Kalgoorlie, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Kalgoorlie-Boulder is the heart of Western Australia's Goldfields, roughly 600 kilometres east-north-east of Perth. LGA population: 29,306 at the 2021 Census (ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, LGA54280). Gold ore mining employs 20.4% of the workforce — 100 times the national rate of 0.2%. The Super Pit is the economy made visible, and the workforce numbers confirm it: technicians and trades workers are 22.2% of employed residents (national: 12.9%), machinery operators and drivers are 16.6% (national: 6.3%). Median weekly household income: $2,324 (national: $1,746); median personal income: $1,207 per week, half again the national $805. Bachelor degree attainment is 13.8% — half the national 26.3% — reflecting a labour market that values trade licences and on-the-job certifications over university degrees. The demographic profile is male-skewed (52.7% male) and relatively young, median age 34. De facto relationship rate is 18.8% (national: 11.5%), consistent with the age profile and occupational mix. New Zealand-born residents account for 7.0% of the population — more than three times the WA rate of 2.8% — reflecting the trans-Tasman labour market for mining roles. No religion is reported by 44.3%, the single largest religious affiliation returned. Workers putting in 45 or more hours per week: 41.3% (national: 17.9%). Unemployment 3.4% (national: 5.1%).
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.
Is Kalgoorlie 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.
Below the national middle on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Kalgoorlie 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
46/100Around the national middle
Around the national middle — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (46/100) 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.
Kalgoorlie at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,711
- Median age
- 35
- Median weekly household income
- $2,095
- SEIFA score
- 981
- Local government area
- Kalgoorlie-Boulder
- Coordinates
- -30.7561, 121.4685
Map of Kalgoorlie
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Kalgoorlie
What it costs to live in Kalgoorlie and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $300
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,517
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 50%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 45%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Kalgoorlie demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
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% 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.
- 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).
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Common questions about Kalgoorlie
Is Kalgoorlie 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, Kalgoorlie rates 46/100 overall (Below the national middle 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 Kalgoorlie?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Kalgoorlie was $300, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,517. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Kalgoorlie?
Kalgoorlie is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia, in the Kalgoorlie-Boulder local government area.
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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