Whitby
A median age of 28 sets Whitby apart, sitting 12 years below the national figure, making it one of Perth's genuinely young outer suburbs. At a postcode 6123 address, 81.3% of households carry a mortgage and only 10.1% own outright, reflecting a suburb of recent arrivals rather than settled owners. Every dwelling recorded here is a separate house, and 78.1% have four or more bedrooms, pointing to a resident profile dominated by young families in the early phases of home ownership.
Local council: Serpentine-Jarrahdale
Population
1,005
Median Age
28.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,117/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,950, and with household income in the 80th percentile nationally, the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 21.3%, below the 30% stress threshold. All dwellings are separate houses, and 78.1% have four or more bedrooms, so buyers are competing for large family homes rather than a mixed stock. The ownership split reflects the suburb's youth: 81.3% of households are still paying off mortgages compared to just 10.1% who own outright, which is low even by outer-suburb standards and indicates the area is still building its long-term owner base.
For Buyers
Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,950, and with household income in the 80th percentile nationally, the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 21.3%, below the 30% stress threshold. All dwellings are separate houses, and 78.1% have four or more bedrooms, so buyers are competing for large family homes rather than a mixed stock. The ownership split reflects the suburb's youth: 81.3% of households are still paying off mortgages compared to just 10.1% who own outright, which is low even by outer-suburb standards and indicates the area is still building its long-term owner base.
For Investors
Whitby's rental market is thin, with only 8.5% of households renting and a vacancy rate of 5.8%, which is elevated and signals more available supply than current tenant demand can absorb. The average household size of 3.0 is above the national average, which signals family occupants who tend toward longer tenancies once placed. Development activity shows zero applications in the past 12 months, so new supply is not the driver of the high vacancy. The 80th-percentile household income provides tenant quality, but investors should weigh the low renter share against potential for limited resale liquidity in a small, 1,005-person suburb.
Demographics
The median age of 28 is 12 years below the national figure, an unusually large gap that positions Whitby among WA's youngest suburbs by resident age. Overseas-born residents account for 24.1% of the population, which is 2.5 percentage points above the national average. Ancestry is strongly Anglo-Celtic, with English (460 residents) the dominant group, followed by Scottish (84) and Irish (73), alongside Dutch (54) reflecting broader WA migration patterns. University qualifications reach 15.7%, which is 14.4 percentage points below the national figure, a meaningful gap that reflects the blue-collar and trades occupational profile. Average household size of 3.0 is 0.5 above national, consistent with young families rather than single-person or older-couple households. The couples-with-children share stands at 55.2% of families.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
100.0%
Houses
0.0%
Townhouse
0.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Every dwelling in Whitby is a separate house, giving it a 100% detached rate compared to a national average where apartments account for roughly a quarter of stock. The bedroom profile is skewed large: 78.1% of homes have four or more bedrooms and 19.7% have three bedrooms, leaving just 2.2% in the two-bedroom category. This is a purpose-built family suburb where stock size reflects the resident lifecycle. Tenure breaks down to 81.3% mortgaged, 10.1% owned outright and 8.5% renting. The near-absence of outright owners is lower than typical outer suburbs, where longer-established pockets carry a higher debt-free share.
Mortgage / mo
$1,950
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$360
Census 2021
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$1,033
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.8%
Unoccupied
20
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.3%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
50.9%
Couples with children
32.9%
Couples, no children
17.0%
Single parent
283
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads employment at 18.7% of the local workforce (60 workers), followed by Education at 10.6% (34 workers), Construction at 9.7% (31 workers), and Mining and Manufacturing each at 9.0% (29 workers each). This mix is more blue-collar and trade-facing than the national average, which aligns with the below-national university qualification rate of 15.7%. By occupation, Machinery and Drivers leads at 65 workers, followed closely by Clerical and Admin (64) and Community and Personal services (60). The full-time employment rate of 70.3% is solid, and the unemployment rate of 5.1% sits modestly above the national average, partly because the young median age of 28 means more residents are still transitioning into stable employment. Participation stands at 68.6% and 143 residents are not in the labour force.
Unemployment
4.7%
Labour Force
534
Unemployed
25
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
63.9%
Part-time
26.9%
Participation
75.2%
Employed
509
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
15.7%
Postgraduate
1.9%
Born Overseas
24.1%
Dwellings
320
Transport to Work
Transport is almost entirely car-dependent: 89.4% of residents drive to work and only 3.5% use public transport, lower than the Perth metro average and reflecting the outer-suburban location at postcode 6123 with limited rail access. No schools are recorded within the Whitby boundary in this dataset, so families depend on nearby suburbs for schooling, a practical consideration for buyers. The volunteering rate of 14.2% is a community engagement indicator that sits in a normal range. Housing stress is low: rent-to-income runs at 17.0% and mortgage-to-income at 21.3%, both below the 30% threshold that signals financial strain. Only 2.2% of residents (21 people) need daily assistance, below the national average, consistent with the young median age of 28. The 5.8% vacancy rate is the main livability signal to watch, as it can affect neighbourhood activity levels.
Drive
85.2%
Public Transport
3.4%
Walk / Cycle
N/A
Work from Home
4.7%
Growth Outlook
Whitby's population of 1,005 occupies 17.47 square kilometres at a density of 57.5 residents per km2, which is low even for a Perth outer suburb, indicating significant room for infill or estate expansion. The income profile at the 80th percentile nationally suggests the suburb is attracting working-age households with means rather than lower-income renters, which supports gradual price appreciation. The resident turnover rate of 21.2% over the five-year reference period indicates that 78.8% of residents stayed, a stability figure above what you would expect from a purely transient population. Mining and construction together employ 18.7% of workers, sectors that track WA's commodity cycle, so local economic conditions are partly exposed to resources demand. No forecast data is available in the current dataset, but the young median age and mortgage-heavy tenure base are typical of suburbs that absorb growth over a 10-20 year horizon.
Population trend: Serpentine-Jarrahdale council area
Whitby sits in the Serpentine-Jarrahdale council area. These are the council area's residents, not Whitby's.
Residents 2025
40,531
Growth, 5 yr average
+4.6%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+4.5%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Whitby compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Whitby a good suburb to live in?
Whitby suits young families looking for large detached homes at an accessible price. The median age of 28 is 12 years below the national figure, so the resident profile skews toward young couples and families rather than retirees.
What is the median house price in Whitby?
Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,950. Weekly rent is $360. Household income sits in the 80th percentile nationally, which keeps the mortgage-to-income ratio at 21.3%, well below the 30% stress level.
What schools are in Whitby?
No schools are recorded within the Whitby suburb boundary in this dataset. Families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs in the postcode 6123 corridor. The local university qualification rate is 15.7%, which is 14.4 percentage points below the national average, reflecting a workforce concentrated in trades and services.
Is Whitby safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Whitby in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, housing stress is low: rent-to-income at 17.0% and mortgage-to-income at 21.3% are both below the 30% stress threshold. Only 2.2% of residents (21 people) require daily assistance, consistent with a low-disadvantage, working-age population.
Is Whitby good for property investment?
The low mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.3% and 80th-percentile household income support tenant quality if a property is tenanted.
How is Whitby's population changing?
Whitby's population is 1,005 at a density of 57.5 per km2 across 17.47 square kilometres, leaving significant land available for further development. The median age of 28 is 12 years below the national figure. A 5-year resident turnover rate of 21.2% means 78.8% of residents stayed, suggesting reasonable stability for a young outer suburb.
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 education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications).
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