Kalgoorlie, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Kalgoorlie is the heart of Western Australia's Goldfields, lying roughly 600 kilometres east-north-east of Perth across the dry inland. The town sprang up after gold was discovered in 1893 and still revolves around mining: the vast Super Pit (Fimiston Open Pit), gouged along the famous Golden Mile, is among the country's largest open-cut gold operations. Wide streets, grand hotels and the long pipeline that carries water from Mundaring Weir near Perth all date from the boom years. Kalgoorlie sits on the traditional lands of the Kapurn people, and its name is thought to come from a local Aboriginal word — variously said to refer to the edible silky pear or to a dog chasing a kangaroo.
Around the national middle
Kalgoorlie is more socio-economically advantaged than about 46% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 981, 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.
Kalgoorlie at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,711
- Median age
- 35
- Median weekly household income
- $2,095
- SEIFA score
- 981
- Coordinates
- -30.7561, 121.4685
Kalgoorlie demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Kalgoorlie 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 34%, 45% of homes are rented, and 35% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 592 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 483 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,251 | 34% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 953 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 434 | 12% |
Share of the 3,713 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 244 | 18% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 439 | 32% |
| Rented | 624 | 45% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 954 | 70% |
| Townhouses & semis | 299 | 22% |
| Flats & apartments | 107 | 8% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,368 occupied private dwellings in Kalgoorlie.
- Median weekly rent
- $300
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,725
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,175
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,181 (35%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 738 (22%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 219 (6%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,492 (49%)
- Labour-force participation
- 70.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.5%
- Employed full-time
- 1,522
- Employed part-time
- 439
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 Kalgoorlie
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Kalgoorlie is January (average daytime high around 33.2°C) and the coolest is July (around 16.8°C). The area receives roughly 241 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33.2°C | 18.7°C | 27 mm |
| Feb | 32.1°C | 18.7°C | 28 mm |
| Mar | 29.6°C | 17.4°C | 26 mm |
| Apr | 24.9°C | 14°C | 18 mm |
| May | 20.4°C | 10°C | 12 mm |
| Jun | 17.1°C | 7.7°C | 21 mm |
| Jul | 16.8°C | 6.8°C | 21 mm |
| Aug | 18.7°C | 7.6°C | 21 mm |
| Sep | 23.1°C | 9.9°C | 9 mm |
| Oct | 26.9°C | 13°C | 17 mm |
| Nov | 29.3°C | 14.9°C | 30 mm |
| Dec | 32.7°C | 17.5°C | 11 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Kalgoorlie
Where is Kalgoorlie?
Kalgoorlie is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Kalgoorlie?
At the 2021 Census, Kalgoorlie had a population of about 3,711.
Is Kalgoorlie an advantaged area?
Kalgoorlie has an ABS SEIFA score of 981, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 46 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 46% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Kalgoorlie?
Kalgoorlie has average daytime highs of about 25.4°C and overnight lows of about 13°C, with roughly 241 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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