Kingscote, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Kingscote is the largest town on Kangaroo Island, set on the island's eastern shore about 120 kilometres south-west of Adelaide and reached by ferry or a short flight. It holds a special place in the state's story: at nearby Reeves Point, the South Australian Company landed its first settlers in July 1836, making this the first official European settlement in South Australia, ahead of Adelaide itself. The town is named after Henry Kingscote, one of the company's founding directors. Today it is the island's main service centre and a base for visitors, who come for the wildlife — including a colony of little penguins — the seafood, and the beaches and national parks that ring Kangaroo Island.
Less advantaged than the national average
Kingscote is more socio-economically advantaged than about 20% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 928, 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.
Kingscote at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,962
- Median age
- 51
- Median weekly household income
- $1,103
- SEIFA score
- 928
- Coordinates
- -35.6573, 137.6110
Kingscote demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Kingscote 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 29%, 30% of homes are rented, and 15% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 297 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 160 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 392 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 547 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 579 | 29% |
Share of the 1,975 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 314 | 38% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 217 | 27% |
| Rented | 244 | 30% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 747 | 92% |
| Townhouses & semis | 45 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 16 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 815 occupied private dwellings in Kingscote.
- Median weekly rent
- $214
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,083
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,560
- Median weekly personal income
- $673
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 271 (15%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 86 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 33 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 661 (41%)
- Labour-force participation
- 54.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.1%
- Employed full-time
- 452
- Employed part-time
- 343
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 Kingscote
Where is Kingscote?
Kingscote is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Kingscote?
At the 2021 Census, Kingscote had a population of about 1,962.
Is Kingscote an advantaged area?
Kingscote has an ABS SEIFA score of 928, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 20 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 20% of Australian suburbs.
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