Palmers Island, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Around the national middle
Palmers Island is more socio-economically advantaged than about 55% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 995, 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.
Palmers Island at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 482
- Median age
- 49
- Median weekly household income
- $1,404
- SEIFA score
- 995
- Coordinates
- -29.4069, 153.2962
Palmers Island demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Palmers Island 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 32%, 11% of homes are rented, and 9% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 83 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 38 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 85 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 153 | 32% |
| Seniors (65+) | 120 | 25% |
Share of the 479 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 88 | 52% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 57 | 34% |
| Rented | 19 | 11% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 146 | 83% |
| Townhouses & semis | 4 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 175 occupied private dwellings in Palmers Island.
- Median weekly rent
- $313
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,694
- Median weekly personal income
- $706
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 42 (9%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 8 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 11 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 153 (40%)
- Labour-force participation
- 58.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.2%
- Employed full-time
- 125
- Employed part-time
- 83
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.
Weather and climate in Palmers Island
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Palmers Island is January (average daytime high around 28°C) and the coolest is July (around 19.4°C). The area receives roughly 1117 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28°C | 20.8°C | 105 mm |
| Feb | 27.2°C | 20.6°C | 176 mm |
| Mar | 26.5°C | 19.8°C | 190 mm |
| Apr | 24°C | 16.7°C | 66 mm |
| May | 21.6°C | 13.8°C | 74 mm |
| Jun | 19.4°C | 11.2°C | 69 mm |
| Jul | 19.4°C | 9.9°C | 48 mm |
| Aug | 20.8°C | 10.7°C | 51 mm |
| Sep | 22.7°C | 13°C | 51 mm |
| Oct | 24.6°C | 15.7°C | 87 mm |
| Nov | 26.1°C | 17.7°C | 76 mm |
| Dec | 27.7°C | 19.6°C | 124 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Palmers Island
Where is Palmers Island?
Palmers Island is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Palmers Island?
At the 2021 Census, Palmers Island had a population of about 482.
Is Palmers Island an advantaged area?
Palmers Island has an ABS SEIFA score of 995, 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.
What is the weather like in Palmers Island?
Palmers Island has average daytime highs of about 24°C and overnight lows of about 15.8°C, with roughly 1,117 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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