Western Australia · Suburb Profile

Shoalwater WA — Suburb Profile

Population, median income, rent prices, housing costs and demographics for Shoalwater, Western Australia. ABS Census 2021.

The population of Shoalwater WA is 4,368 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Shoalwater is $679 per week ($35,308 per year). Median rent in Shoalwater is $260 per week ($1,127 per month). Shoalwater has a median age of 49 years, older than the national median of 38. Shoalwater has a population density of 1696.4 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Shoalwater is England. The most common religion is No Religion (47% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is Other. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Shoalwater is $1,668.

Shoalwater Map

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Shoalwater Population

residents (Census 2021)

Shoalwater Median Income & Rent

💰

Median Income

$679/wk

$35,308 per year

#5854 of 14,663

🏠

Median Rent

$260/wk

$1,127 per month

#5884 of 14,663

👤

Median Age

49years

11 years older than national median

🏡

Mortgage

$1,668/mo

Avg household size: 2.1 · 0.7 per bedroom

Shoalwater Demographics

Gender Split

Male 49.3% (2,157) Female 50.7% (2,219)

Population Density

1696.4

people per km²

4,368 people · 2.6 km²

Households

2.1

Avg household size

0.7

Persons per bedroom

$1,896

Family income/wk

Shoalwater Age Distribution

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80-84

85+

♂ Male ♀ Female

Source: ABS Census 2021 — Suburb & Locality (SAL)

Shoalwater Housing Tenure

🏠

Owned outright

54.9% 651 dwellings

🏦

Owned with mortgage

45.1% 535 dwellings

Source: ABS Census 2021 — Suburb & Locality (SAL)

Shoalwater Country of Birth

Australia

81.8%

England

14.5%

Germany

1.1%

India

0.9%

Canada

0.5%

Croatia

0.4%

China

0.3%

Indonesia

0.2%

Egypt

0.2%

France

0.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G09 — Country of Birth by SAL

Shoalwater Religion

No Religion

47.3%

Catholic

18.2%

Anglican

14.5%

Not stated

11.9%

Christian (other)

2.7%

Uniting Church

2.4%

Christinty Prsbytrin Refrmd

1.9%

Baptist

1.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Shoalwater Education Level

Year 12 or equivalent

54.0%

Year 10 or equivalent

29.1%

Year 11 or equivalent

12.1%

Year 9 or equivalent

4.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G16 — Highest Year of School by SAL

Shoalwater Languages Spoken at Home

Other

33.6%

SAL Tot

13.6%

German

11.8%

Serbian

10.0%

SAL Tagalog

9.1%

Russian

8.2%

Croatian

7.3%

Afrikaans

6.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G13 — Language Spoken at Home by SAL

Shoalwater Employment

💼

Employed full-time

32.6% 1,051 people

⏰

Employed part-time

18.6% 601 people

🔍

Unemployed

4.9% 159 people

🏠

Not in labour force

43.8% 1,412 people

Source: ABS Census 2021 G46 — Labour Force Status by SAL

Shoalwater Qualifications

Certificate III/IV

43.0%

Bachelor Degree

23.5%

Advanced Diploma/Diploma

20.6%

Postgraduate Degree

6.0%

Certificate I/II

4.0%

Graduate Diploma/Certificate

3.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G49 — Non-School Qualification by SAL

Shoalwater Occupation

Professionals

24.3%

Technicians & Trade Workers

21.8%

Community & Personal Service

14.1%

Managers

11.7%

Clerical & Administrative

10.2%

Labourers

6.4%

Sales Workers

6.2%

Machinery Operators & Drivers

5.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G51 — Industry of Employment by Occupation

Shoalwater Field of Study

Engineering

24.7%

Management & Commerce

18.3%

Society & Culture

13.4%

Health

12.2%

Education

10.3%

Architecture & Building

6.2%

Food, Hospitality & Personal Services

5.4%

Creative Arts

3.0%

Natural & Physical Sciences

2.9%

Agriculture & Environment

2.1%

Information Technology

1.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G51 — Field of Study by SAL

Shoalwater Dwelling Types

Separate house

92.1%

Semi-detached (1 storey)

6.9%

Semi-detached (2+ storey)

1.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Shoalwater Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk

1.9%

$1-$149/wk

0.8%

$150-$299/wk

2.9%

$300-$399/wk

4.5%

$400-$499/wk

10.6%

$500-$649/wk

6.9%

$650-$799/wk

7.4%

$800-$999/wk

7.3%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

8.1%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

7.4%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

5.0%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

5.0%

$2,000-$2,499/wk

10.5%

$2,500-$2,999/wk

4.1%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

5.6%

$3,500-$3,999/wk

3.2%

$4,000+/wk

8.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Shoalwater Marital Status

💍

Married

42.4% 1,588

↔️

Separated

4.6% 172

📋

Divorced

12.6% 473

🕊️

Widowed

8.8% 329

👤

Never married

31.5% 1,179

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Shoalwater Ancestry

English

38.2%

Australian

27.1%

Scottish

8.5%

Irish

8.0%

Other

5.9%

German

3.2%

Dutch

2.1%

Italian

2.0%

Welsh

1.3%

Aboriginal Australianralian

1.3%

Maori

1.1%

New Zealander

1.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Shoalwater School & University Attendance

Primary — Government

29.6%

Secondary — Government

17.9%

Vocational Education

14.0%

Secondary — Catholic

9.0%

Primary — Catholic

8.4%

Pre-school

8.0%

Primary — Other Non-Govt

7.1%

Secondary — Other Non-Govt

5.9%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G15 — Type of Educational Institution by SAL

Shoalwater Need for Assistance

♿

Needs assistance

6.8% 540

✅

No need for assistance

93.2% 7,423

Source: ABS Census 2021 G18 — Core Activity Need for Assistance by SAL

Shoalwater Volunteering

🤝

Volunteer

16.1% 541

—

Not a volunteer

83.9% 2,820

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Shoalwater Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo

7.1%

$300-$449/mo

2.9%

$450-$599/mo

2.1%

$600-$799/mo

2.9%

$800-$999/mo

4.2%

$1,000-$1,399/mo

19.4%

$1,400-$1,799/mo

23.5%

$1,800-$2,399/mo

19.4%

$2,400-$2,999/mo

11.3%

$3,000-$3,999/mo

7.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Shoalwater How People Get to Work

Car (driver)

69.3%

Did not go to work

15.7%

Car (passenger)

4.1%

Other

2.6%

Bus

2.6%

Train

2.5%

Walked only

1.7%

Truck

0.7%

Bicycle

0.4%

Motorbike/Scooter

0.3%

Taxi/Rideshare

0.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G62 — Method of Travel to Work by SAL

Shoalwater Car Ownership

0 vehicles

7.5%

1 vehicle

43.0%

2 vehicles

35.2%

3 vehicles

9.4%

4+ vehicles

4.9%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G34 — Motor Vehicles per Dwelling by SAL

Shoalwater Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom

3.6%

2 bedrooms

23.0%

3 bedrooms

37.6%

4 bedrooms

32.1%

5 bedrooms

3.1%

6+ bedrooms

0.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G41 — Number of Bedrooms by SAL

Shoalwater Population Mobility

15.3%

moved in the last year

43.8%

moved in the last 5 years

8.1%

unemployment rate (Census)

52.2%

labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Shoalwater Indigenous Population

2.0%

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander

162

Indigenous residents

8,091

Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Shoalwater Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health

454

Arthritis

204

Heart disease

147

Diabetes

127

Asthma

123

Lung condition

120

Cancer

Kidney disease

Stroke

Dementia

Source: ABS Census 2021 G19 — Long-term Health Conditions by SAL

Shoalwater Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk

10.9%

$1-$149/wk

4.4%

$150-$299/wk

7.0%

$300-$399/wk

5.7%

$400-$499/wk

4.9%

$500-$649/wk

4.2%

$650-$799/wk

9.0%

$800-$999/wk

8.8%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

9.3%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

7.3%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

6.6%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

5.0%

$2,000-$2,999/wk

10.1%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

2.5%

$3,500+/wk

4.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Shoalwater Family Structure

Couple — children under 15

34.6%

Couple — no children

34.2%

Couple — no children under 15

14.5%

One parent — children under 15

8.7%

One parent — no children under 15

7.9%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Shoalwater Military Service

🎖️

Current ADF — Regular

1.7% 58

🛡️

Current ADF — Reserves

0.2% 6

🏅

Previously served

5.4% 181

👤

Never served

92.7% 3,123

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Shoalwater Unpaid Carers

🤲

Provided unpaid assistance

12.6% 421

—

Did not provide

87.4% 2,923

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Shoalwater Children Ever Born

No children

28.4%

1 child

12.0%

2 children

32.3%

3 children

19.6%

4 children

5.7%

5+ children

1.9%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G28 — Children Ever Born by SAL

Shoalwater When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951

1951–1960

1961–1970

236

1971–1980

170

1981–1990

192

1991–2000

103

2001–2010

214

2011–2015

135

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Source: ABS Census 2021 G10 — Year of Arrival by SAL

Shoalwater Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours

20.9%

5–14 hours

28.8%

15–29 hours

13.2%

30+ hours

10.3%

Did not do domestic work

26.9%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G24 — Unpaid Domestic Work by SAL

Shoalwater Household Size

1 person

39.3%

2 persons

33.8%

3 persons

11.4%

4 persons

9.8%

5 persons

4.0%

6+ persons

1.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Shoalwater Where Residents Moved From

Same address

3,433

Moved from WA

414

Moved — same area (SA2)

Moved from overseas

Moved from NSW

Moved from VIC

Moved from QLD

Moved from SA

Moved from NT

Source: ABS Census 2021 G44 — Address 1 Year Ago by SAL

Shoalwater Family Blending

Intact family — no other children

75.7%

Step family — no other children

18.5%

Blended family — no other children

4.8%

Intact family — other children present

1.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Shoalwater Schools

schools nearby

government

1000

avg ICSEA score

3,086

total students

Star of the Sea Primary School Catholic

Primary · PP-6 · 638 students

1041

ICSEA

Rockingham Montessori School Independent

Primary · PP-12 · 272 students

1033

ICSEA

Safety Bay Primary School Government

Primary · K-6 · 592 students

1000

ICSEA

Rockingham Beach Education Support Centre Government

Primary · K-6 · 67 students

993

ICSEA

Rockingham Beach Primary School Government

Primary · K-6 · 406 students

993

ICSEA

Rockingham Senior High School Education Support Centre Government

Secondary · 7-12 · 76 students

984

ICSEA

Rockingham Senior High School Government

Secondary · 7-12 · 1,035 students

954

ICSEA

Source: ACARA — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2025. ICSEA = Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (national average 1000).

View all schools in Shoalwater with map →

Shoalwater Rent Prices & Affordability

21%

of income

Affordable

Household Income $1,225/wk

Median Rent $260/wk

Rent-to-Income 21.2%

Rent is under 25% of household income — generally considered affordable.

If you earn X in Shoalwater

Your weekly income

≈ $5,308/month

Median rent $260/wk

Left after rent $965/wk

Rent share 21.2%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Mount Barker (WA)

Income: $602/wk Rent: $225/wk Save: $35/wk

Wagin

Income: $621/wk Rent: $195/wk Save: $65/wk

Geraldton

Income: $645/wk Rent: $220/wk Save: $40/wk

Kojonup

Income: $793/wk Rent: $200/wk Save: $60/wk

Esperance

Income: $696/wk Rent: $235/wk Save: $25/wk

Wundowie

Income: $692/wk Rent: $250/wk Save: $10/wk

Hopetoun (WA)

Income: $748/wk Rent: $250/wk Save: $10/wk

Beachlands

Income: $735/wk Rent: $200/wk Save: $60/wk

Shoalwater vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in WA

Gelorup

Pop: 2,255 Income: $865/wk Rent: $380/wk

Medina

Pop: 2,260 Income: $597/wk Rent: $270/wk

Midvale

Pop: 2,283 Income: $730/wk Rent: $275/wk

Piccadilly (WA)

Pop: 2,305 Income: $1,314/wk Rent: $320/wk

Highgate (WA)

Pop: 2,326 Income: $1,194/wk Rent: $365/wk

Marmion

Pop: 2,390 Income: $1,014/wk Rent: $495/wk

Compare Shoalwater (WA)

Shoalwater (WA) vs Gelorup →Shoalwater (WA) vs Medina →Shoalwater (WA) vs Midvale →Shoalwater (WA) vs Piccadilly (WA) →

Frequently Asked Questions About Shoalwater

What is the population of Shoalwater WA?

The population of Shoalwater WA is 4,368 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 1696.4 people per km².Shoalwater is ranked #1,775 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Shoalwater?

The median personal income in Shoalwater WA is $679 per week, or $35,308 per year.The median household income is $1,225 per week.Family income is $1,896 per week.Shoalwater is ranked #5,854 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Shoalwater?

Median rent in Shoalwater WA is $260 per week ($1,127 per month).Rent represents 21.2% of household income, which is considered affordable.Shoalwater ranks #5,884 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Shoalwater?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Shoalwater WA is $1,668. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Shoalwater?

The median age in Shoalwater WA is 49 years.This is older than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Shoalwater a good suburb to live in?

Shoalwater is a suburb in Western Australia with a population of 4,368.The median income is $679/wk, which is below the WA average of $909/wk.Rent affordability is rated as affordable (21.2% of household income). See the full suburb profile above for detailed statistics.

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Data: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021. SA2 area: 51348. All dollar figures in AUD.