suburb.guide

WA · Canning Council

St James, 6102

Est. population · Jun 2025

5,865

Growth (1 yr)

+1.9%

Growth (5 yr)

+13.2%

Median age

32

Median income

$1,827/wk

Employment rate

66.8%

University qualified

35.5%

Work from home

6.4%

Languages at home

30.5%non-English

Most common: Mandarin, Nepali, Urdu

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

45.9/100
Average

Top 35% of Western Australia's suburbs

Verified 90% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Walkable
  • Multicultural
  • Inner city
What St James is known for: Walkable, Multicultural, Inner city

Using this data? Cite or embed. Publishers

Suburb snapshot infographic

Download PNG
St James, WA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Embed this snapshot

The image links to the canonical suburb page. Copy the HTML as-is.

St James, WA suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “St James, WA Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/wa/st-james-wa

No registration is required. Please keep the link to the suburb page.

Suburb profile

St James is an inner metropolitan suburb of Perth, in Canning Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development.

Rents are unusually low against comparable places, with median rents 58% below the peer median. Population has been growing faster than in comparable places, with population growth 42% above the peer median. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high, and crime in the wider Cannington Police District remains above typical levels but is improving. Reported offences have fallen 30% year on year. The main trade-offs are thinner mapped green cover within the suburb boundary and thinner local amenities, with green cover 81% below the peer median.

Overall, St James suits people prioritising lower rents over local amenities.

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

Inner metropolitan suburb · compared with inner metropolitan suburbs in Western Australia (67)

Strengths

  • Rents are unusually low against comparable places
  • Population has been growing faster than in comparable places

Weaknesses

  • Mapped green cover within the suburb boundary is below comparable suburbs
  • Local amenity access is relatively limited

What stands out

  • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high
  • Crime in the wider Cannington Police District remains above typical levels but is improving

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How St James compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$295/wk

Population (ERP)

5,865

+1.9% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

9.5%

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

#42

among Metro Perth · Growth area

Pop. growth

70th

percentile in WA

Rented dwellings

48%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

7/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

70th

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
45.9/100 — Average
State standing
Top 35% of Western Australia's suburbs
National rank
2919th in Australia
State rank
238th in WA
Peer rank
#42 among Metro Perth · Growth area suburbs
Cohort rank
#163 among Metro Perth 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)
$295
Rental bonds lodged (wa-rental-bond/Monthly Bond Lodgement Summary (CSV)-(01-12-2025-31-12-2025).csv)
2,440

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

5,865(June 2025)

+1.9% annual · +13.2% over 5 years · 70th percentile in WA

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.9%
5-year growth
+13.2%
Change in 1 year
+111
Change in 5 years
+685
Growth rank in WA
70th 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 (~6,200), extrapolated at +1.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
4,894
Median age
32
Median household income / week
$1,827
Dwelling vacancy
9.5%
Unoccupied private dwellings
203 of 2,140
Median monthly mortgage
$1,842
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$330
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
18.3% / 34% / 47.6%
Employment rate
66.8%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
6.4% / 8.2% / 68.8%
Walked or cycled to work
2.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,356 / 497 / 79

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

35.5% of adults have a university degree, compared with 23.8% across Western Australia. 13.6% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified35.5% · 23.8% WA
  • Diploma qualified9.6% · 9.3% WA
  • Trade / vocational13.6% · 17.8% WA
  • Year 12 or below41.3% · 49.1% WA

Highest qualification field

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

  • Management and commerce21.4%
  • Engineering and related technologies16.9%
  • Society and culture14%
  • Health12.2%
  • Education7.4%
  • Architecture and building5.6%
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)
$48,767

11th percentile in WA · -17% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$54,955

27th percentile in WA · -15% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
6.0%

2nd percentile in WA · -56% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$16,783

3rd percentile in WA · -73% vs Australia

Residents with business income
16.0%

97th percentile in WA · +54% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 6102 — 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
11,209
Taxpayers reporting net rent
667
Median net rent
-$519
Taxpayers reporting business income
1,819
Taxable income vs state median
-20%
Salary / wages vs state median
-12%
Rental investment vs state median
-50%
Super vs state median
-74%
Business income vs state median
+100%

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

30.5% speak a language other than English at home; 41.3% born overseas

Language at home
3,211 English only · 1,410 other
Non-English at home
30.5%
Born overseas
1,911 (41.3%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
139 (2.8%)
Australian citizens
3,580
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
32

Top languages other than English

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

  • Mandarin87 · 16.2%
  • Nepali49 · 9.1%
  • Urdu44 · 8.2%
  • Arabic29 · 5.4%
  • Italian27 · 5%
  • Hindi23 · 4.3%
  • Cantonese22 · 4.1%
  • Indonesian22 · 4.1%

Religion

43.3%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 43.3%, while Christianity accounts for 32.6%. Buddhism is more prevalent locally than across the state.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion43.3%42.5%
Christianity32.6%41.1%
Hinduism4%2%
Islam5.2%2.5%
Buddhism5.3%2.2%
Other / not stated9.6%9.8%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic17.3%18.7%
Anglican5.1%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 Cannington 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)
14,034
Against the person
3,038
Against property
8,831
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
75.2
State crime-rate percentile
71.7th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-34.2%

Most common offence types

  • Assault (Family)
  • Drug Offences
  • Fraud & Related 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
7
Median school ICSEA (7 schools)
1,055
Median ICSEA percentile
70th
School list
  • Santa Clara SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1072 · 76th percentile · LBOTE 63% · 192 students · Top SEA quarter 33% · 0.7 km awayView on My School →
  • Millen Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1084 · 80th percentile · LBOTE 25% · 544 students · Top SEA quarter 40% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Carson Street SchoolSpecial · Government · ICSEA 990 · 42th percentile · LBOTE 31% · 94 students · Top SEA quarter 19% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
  • Al-Hidayah Islamic SchoolPrimary · Independent · ICSEA 1055 · 70th percentile · LBOTE 93% · 198 students · Top SEA quarter 24% · 1.3 km awayView on My School →
  • Bentley Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 974 · 35th percentile · LBOTE 72% · 336 students · Top SEA quarter 12% · 1.3 km awayView on My School →
  • Canning CollegeSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1073 · 76th percentile · LBOTE 74% · 247 students · Top SEA quarter 32% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →
  • Wilson Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1022 · 57th percentile · LBOTE 73% · 291 students · Top SEA quarter 19% · 1.9 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

24 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Albany Hwy After Boundary Rd
  • Albany Hwy After Coolgardie St
  • Albany Hwy After Walpole St
  • Albany Hwy After Wyndham St
  • Albany Hwy Before Walpole St

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

81 mapped amenities

1 cafes · 1 supermarkets · 2 pharmacies · 1 fast food · 1 places of worship · 6 playgrounds

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Highly walkable for shops and everyday services
  • Great for outdoor family life — 6 parks mapped in suburb, 6 playgrounds nearby
  • Well connected by public transport — 24 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
74/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.2
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.41
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.23
Food & drink(2)
  • Kwik KoffeeCafe

    1081 Albany Hwy,, St James

  • McDonald'sFast food

    1035 Albany Highway

Shopping(3)
  • AldiSupermarket

    1009-1013 Albany Highway

Community(1)
  • Santa Clara SchoolSchool

    91 Coolgardie Street, St James

Health & services(4)
  • Bentley Medical CentreMedical clinic

    1100 Albany Highway

  • Botts Compounding PharmacyPharmacy

    1098 Albany Highway, St James

  • St James Newstart PharmacyPharmacy
  • The Pet PracticeVeterinary

    Unit 3 1083 Albany Highway, St James

Sport & outdoors(22)
  • Ashburton Street Shared PathCycling route
  • Holder/Walpole Streets Shared PathCycling route
  • John Street Shared PathCycling route
  • John/Ashburton Street Shared PathCycling route
  • SE 16Cycling route
  • SE 24Cycling route
  • SE 26Cycling route
  • Drinking water
  • Nature reserve
  • Alday St ReservePark
  • Boulder ParkPark
  • Houghton ParkPark
  • Norman Playground ParkPark
  • Rotary ParkPark

    24 Beaconsfield Street, St James

  • Warwick ParkPark

    Warwick Street, St James

  • Alday St Reserve PlaygroundPlayground
  • Norman PlaygroundPlayground
  • Playground (4)
  • Sports field
Transport(23)

23 bus stops

Other(11)
  • Bench (3)
  • City of CanningBench
  • Bicycle Parking (5)
  • PLE ComputersComputer

    Unit 1 1083 Albany Highway

  • Parking (10)
  • Staff ParkingParking
  • Picnic Table
  • Place of worship
  • Shelter (2)
  • City of CanningWaste Basket
  • Waste Basket (2)

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

7 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Alday St ReservePark
  • Boulder ParkPark
  • Houghton ParkPark
  • Norman Playground ParkPark
  • Park or reserveNature reserve
  • Rotary ParkPark
  • Warwick ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
1.6%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
6
Parks (OSM)
6
Typical summer maximum
29°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
3
Nearest hospital
Bentley Health Service (1.8 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

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

  • Bentley Medical CentreAlbany HighwayGP
  • Botts Compounding PharmacyAlbany HighwayPharmacy
  • St James Newstart PharmacyPharmacy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
124
Participants per 1,000 residents
21.1

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
29° / 16°
Rainfall
51 mm · ~6 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
24° / 13°
Rainfall
198 mm · ~25 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
17° / 8°
Rainfall
552 mm · ~69 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
21° / 10°
Rainfall
212 mm · ~26 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

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
Swan
Member of Parliament
Zaneta MASCARENHAS (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
116,105
Turnout (2025)
87.3%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+4.6 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 36.0%Labor 64.0%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 3.1 km away).

Coalition 28.3%Labor 71.7%

7.7 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +3.0 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • East Victoria Park SouthLabor 74.1% · Coalition 25.9% TPP (2025)0.8 km away
  • BentleyLabor 68.5% · Coalition 31.6% TPP (2025)1.1 km away
  • Bentley SouthLabor 73.4% · Coalition 26.6% TPP (2025)1.2 km away
  • CarlisleLabor 69.5% · Coalition 30.5% TPP (2025)2.0 km away
  • WilsonLabor 65.4% · Coalition 34.6% TPP (2025)2.0 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)
7/10
IRSD decile (2021)
5/10

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 Canning Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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