Newman
Two numbers explain Newman better than any tour: household income sits in the 97th percentile nationally at $2,972 a week, yet the median house price is just $200,000 and weekly rent is $110. That gap exists because Newman is a Pilbara iron ore town where Mining employs 46.1% of workers, wages run high, but housing is plentiful and the population is shrinking, down 22.6% over the past decade. The median age of 33 is 7 years below the national figure, 86.6% of residents rent, and 60% are male, a profile shaped by transient mine workers rather than settled family owners. A 42.5% vacancy rate underlines how loosely the housing market is held.
Population
6,456
Median Age
33.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,972/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$200K
Estimated from rent (2025)
At a $200,000 median house price, Newman is among the cheapest detached markets in the country, and the reason is structural rather than a bargain: the town depends on a single mining employer and the population has fallen 22.6% over ten years, so demand for ownership is thin. Separate houses make up 93.6% of dwellings and three-bedroom homes dominate at 51.7%, with 4-plus-bedroom houses another 28.6%, so buyers get space cheaply. Monthly mortgage repayments average just $1,083, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of only 8.4%, far below the 30% stress threshold, because incomes are high relative to prices. The catch for owner-occupiers is resale liquidity: with 86.6% of residents renting and a 42.5% vacancy rate, exit demand is weak compared with capital cities.
For Buyers
At a $200,000 median house price, Newman is among the cheapest detached markets in the country, and the reason is structural rather than a bargain: the town depends on a single mining employer and the population has fallen 22.6% over ten years, so demand for ownership is thin. Separate houses make up 93.6% of dwellings and three-bedroom homes dominate at 51.7%, with 4-plus-bedroom houses another 28.6%, so buyers get space cheaply. Monthly mortgage repayments average just $1,083, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of only 8.4%, far below the 30% stress threshold, because incomes are high relative to prices. The catch for owner-occupiers is resale liquidity: with 86.6% of residents renting and a 42.5% vacancy rate, exit demand is weak compared with capital cities.
For Investors
Newman looks attractive on paper for income because 86.6% of residents rent, the highest renter share you will find outside inner-city apartment markets, and weekly rent of $110 against a $200,000 median still implies a healthier gross yield than premium suburbs. The case weakens on demand fundamentals. The vacancy rate is 42.5%, signalling heavy oversupply, and the population is forecast to fall about 1.04% a year, roughly 49 residents annually, through 2031. Net internal migration runs at negative 60 a year, only partly offset by 50 overseas arrivals. With zero development applications lodged in the past 12 months and a gentrification score of 0, the market is not adding value or tightening. Returns here track the iron ore cycle and BHP roster levels more than any local growth story.
Schools in Newman iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Newman Primary School
K-6 · 265 students
Newman Senior High School
7-12 · 357 students
South Newman Primary School
K-6 · 426 students
Parnngurr Community School
PP-12 · 12 students
Demographics
Newman skews young and male: the median age of 33 sits 7 years below the national figure and 60% of residents are male, a signature of fly-in workforces in resource towns. University qualifications reach only 14.0%, which is 16.1 points below the national rate, because the local economy rewards trade and operator skills over degrees. Overseas-born residents make up 31.3%, which is 9.7 points above national, with the most common non-English languages being Australian Indigenous languages (39 speakers), Afrikaans (19) and Mandarin (16). Ancestry leans Anglo-Celtic, led by English (1,836), Scottish (467) and Irish (446). Average household size is 2.7, slightly above the national average, and couples with children (1,911 families) outnumber couples without children (620) by roughly three to one.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
93.6%
Houses
4.0%
Townhouse
2.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure in Newman is extreme: only 7.0% own outright and 6.4% carry a mortgage, while 86.6% rent, a near-inversion of the typical Australian suburb where ownership leads. That pattern follows directly from the mining workforce, much of it housed in employer or rental stock rather than buying. The dwelling mix is heavily detached at 93.6% separate houses, with apartments at just 2.1%, and three-bedroom homes account for 51.7% of stock. The median house price of $200,000 sits well below capital-city medians, yet against household incomes in the 97th percentile it is exceptionally affordable, with a rent-to-income ratio of only 3.7%. The 42.5% vacancy rate reflects both the transient population and a housing supply built for a larger boom-era workforce than the town now holds.
Mortgage / mo
$1,083
Rent / wk
$110
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$1,774
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
42.5%
Unoccupied
981
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
3.7%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
8.4%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
20.7%
Couples, no children
2,988
Total families
Economy & Employment
Newman is a mining monoculture: Mining alone employs 46.1% of the workforce (1,045 workers), with Construction a distant second at 9.0% (205) and Education and Healthcare tied at 6.1% each. By occupation, Machinery operators and drivers lead at 873, followed by Labourers (393), reflecting iron ore extraction and haulage rather than office work. Unemployment is very low at 2.7% and the full-time employment rate is 84.9%, well above most suburbs, because the dominant jobs are full-time shift roles. SEIFA tells a split story: the IEO index for education and occupation sits at decile 3 and economic resources (IER) at decile 4, both below average, yet relative disadvantage (IRSD) reads decile 7, because high mining wages lift income while degree attainment stays low. Real incomes actually fell 13.9% over the decade as the mining boom cooled.
Unemployment
3.1%
Labour Force
2,926
Unemployed
90
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
84.9%
Part-time
12.4%
Participation
62.5%
Employed
3,170
Occupations
Top Industries
University
14.0%
Postgraduate
2.5%
Born Overseas
31.3%
Dwellings
1,304
Transport to Work
Newman's livability profile is shaped by isolation and a young workforce. Car driving accounts for 61.7% of commutes, below the national reliance on cars, while public transport at 17.6% and walking or cycling at 11.7% are relatively high for a remote town, reflecting short trips within a compact townsite despite the 27,096 km2 SA boundary. Volunteering runs at 18.4% and only 1.4% of residents (70 people) need daily assistance, consistent with the young median age of 33. On disadvantage, the suburb scores decile 7 on IRSD, above the midpoint, so deprivation is limited even though education-based SEIFA measures sit lower. No schools are recorded inside the boundary in this dataset, so families rely on local government and remote schooling options, a practical constraint of frontier mining towns.
Drive
61.7%
Public Transport
17.6%
Walk / Cycle
11.7%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
-1.04%/yr
(-49 people/yr)
DecliningNewman is contracting, not growing, a sharp contrast to the national trend of steady population gains. The population fell 22.6% over the past decade and medium forecasts continue the decline at about 1.04% a year, roughly 49 residents annually, taking the count from near 4,704 in 2025 toward 4,252 by 2031. Overseas migration adds 50 net arrivals a year, but that is below the net internal outflow of 60 as workers leave for other postings or cities. The gentrification score is 0, classifying Newman as not gentrifying, which fits a single-industry town with zero development applications in the past 12 months. The young-resident share did rise 3.2 points, so the town still draws working-age arrivals, but affordability stayed flat at a price-to-income ratio near 6.8.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+50
Net Internal / yr
-60
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Newman compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Newman a good suburb to live in?
Newman suits mining workers and young families more than retirees. Household income sits in the 97th percentile at $2,972 a week while housing is very cheap, with a $200,000 median and $110 weekly rent. The trade-offs are remoteness, a single-industry economy, and a population that has fallen 22.6% over a decade.
What is the median house price in Newman?
The median house price in Newman is about $200,000, among the cheapest detached markets in Australia. Weekly rent averages $110 and monthly mortgage repayments run just $1,083, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of only 8.4%, far below the 30% stress threshold thanks to high mining wages.
What schools are in Newman?
No schools are recorded inside the Newman boundary in this dataset, so families rely on local government and remote schooling options. The resident base is young, with a median age of 33, seven years below national, and university qualifications at 14.0%, which is 16.1 points below the national rate.
Is Newman safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Newman in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 7 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, above the national midpoint, and only 1.4% of residents (70 people) need daily assistance, both consistent with a relatively low-disadvantage area.
Is Newman good for property investment?
Newman has the highest renter share you will find at 86.6%, and rent of $110 a week against a $200,000 median gives a stronger gross yield than premium suburbs. But the 42.5% vacancy rate signals oversupply and the population is forecast to fall 1.04% a year, so returns track the iron ore cycle rather than local growth.
How is Newman's population changing?
Newman's population fell 22.6% over the past decade and is forecast to keep declining about 1.04% a year, roughly 49 residents annually, toward 4,252 by 2031. Net internal migration of negative 60 a year outweighs 50 overseas arrivals, reflecting workers leaving as the mining boom cooled.
What languages are spoken in Newman?
About 31.3% of Newman residents were born overseas, 9.7 points above the national figure. English dominates, with the most common other languages being Australian Indigenous languages (39 speakers), Afrikaans (19), Mandarin (16) and French (14), reflecting a mix of local Aboriginal and migrant mining workers.
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 Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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