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WA · Port Hedland Council

Port Hedland, 6721

Est. population · Jun 2025

4,145

Growth (1 yr)

-1.5%

Growth (5 yr)

-1.9%

Median age

34

Median income

$3,434/wk

Employment rate

73.4%

University qualified

20.1%

Work from home

2.4%

Languages at home

12.5%non-English

Most common: Australian Indigenous languages, Tagalog, Afrikaans

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

36.4/100
Below average

473rd in WA

Verified 90% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Beach
  • Green suburb
  • Holiday parks
  • Port & industry
What Port Hedland is known for: Beach, Green suburb, Holiday parks, Port & industry

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Port Hedland, WA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Port Hedland, WA Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/wa/port-hedland

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Suburb profile

Port Hedland is an industrial and port town in Western Australia, in Port Hedland Council. It has an industrial and port economy. Notable landmarks include St Matthew's Anglican Church.

Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places. Open-space access is exceptionally strong, placing it among the highest-ranked industrial and port towns, and school access is strong, with school access 60% above the peer median. Socio-economic advantage is among the highest in the peer group. The clearer weaknesses are higher rents and weaker population growth, with median rents 38% above the peer median.

Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising open space and socio-economic advantage over lower rents.

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

Industrial or port town · compared with industrial and port towns in Western Australia (58)

Strengths

  • Open-space access is exceptionally strong
  • Socio-economic advantage is among the highest in the peer group
  • Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places
  • School access is strong

Weaknesses

  • Rents are among the highest in the peer group
  • Population growth is a relative weakness

What stands out

  • Port Hedland Beach
  • Industrial and port economy
  • St Matthew's Anglican Church

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Port Hedland compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$1,175/wk

Population (ERP)

4,145

-1.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

27.1%

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

#28

among Country & regional · Established

Pop. growth

2nd

percentile in WA

Rented dwellings

77%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

10/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

19th

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
36.4/100 — Below average
National rank
5337th in Australia
State rank
473rd in WA
Peer rank
#28 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#167 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)
$1,175
Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
907

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

4,145(June 2025)

-1.5% annual · -1.9% over 5 years · 2th percentile in WA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
-1.5%
5-year growth
-1.9%
Change in 1 year
-62
Change in 5 years
-81
Growth rank in WA
2th 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 (~4,050), extrapolated at -0.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
4,081
Median age
34
Median household income / week
$3,434
Dwelling vacancy
27.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
498 of 1,841
Median monthly mortgage
$1,812
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$210
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
8.7% / 14.4% / 77%
Employment rate
73.4%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
2.4% / 0.9% / 79.3%
Walked or cycled to work
4.6%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
910 / 163 / 245 (+ 18 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

20.1% of adults have a university degree, compared with 23.8% across Western Australia. 26% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified20.1% · 23.8% WA
  • Diploma qualified9.7% · 9.3% WA
  • Trade / vocational26% · 17.8% WA
  • Year 12 or below44.2% · 49.1% WA

Highest qualification field

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

  • Engineering and related technologies34.9%
  • Management and commerce19%
  • Health11.8%
  • Society and culture8.5%
  • Education7.8%
  • Architecture and building6.3%
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)
$105,643

98th percentile in WA · +80% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$99,685

99th percentile in WA · +53% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
25.0%

99th percentile in WA · +81% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$74,492

66th percentile in WA · +18% vs Australia

Residents with business income
5.0%

12th percentile in WA · -52% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 6721 — 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
2,823
Taxpayers reporting net rent
701
Median net rent
-$2,319
Taxpayers reporting business income
142
Taxable income vs state median
+74%
Salary / wages vs state median
+59%
Rental investment vs state median
+108%
Super vs state median
+17%
Business income vs state median
-37%

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

12.5% speak a language other than English at home; 23.7% born overseas

Language at home
3,117 English only · 447 other
Non-English at home
12.5%
Born overseas
849 (23.7%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
301 (7.4%)
Australian citizens
3,154
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
21

Top languages other than English

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

  • Australian Indigenous languages29 · 17.7%
  • Tagalog15 · 9.1%
  • Afrikaans11 · 6.7%
  • German11 · 6.7%
  • Sinhalese11 · 6.7%
  • Mandarin9 · 5.5%
  • Spanish9 · 5.5%
  • Cantonese8 · 4.9%

Religion

46.9%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 46.9%, while Christianity accounts for 34.4%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion46.9%42.5%
Christianity34.4%41.1%
Other / not stated18.7%16.4%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic18%18.7%
Anglican7.6%10.1%
Christian (not further defined)2.7%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 Pilbara 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)
5,762
Against the person
2,048
Against property
2,421
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
108.7
State crime-rate percentile
77th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-22.1%

Most common offence types

  • Assault (Family)
  • Breach Of Violence Restraint Order
  • 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
4
Median school ICSEA (4 schools)
933
Median ICSEA percentile
19th
School list
  • Port Hedland Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 989 · 42th percentile · LBOTE 19% · 478 students · Top SEA quarter 14%View on My School →
  • Port Hedland School Of The AirPrimary · Government · ICSEA 943 · 22th percentile · LBOTE 21% · 28 students · Top SEA quarter 8%View on My School →
  • St Cecilia's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 923 · 16th percentile · LBOTE 42% · 157 students · Top SEA quarter 6%View on My School →
  • Strelley Community SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 656 · 1th percentile · LBOTE 93% · 53 students · Top SEA quarter 0%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

69 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Richardson St After Wedge St
  • Richardson St Before Edgar St
  • Styles Rd After Matheson Dr
  • Sutherland St After Taplin St
  • Sutherland St Before Taplin St

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

29 mapped amenities

11 beaches · 3 caravan parks · 1 campgrounds

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • A car helps for daily needs
  • Great for outdoor family life — 13 parks mapped in suburb
  • Well connected by public transport — 69 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
30/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
3.19
Sport & outdoors(14)
  • BBQ
  • Beach (10)
  • Spoil BankBeach
  • Port Hedland-South Hedland PathCycling route
  • Wilson Street Shared PathCycling route
Camping & holiday parks(4)
  • GDay - Discovery Parks Caravan Park - Port HedlandCampground

    2 Taylor Street, Port Hedland

  • Caravan park
  • Discovery Parks Port HedlandCaravan park

    2 Taylor Street, Port Hedland

  • McGregor Recreational FieldCaravan park
Entertainment(1)
  • Viewpoint
Other(6)
  • Bench (2)
  • Information
  • Parking (3)
  • Picnic Table
  • Shelter (2)
  • Waste Basket

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

Sporting clubs

2 named sporting clubs in this suburb

  • Port Hedland Game Fishing Club

    Fishing

  • Tennis Club (3.0m)

    Tennis

Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap sporting clubs — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Geofabrik australia-latest.osm.pbf

Parks & reserves

11 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Art Galley ParkPark
  • Cemetery Beach ParkPark
  • Civic Center GardensPark
  • Dome Cafe FieldPark
  • Don Rhodes Mining Museum ParkPark
  • Leap ParkPark
  • Lion's ParkPark
  • Marapikurrinya ParkPark
  • Port Hedland Turf Club FieldPark
  • Pretty Pool ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
0.5%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
14
Parks (OSM)
13
Typical summer maximum
37°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

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
2
Nearest hospital
Hedland Health Campus (8.4 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
GP clinics in suburb
0

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

  • DentistDentist
  • Physiological Training - PhysiotherapyAnderson StreetPhysiotherapist

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
38
Participants per 1,000 residents
9.2

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
37° / 26°
Rainfall
189 mm · ~24 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
34° / 22°
Rainfall
109 mm · ~14 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
29° / 14°
Rainfall
35 mm · ~4 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
36° / 20°
Rainfall
4 mm · ~1 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

4 heritage places

  • Dalgety House6 Anderson St, Port Hedland3357
  • Lock Hospital (fmr) and Burial Ground, Port Hedland34 Sutherland St, Port Hedland5948
  • District Medical Officer's Quarters (fmr)76 The Esplanade, Port Hedland2286
  • St Matthew's Anglican ChurchLot 37 Edgar St, Port Hedland2285

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
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 197.6 km away).

Coalition 53.6%Labor 46.4%

6.5 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -10.3 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • Port HedlandLabor 40.8% · Coalition 59.2% TPP (2025)4.4 km away
  • South Hedland EastLabor 54.6% · Coalition 45.4% TPP (2025)8.1 km away
  • South HedlandLabor 59.4% · Coalition 40.6% TPP (2025)8.7 km away
  • WickhamLabor 44.6% · Coalition 55.4% TPP (2025)161.6 km away
  • RoebourneLabor 60.1% · Coalition 39.9% TPP (2025)163.7 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)
10/10
IRSD decile (2021)
10/10

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 Port Hedland Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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