Balga, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Balga is more socio-economically advantaged than about 10% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 892, 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.
Balga at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 13,864
- Median age
- 32
- Median weekly household income
- $1,299
- SEIFA score
- 892
- Coordinates
- -31.8538, 115.8396
Balga demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Balga 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 38%, 48% of homes are rented, and 51% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,923 | 21% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,606 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 5,197 | 38% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,569 | 19% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,559 | 11% |
Share of the 13,854 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 805 | 15% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,776 | 33% |
| Rented | 2,549 | 48% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,583 | 67% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,548 | 29% |
| Flats & apartments | 173 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 5,313 occupied private dwellings in Balga.
- Median weekly rent
- $310
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,482
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,490
- Median weekly personal income
- $713
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 6,460 (51%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 6,174 (49%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 386 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 5,886 (56%)
- Labour-force participation
- 61%
- Unemployment rate
- 7.2%
- Employed full-time
- 3,559
- Employed part-time
- 2,240
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 Balga
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Balga is February (average daytime high around 29.5°C) and the coolest is August (around 17.7°C). The area receives roughly 614 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.4°C | 19.4°C | 24 mm |
| Feb | 29.5°C | 19.6°C | 19 mm |
| Mar | 27.8°C | 18.7°C | 39 mm |
| Apr | 24.1°C | 15.7°C | 39 mm |
| May | 20.7°C | 12.8°C | 73 mm |
| Jun | 18.3°C | 11.4°C | 98 mm |
| Jul | 17.4°C | 11.2°C | 113 mm |
| Aug | 17.7°C | 10.5°C | 97 mm |
| Sep | 19.1°C | 11.5°C | 47 mm |
| Oct | 21.6°C | 13.3°C | 38 mm |
| Nov | 24.8°C | 15.6°C | 19 mm |
| Dec | 27.7°C | 18°C | 8 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Balga
Where is Balga?
Balga is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Balga?
At the 2021 Census, Balga had a population of about 13,864.
Is Balga an advantaged area?
Balga has an ABS SEIFA score of 892, 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.
What is the weather like in Balga?
Balga has average daytime highs of about 23.2°C and overnight lows of about 14.8°C, with roughly 614 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Balga?
Balga is one of the most populous suburbs in Western Australia — the 23rd-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 13,864 usual residents).
Where Balga ranks
Balga appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Western Australia#23 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Western Australia
More suburb guides in Western Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.