Pemberton, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Pemberton is a small town deep in the karri forests of Western Australia's South West, about 335 kilometres south of Perth. It lies on Bibbulmun country, known to Aboriginal people as Wandergarup — 'plenty of water' — and takes its European name from Pemberton Walcott, who settled here in the 1860s. The town grew up around timber: from 1913 the State Saw Mills cut karri for railway sleepers, and milling remained its mainstay for the best part of a century. The forest is now the attraction. Visitors climb the Gloucester Tree, a giant karri once used as a fire lookout, and the even taller Bicentennial Tree, and explore the surrounding national parks, wineries and the old timber tramway.
Less advantaged than the national average
Pemberton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 938, 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.
Pemberton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 861
- Median age
- 48
- Median weekly household income
- $1,151
- SEIFA score
- 938
- Coordinates
- -34.4432, 116.0539
Pemberton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Pemberton 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 32%, 17% of homes are rented, and 22% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 130 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 92 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 166 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 272 | 32% |
| Seniors (65+) | 194 | 23% |
Share of the 854 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 142 | 44% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 110 | 34% |
| Rented | 55 | 17% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 314 | 98% |
| Townhouses & semis | 8 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 322 occupied private dwellings in Pemberton.
- Median weekly rent
- $280
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,656
- Median weekly personal income
- $671
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 175 (22%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 64 (8%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 12 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 297 (42%)
- Labour-force participation
- 58.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.1%
- Employed full-time
- 232
- Employed part-time
- 160
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 Pemberton
Where is Pemberton?
Pemberton is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Pemberton?
At the 2021 Census, Pemberton had a population of about 861.
Is Pemberton an advantaged area?
Pemberton has an ABS SEIFA score of 938, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 24 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of Australian suburbs.
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