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This analysis uses Suburbs and Localities (SAL) boundaries, which can materially differ from Statistical Areas (SA2) even when sharing the same name.
SAL boundaries are defined by Australia Post and the Australian Bureau of Statistics to represent commonly-known suburb names used in postal addresses.
Statistical Areas (SA2) are designed for census data collection and may combine multiple suburbs or use different geographic boundaries. For comprehensive analysis, consider reviewing both boundary types if available.
est. as @ -- *
2021 Census | -- people
Sales Activity
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Sales Detail
Population
Tom Price has shown very soft population growth performance across periods assessed by AreaSearch
As of Nov 2025, the estimated population for the Tom Price statistical area (Lv2) is around 3,456 people. This reflects an increase of 546 individuals since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 2,910 people. The current resident population estimate of 3,443 was inferred from AreaSearch's analysis of the latest ERP data release by the ABS (June 2024) and address validation post-Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 46 persons per square kilometer. Tom Price's growth rate since the 2021 Census, at 18.8%, exceeded both the national average of 9.7% and the non-metro area's growth. Natural growth contributed approximately 59.0% to overall population gains in recent periods.
AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data and post-2032 growth estimation, AreaSearch uses ABS' Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data). Based on aggregated SA2-level projections, the Tom Price area is expected to grow by 218 persons by 2041, reflecting a reduction of 1.3% over the 17-year period.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
Development
AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Tom Price, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally
Based on AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers allocated from statistical area data, Tom Price has seen approximately 9 new homes approved each year. Between financial years FY-21 and FY-25, around 46 homes were approved, with 1 more approved in FY-26 so far. Despite population decline during this period, development activity has been adequate relative to population changes, which could be beneficial for buyers.
The average expected construction cost value of new homes is $845,000, indicating developers target the premium market segment with higher-end properties. In the current financial year, $194.9 million in commercial approvals have been registered, suggesting strong commercial development momentum. Compared to the Rest of WA, Tom Price records 16.0% less building activity per person, placing it among the 53rd percentile nationally. This indicates the area's established nature and potential planning limitations.
New building activity comprises 83.0% detached dwellings and 17.0% townhouses or apartments, maintaining the area's traditional low density character focused on family homes appealing to those seeking space. The location has approximately 304 people per dwelling approval, suggesting room for growth. Given stable or declining population forecasts, Tom Price may experience less housing pressure, creating favourable conditions for buyers.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Infrastructure
Tom Price has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 26thth percentile nationally
Infrastructure changes significantly influence local performance. AreaSearch identified five projects impacting Tom Price area. Key projects are Tom Price Hospital Redevelopment, Greater Tom Price Operations Sustaining Capital, Tom Price Residential Development, and Tom Price Town Centre Revitalisation. Details follow for projects of highest relevance.
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Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
Resources Community Investment Initiative
A $750 million partnership between the WA Government and major resource companies (Rio Tinto, BHP, Woodside Energy, Chevron, Mineral Resources, Fortescue, Roy Hill) to fund community, social, and regional infrastructure. Key allocated projects include the $150.3 million Perth Concert Hall redevelopment and the $20 million Paraburdoo Hospital upgrade.
Tom Price Hospital Redevelopment
The redevelopment of Tom Price Hospital is a $32.8 million project delivered by the WA Country Health Service in partnership with Rio Tinto. The new purpose-built facility features a modern emergency department, a four-bed inpatient ward, dental and pathology services, and contemporary ambulatory care facilities. Forward works, including earthworks and flood mitigation, commenced in late 2025 following the appointment of Cooper & Oxley. Major construction is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2026, with the project expected to reach completion by 2028.
Fortescue Decarbonisation Plan
Fortescue's Pilbara Decarbonisation Plan is a long term program to eliminate fossil fuel use and achieve Real Zero scope 1 and 2 emissions across its Australian iron ore operations by 2030. The company has committed about US$6.2 billion (around A$9.5 billion) to deploy 2 to 3 GW of new wind and solar generation, large scale battery storage and an integrated 220 kV transmission network linking mine, rail and port sites across the Pilbara. Current works include a 190 MW solar farm at Cloudbreak, which is more than one third through construction and forms part of the Pilbara Solar Innovation Hub, together with multiple 220 kV transmission line packages connecting sites such as Solomon, Eliwana, Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek. Construction ramped up from 2024 and is expected to continue in stages through to 2030 as the renewable grid and electrified mining fleet are progressively delivered.
Rio Tinto Pilbara Rail Network Expansion (AutoHaul)
The world's first fully autonomous, long-distance heavy-haul rail network, spanning approximately 1,700km. The system utilizes Hitachi Rail technology to connect 17 mines to port facilities at Port Hedland and Cape Lambert. The network features over 220 trains monitored from a central Operations Centre in Perth, improving safety and operational efficiency by approximately 6%. Ongoing updates in 2026 focus on software optimization, predictive maintenance, and the integration of locally manufactured rail cars.
Greater Tom Price Operations Sustaining Capital
Ongoing sustaining capital program by Rio Tinto to maintain and enhance output across the Greater Tom Price hub (Tom Price and Western Turner Syncline satellites). Works typically include opening new pits, replacement and upgrade of mining fleets, autonomy rollouts, and fixed plant renewals (e.g., crusher and overland conveyor delivered with WTS2). WTS2 achieved first ore in 2021, and sustaining works continue to keep hub capacity in line with Pilbara plans.
WA Regional Digital Connectivity Program (WARDCP)
Statewide co-investment program delivering new and upgraded mobile, fixed wireless and broadband infrastructure to improve reliability, coverage and performance for regional and remote Western Australia. Current workstreams include the Regional Telecommunications Project, State Agriculture Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund, and the WA Regional Digital Connectivity Program (WARDCP).
Tom Price Residential Development
Shire of Ashburton program to increase and improve housing in Tom Price to support local workforce and community needs. Guided by the Community Lifestyle and Infrastructure Plan (CLIP), recent actions include tenders for new residences (2022) and staff housing refurbishments (2024). The broader housing program remains in planning while sites and delivery pathways are advanced with the Shire.
Tom Price Town Centre Revitalisation
A multi-stage project by the Shire of Ashburton to upgrade and modernise the Tom Price town centre. The project includes enhancing public open spaces, improving pedestrian connectivity, upgrading amenities, and creating a more vibrant commercial and community hub. Recent works have focused on the tourism precinct and public facilities.
Employment
The exceptional employment performance in Tom Price places it among Australia's strongest labour markets
Tom Price has a skilled workforce with manufacturing and industrial sectors well represented. The unemployment rate was 0.9% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 0.7%.
As of September 2025, 1,819 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.4% below Rest of WA's rate of 3.3%. Workforce participation was higher at 75.9%, compared to Rest of WA's 59.4%. Leading employment industries included mining, education & training, and health care & social assistance. Mining had particularly notable concentration, with employment levels at 4.2 times the regional average.
Conversely, agriculture, forestry & fishing was under-represented, with only 0.3% of Tom Price's workforce compared to 9.3% in Rest of WA. Employment opportunities may be limited locally, as indicated by Census data. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment increased by 0.7%, while labour force also grew by 0.7%, keeping the unemployment rate stable at 2.8%. In comparison, Rest of WA saw employment grow by 1.4% and labour force expand by 1.2%, with a decrease in unemployment of 0.2 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 provide insights into potential future demand within Tom Price. These projections estimate national employment growth at 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, but industry-specific growth rates vary significantly. Applying these projections to Tom Price's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 4.2% over five years and 10.6% over ten years.
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Income
The economic profile demonstrates exceptional strength, placing the area among the top 10% nationally based on comprehensive AreaSearch income analysis
The suburb of Tom Price had a median taxpayer income of $98,836 and an average income of $96,753 in financial year 2023, according to postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch. This is notably higher than the Rest of WA's median income of $59,973 and average income of $74,392. By September 2025, estimates suggest a median income of approximately $108,344 and an average income of around $106,061, based on Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2023. In Tom Price, household, family, and personal incomes ranked highly nationally, between the 97th and 99th percentiles in the 2021 Census figures. The income bracket of $1,500 - 2,999 captured 37.4% of the community (1,292 individuals), similar to the surrounding region where this cohort represented 31.1%. A substantial portion of residents, 54.4%, earned over $3,000 weekly. After housing costs, residents retained 98.3% of their income, reflecting strong purchasing power in the area. The SEIFA income ranking placed Tom Price in the 5th decile.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Housing
Tom Price is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region
Tom Price's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 91.8% houses and 8.2% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Non-Metro WA's 81.0% houses and 19.0% other dwellings. The home ownership level in Tom Price was at 5.7%, with the remainder being mortgaged (3.1%) or rented (91.2%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in Tom Price was $1,200, below Non-Metro WA's average of $2,000 and Australia's national average of $1,863. The median weekly rent figure in Tom Price was recorded at $48, substantially lower than Non-Metro WA's $220 and the national average of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Household Composition
Tom Price features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size
Family households account for 77.6% of all households, including 47.5% couples with children, 24.0% couples without children, and 5.9% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 22.4%, with lone person households at 20.5% and group households making up 1.7%. The median household size is 2.9 people, larger than the Rest of WA average of 2.8.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
Local Schools & Education
Tom Price faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally
The area's university qualification rate is 18.3%, significantly lower than Australia's average of 30.4%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 14.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (2.2%) and graduate diplomas (2.1%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 53.2% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (10.2%) and certificates (43.0%). Educational participation is high at 38.8%, with 21.2% in primary education, 8.1% in secondary education, and 2.2% pursuing tertiary education.
Educational participation is notably high, with 38.8% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 21.2% in primary education, 8.1% in secondary education, and 2.2% pursuing tertiary education.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Nearby Services & Amenities
Transport
No public transport data available for this catchment area.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
Health
Tom Price's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with a fairly standard level of common health conditions seen across both young and old age cohorts
Tom Price's health outcomes show excellent results, with typical levels of common health conditions seen in both young and elderly residents. Approximately 66% of Tom Price's total population of 2,267 have private health cover, compared to Rest of WA's 73.3% and the national average of 55.7%. The most prevalent medical conditions are asthma (7.5%) and mental health issues (5.8%), with 80.3% reporting no medical ailments, compared to 81.3% in Rest of WA.
Tom Price has 2.3% residents aged 65 and over (79 people), with seniors requiring more healthcare attention than the broader population.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Cultural Diversity
In terms of cultural diversity, Tom Price records figures broadly comparable to the national average, as found in AreaSearch's assessment of a number of language and cultural background related metrics
Tom Price's cultural diversity was found to be above average, with 21.6% of its population born overseas and 11.8% speaking a language other than English at home. The predominant religion in Tom Price is Christianity, accounting for 36.4% of the population. Notably, Buddhism is overrepresented, comprising 2.0% compared to the regional average of 1.8%.
In terms of ancestry, the top three groups are Australian (29.1%), English (26.0%), and Other (7.9%). There are also notable variations in the representation of certain ethnic groups: Maori is overrepresented at 2.7% compared to the regional average of 2.0%, New Zealand is slightly underrepresented at 1.2% versus 1.3%, and Australian Aboriginal is underrepresented at 7.8% compared to 8.5%.
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
Age
Tom Price hosts a very young demographic, ranking in the bottom 10% of areas nationwide
Tom Price's median age is 31 years, which is considerably lower than the Rest of WA average of 40 years and Australia's average of 38 years. Compared to the Rest of WA, Tom Price has a higher concentration of residents aged 35-44 (23.6%), but fewer residents aged 65-74 (2.2%). This concentration of residents aged 35-44 is well above the national average of 14.2%. Between the 2021 Census and present, the population aged 35 to 44 has grown from 20.8% to 23.6%, while the population aged 45 to 54 has declined from 12.5% to 11.5%. By 2041, significant demographic changes are forecast for Tom Price. The strongest projected growth is in the 25-34 age cohort, with a 15% increase adding 87 residents to reach 678. Conversely, population declines are projected for the 75-84 and 65-74 cohorts.