Nickol
A $397,000 median house price sits alongside household income in the 99.2nd percentile nationally, and that contradiction defines Nickol. The driver is mining, which employs 32.4% of the local workforce (546 people) and pushes weekly household income to $3,736 while keeping property cheap. The population of 4,938 skews young, with a median age of 31, which is 9 years below the national figure, and renters dominate at 75.0%. Housing is overwhelmingly detached at 90.4%, with 62.0% carrying four or more bedrooms, yet the vacancy rate runs at 20.0%, a sign that the resident base shifts with the resource cycle rather than settling permanently.
Population
4,938
Median Age
31.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$3,736/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$397K
Estimated from rent (2025)
At a $397,000 median, Nickol is far more affordable than most Australian markets despite household incomes in the 99.2nd percentile, a gap created by remote Pilbara mining wages. The stock favours space over density: 90.4% are separate houses and only 0.8% apartments, with 62.0% of dwellings holding four or more bedrooms and 28.4% holding three. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,021, which against the high local income produces a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 12.5%, well below the 30% stress threshold. The catch for buyers is durability of demand. Only 4.1% own outright and 20.9% carry a mortgage, so most occupants rent rather than commit, which means resale depends on whether mining hiring stays strong.
For Buyers
At a $397,000 median, Nickol is far more affordable than most Australian markets despite household incomes in the 99.2nd percentile, a gap created by remote Pilbara mining wages. The stock favours space over density: 90.4% are separate houses and only 0.8% apartments, with 62.0% of dwellings holding four or more bedrooms and 28.4% holding three. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,021, which against the high local income produces a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 12.5%, well below the 30% stress threshold. The catch for buyers is durability of demand. Only 4.1% own outright and 20.9% carry a mortgage, so most occupants rent rather than commit, which means resale depends on whether mining hiring stays strong.
For Investors
Nickol leans heavily to tenants, with 75.0% of dwellings rented, one of the highest renter shares you will find, driven by a transient mining workforce. Weekly rent averages $240, which against the $397,000 median implies a gross yield above 3%, higher than most metropolitan markets where yields sit near 2%. The risk sits in the 20.0% vacancy rate, far above a healthy market, which shows how quickly tenancy demand thins when resource projects slow. Development is effectively dormant, with zero applications recorded in the past 12 months, so there is no new supply pressure. The investment case is yield-led and cyclical: returns hold while mining employment at 32.4% of workers stays firm, and soften fast when it does not.
Demographics
Nickol's median age of 31 runs 9.0 years below the national figure, reflecting a working-age mining population rather than retirees or established families with grown children. Average household size is 3.1, which is 0.6 above national, consistent with the high share of four-plus bedroom homes and couples with children, who make up 2,421 of 3,709 families. University qualifications reach only 22.0%, which is 8.1 points below national, because the dominant mining and construction roles reward trade and operator skills over degrees. Ancestry is Anglo-leaning, led by English (1,571), Scottish (384) and Irish (357), and overseas-born residents at 21.7% sit almost exactly on the national figure, just 0.1 points above. The top non-English languages are Hindi (22) and Afrikaans (20).
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
90.4%
Houses
8.8%
Townhouse
0.8%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure here is unusually tilted to renting: 75.0% rent, while only 20.9% carry a mortgage and 4.1% own outright, the inverse of a typical owner-occupier suburb and a direct read on a workforce that relocates with contracts. The stock is 90.4% separate houses and just 0.8% apartments, with 62.0% holding four or more bedrooms and 28.4% three, so the housing is built for families with space rather than singles. Against the $397,000 median, monthly mortgage repayments of $2,021 give a mortgage-to-income ratio of 12.5% and rent of $240 a week gives a rent-to-income ratio of 6.4%, both far below the national stress line. Affordability is the standout: high mining incomes against low prices leave residents with comfortable housing burdens.
Mortgage / mo
$2,021
Rent / wk
$240
HH Size
3.1
Personal Income / wk
$1,662
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
20.0%
Unoccupied
342
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
6.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
12.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
18.1%
Couples, no children
3,709
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local economy is mining-dependent to an extreme degree, with the sector employing 32.4% of workers (546 people), more than triple any other industry. Education follows at 10.0% (169), then Construction at 8.7% (146), Healthcare at 8.3% (140) and Public Admin at 7.2% (122), a service base that supports the resource workforce. By occupation, Professionals lead at 411, followed by Clerical and Admin (295) and Machinery Operators and Drivers (237), the last reflecting the operational nature of mining work. Unemployment is low at 3.9% and the full-time employment rate is high at 75.4%, well above the national norm, because resource jobs are predominantly full-time. Participation reads 66.7%, and concentration in one sector is the clear structural risk for the area.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
75.4%
Part-time
20.7%
Participation
66.7%
Employed
2,211
Occupations
Top Industries
University
22.0%
Postgraduate
4.6%
Born Overseas
21.7%
Dwellings
1,375
Transport to Work
Nickol is car-dependent, with 85.7% of commuters driving, above the national reliance on cars, while only 3.8% use public transport and 1.8% walk or cycle, typical of a remote Pilbara town with limited transit. Housing burdens are light: rent-to-income sits at 6.4% and mortgage-to-income at 12.5%, both far below the national stress threshold, so disposable income is high relative to housing cost. Volunteering runs at 21.4% and only 1.7% of residents (71 people) need daily assistance, consistent with a young median age of 31. No schools are recorded inside the 2.97 km2 boundary in this dataset, so the many families with children, 2,421 of 3,709, rely on schools in neighbouring Karratha suburbs, a practical trade-off for the area's compact footprint.
Drive
85.7%
Public Transport
3.8%
Walk / Cycle
1.8%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Nickol compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nickol a good suburb to live in?
Nickol suits working families drawn to mining, with household income in the 99.2nd percentile nationally yet a low $397,000 median house price. Housing burdens are light, with rent-to-income at 6.4% and mortgage-to-income at 12.5%, both far below national stress levels. The main trade-off is a 20.0% vacancy rate tied to the resource cycle.
What is the median house price in Nickol?
The median house price is $397,000, well below most Australian markets despite local household income in the 99.2nd percentile. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,021, and weekly rent runs about $240, giving a low mortgage-to-income ratio of 12.5%.
What schools are in Nickol?
No schools are recorded inside the 2.97 km2 Nickol boundary in this dataset, so the 2,421 families with children rely on schools in neighbouring Karratha suburbs. University qualifications among residents sit at 22.0%, which is 8.1 points below the national figure.
Is Nickol safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Nickol in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, only 1.7% of residents (71 people) need daily assistance and volunteering runs at 21.4%, both consistent with a settled, working-age community of 4,938 people.
Is Nickol good for property investment?
Rent of $240 a week against a $397,000 median gives a gross yield above 3%, higher than the 2% typical of metropolitan markets, and 75.0% of dwellings are rented. The risk is a 20.0% vacancy rate that widens when mining, which employs 32.4% of workers, slows.
How is Nickol's population changing?
Nickol's population of 4,938 turns over quickly, with a mobility rate of 29.2%, meaning nearly a third of residents moved within the period. No development applications were lodged in 12 months, so growth tracks mining demand rather than new housing supply.
What languages are spoken in Nickol?
About 21.7% of residents were born overseas, just 0.1 points above the national figure. English dominates, with Hindi (22 speakers), Afrikaans (20) and Urdu (17) the most common non-English languages, reflecting a small international mix within an Anglo-leaning population.
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.
Explore Nickol on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map