Devonport, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Devonport stands at the mouth of the Mersey River on Tasmania's north-west coast, about 98 kilometres north of Launceston. For many visitors it is the gateway to the island: the Spirit of Tasmania ferries dock here after crossing Bass Strait, and the port handles a large share of the state's freight. The Mersey Bluff, with its 1889 lighthouse and headland reserve, guards the river mouth, while the fertile red-soil country inland grows vegetables such as potatoes, onions and peas. The modern city was formed in 1893 by joining the older settlements of Torquay and Formby. It lies on the traditional Country of Tasmanian Aboriginal (palawa / pakana) people, recorded in the palawa kani language as Limilinaturi.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Devonport is more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 876, 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 Devonport 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 Devonport 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
8/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (8/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
63/100More affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $250 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 63% 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.
Devonport at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 14,481
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,093
- SEIFA score
- 876
- Local government area
- Devonport
- Coordinates
- -41.1754, 146.3430
Map of Devonport
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Devonport
What it costs to live in Devonport and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $250
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,192
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 61%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 36%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Devonport demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Devonport demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Devonport 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 24% and 12% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,377 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,599 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 3,523 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 3,546 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,437 | 24% |
Share of the 14,482 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,038 | 33% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,729 | 28% |
| Rented | 2,205 | 36% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 5,140 | 83% |
| Townhouses & semis | 997 | 16% |
| Flats & apartments | 18 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 6,174 occupied private dwellings in Devonport.
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,455
- Median weekly personal income
- $619
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,646 (12%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 898 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 1,016 (7%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,268 (37%)
- Labour-force participation
- 53.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 7%
- Employed full-time
- 3,279
- Employed part-time
- 2,416
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 Devonport
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Devonport is January (average daytime high around 23.1°C) and the coolest is July (around 11.9°C). The area receives roughly 984 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23.1°C | 12.9°C | 68 mm |
| Feb | 21.9°C | 12.5°C | 58 mm |
| Mar | 20.2°C | 11.5°C | 77 mm |
| Apr | 17.3°C | 8.9°C | 68 mm |
| May | 14.3°C | 7.1°C | 96 mm |
| Jun | 12.6°C | 5.9°C | 97 mm |
| Jul | 11.9°C | 5.3°C | 120 mm |
| Aug | 12.5°C | 4.7°C | 93 mm |
| Sep | 14.4°C | 5.8°C | 78 mm |
| Oct | 16.6°C | 7.4°C | 109 mm |
| Nov | 18.7°C | 9.4°C | 56 mm |
| Dec | 20.9°C | 10.9°C | 64 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Devonport
Is Devonport 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, Devonport rates 26/100 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 Devonport?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Devonport was $250, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,192. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Devonport?
Devonport is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia, in the Devonport local government area.
What is the population of Devonport?
At the 2021 Census, Devonport had a population of about 14,481.
Is Devonport an advantaged area?
Devonport has an ABS SEIFA score of 876, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 8 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Devonport?
Devonport has average daytime highs of about 17°C and overnight lows of about 8.5°C, with roughly 984 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Devonport?
Devonport is the most populous suburb in Tasmania at the 2021 Census (about 14,481 usual residents).
Where Devonport ranks
Devonport appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Tasmania#1 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Tasmania
More suburb guides in Tasmania
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.