Balingup, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Balingup is a small town in the South West of Western Australia, roughly 240 kilometres south of Perth and set among green farming hills near Donnybrook and Bridgetown. It lies on the traditional land of the Wardandi people of the Noongar nation. The name comes from Balingup Pool on Balingup Brook; by some accounts it recalls a Noongar warrior named Balingan, while linguistic research traces it to a Noongar word meaning something like a place situated right there, the suffix -up signalling place of. Settled from 1898, the district was long known for fruit and vegetable growing before turning to cattle and organic produce. Today Balingup has a creative, tree-change character, with the Golden Valley homestead, a giant roadside mushroom, lively local festivals, and the Bibbulmun Track passing through.
Less advantaged than the national average
Balingup is more socio-economically advantaged than about 32% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 956, 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.
Balingup at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 565
- Median age
- 58
- Median weekly household income
- $944
- SEIFA score
- 956
- Coordinates
- -33.7735, 116.0150
Balingup demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Balingup 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 seniors (65+) at 36%, 11% of homes are rented, and 28% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 65 | 11% |
| Youth (15–24) | 36 | 6% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 87 | 15% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 174 | 31% |
| Seniors (65+) | 204 | 36% |
Share of the 566 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 134 | 54% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 71 | 29% |
| Rented | 28 | 11% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 244 | 96% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 253 occupied private dwellings in Balingup.
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,348
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,271
- Median weekly personal income
- $540
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 146 (28%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 20 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 17 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 248 (51%)
- Labour-force participation
- 48%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.3%
- Employed full-time
- 123
- Employed part-time
- 87
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 Balingup
Where is Balingup?
Balingup is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Balingup?
At the 2021 Census, Balingup had a population of about 565.
Is Balingup an advantaged area?
Balingup has an ABS SEIFA score of 956, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 32 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 32% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in Western Australia
More suburb guides in Western Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.