Launceston, TAS
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Launceston sits in northern Tasmania where the North and South Esk rivers meet to form the Tamar. The area was the country of the Letteremairrener people, part of the Aboriginal nations of the northern midlands, long before Europeans settled here in 1806 — making Launceston one of Australia's oldest cities. That early start shows in its unusually intact streetscapes of Victorian and Georgian buildings. Its best-loved feature is the Cataract Gorge, a dramatic river gorge with parkland, walking tracks and a chairlift right at the edge of the city. Launceston is also the gateway to the Tamar Valley wine region, and takes its name from Launceston in Cornwall.
More advantaged than the national average
Launceston is more socio-economically advantaged than about 62% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1008, 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 Launceston 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.
Around the national middle
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Launceston 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
62/100More advantaged than the national average
More advantaged than the national average — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (62/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
41/100Around the national median for cost
Median weekly rent was $310 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 41% 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.
Launceston at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,110
- Median age
- 41
- Median weekly household income
- $1,439
- SEIFA score
- 1008
- Local government area
- Launceston
- Coordinates
- -41.4335, 147.1397
Map of Launceston
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Launceston
What it costs to live in Launceston and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $310
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,530
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 46%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 52%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Launceston demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Launceston demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Launceston 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 33% and 27% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 270 | 9% |
| Youth (15–24) | 393 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,019 | 33% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 834 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 599 | 19% |
Share of the 3,115 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 415 | 30% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 223 | 16% |
| Rented | 706 | 52% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 519 | 38% |
| Townhouses & semis | 451 | 33% |
| Flats & apartments | 333 | 24% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,361 occupied private dwellings in Launceston.
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,035
- Median weekly personal income
- $871
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 795 (27%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 549 (19%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 73 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,781 (65%)
- Labour-force participation
- 64.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.8%
- Employed full-time
- 976
- Employed part-time
- 619
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 Launceston
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Launceston is January (average daytime high around 24.2°C) and the coolest is July (around 11.2°C). The area receives roughly 787 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24.2°C | 12.6°C | 59 mm |
| Feb | 22.9°C | 12°C | 52 mm |
| Mar | 21°C | 10.8°C | 64 mm |
| Apr | 17.4°C | 8.1°C | 54 mm |
| May | 13.8°C | 6°C | 73 mm |
| Jun | 11.7°C | 4.3°C | 71 mm |
| Jul | 11.2°C | 3.8°C | 89 mm |
| Aug | 12°C | 3.6°C | 66 mm |
| Sep | 14.3°C | 5°C | 60 mm |
| Oct | 16.6°C | 6.6°C | 80 mm |
| Nov | 19.2°C | 8.7°C | 55 mm |
| Dec | 21.8°C | 10.6°C | 64 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Launceston
Is Launceston 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, Launceston rates 55/100 overall (Around the national middle). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Launceston?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Launceston was $310, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,530. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Launceston?
Launceston is a suburb of Tasmania, Australia, in the Launceston local government area.
What is the population of Launceston?
At the 2021 Census, Launceston had a population of about 3,110.
Is Launceston an advantaged area?
Launceston has an ABS SEIFA score of 1008, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 62 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 62% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Launceston?
Launceston has average daytime highs of about 17.2°C and overnight lows of about 7.7°C, with roughly 787 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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