Warracknabeal
The population of 2,359 carries a median age of 50, which is 10 years above the national figure, and 52.8% of dwellings are owned outright, meaning the market is dominated by long-term residents rather than active buyers and sellers. Household income is in the 16.6th percentile nationally, reflecting a working-class and agricultural base. A 15.0% rental vacancy rate and a crime rate of 120.8 per 1,000 residents are the two sharpest risk signals for anyone considering entry.
Local council: Yarriambiack
Population
2,359
Median Age
50.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,079/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
3
Median House
$320K
October to December 2025
The stock is overwhelmingly detached houses at 94.2%, with 57.6% having three bedrooms and 20.4% having four or more. Outright owners at 52.8% far outnumber mortgage holders at 26.9%, which keeps transaction volumes thin.
For Buyers
The stock is overwhelmingly detached houses at 94.2%, with 57.6% having three bedrooms and 20.4% having four or more. Outright owners at 52.8% far outnumber mortgage holders at 26.9%, which keeps transaction volumes thin.
For Investors
The rental case is constrained. The renter share is 20.3%, relatively small for an investment-grade suburb, and the tenant pool is limited by a town population of only 2,359. Just 1 development application was lodged in the past 12 months, so new supply is not a concern, but neither is demand growth. Income in the 16.6th percentile nationally caps rental growth capacity.
Development Activity
Total DAs
4
Last 12 Months
3
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Warracknabeal
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
St Mary's School
Warracknabeal Primary School
Warracknabeal Secondary College
Warracknabeal Special Developmental School
Demographics
The median age of 50 is 10 years above the national figure, making Warracknabeal one of regional Victoria's older communities. Born-overseas residents are 7.2%, which is 14.4 percentage points below the national average. Ancestry leads with English (943 residents), Scottish (241), Irish (238) and German (221). University qualifications reach just 15.3%, some 14.8 points below national, consistent with an economy built on agriculture and personal services. Average household size is 2.0, which is 0.5 below national, pointing to a significant empty-nester cohort. Volunteering runs at 26.6%, above typical metropolitan rates.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
94.2%
Houses
3.7%
Townhouse
0.8%
Apartment
Tenure
Separate houses account for 94.2% of stock, well above the national average for comparable towns, with apartments at just 0.8%. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 57.6%, followed by four-plus at 20.4% and two-bedroom at 17.6%. Tenure skews toward debt-free owners: 52.8% own outright, 26.9% hold a mortgage and 20.3% rent. Rent-to-income at 16.7% and mortgage-to-income at 15.8% are both low, meaning neither tenants nor owners face housing stress. The 15.0% vacancy rate reflects subdued rental demand.
Mortgage / mo
$737
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$180
Census 2021
HH Size
2.0
Personal Income / wk
$637
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
15.0%
Unoccupied
179
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.7%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
15.8%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
28.8%
Couples with children
50.3%
Couples, no children
18.4%
Single parent
598
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare dominates at 29.2% of workers (169 people), typical of rural towns serving as regional service hubs. Education accounts for 11.1% (64 workers) and Agriculture for 9.9% (57 workers), with Retail at 7.8% and Construction at 6.1%. By occupation, Community and Personal Service workers lead at 171, followed by Professionals at 133 and Managers at 129. Unemployment is 3.0%, comparable to national levels, but labour force participation at 45.0% is low because 811 residents are not in the labour force, consistent with the older median age. Household income in the 16.6th percentile nationally reflects the wage structure of healthcare, education and agricultural roles rather than high-paying professional sectors.
Unemployment
2.7%
Labour Force
992
Unemployed
27
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
54.5%
Part-time
35.4%
Participation
49.8%
Employed
965
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
15.3%
Postgraduate
2.0%
Born Overseas
7.2%
Dwellings
1,018
Transport to Work
Car dependence runs at 83.8% of commuters, above the national average, with 11.9% walking or cycling and no public transport data recorded. The crime rate of 120.8 per 1,000 residents is elevated compared to most metropolitan suburban norms, led by property and deception offences at 162 incidents out of 285 total. Rent-to-income at 16.7% and mortgage-to-income at 15.8% keep housing affordable relative to local incomes. No schools are recorded in this dataset. Volunteering at 26.6% is high, while 11.1% of residents need daily assistance, reflecting care demands from a population with a median age of 50.
Drive
77.4%
Public Transport
N/A
Walk / Cycle
11.0%
Work from Home
7.7%
Growth Outlook
Price and demographic signals both point to a community in gentle long-run contraction rather than expansion. Residential mobility is very low: 86.8% of residents stayed at the same address over the past year, a turnover rate of 13.2% that limits market liquidity. Only 1 development application was lodged in the past 12 months. The median age of 50, which is 10 years above national, points to natural population attrition as a structural headwind, since fewer working-age arrivals are replacing older residents who leave or age out.
Population trend: Yarriambiack council area
Warracknabeal sits in the Yarriambiack council area. These are the council area's residents, not Warracknabeal's.
Residents 2025
6,295
Growth, 5 yr average
-1.1%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
-0.2%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
285
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
120.8
Offence Categories
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Warracknabeal compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Warracknabeal a good suburb to live in?
Warracknabeal suits buyers seeking affordability and space. The trade-offs are a crime rate of 120.8 per 1,000, a 15.0% rental vacancy rate, and a median age of 50 that reflects a predominantly older, established community.
What schools are in Warracknabeal?
No schools are recorded inside the Warracknabeal boundary in this dataset. Despite this, the town functions as a regional service centre, with 11.1% of workers employed in education (64 people), suggesting educational facilities serve the broader surrounding region.
Is Warracknabeal safe?
The crime rate is 120.8 incidents per 1,000 residents, which is elevated compared to most metropolitan suburbs. The largest category is property and deception offences at 162 incidents, followed by justice procedure offences at 60 and crimes against the person at 46 out of 285 total recorded incidents.
Is Warracknabeal good for property investment?
Investors face a thin tenant pool and limited price growth prospects given income in the 16.6th percentile nationally.
How is Warracknabeal's population changing?
The population sits at 2,359 with a median age of 50, which is 10 years above the national figure. Residential turnover is very low at 13.2%, with 86.8% of residents having stayed put over the past year. The aging demographic profile and just 1 development application in 12 months point to a stable but slowly contracting community rather than growth.
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), Valuer-General Victoria (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications).
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