Marble Bar, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Marble Bar is a town in the Pilbara region of north-western Western Australia, about 1,476 kilometres north-east of Perth and some 152 kilometres south-east of Port Hedland. It is often called the hottest town in Australia, and famously set a world record between 31 October 1923 and 7 April 1924 when the temperature reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit, about 37.8 Celsius, on 160 consecutive days. The town takes its name from a bar of red jasper crossing the bed of the Coongan River nearby, which early arrivals mistook for marble. Gold was discovered in the area in 1890, and the townsite was gazetted in 1893. A railway once linked it to Port Hedland from 1911 until 1951. Gold and mineral mining remain central to the district.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Marble Bar is more socio-economically advantaged than about 1% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 768, 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.
Marble Bar at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 927
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $1,035
- SEIFA score
- 768
- Coordinates
- -21.1644, 119.7403
Marble Bar demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Marble Bar 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 45%, 56% of homes are rented, and 25% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 71 | 8% |
| Youth (15–24) | 96 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 413 | 45% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 298 | 32% |
| Seniors (65+) | 47 | 5% |
Share of the 925 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 26 | 21% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 0 | 0% |
| Rented | 68 | 56% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 88 | 75% |
| Townhouses & semis | 3 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 3 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 118 occupied private dwellings in Marble Bar.
- Median weekly rent
- $100
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $767
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,433
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 160 (25%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 190 (29%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 254 (27%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 252 (30%)
- Labour-force participation
- 49.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 8%
- Employed full-time
- 318
- Employed part-time
- 34
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 Marble Bar
Where is Marble Bar?
Marble Bar is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Marble Bar?
At the 2021 Census, Marble Bar had a population of about 927.
Is Marble Bar an advantaged area?
Marble Bar has an ABS SEIFA score of 768, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 1 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 1% of Australian suburbs.
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