Margaret River (WA), WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, about 277 km south of Perth in the valley of the river that shares its name. It anchors one of the country's premier wine regions — home to scores of wineries producing a large share of Australia's premium wine — and is equally known for surfing, with dozens of breaks, including the renowned Main Break, strung along the nearby coast. Limestone caves, tall-timber forests and ocean beaches draw around half a million visitors a year. The river is thought to have been named in 1831 after Margaret Whicher; before British settlement the area was inhabited by the Noongar people.
Around the national middle
Margaret River (WA) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 55% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 996, 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 Margaret River (WA) 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 Margaret River (WA) 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
55/100Around the national middle
Around the national middle — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (55/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
23/100Less affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $380 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 23% 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.
Margaret River (WA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 8,918
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $1,640
- SEIFA score
- 996
- Local government area
- Augusta Margaret River
- Coordinates
- -33.9667, 115.0549
Map of Margaret River (WA)
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Margaret River (WA)
What it costs to live in Margaret River (WA) and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $380
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,694
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 70%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 27%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Margaret River (WA) demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Margaret River (WA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Margaret River (WA) 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 29% and 27% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,929 | 22% |
| Youth (15–24) | 764 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,616 | 29% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,371 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,244 | 14% |
Share of the 8,924 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 884 | 29% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,272 | 41% |
| Rented | 817 | 27% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,823 | 92% |
| Townhouses & semis | 207 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 9 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,074 occupied private dwellings in Margaret River (WA).
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,944
- Median weekly personal income
- $839
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,213 (27%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 891 (11%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 146 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,054 (61%)
- Labour-force participation
- 67%
- Unemployment rate
- 3%
- Employed full-time
- 2,265
- Employed part-time
- 1,877
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.
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Common questions about Margaret River (WA)
Is Margaret River (WA) 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, Margaret River (WA) rates 44/100 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 Margaret River (WA)?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Margaret River (WA) was $380, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,694. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Margaret River (WA)?
Margaret River (WA) is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia, in the Augusta Margaret River local government area.
What is the population of Margaret River (WA)?
At the 2021 Census, Margaret River (WA) had a population of about 8,918.
Is Margaret River (WA) an advantaged area?
Margaret River (WA) has an ABS SEIFA score of 996, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 55 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 55% of Australian suburbs.
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