Meekatharra · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
How well-off the area is, how fast its population is growing, and the businesses and new homes here.
Only 1 out of 10 for overall advantage marks Meekatharra as one of the most disadvantaged areas in the country. This reflects a community with very limited access to money, resources, and job skills compared to most other regions.
All statistical area 2 (sa2) areas, 2021. The marker is Meekatharra — lower than 99% of areas.
| Meekatharra | 1 |
|---|---|
| 6642, WA | 1 |
SEIFA indexes ranking relative advantage and disadvantage.
Residents face significant hurdles, with an overall advantage score of 866, which is among the smallest at this level. Access to money and education skills are both very low, ranking below about 80% to 90% of similar areas.
1
Lower than 99% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% most disadvantaged areas in Australia, 10 = among the 10% most advantaged. IRSAD summarises both advantage and disadvantage, so a high score reflects relatively many high-income, well-educated households and few low-income, low-skill ones.
1
Lower than 99% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% most disadvantaged areas in Australia, 10 = among the least disadvantaged. IRSD focuses on disadvantage alone (low income, low education, unemployment, unskilled occupations), so a higher decile means relatively less disadvantage.
1
Lower than 99% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Economic Resources, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% lowest areas for economic resources in Australia, 10 = among the highest. IER reflects the income, housing costs, dwelling size and assets of households, so a higher decile means relatively greater economic resources.
2
Lower than 86% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Education and Occupation, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% lowest areas for education and occupation in Australia, 10 = among the highest. IEO reflects residents' qualifications and the skill level of their jobs, so a higher decile means a more highly educated and skilled workforce.
866
Lower than 94% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, 2021, as a raw index score (standardised so the Australian average is about 1000). Higher scores indicate relatively greater advantage; lower scores greater disadvantage.
Annual population estimates and change since the census.
The population has barely changed, growing by just 0.3% since 2021. This is far below the Western Australian growth rate of 10.7%.
3,384
Lower than 88% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Estimated resident population (ABS), 2025.
0.3%
Lower than 87% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Population growth since the 2021 Census, from ABS annual estimates.
Operating businesses and dwellings approved.
There are 162 businesses in the area, which is among the smallest number of businesses for areas of this type.
162
Lower than 93% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Operating businesses (ABS Counts of Australian Businesses), June 2025.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Economy & Advantage in Meekatharra [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/511041290/meekatharra/topic/economy-advantage
