Our interactive can answer all of these questions for you using new data from the 2021 census,which we have broken down by suburb.
This online tool builds on the one we published back in July when the first batch of 2021 census data was released,and also displays information on things like income,religion,average age and home ownership.
Simply type the name of your suburb into the search box below to see what the data shows:
EMPLOYMENT
When the census was carried out in August last year,57.1 per cent of Western Australia’s workforce was employed full-time,32 per cent part-time,5.8 per cent were away from work and the remaining 5.1 per cent were unemployed and looking for work.
But the employment picture was vastly different depending on where you were in the state. In theEast Pilbaramining region,more than three-quarters of the working population were employed full-time.
The highest rate of unemployment statewide was in Halls Creek,in the Kimberley region,where almost a quarter of the working population was unemployed and looking for work on census night,twice the rate of the rest of the state.
TOP INDUSTRIES OF EMPLOYMENT
Health care and social assistance was the largest industry of employment in Western Australia,and 17 per cent of workers have a job in this field. In 168 of the 239 suburbs in WA,more residents have a job in the healthcare sector than any other sector.
But there are some pockets where other industries are dominant. In 25 suburbs,agriculture was the most common industry of employment. InKulin,in the state’s Wheatbelt,almost half of the working population is employed in this field,far higher than the nationwide percentage of 2.3 per cent.
And there are 22 suburbs where mining is the most common area of employment. In theEast Pilbara,55 per cent of the working population are part of the mining industry.
TRAVEL TO WORK
In every single suburb in Western Australia,the car is the most common mode of transport people use to get to work.
The highest rates of car usage are inGeraldton andKalgoorlie,where more than 90 per cent of workers use only a motor vehicle for their commute. The lowest rate of car usage was inPerth West/Northbridge,where 38 per cent of workers travelled by car and 27 per cent were able to walk to work.
TheEast Pilbara recorded the highest percentage of commutes using public transport at 35 per cent.Exmouth residents were the most enthusiastic cyclists,with bikes being used as the method of travel to work in 5 per cent of commutes there.
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