Leonora, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Leonora is a gold and nickel mining town in the northern Goldfields of Western Australia, about 237 kilometres north of Kalgoorlie and more than 800 kilometres from Perth. The nearby hill, Mount Leonora, was named by the explorer John Forrest in 1869 after his young niece, Frances Leonora Hardey. Gold was discovered in the area in 1895, the townsite was gazetted in 1897, and a railway arrived in 1903. Just to the south lies Gwalia, home to the historic Sons of Gwalia mine, which was once linked to Leonora by a tramway and brought the district international attention. Mining still anchors the local economy, alongside the pastoral stations of the surrounding arid country.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Leonora is more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 897, 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.
Leonora at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 657
- Median age
- 40
- Median weekly household income
- $1,455
- SEIFA score
- 897
- Coordinates
- -28.8414, 121.2688
Leonora demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Leonora 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 32%, 38% of homes are rented, and 23% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 99 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 65 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 213 | 32% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 205 | 31% |
| Seniors (65+) | 90 | 13% |
Share of the 672 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 59 | 31% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 27 | 14% |
| Rented | 73 | 38% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 138 | 73% |
| Townhouses & semis | 12 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 7 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 190 occupied private dwellings in Leonora.
- Median weekly rent
- $163
- Median monthly mortgage
- $714
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,671
- Median weekly personal income
- $946
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 116 (23%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 110 (22%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 128 (19%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 180 (32%)
- Labour-force participation
- 49.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.2%
- Employed full-time
- 206
- Employed part-time
- 38
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.
Common questions about Leonora
Where is Leonora?
Leonora is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Leonora?
At the 2021 Census, Leonora had a population of about 657.
Is Leonora an advantaged area?
Leonora has an ABS SEIFA score of 897, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 11 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of Australian suburbs.
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