Main Arm, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Around the national middle
Main Arm is more socio-economically advantaged than about 53% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 993, 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 Main Arm 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 Main Arm 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
53/100Around the national middle
Around the national middle — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (53/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
11/100Among the more expensive suburbs
Median weekly rent was $450 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 11% 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.
Main Arm at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 640
- Median age
- 45
- Median weekly household income
- $1,403
- SEIFA score
- 993
- Local government area
- Byron
- Coordinates
- -28.5225, 153.4393
Map of Main Arm
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Main Arm
What it costs to live in Main Arm and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $450
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,733
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 78%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 19%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Main Arm demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Main Arm demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Main Arm 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 mid-life (45–64) at 36% and 21% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 106 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 52 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 146 | 23% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 227 | 36% |
| Seniors (65+) | 105 | 17% |
Share of the 636 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 92 | 51% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 48 | 27% |
| Rented | 35 | 19% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 171 | 97% |
| Townhouses & semis | 6 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 177 occupied private dwellings in Main Arm.
- Average household size
- 2.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,482
- Median weekly personal income
- $628
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 107 (21%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 55 (11%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 14 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 252 (49%)
- Labour-force participation
- 50.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.3%
- Employed full-time
- 98
- Employed part-time
- 136
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 Main Arm
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Main Arm is January (average daytime high around 28.1°C) and the coolest is July (around 19.7°C). The area receives roughly 1329 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.1°C | 20.9°C | 124 mm |
| Feb | 27.4°C | 20.7°C | 227 mm |
| Mar | 26.8°C | 20.1°C | 206 mm |
| Apr | 24.3°C | 17.3°C | 86 mm |
| May | 21.9°C | 14.7°C | 94 mm |
| Jun | 19.8°C | 12.6°C | 79 mm |
| Jul | 19.7°C | 11.6°C | 57 mm |
| Aug | 21°C | 12.1°C | 55 mm |
| Sep | 22.9°C | 13.9°C | 53 mm |
| Oct | 24.7°C | 16.2°C | 107 mm |
| Nov | 26.4°C | 18.1°C | 95 mm |
| Dec | 27.7°C | 19.9°C | 146 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Main Arm
Is Main Arm 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, Main Arm rates 39/100 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 Main Arm?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Main Arm was $450, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,733. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Main Arm?
Main Arm is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia, in the Byron local government area.
What is the population of Main Arm?
At the 2021 Census, Main Arm had a population of about 640.
Is Main Arm an advantaged area?
Main Arm has an ABS SEIFA score of 993, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 53 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 53% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Main Arm?
Main Arm has average daytime highs of about 24.2°C and overnight lows of about 16.5°C, with roughly 1,329 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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