Margaret River (WA), WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, about 277 km south of Perth in the valley of the river that shares its name. It anchors one of the country's premier wine regions — home to scores of wineries producing a large share of Australia's premium wine — and is equally known for surfing, with dozens of breaks, including the renowned Main Break, strung along the nearby coast. Limestone caves, tall-timber forests and ocean beaches draw around half a million visitors a year. The river is thought to have been named in 1831 after Margaret Whicher; before British settlement the area was inhabited by the Noongar people.
Around the national middle
Margaret River (WA) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 55% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 996, 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.
Margaret River (WA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 8,918
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $1,640
- SEIFA score
- 996
- Coordinates
- -33.9667, 115.0549
Margaret River (WA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Margaret River (WA) 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 29%, 27% of homes are rented, and 27% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,929 | 22% |
| Youth (15–24) | 764 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,616 | 29% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,371 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,244 | 14% |
Share of the 8,924 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 884 | 29% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,272 | 41% |
| Rented | 817 | 27% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,823 | 92% |
| Townhouses & semis | 207 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 9 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,074 occupied private dwellings in Margaret River (WA).
- Median weekly rent
- $380
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,694
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,944
- Median weekly personal income
- $839
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,213 (27%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 891 (11%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 146 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,054 (61%)
- Labour-force participation
- 67%
- Unemployment rate
- 3%
- Employed full-time
- 2,265
- Employed part-time
- 1,877
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 Margaret River (WA)
Where is Margaret River (WA)?
Margaret River (WA) is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Margaret River (WA)?
At the 2021 Census, Margaret River (WA) had a population of about 8,918.
Is Margaret River (WA) an advantaged area?
Margaret River (WA) has an ABS SEIFA score of 996, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 55 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 55% of Australian suburbs.
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