Scarborough (WA), WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Scarborough is a beachside suburb on Perth's Indian Ocean coast, about 13 km north-west of the city centre in the City of Stirling. Its wide surf beach is one of the metropolitan area's best known, and a major redevelopment of the foreshore has added a landmark beachfront pool, an amphitheatre and a strip of bars and restaurants. The high-rise Rendezvous Hotel — built in 1986 as Observation City — still rises above the sand, and the beach regularly hosts surf-lifesaving championships. The suburb is named after the seaside resort of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Scarborough (WA) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 92% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1080, 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.
Scarborough (WA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 17,605
- Median age
- 36
- Median weekly household income
- $2,107
- SEIFA score
- 1080
- Coordinates
- -31.8966, 115.7653
Scarborough (WA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Scarborough (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 42%, 39% of homes are rented, and 34% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,545 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,591 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 7,310 | 42% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 3,924 | 22% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,233 | 13% |
Share of the 17,603 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,802 | 24% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,659 | 35% |
| Rented | 3,008 | 39% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,765 | 36% |
| Townhouses & semis | 3,635 | 48% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,227 | 16% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 7,635 occupied private dwellings in Scarborough (WA).
- Median weekly rent
- $405
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,167
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,791
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,231
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 5,575 (34%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 2,304 (14%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 167 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 10,625 (72%)
- Labour-force participation
- 73.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.6%
- Employed full-time
- 6,678
- Employed part-time
- 3,275
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 Scarborough (WA)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Scarborough (WA) is February (average daytime high around 29.9°C) and the coolest is August (around 17.6°C). The area receives roughly 624 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.8°C | 18.9°C | 23 mm |
| Feb | 29.9°C | 19°C | 20 mm |
| Mar | 28.2°C | 18.1°C | 40 mm |
| Apr | 24.2°C | 14.9°C | 42 mm |
| May | 20.7°C | 12°C | 78 mm |
| Jun | 18.2°C | 10.5°C | 99 mm |
| Jul | 17.2°C | 10.4°C | 112 mm |
| Aug | 17.6°C | 9.7°C | 97 mm |
| Sep | 19.1°C | 10.7°C | 47 mm |
| Oct | 21.6°C | 12.5°C | 37 mm |
| Nov | 25°C | 14.9°C | 21 mm |
| Dec | 28.1°C | 17.4°C | 8 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Scarborough (WA)
Where is Scarborough (WA)?
Scarborough (WA) is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Scarborough (WA)?
At the 2021 Census, Scarborough (WA) had a population of about 17,605.
Is Scarborough (WA) an advantaged area?
Scarborough (WA) has an ABS SEIFA score of 1080, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 92 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 92% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Scarborough (WA)?
Scarborough (WA) has average daytime highs of about 23.3°C and overnight lows of about 14.1°C, with roughly 624 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Scarborough (WA)?
Scarborough (WA) is one of the most populous suburbs in Western Australia — the 11th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 17,605 usual residents).
Where Scarborough (WA) ranks
Scarborough (WA) appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Western Australia#11 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Western Australia
More suburb guides in Western Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.