Karratha, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Karratha is the largest city in Western Australia's Pilbara region, on the north-west coast roughly 1,550 kilometres north of Perth. It lies on the country of the Ngarluma people, and the name is generally said to come from a local Aboriginal word meaning good country or soft earth. The town was established in 1968 to house workers for Hamersley Iron's mining and export operations, and expanded through the 1980s with the petroleum and liquefied natural gas projects of the North West Shelf Venture. Karratha is now a major industrial and service hub, its economy built on iron ore, LNG, ammonia and solar-salt production. It also serves as a gateway to the surrounding Pilbara coast and ranges.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Karratha is more socio-economically advantaged than about 89% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1070, 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.
Karratha at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 98
- Median age
- 34
- Median weekly household income
- $1,583
- SEIFA score
- 1070
- Coordinates
- -20.7344, 116.8446
Karratha demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Karratha 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 48%, 100% of homes are rented, and 44% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 0 | 0% |
| Youth (15–24) | 20 | 20% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 47 | 48% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 28 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3 | 3% |
Share of the 98 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 0 | 0% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 0 | 0% |
| Rented | 42 | 100% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 0 | 0% |
| Townhouses & semis | 10 | 25% |
| Flats & apartments | 30 | 75% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 40 occupied private dwellings in Karratha.
- Median weekly rent
- $280
- Average household size
- 1.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,250
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,190
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 38 (44%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 24 (29%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 4 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 56 (59%)
- Labour-force participation
- 74%
- Unemployment rate
- 1.4%
- Employed full-time
- 55
- Employed part-time
- 12
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 Karratha
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Karratha is March (average daytime high around 34.8°C) and the coolest is July (around 26.1°C). The area receives roughly 281 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34.3°C | 27.3°C | 26 mm |
| Feb | 34.1°C | 27.2°C | 71 mm |
| Mar | 34.8°C | 27.4°C | 62 mm |
| Apr | 33.2°C | 24.8°C | 20 mm |
| May | 29.3°C | 20.6°C | 54 mm |
| Jun | 25.8°C | 17.2°C | 26 mm |
| Jul | 26.1°C | 16.2°C | 6 mm |
| Aug | 27.6°C | 17.4°C | 2 mm |
| Sep | 30.5°C | 20°C | 4 mm |
| Oct | 33°C | 22.9°C | 0 mm |
| Nov | 33.8°C | 24.4°C | 1 mm |
| Dec | 34.8°C | 26.4°C | 9 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Karratha
Where is Karratha?
Karratha is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Karratha?
At the 2021 Census, Karratha had a population of about 98.
Is Karratha an advantaged area?
Karratha has an ABS SEIFA score of 1070, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 89 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 89% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Karratha?
Karratha has average daytime highs of about 31.4°C and overnight lows of about 22.7°C, with roughly 281 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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