Paraburdoo
Mining shapes almost every dimension of life in Paraburdoo. Household income sits in the 98.1st percentile nationally, driven by an economy where 63% of employed residents work in mining and 83.7% hold full-time positions. Yet 97% of residents rent rather than own, vacancy runs at 34.9%, and just 1,324 people occupy 153 square kilometres. The median age of 35 is 5 years below national, and 57.5% of residents are male, both typical of a fly-in fly-out resource town where transience rather than permanence defines tenure.
Population
1,324
Median Age
35.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$3,215/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, Paraburdoo sits well below the national median, yet the ownership rate of only 2% outright and 1% on a mortgage signals this is not a conventional owner-occupier market. Almost all housing, 97%, is rented, typically through the mining operator's housing stock. Monthly mortgage repayments are estimated at $1,563, which against household income in the 98.1st percentile nationally produces a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 11.2%, far lower than stress thresholds. The stock is overwhelmingly 3-bedroom detached houses at 96.7% separate dwellings, with 78% having 3 bedrooms, a standardised footprint suited to workforce accommodation rather than market-driven consumer preference.
For Buyers
At a $200,000 median house price, Paraburdoo sits well below the national median, yet the ownership rate of only 2% outright and 1% on a mortgage signals this is not a conventional owner-occupier market. Almost all housing, 97%, is rented, typically through the mining operator's housing stock. Monthly mortgage repayments are estimated at $1,563, which against household income in the 98.1st percentile nationally produces a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 11.2%, far lower than stress thresholds. The stock is overwhelmingly 3-bedroom detached houses at 96.7% separate dwellings, with 78% having 3 bedrooms, a standardised footprint suited to workforce accommodation rather than market-driven consumer preference.
For Investors
The investment case in Paraburdoo is unusual compared to most residential markets. A 97% renter share creates a deep tenant pool in theory, but the 34.9% vacancy rate, one of the highest of any suburb nationally, reflects the cyclical nature of mining employment and operator-controlled housing allocation. Weekly rent is recorded at $30, which is anomalously low and likely reflects subsidised company housing rather than market rents. Turnover runs at 39.4%, meaning roughly 4 in 10 residents move each year, well above national averages. Investors should weigh the low $200,000 entry price against the risk of near-total occupancy dependence on a single industry representing 63% of local employment.
Schools in Paraburdoo iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Paraburdoo Primary School
K-6 · 185 students
Demographics
Paraburdoo skews distinctly young and male: median age of 35 is 5 years below national, and 57.5% of residents are male, a ratio that reflects mining workforce composition. Overseas-born residents account for 23.6%, about 2 percentage points above national. Ancestry is predominantly Anglo-Celtic, led by English (400), Irish (125) and Scottish (112). University qualifications are held by only 10.4% of residents, which is 19.7 percentage points below the national figure, consistent with a workforce concentrated in machinery operation and labouring rather than professional roles. Average household size of 2.5 matches national figures, and 55.5% of families are couples with children, a higher share than the couples-only or single-person households common in other mining towns.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
96.7%
Houses
3.3%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Housing tenure is almost entirely rental: 97% rent, just 2% own outright and 1% hold a mortgage, a profile that differs sharply from state and national owner-occupier rates. The $200,000 median house price is low in absolute terms, but the market is not driven by open sale volume given the company-town structure. Three-bedroom detached houses dominate at 78% of dwellings, and 96.7% are separate houses, leaving semi-detached at 3.3% and apartments essentially absent. The vacancy rate of 34.9% is exceptionally high, reflecting workforce fluctuations rather than market undersupply. Rent-to-income at 0.9% indicates housing costs are near-zero relative to earnings, because rents are largely employer-subsidised rather than set at market rates.
Mortgage / mo
$1,563
Rent / wk
$30
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$1,959
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
34.9%
Unoccupied
181
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
0.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
11.2%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
26.6%
Couples, no children
665
Total families
Economy & Employment
Mining employs 63% of the workforce, a concentration with no close parallel in most Australian suburbs. Education (7.2%) and Construction (4.9%) are the next largest industries, filling support roles for the resource operation. By occupation, Machinery and Drivers account for 259 workers, the clear plurality, followed by Labourers (66) and Clerical and Admin (44). The unemployment rate is just 2.6%, and the full-time employment rate of 83.7% is far above national averages, because the town essentially functions as a single employer's operating base. Participation rate is 57.7%, lower than the employment indicators suggest, because a significant share of residents are dependants or between rosters. Household income at $3,215 per week places the suburb in the 98.1st percentile nationally.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
83.7%
Part-time
13.7%
Participation
57.7%
Employed
572
Occupations
Top Industries
University
10.4%
Postgraduate
1.8%
Born Overseas
23.6%
Dwellings
335
Transport to Work
Services in Paraburdoo are provided within the context of a managed resource town. Transport patterns show 46.1% of residents drive to work and 39% use public transport, a figure that likely reflects organised shuttle services within the mining operation rather than a conventional bus network. Walking and cycling account for 7.7%, reasonable for a flat, low-traffic town. Volunteering participation reaches 24.7%, above what is typical for a transient workforce community. Only 1.2% of residents need daily assistance, reflecting the young and working-age population skew. No schools are recorded in this dataset for Paraburdoo, though the town hosts a primary school servicing the resident population. Crime statistics are not available in the dataset, limiting formal safety comparison.
Drive
46.1%
Public Transport
39.0%
Walk / Cycle
7.7%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Paraburdoo compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Paraburdoo a good suburb to live in?
Paraburdoo suits residents employed in mining or supporting industries. Household income is in the 98.1st percentile nationally, unemployment is just 2.6%, and housing costs are very low relative to earnings with a mortgage-to-income ratio of 11.2%. The trade-offs are remoteness, a high 34.9% vacancy rate driven by roster turnover, and limited services compared to metro areas.
What is the median house price in Paraburdoo?
The estimated median house price is $200,000, well below the national median. Monthly mortgage repayments run around $1,563. The market is unusual because 97% of residents rent rather than buy, with most housing managed through mining operators rather than the open market.
What schools are in Paraburdoo?
No schools are recorded within the Paraburdoo boundary in this dataset. The town has a primary school servicing resident families. University qualifications are held by 10.4% of residents, which is 19.7 percentage points below the national figure, consistent with a workforce concentrated in trade and operational roles.
Is Paraburdoo safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Paraburdoo in this dataset. As context, the suburb has an unemployment rate of just 2.6%, a young median age of 35, and only 1.2% of residents need daily assistance, indicators broadly consistent with a low-disadvantage working population rather than a high-crime profile.
Is Paraburdoo good for property investment?
Investment in Paraburdoo carries single-industry risk. Mining employs 63% of the local workforce, so vacancy and rents fluctuate with production cycles. The vacancy rate of 34.9% is exceptionally high compared to most suburbs. The entry price of $200,000 is low, but returns depend heavily on the operating status of Rio Tinto's Pilbara operations.
How is Paraburdoo's population changing?
The 2021 population stands at 1,324 across 153 square kilometres. The turnover rate of 39.4% means roughly 40% of residents change each year because of fly-in fly-out schedules, one of the highest mobility rates nationally. Population trends are tied more to commodity prices and workforce rosters than to demographic growth patterns.
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 Paraburdoo on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map