site
- Mt Barker Country ChemistLowood RoadPharmacy
- Plantagenet HospitalHospital
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 64
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 20.9
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
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
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
- 22° / 14°
- Rainfall
- 78 mm · ~10 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 12°
- Rainfall
- 202 mm · ~25 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 16° / 8°
- Rainfall
- 358 mm · ~45 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 18° / 10°
- Rainfall
- 227 mm · ~28 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Heritage
5 heritage places
- Round House, Mount Barker31712 Albany Hwy, Mt Barker16781
- St Werburgh's Farm BuildingsSt Werburghs Rd, Mount Barker10996
- Mount Barker Railway Station (fmr)Albany Hwy & Lowood Rd, Mount Barker2318
- Police Station and Gaol Complex (fmr)Albany Hwy, Mount Barker2268
- St Werburgh's Chapel and CemeteryChapel Rd, Mount Barker2284
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State 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 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 43.4 km away).
Coalition 62.2%Labor 37.8%
1.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -6.4 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
- Mount BarkerLabor 37.8% · Coalition 62.2% TPP (2025)0.5 km away
- KendenupLabor 29.0% · Coalition 71.0% TPP (2025)15.2 km away
- NarrikupLabor 22.4% · Coalition 77.6% TPP (2025)17.5 km away
- PorongurupLabor 41.1% · Coalition 58.9% TPP (2025)20.6 km away
- RedmondLabor 26.9% · Coalition 73.1% TPP (2025)29.4 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
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 (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
More in Plantagenet Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Western Australia.