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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
South Hedland is a regional centre in Western Australia, Australia, with a population of approximately 11,046, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 1312 km from the Perth CBD, South Hedland is a regional area in Western Australia. The median household income is $134,472 per year.
Above-average earnings in South Hedland support sustained property values. Regional positioning means lower entry costs but potentially longer hold periods for capital gains.
Official Australia Post postcode for South Hedland. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.
Australia Post Postcode Finder →Usual resident population at the most recent census.
Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.
Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.
Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.
Estimated 3 schools within or near this suburb.
Find schools near South Hedland on My School →Estimated 4 parks and green spaces near this suburb.
Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.
Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.
South Hedland's population of 11,046 sits 97% above the Western Australia suburb median of 5,605, giving it a wider tenant and buyer catchment than the average WA locality. Median household income of $134,472/year runs 35% above the Western Australia suburb median of $99,736, indicating strong purchasing power and the type of demographic profile that tends to sustain premium property prices through market cycles. Rent of $240/week (75% coverage of the $1,387/month median mortgage) leaves a gap of roughly $347/month that a typical investor bridges with negative gearing, depreciation and capital growth. South Hedland is 1312 km from Perth, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand. Only 56% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 79% state median), so this is a unit-heavy market where body-corporate decisions and strata supply meaningfully shape investor returns.
This suburb suits yield-focused investors who are comfortable with lower liquidity. Employment concentration and local population trends matter more here than in metro markets. Local rents consume roughly 9% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How South Hedland stacks up against the median of all Western Australia suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean South Hedland sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | South Hedland | WA median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,046 | 5,605 | +97% |
| Median household income | $134,472/yr | $99,736/yr | +35% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $240 | $350 | -31% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,387 | $1,902 | -27% |
| Distance to CBD | 1312 km | 20 km | +6460% |
| Separate houses | 56% | 79% | -23pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for South Hedland — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Solid buy-and-hold profile: a population of 11,046 and household income close to the WA median ($134,472 vs $99,736) give the market enough depth for patient capital growth without the premium entry price of inner suburbs.
Moderate rental coverage: rent of $240/week covers 75% of a $1,387/month mortgage, leaving a $347/month gap that an investor bridges with equity, depreciation and tax benefits.
Only 56% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 79% WA median) — this is a unit and townhouse market, where cosmetic flips struggle against body-corporate restrictions, thinner after-reno uplift and competing new supply.
Run the numbers on a South Hedland property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Property values in South Hedland should track the wider Western Australia market through 2026, with the $134,472/year median household income (35% above the $99,736 state median) keeping the suburb firmly mid-pack. Rental coverage runs at ~75% of the typical mortgage ($1,040/month rent vs $1,387/month repayment), leaving a manageable top-up for most investors. The EquitySight investment score of 61/100 places South Hedland in the upper-middle tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is balanced heading into the second half of 2026.
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South Hedland scores 61/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a good rating. That score is driven by a population of 11,046, median household income of $134,472/year and median weekly rent of $240. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.
The main demand drivers in South Hedland are an above-state-median household income of $134,472/year, a dwelling mix that is 56% separate houses, roughly 3 schools and 4 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.
South Hedland has a usual resident population of approximately 11,046, compared with a Western Australia suburb median of 5,605 — placing it in the upper half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.
South Hedland sits 1312 km straight-line from the Perth CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $240 in South Hedland, equating to approximately $12,480/year in gross rental income (state median $350/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.
The median monthly mortgage repayment in South Hedland is $1,387, or approximately $16,644/year (vs $1,902/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.
A median weekly rent of $240 works out to $1,040/month, covering 75% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,387/month. That leaves a $347/month shortfall (around $4,164/year before tax benefits), so a typical owner-occupier-priced property here is negatively geared. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.
The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,387 median mortgage, the broader Western Australia market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.
Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.