Northam, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Northam lies in the Avon Valley where the Avon and Mortlock Rivers meet, about 97 kilometres north-east of Perth on the edge of the Wheatbelt. Named by Governor Stirling, probably after a village in Devon, it was settled in the 1830s and became an important staging post for travellers heading inland. When the railway pushed east, Northam grew into the main jumping-off point for prospectors bound for the goldfields. The town is crossed by a slender pedestrian suspension bridge over the Avon, said to be the longest of its kind in Australia, and each winter it sees the start of the Avon Descent, a two-day white-water race that runs all the way down to the Swan River.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Northam is more socio-economically advantaged than about 10% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 891, 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.
Northam at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 6,679
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $1,246
- SEIFA score
- 891
- Coordinates
- -31.6524, 116.6635
Northam demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Northam 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 26%, 30% of homes are rented, and 17% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,285 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 795 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,459 | 22% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,735 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,406 | 21% |
Share of the 6,680 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 865 | 35% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 789 | 32% |
| Rented | 745 | 30% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,297 | 93% |
| Townhouses & semis | 136 | 5% |
| Flats & apartments | 12 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,483 occupied private dwellings in Northam.
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,574
- Median weekly personal income
- $653
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 986 (17%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 465 (8%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 557 (8%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,893 (37%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.4%
- Employed full-time
- 1,632
- Employed part-time
- 869
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 Northam
Where is Northam?
Northam is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Northam?
At the 2021 Census, Northam had a population of about 6,679.
Is Northam an advantaged area?
Northam has an ABS SEIFA score of 891, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 10 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 10% of Australian suburbs.
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