Urban Centre · Area profile
Looma
40 km²
An overwhelmingly Aboriginal community, Looma is a young and growing settlement where nearly all residents identify as Indigenous. The typical resident is just 26, and with 30.1% of the population being children, the community is much younger than the national average. This youthfulness is reflected in the home life here, where large households and high rates of one-parent families are common. It is a place of stark contrasts, with very low typical incomes but a population that is far younger than the rest of the state.
Explore Looma by topic
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is far above the national figure at 96.4%, a figure that has risen 57 points since 2011. This is a very young community; the typical resident is 26, and only 2.4% of people are seniors aged 65 and over.
Almost everyone here was born in Australia, with 96.6% of residents born locally. This is far below the state and national figures for overseas births, and the percentage of people born abroad has fallen to just 1.0% since 2011.
While 85.9% of people speak only English, those using another language at home (8.5%) are much more common here than in most similar areas, though this remains well below the Western Australian average.
Christianity is the most common affiliation at 58.0%. Those reporting no religion make up 31.1% of the community, which is far below the state figure of 42.9%.
Education levels are much lower than the national average, with no residents holding a bachelor degree or higher. Only 23.3% of people have completed Year 12, which is far below the state figure of 58.0%.
Typical incomes are among the lowest in the region; the usual weekly family income is just $745, which is far below the national figure of $2,120. No households earn $3,000 or more per week.
Long-term health conditions are reported by 10.9% of people, which is far below the state average of 26.1%. Only 2.2% of residents have a mental health condition.
Unpaid childcare is common, with 38.5% of people caring for children—well above the national figure of 26.3%. However, volunteering is very low at 3.2%, falling 17 points since 2011.
Homes here are large and often crowded, with a typical 3.7 people per household. One-parent families are far more common than in the rest of the state, making up 35.4% of households.
Rental is the primary way of living, with 95.0% of homes rented and none owned outright. While 90.1% of homes have three or more bedrooms, the typical weekly rent is very low at $83.
Many homes lack a car, with 58.5% of households having no motor vehicle—far above the national figure of 7.4%. Because of this, nearly 47% of people walk to work.
The community is very stable, with only 7.7% of people moving in the last five years, far below the national average of 40.7%. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 17.6% of the population.
Only 18.0% of adults are working or looking for work, which is far below the national figure of 61.1%. The unemployment rate is 11.8%, well above the state average of 5.1%.
The area is completely car-dependent with a walkability score of 0.0. There are no schools, parks, or grocery stores within a 15-minute walk for any resident.