Port Hedland, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Port Hedland is a major port town in the Pilbara region of north-western Western Australia, on the Indian Ocean coast about 1,320 kilometres north of Perth. It lies on the country of the Kariyarra and Nyamal peoples, who know the area as Marapikurrinya, a name variously linked to fresh-water soaks or to the hand-like shape of the tidal creeks. The harbour was named in 1863 after Peter Hedland, a mariner who recognised its potential, and the town was gazetted in 1896. From the 1960s the Pilbara iron-ore boom transformed Port Hedland, and its natural deep-water harbour now handles one of the largest tonnages of any port in the world. Iron-ore export, salt production, gas and other mining drive the economy.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Port Hedland is more socio-economically advantaged than about 91% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1075, 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.
Port Hedland at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 4,081
- Median age
- 34
- Median weekly household income
- $3,434
- SEIFA score
- 1075
- Coordinates
- -20.3683, 118.6315
Port Hedland demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Port Hedland 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 41%, 69% of homes are rented, and 24% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 982 | 24% |
| Youth (15–24) | 329 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,680 | 41% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 932 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 149 | 4% |
Share of the 4,072 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 104 | 8% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 172 | 13% |
| Rented | 922 | 69% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 910 | 68% |
| Townhouses & semis | 163 | 12% |
| Flats & apartments | 245 | 18% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,347 occupied private dwellings in Port Hedland.
- Median weekly rent
- $210
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,812
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,971
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,859
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 849 (24%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 447 (13%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 301 (7%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,608 (53%)
- Labour-force participation
- 74.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 2%
- Employed full-time
- 1,703
- Employed part-time
- 360
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 Port Hedland
Where is Port Hedland?
Port Hedland is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Port Hedland?
At the 2021 Census, Port Hedland had a population of about 4,081.
Is Port Hedland an advantaged area?
Port Hedland has an ABS SEIFA score of 1075, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 91 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 91% of Australian suburbs.
Does Port Hedland have high household incomes?
Port Hedland has one of the highest median weekly household incomes in Western Australia — the 8th-highest among suburbs with at least 1,000 residents at the 2021 Census ($3,434 per week).
Where Port Hedland ranks
Port Hedland appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
Nearby suburbs in Western Australia
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