Wonthella

An assessment of population growth drivers in Wonthella reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

The population of the Wonthella statistical area (Lv2) was estimated to be around 1,801 as of November 2025. This figure reflects an increase of 90 people since the Census in 2021, which reported a population of 1,711 people. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population at 1,772 following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS (June 2024), along with an additional 2 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of approximately 485 persons per square kilometer. The Wonthella's growth rate of 5.3% since census is within 2.4 percentage points of the SA3 area (7.7%), indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration was the primary driver of population growth during recent periods.

AreaSearch is utilising ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and growth rates by age cohort provided by the ABS in its latest Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data) to estimate future population trends. Based on aggregated SA2-level projections, the area is expected to expand by 247 persons to reach a total of 2,048 by 2041, reflecting an increase of 13.4% over the 17-year period.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Wonthella according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Wonthella experienced very limited development activity with an average of 2 approvals per year over the five-year period from 2016 to 2020, resulting in a total of 11 dwellings. This low level of development is characteristic of rural areas where housing needs are modest and construction activity is naturally limited by local demand and infrastructure capacity. It should be noted that the small sample size means individual development projects can substantially influence annual growth and relativity statistics.

Wonthella has substantially lower development levels than the rest of WA, with development levels also under national averages. Recent building activity consists entirely of detached dwellings, reflecting the area's rural character where larger properties and space are typical. Interestingly, developers are building more traditional houses than the current mix suggests (81.0% at Census), indicating continued strong demand for family homes despite density pressures. The estimated count of 597 people in the area per dwelling approval reflects its quiet, low activity development environment.

Population forecasts indicate Wonthella will gain 241 residents by 2041, as per the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate (Q2 2021). At current development rates, housing supply may struggle to match population growth, potentially heightening buyer competition and supporting price increases.

Wonthella has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 32ndth percentile nationally

No infrastructure changes are expected in the area as AreaSearch has identified zero projects that could impact it. Key projects include Geraldton Green Connect Project, Geraldton Youth Precinct Masterplan Development, Dongara-Geraldton-Northampton Route (DGN Route), and WA Police Satellite Technology Upgrade.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

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The labour market performance in Wonthella lags significantly behind most other regions nationally

Wonthella has a balanced workforce with diverse sector representation. Its unemployment rate was 5.2% as of September 2024.

The area had an unemployment rate of 2.0% above Rest of WA's rate of 3.3% in September 2025, with workforce participation at 54.7%, compared to Rest of WA's 59.4%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, retail trade, and construction. Retail trade has a particularly high representation, at 1.7 times the regional level, while mining shows lower representation at 4.7% versus the regional average of 11.7%. There are 1.2 workers for every resident, indicating that Wonthella functions as an employment hub hosting more jobs than residents and attracting workers from surrounding areas.

Employment levels remained stable by 0.0% during the year to September 2025, while labour force increased by 0.8%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.8 percentage points. In contrast, Rest of WA experienced employment growth of 1.4% and labour force growth of 1.2%, with a drop in unemployment rate by 0.2 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 suggest that national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, with growth rates differing significantly between industry sectors. Applying these projections to Wonthella's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.2% over five years and 13.0% over ten years.

The area's income levels rank in the lower 15% nationally based on AreaSearch comparative data

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2023 indicates that income in Wonthella is below the national average. The median income is $50,638 and the average income stands at $63,301. This contrasts with Rest of WA's figures where the median income is $59,973 and the average income is $74,392. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 9.62% since financial year 2023, current estimates for Wonthella would be approximately $55,509 (median) and $69,391 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 income data shows that household, family and personal incomes in Wonthella all fall between the 5th and 13th percentiles nationally. Income brackets indicate that the $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band captures 28.8% of the community (518 individuals), aligning with the metropolitan region where this cohort likewise represents 31.1%. Housing affordability pressures are severe in Wonthella, with only 83.0% of income remaining, ranking at the 6th percentile nationally.

Wonthella is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Wonthella's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census evaluation, consisted of 80.9% houses and 19.2% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Non-Metro WA had 87.5% houses and 12.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Wonthella was at 29.4%, with the remaining dwellings either mortgaged (25.7%) or rented (44.8%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $1,300, below Non-Metro WA's average of $1,517 and Australia's national average of $1,863. The median weekly rent figure in Wonthella was recorded at $230, compared to Non-Metro WA's $250 and the national figure of $375.

Wonthella features high concentrations of lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 56.0% of all households, including 17.3% couples with children, 22.6% couples without children, and 14.4% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 44.0%, with lone person households at 41.1% and group households comprising 2.5%. The median household size is 2.1 people, which is smaller than the Rest of WA average of 2.4.

Wonthella faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area's university qualification rate is 10.2%, significantly lower than Australia's average of 30.4%. This disparity presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 8.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (1.6%) and graduate diplomas (0.6%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 42.8% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (8.1%) and certificates (34.7%).

Educational participation is high, with 25.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.3% in primary education, 9.2% in secondary education, and 1.6% pursuing tertiary education.

Transport servicing is low compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility

Transport analysis shows 21 active stops operating in Wonthella, served by a mix of buses. These stops are covered by 4 routes, offering 120 weekly passenger trips combined. Transport accessibility is rated excellent, with residents usually located 169 meters from the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 17 trips per day across all routes, resulting in approximately 5 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Wonthella is well below average with prevalence of common health conditions notable across both younger and older age cohorts

Wonthella faces significant health challenges, with common conditions prevalent among both younger and older age groups. Private health cover is higher here at approximately 52% (~942 people), compared to Rest of WA's 55.0%.

Asthma and mental health issues are the most common conditions, affecting 9.6% each. Conversely, 59.5% report no medical ailments, lower than Rest of WA's 66.8%. The area has 17.9% (322 people) aged 65 and over, with seniors showing mixed health outcomes compared to the general population.

Wonthella ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Wonthella's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 85.4% of its population being citizens, 85.3% born in Australia, and 91.6% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the main religion in Wonthella, accounting for 46.8% of the population. Islam, however, was overrepresented compared to the rest of WA, with 1.3% of Wonthella's population being Muslim.

The top three ancestry groups were Australian (30.5%), English (29.2%), and Australian Aboriginal (7.7%). Notably, Maori (1.2%) and Filipino (1.8%) groups were overrepresented in Wonthella compared to regional averages of 0.7% and 1.0%, respectively. New Zealanders also showed a notable divergence with 0.8% in Wonthella versus 0.6% regionally.

Wonthella hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

The median age in Wonthella is 42 years, which is slightly higher than Rest of WA's average of 40 years and considerably older than Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to Rest of WA, Wonthella has a higher percentage of residents aged 25-34 (15.6%) but fewer residents aged 5-14 (9.7%). According to the 2021 Census, the proportion of residents aged 25 to 34 increased from 12.7% to 15.6%, while the percentage of those aged 85 and above decreased from 3.6% to 1.4%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant changes in Wonthella's age structure. Notably, the 25-34 age group is expected to grow by 46%, reaching 411 people from 280. Conversely, the 65-74 and 85+ cohorts are projected to experience population declines.