Hopetoun
Mining accounts for 48% of local employment in Hopetoun, making this a rare coastal town where resource extraction shapes daily economic life. The suburb's 1,115 residents carry a median age of 46, which is 6 years above the national figure, pointing to an established, older resident base rather than a growing family market. Household income sits at the 48.8th percentile nationally, roughly mid-range, yet housing costs are exceptionally low: rent-to-income runs just 16.2% and mortgage-to-income 16.3%, both well below the 30% stress threshold. The 40.7% vacancy rate is among the highest you will find in a coastal WA suburb, reflecting holiday homes and seasonal demand patterns more than chronic oversupply.
Local council: Ravensthorpe
Population
1,115
Median Age
46.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,542/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,088, and at 16.3% of household income, the mortgage burden is lower than the national average. The stock is overwhelmingly separate houses at 92.9%, so buyers are not choosing between apartment and house as in metropolitan markets. Bedroom distribution favours three-bedroom homes at 41.3%, with four-plus at 32.0% and two-bedroom at 18.0%. Outright owners at 45.6% exceed mortgage holders at 17.5%, which signals that most residents have held their properties long enough to pay them down, not a fast-moving market with high buyer turnover.
For Buyers
Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,088, and at 16.3% of household income, the mortgage burden is lower than the national average. The stock is overwhelmingly separate houses at 92.9%, so buyers are not choosing between apartment and house as in metropolitan markets. Bedroom distribution favours three-bedroom homes at 41.3%, with four-plus at 32.0% and two-bedroom at 18.0%. Outright owners at 45.6% exceed mortgage holders at 17.5%, which signals that most residents have held their properties long enough to pay them down, not a fast-moving market with high buyer turnover.
For Investors
However, the 40.7% vacancy rate is a key risk factor: a large share of dwellings sit unoccupied at any given time, which suppresses rental income consistency. The renter share is 36.9%, providing a reasonable tenant base among the permanent population. No development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, meaning new supply is not adding competitive pressure. Mining employment at 48% of the workforce introduces income volatility; demand tracks commodity cycles more closely than a diversified local economy, so investor returns depend partly on conditions at nearby Ravensthorpe Nickel Operations.
Schools in Hopetoun
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
HOPETOUN PRIMARY SCHOOL
Demographics
The median age of 46 is 6.0 years above the national figure, one of the clearest demographic signals in the brief. The workforce structure reflects this: labour participation sits at just 47.3%, well below the national average, because a large share of residents are retired or not actively seeking work. Couples with no children make up 41.4% of families, consistent with an empty-nester and retiree profile. Overseas-born residents at 23.2% are 1.6 points above the national figure. Ancestry is Anglo-Celtic: English (499), Irish (117) and Scottish (101) are the three largest groups. University qualifications reach just 19.3%, which is 10.8 points below the national rate, in line with a blue-collar mining and trade town where vocational skills are the dominant pathway.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
92.9%
Houses
1.1%
Townhouse
2.8%
Apartment
Tenure
Separate houses dominate at 92.9% of dwellings, with apartments at only 2.8%, so Hopetoun is functionally a detached-house market. Tenure is split between outright owners at 45.6%, renters at 36.9% and mortgage holders at 17.5%. The high outright ownership rate compared to mortgage holders suggests a long-settled resident base rather than recent first-home buyer activity. Rent at $250 per week keeps rental costs well below stress levels, with rent-to-income at 16.2%. The 40.7% vacancy rate, while high, largely reflects the large proportion of holiday and investment properties rather than structural weakness in the permanent rental market.
Mortgage / mo
$1,088
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$250
Census 2021
HH Size
2.1
Personal Income / wk
$748
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
40.7%
Unoccupied
317
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.3%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
30.7%
Couples with children
56.2%
Couples, no children
12.4%
Single parent
283
Total families
Economy & Employment
Mining dominates the local economy at 48.0% of employed residents, numbering 131 workers, dwarfing all other sectors. Education follows at 7.7% and Healthcare at 7.0%, sectors that serve the resident population rather than driving external income. Hospitality at 6.2% and Construction at 5.9% round out the top five. By occupation, Machinery and Drivers lead at 81 workers, followed by Managers at 66 and Professionals at 63, a pattern consistent with a mining-service economy. Unemployment sits at 3.5% and the full-time employment rate is 66.7%. SEIFA socioeconomic decile data is not available for Hopetoun, but household income at the 48.8th percentile nationally places it in the mid-range, below the national average for mining-adjacent towns where fly-in fly-out workers inflate local incomes.
Unemployment
3.1%
Labour Force
481
Unemployed
15
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.0%
Part-time
29.4%
Participation
53.3%
Employed
466
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
19.3%
Postgraduate
3.0%
Born Overseas
23.2%
Dwellings
468
Transport to Work
Car dependency is high, with 71.0% of residents driving to work, but public transport use at 17.8% is notable for a remote coastal town and likely reflects the school bus and community transport network. Volunteering rates are a standout at 26.8%, higher than the national average, signalling strong community engagement in a small settlement. The 5.6% of residents requiring daily assistance equates to 57 people, a manageable proportion given the older median age of 46. Crime data is not available in the brief. Rent-to-income at 16.2% and mortgage-to-income at 16.3% keep housing costs well below national stress benchmarks, which matters for livability in a mid-income town.
Drive
66.3%
Public Transport
16.6%
Walk / Cycle
6.6%
Work from Home
6.6%
Growth Outlook
Population forecast and migration data are not available for Hopetoun in this dataset, so growth trajectory cannot be quantified precisely. What the current data shows is a snapshot of a small town with a high median age of 46 and a labour participation rate of 47.3%, both below the national average, suggesting that the population is aging in place rather than expanding. Household turnover at 33.5% means roughly one-third of residents changed address in the five years to the last census, above the expected rate for a stable retirement community. The absence of development applications over the past 12 months confirms that no new residential supply is entering the market, which limits downside price pressure but also caps upside from development-led growth.
Population trend: Ravensthorpe council area
Hopetoun sits in the Ravensthorpe council area. These are the council area's residents, not Hopetoun's.
Residents 2025
2,309
Growth, 5 yr average
+2.7%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+0.7%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Hopetoun compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hopetoun a good suburb to live in?
Hopetoun suits retirees and mining workers particularly well. Housing costs are low, with rent at $250 per week and mortgage repayments at 16.3% of household income, well below national stress levels.
What is the median house price in Hopetoun?
Weekly rent averages $250 and monthly mortgage repayments run approximately $1,088. At these prices, mortgage-to-income sits at just 16.3% of household income, making Hopetoun one of the more affordable coastal markets in Western Australia.
What schools are in Hopetoun?
Families with school-age children typically travel to neighbouring communities for schooling. The suburb's older median age of 46 and the 41.4% couples-without-children family profile suggest demand for local schooling is limited relative to the population.
Is Hopetoun safe?
Specific crime rate data is not available for Hopetoun in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb records a volunteering rate of 26.8%, above the national average, suggesting community cohesion in a small settlement of 1,115 residents. Only 5.6% of residents need daily assistance, consistent with a functional, stable community.
Is Hopetoun good for property investment?
The key risk is the 40.7% vacancy rate, which reflects holiday property concentration and can mean extended vacancy periods. Mining employment at 48% ties local demand to commodity cycles, so investors should weigh yield against sector volatility.
How is Hopetoun's population changing?
Hopetoun's population stands at 1,115 with a median age of 46, which is 6 years above the national figure. Labour participation at 47.3% and the 41.4% couples-without-children household profile point to an aging, established community rather than a growing one. Household turnover is 33.5%, meaning roughly one-third of residents relocated in the five years before the last census.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications).
Explore Hopetoun on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map