Katanning, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Katanning is a town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, on the Great Southern Highway about 277 kilometres south-east of Perth. Its name is thought to come from an Aboriginal word, possibly meaning a meeting or camping place, though the origin is uncertain. The town grew after the Great Southern Railway reached the district, and from 1891 the Premier Roller Flour Mill anchored the local wheat economy. Katanning is known for its strong multicultural character: from the late 1970s a community of Malay Muslims from the Cocos (Keeling) and Christmas Islands settled here for work at the abattoir, and the town's mosque dates from 1980. The restored Premier Mill reopened in 2018 as a hotel, and farming and livestock remain central.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Katanning is more socio-economically advantaged than about 9% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 883, 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.
Katanning at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,637
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $1,308
- SEIFA score
- 883
- Coordinates
- -33.6843, 117.5791
Katanning demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Katanning 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 25%, 32% of homes are rented, and 26% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 699 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 463 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 913 | 25% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 880 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 686 | 19% |
Share of the 3,641 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 415 | 32% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 405 | 31% |
| Rented | 424 | 32% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,178 | 89% |
| Townhouses & semis | 126 | 10% |
| Flats & apartments | 5 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,320 occupied private dwellings in Katanning.
- Median weekly rent
- $200
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,005
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,595
- Median weekly personal income
- $698
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 835 (26%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 783 (24%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 341 (9%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 989 (35%)
- Labour-force participation
- 57%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.6%
- Employed full-time
- 963
- Employed part-time
- 504
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 Katanning
Where is Katanning?
Katanning is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Katanning?
At the 2021 Census, Katanning had a population of about 3,637.
Is Katanning an advantaged area?
Katanning has an ABS SEIFA score of 883, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 9 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 9% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in Western Australia
More suburb guides in Western Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.