Williams, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Williams is a town in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia, on the Williams River along the Albany Highway, about 160 kilometres south-south-east of Perth. The river was sighted by Captain Thomas Bannister in 1831, and the town that grew on its banks most likely takes its name from King William IV, who reigned in the United Kingdom in the 1830s. With the building of the Albany Highway it became an important coaching stop on the road between Perth and the south coast, and the Williams Hotel dates from 1871. The district today centres on wool, cattle and grain, and the nearby Dryandra Woodland is a refuge for native wildlife.
More advantaged than the national average
Williams is more socio-economically advantaged than about 62% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1007, 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.
Williams at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 996
- Median age
- 41
- Median weekly household income
- $1,733
- SEIFA score
- 1007
- Coordinates
- -33.0522, 116.7865
Williams demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Williams 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 27%, 22% of homes are rented, and 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 213 | 21% |
| Youth (15–24) | 71 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 258 | 26% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 267 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 189 | 19% |
Share of the 998 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 151 | 42% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 79 | 22% |
| Rented | 80 | 22% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 333 | 94% |
| Townhouses & semis | 12 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 4 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 354 occupied private dwellings in Williams.
- Median weekly rent
- $200
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,256
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,012
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 113 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 34 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 18 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 399 (52%)
- Labour-force participation
- 67.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 0.6%
- Employed full-time
- 340
- Employed part-time
- 142
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 Williams
Where is Williams?
Williams is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Williams?
At the 2021 Census, Williams had a population of about 996.
Is Williams an advantaged area?
Williams has an ABS SEIFA score of 1007, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 62 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 62% of Australian suburbs.
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