Laura (SA), SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Laura is a small town in the Mid North of South Australia, set beside the Rocky River in the foothills of the Southern Flinders Ranges, about 40 kilometres east of Port Pirie and some 200 kilometres north of Adelaide. It was surveyed and established in 1871 by the pastoralist Herbert Bristow Hughes, who named it after his wife Laura. The railway arrived from Gladstone in 1884, helping the surrounding wheat and grazing district to grow. Laura is the birthplace of the much-loved poet C. J. Dennis, born here in 1876, and is also famous for the Golden North creamery, which has made ice cream in the town since 1923. Each April the streets fill for the long-running Laura Fair.
Less advantaged than the national average
Laura (SA) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 939, 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.
Laura (SA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 765
- Median age
- 48
- Median weekly household income
- $1,042
- SEIFA score
- 939
- Coordinates
- -33.1656, 138.2960
Laura (SA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Laura (SA) 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 28%, 22% of homes are rented, and 8% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 150 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 62 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 139 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 194 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 212 | 28% |
Share of the 757 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 144 | 47% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 81 | 26% |
| Rented | 69 | 22% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 291 | 94% |
| Townhouses & semis | 15 | 5% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 309 occupied private dwellings in Laura (SA).
- Median weekly rent
- $200
- Median monthly mortgage
- $892
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,410
- Median weekly personal income
- $584
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 58 (8%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 15 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 21 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 235 (40%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.8%
- Employed full-time
- 177
- Employed part-time
- 111
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 Laura (SA)
Where is Laura (SA)?
Laura (SA) is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Laura (SA)?
At the 2021 Census, Laura (SA) had a population of about 765.
Is Laura (SA) an advantaged area?
Laura (SA) has an ABS SEIFA score of 939, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 24 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of Australian suburbs.
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