New Norcia, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
New Norcia is a small settlement about 132 kilometres north of Perth, on the land of the Yued people in Western Australia's Wheatbelt. Founded in 1847 by the Spanish Benedictine monks Rosendo Salvado and Giuseppe Serra, it is the only monastic town in Australia. The community took its name from Norcia in Italy, the birthplace of Saint Benedict, founder of the Benedictine order. New Norcia is still centred on its working monastery, and its striking Spanish-influenced buildings include the Abbey Church, which holds Salvado's tomb, and the former colleges of St Gertrude and St Ildephonsus, completed in 1908 and 1913. A European Space Agency tracking station stands a few kilometres south of the town.
More advantaged than the national average
New Norcia is more socio-economically advantaged than about 76% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1035, 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.
New Norcia at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 57
- Median age
- 57
- Median weekly household income
- $1,125
- SEIFA score
- 1035
- Coordinates
- -30.9750, 116.2130
New Norcia demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile New Norcia 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 mid-life (45–64) at 43%, 71% of homes are rented, and 43% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 4 | 9% |
| Youth (15–24) | 0 | 0% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 9 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 20 | 43% |
| Seniors (65+) | 14 | 30% |
Share of the 47 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 0 | 0% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 0 | 0% |
| Rented | 10 | 71% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 13 | 72% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 18 occupied private dwellings in New Norcia.
- Median weekly rent
- $106
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,650
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,375
- Median weekly personal income
- $675
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 19 (43%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 8 (18%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 0 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 25 (49%)
- Labour-force participation
- 45.1%
- Employed full-time
- 14
- Employed part-time
- 8
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 New Norcia
Where is New Norcia?
New Norcia is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of New Norcia?
At the 2021 Census, New Norcia had a population of about 57.
Is New Norcia an advantaged area?
New Norcia has an ABS SEIFA score of 1035, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 76 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 76% of Australian suburbs.
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