Tom Price
Household income in Tom Price sits at the 97.8th percentile nationally, yet the median house price is just $170,000 and 92.1% of residents rent rather than own. That gap exists because this is a Pilbara mining town where Rio Tinto provides company-managed housing to most of the 2,910 residents. Mining accounts for 48.9% of all employment, three times higher than most regional towns, and the median age is 32, which is 8 years below the national figure. The result is a community shaped by working-age fly-in-fly-out and residential workers earning well above national averages, living in subsidised homes within a 73.8 square kilometre footprint.
Population
2,910
Median Age
32.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$3,125/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$170K
Estimated from rent (2025)
At $170,000 the median house price is among the lowest in Western Australia, reflecting the company-housing structure where 92.1% of residents rent. Only 5.2% own outright and 2.6% hold a mortgage, so the private market is extremely thin. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,200, with a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 8.9%, far below the national stress threshold of 30%. Detached houses make up 91.8% of dwellings, with 71.7% having 3 bedrooms and 19.2% having 4 or more bedrooms. The vacancy rate is 30.8%, substantially higher than national norms, because housing stock is tied to mining workforce cycles rather than free-market demand. Buyers entering the private market face a very small pool of available properties.
For Buyers
At $170,000 the median house price is among the lowest in Western Australia, reflecting the company-housing structure where 92.1% of residents rent. Only 5.2% own outright and 2.6% hold a mortgage, so the private market is extremely thin. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,200, with a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 8.9%, far below the national stress threshold of 30%. Detached houses make up 91.8% of dwellings, with 71.7% having 3 bedrooms and 19.2% having 4 or more bedrooms. The vacancy rate is 30.8%, substantially higher than national norms, because housing stock is tied to mining workforce cycles rather than free-market demand. Buyers entering the private market face a very small pool of available properties.
For Investors
The 30.8% vacancy rate is the dominant risk factor for investors, compared to the national average of roughly 1-2%. Weekly rent reads $48 in the data, which reflects company-managed housing subsidies rather than the open market rate, making standard yield calculations unreliable. Renter share at 92.1% is the highest you will find in any Australian suburb, but this is structural rather than market-driven, as Rio Tinto controls most of the stock. No development applications were lodged in the past 12 months. The 34.3% residential turnover rate shows the transient nature of the population. Investment prospects depend entirely on mining-cycle demand rather than organic demographic growth, and a mine wind-down could move vacancy from 30.8% toward full vacancy rapidly.
Schools in Tom Price iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Tom Price Primary School
K-6 · 272 students
North Tom Price Primary School
K-6 · 275 students
Tom Price Senior High School
7-12 · 311 students
Demographics
The median age of 32 is 8 years below the national figure of 40, driven by a workforce-age population recruited to mining operations. Males make up 52.1% of residents, slightly above the national 49%, consistent with male-dominated trades and machinery roles. Overseas-born residents reach 21.6%, which is at the national average. Ancestry is predominantly English (944 residents), Scottish (224) and Irish (218), reflecting the Anglo-Celtic recruitment base of Australian mining workforces. The average household size is 2.9, above the national 2.5, because the dominant family structure is couples with children, accounting for 1,445 of 2,078 families. University qualifications at 17.7% run 12.4 points below the national figure, consistent with a workforce concentrated in trades, machinery and operations rather than knowledge roles.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
91.8%
Houses
4.0%
Townhouse
2.2%
Apartment
Tenure
The tenure split in Tom Price is unlike almost any suburb in Australia: 92.1% rent, 5.2% own outright and 2.6% hold a mortgage. This extreme renter concentration reflects Rio Tinto's ownership of most residential stock, provided to employees as part of compensation packages. Detached houses dominate at 91.8%, with just 2.2% apartments and 4.0% semi-detached. Three-bedroom dwellings make up 71.7% of the stock and 4-plus bedroom homes account for 19.2%, suited to the family-heavy demographic where couples with children are the dominant household type. The $170,000 median house price is far below the WA state median of roughly $600,000. At 8.9% mortgage-to-income, the carrying cost is exceptionally low relative to the 97.8th-percentile household incomes, but the near-absence of a private ownership market makes this figure almost notional.
Mortgage / mo
$1,200
Rent / wk
$48
HH Size
2.9
Personal Income / wk
$1,741
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
30.8%
Unoccupied
363
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
1.5%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
8.9%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
18.4%
Couples, no children
2,078
Total families
Economy & Employment
Mining employs 48.9% of the Tom Price workforce, the single most concentrated industry dependency of any suburb type. Education follows at 13.0%, Healthcare at 6.8%, Public Administration at 6.0% and Hospitality at 5.4%, all supporting the primary workforce rather than constituting independent economic sectors. By occupation, Machinery and Drivers (362 workers) dominate, followed by Professionals (172), Clerical/Admin (141), Community/Personal Service (123) and Managers (117). Unemployment is just 1.9%, well below the national average of around 4%, and the full-time employment rate is 75.8%. Household income at the 97.8th percentile nationally reflects the premium wages Rio Tinto and its contractors pay to attract workers to a remote Pilbara location. The participation rate of 67.4% is moderate, with 205 residents not in the labour force.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
75.8%
Part-time
22.3%
Participation
67.4%
Employed
1,318
Occupations
Top Industries
University
17.7%
Postgraduate
2.4%
Born Overseas
21.6%
Dwellings
808
Transport to Work
Walking and cycling account for 8.9% of commutes in Tom Price, above the national average for remote towns, because the compact townsite places most services within easy reach. Car use is 61.1% and public transport reaches 22.7%, the latter figure likely reflecting mine-run bus services rather than conventional public transit. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary in this dataset; families typically use the Tom Price Senior High School and Tom Price Primary School which serve the townsite. Crime statistics are not available in this dataset. With only 1.4% of residents needing daily assistance (35 people) and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 8.9%, the financial stress indicators are low relative to most Australian suburbs. Volunteering reaches 27.5%, above average, reflecting the organised community character of a planned mining town.
Drive
61.1%
Public Transport
22.7%
Walk / Cycle
8.9%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Tom Price compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tom Price a good suburb to live in?
Tom Price offers household incomes at the 97.8th percentile nationally, very low financial stress with a mortgage-to-income ratio of 8.9%, and an unemployment rate of just 1.9%. The trade-off is a remote Pilbara location, high residential turnover at 34.3% annually, and a community tied to Rio Tinto's mining operations rather than independent urban amenity.
What is the median house price in Tom Price?
The median house price is estimated at $170,000, far below the WA state median. The figure is unusual because 92.1% of residents rent company-managed housing, leaving a very thin private market. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,200 and the vacancy rate is 30.8%, reflecting mining-cycle housing dynamics.
What schools are in Tom Price?
No schools are recorded inside the Tom Price suburb boundary in this dataset. The townsite is served by Tom Price Senior High School and Tom Price Primary School. University qualification rates in the town run at 17.7%, which is 12.4 percentage points below the national average, consistent with a workforce concentrated in trades and machinery.
Is Tom Price safe?
Crime statistics are not available for Tom Price in this dataset. As contextual indicators, unemployment is just 1.9%, well below the national average of around 4%, financial stress is low with rent-to-income at 1.5%, and only 1.4% of residents (35 people) need daily assistance. Volunteering at 27.5% also points to strong community cohesion.
Is Tom Price good for property investment?
The investment case is high-risk. The 30.8% vacancy rate far exceeds the national average of roughly 1-2%, and 92.1% of dwellings are company-managed by Rio Tinto, leaving private investors exposed to mine-cycle demand swings. No development applications were lodged in the past 12 months. Returns depend on mining activity rather than demographic growth.
How is Tom Price's population changing?
Formal population forecasts are unavailable because Tom Price's trajectory is driven by Rio Tinto's mining contracts rather than standard demographic trends. The current 34.3% annual residential turnover rate shows roughly 1 in 3 residents moves each year, far above the national norm. The population of 2,910 reflects the current operational scale of the Pilbara iron ore operations.
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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