Bridgetown, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Bridgetown lies in the Blackwood River valley in the South West of Western Australia, in rolling country of farmland, orchards and jarrah forest. The district is Noongar country, and the original name Geegelup has been variously explained as a place of gilgies, the small freshwater crayfish, or in more recent readings a place of spears. The town was surveyed in 1868 and named by surveyor Thomas Carey, both for its river crossing and, it is said, after the Bridgetown, an early wool ship. Timber and farming sustained it for generations. Today Bridgetown is a relaxed country town known for the Blackwood River, the long-running Blues at Bridgetown festival and the gruelling Blackwood Marathon relay.
Less advantaged than the national average
Bridgetown is more socio-economically advantaged than about 31% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 954, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Bridgetown at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,168
- Median age
- 52
- Median weekly household income
- $1,082
- SEIFA score
- 954
- Coordinates
- -33.9550, 116.1282
Bridgetown demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Bridgetown using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 30%, 19% of homes are rented, and 26% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 495 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 259 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 529 | 17% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 935 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 959 | 30% |
Share of the 3,177 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 541 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 440 | 35% |
| Rented | 237 | 19% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,194 | 94% |
| Townhouses & semis | 56 | 4% |
| Flats & apartments | 7 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,272 occupied private dwellings in Bridgetown.
- Median weekly rent
- $300
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,400
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,462
- Median weekly personal income
- $580
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 746 (26%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 107 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 54 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,155 (45%)
- Labour-force participation
- 50.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.4%
- Employed full-time
- 642
- Employed part-time
- 542
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Bridgetown
Where is Bridgetown?
Bridgetown is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Bridgetown?
At the 2021 Census, Bridgetown had a population of about 3,168.
Is Bridgetown an advantaged area?
Bridgetown has an ABS SEIFA score of 954, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 31 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 31% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in Western Australia
More suburb guides in Western Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.