Broome, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Broome is a coastal town in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia, more than 2,000 km north of Perth, on the lands of the Yawuru people — recognised as native title holders of the area in 2006. It is best known for Cable Beach, a 22-kilometre sweep of white sand, and for a pearling history that shaped the town: from the late nineteenth century the industry drew divers and workers from Japan, Malaya and China, dangerous work remembered in the old cemeteries and the streets of Chinatown. Other draws include the migratory birds of Roebuck Bay, the 'Staircase to the Moon' tidal illusion, and dinosaur footprints near Gantheaume Point. The town is named after a colonial governor, Frederick Broome.
Less advantaged than the national average
Broome is more socio-economically advantaged than about 25% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 942, 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.
Is Broome a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Lower on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Broome from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
25/100Less advantaged than the national average
Less advantaged than the national average — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (25/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
47/100Around the national median for cost
Median weekly rent was $300 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 47% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Broome at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,797
- Median age
- 36
- Median weekly household income
- $1,802
- SEIFA score
- 942
- Local government area
- Broome
- Coordinates
- -17.9584, 122.2334
Map of Broome
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Broome
What it costs to live in Broome and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $300
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,950
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 37%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 56%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Broome demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Broome demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Broome 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 young adults (25–44) at 31% and 19% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 745 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 445 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,193 | 31% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,026 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 380 | 10% |
Share of the 3,789 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 168 | 14% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 265 | 23% |
| Rented | 656 | 56% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 769 | 66% |
| Townhouses & semis | 270 | 23% |
| Flats & apartments | 60 | 5% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,169 occupied private dwellings in Broome.
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,281
- Median weekly personal income
- $967
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 617 (19%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 467 (15%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 1,255 (33%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,311 (44%)
- Labour-force participation
- 57.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.6%
- Employed full-time
- 1,078
- Employed part-time
- 430
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.
Weather and climate in Broome
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Broome is December (average daytime high around 33°C) and the coolest is July (around 28.7°C). The area receives roughly 677 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31.3°C | 26.3°C | 335 mm |
| Feb | 31.8°C | 26.4°C | 123 mm |
| Mar | 33.2°C | 26.5°C | 61 mm |
| Apr | 34.1°C | 24.7°C | 19 mm |
| May | 31.7°C | 20.8°C | 16 mm |
| Jun | 29.3°C | 18.3°C | 6 mm |
| Jul | 28.7°C | 17°C | 2 mm |
| Aug | 30.1°C | 18°C | 5 mm |
| Sep | 31.8°C | 20.7°C | 1 mm |
| Oct | 32.9°C | 23.9°C | 2 mm |
| Nov | 33.6°C | 25.8°C | 14 mm |
| Dec | 33°C | 27°C | 93 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Broome
Is Broome a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Broome rates 32/100 overall (Lower on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Broome?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Broome was $300, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,950. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Broome?
Broome is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia, in the Broome local government area.
What is the population of Broome?
At the 2021 Census, Broome had a population of about 3,797.
Is Broome an advantaged area?
Broome has an ABS SEIFA score of 942, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 25 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 25% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Broome?
Broome has average daytime highs of about 31.8°C and overnight lows of about 23°C, with roughly 677 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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