Suburb / Locality · Area profile
Port Hedland
67 km²
Port Hedland is a high-earning industrial hub in the north of Western Australia. It is a notably young community where the typical resident is 34 and children under 15 make up 24.1% of the population. This youthful profile and the high number of people in de facto relationships create a distinct social character. The town is a transient place with high incomes and a workforce heavily tied to the mining and transport industries.
Household incomes here are high, yet Port Hedland's schools draw a notably less advantaged community.
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The community is noticeably younger than the national figure, with children under 15 and young adults making up over 65% of the population. People aged 65 and over are far less common here than in the rest of the state, at just 3.5%.
About 20.8% of residents were born overseas, which is much higher than in most similar areas, though still well below the state and national figures. English and Australian are the most common ancestries reported.
English is the primary language for 76.4% of the community. While 11% of people use another language at home, which is much higher than in most similar areas, the proportion who speak little or no English is a little below the national figure.
A large portion of the population reports no religion, at 47.5%. This is well above both the Western Australian and national figures.
Qualifications are higher than in most similar areas, with 20.1% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Engineering and related fields are the most common qualifications, accounting for 26.8% of degrees.
Incomes are exceptionally high, with 56% of households earning $3,000 or more a week, far above the national figure of 22.6%. The typical personal weekly income is $1,859, which is far above the national figure of $805.
Residents are generally healthier than those in most other areas. Only 15.1% of people have a long-term health condition, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%.
A high proportion of people (31%) provide unpaid care for children, which is well above the national average. However, only 5.1% of residents provide other forms of unpaid care, among the lowest at this level.
First Nations people are a significant part of the community, with 301 residents. This group sees much higher outcomes than the state average, including a typical household income of $3,013 and a low unemployment rate of 4.8%.
The area has a high number of couples with children (68.1%) and a higher than average number of people living alone. One-parent families are much less common here than in most other areas.
Renting is very common, with 68.6% of households renting, far above the national figure of 30.6%. Because of this, very few people own their homes outright. Typical weekly rents are $210, which is far below the national figure.
Cars are essential, as 73.8% of people drive to work and only 0.9% use public transport. Very few people work from home (2.4%), which is far below the national figure of 21%.
The population is highly mobile, with 63.5% of people moving in the last five years. This is far above the national figure and is consistent with a high number of recent overseas arrivals (19.1%).
Job prospects are strong, with a very low unemployment rate of 1.9%. Mining (27.1%) and transport and warehousing (12.4%) are the dominant industries.
While 95.2% of homes are within a short walk of public transport, other amenities are far less accessible. For example, no homes are within a 15-minute walk of health services.