Harris River vs Palmer

Harris River is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 54 in Palmer. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Harris River, about half of households are couple families. In Palmer, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Harris River tends to suit couples, while Palmer suits people living alone and older residents.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Harris River

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 31%)
  • carries lower crime risk (62/100 vs 83/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Palmer

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($138/wk vs $350/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Harris River

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (192.3 km vs 214.1 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (147 min vs 154 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Harris River carries lower crime risk (62/100 vs 83/100)
  • Palmer has more residents already 65 and over (30% vs 12%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Harris River

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (5.4% vs -15.3%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Harris River and Palmer drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Harris River Palmer
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Harris River Palmer
Walkability 0 / 0
Harris River — Walkability: 0/100 Palmer — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 38 / 17
Harris River — Safety: 38/100 Palmer — Safety: 17/100
Low fire risk 28 / 23
Harris River — Low fire risk: 28/100 Palmer — Low fire risk: 23/100
Low flood risk 77 / 83
Harris River — Low flood risk: 77/100 Palmer — Low flood risk: 83/100

Demographics

Harris River rents higher ($350/wk vs $138/wk); Harris River has more residents (98 vs 50).

Harris River Palmer
Population 98
+49% vs other
 50
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.4% -15.3%
Median age 47 54
Median household income $123,448/yr
+45% vs other
 $68,224/yr
Median weekly rent $350/wk
+61% vs other
 $138/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Harris River Palmer
0-4 4.1% / —
Harris River — 0-4: 4.1% Palmer — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 12.2% / 8.0%
Harris River — 5-14: 12.2% Palmer — 5-14: 8.0%
15-19 5.1% / —
Harris River — 15-19: 5.1% Palmer — 15-19: not among its largest
20-24 4.1% / —
Harris River — 20-24: 4.1% Palmer — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 3.1% / —
Harris River — 25-34: 3.1% Palmer — 25-34: not among its largest
35-44 10.2% / 22.0%
Harris River — 35-44: 10.2% Palmer — 35-44: 22.0%
45-54 16.3% / 24.0%
Harris River — 45-54: 16.3% Palmer — 45-54: 24.0%
55-64 21.4% / 18.0%
Harris River — 55-64: 21.4% Palmer — 55-64: 18.0%
65-74 12.2% / 24.0%
Harris River — 65-74: 12.2% Palmer — 65-74: 24.0%
75-84 — / 6.0%
Harris River — 75-84: not among its largest Palmer — 75-84: 6.0%
85+ — / —
Harris River — 85+: not among its largest Palmer — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Harris River 21.4% lone person
Harris River — Lone Person: 21.4% Harris River — Couple Families: 50.0% Harris River — One Parent Families: 28.6%
Palmer 68.8% lone person
Palmer — Lone Person: 68.8% Palmer — Couple Families: 31.2% Palmer — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Harris River 0.0% renting
Harris River — Owned Outright: 34.6% Harris River — Mortgage: 65.4% Harris River — Renting: 0.0%
Palmer 14.3% renting
Palmer — Owned Outright: 57.1% Palmer — Mortgage: 28.6% Palmer — Renting: 14.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Harris River 100.0% houses
Harris River — Houses: 100.0%
Palmer 100.0% houses
Palmer — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Harris River Palmer
Certificate III & IV 20.4% / 18.0%
Harris River — Certificate III & IV: 20.4% Palmer — Certificate III & IV: 18.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 12.2% / 6.0%
Harris River — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 12.2% Palmer — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.0%
Bachelor Degree 6.1% / —
Harris River — Bachelor Degree: 6.1% Palmer — Bachelor Degree: not among its largest
Postgraduate Degree 3.1% / —
Harris River — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1% Palmer — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).

Development activity

Harris River Palmer
New dwellings approved 36
across Collie
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
same for both

Ranking within WA

Harris River Palmer
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 88% of WA Higher than 26% of WA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 57% of WA Higher than 34% of WA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 14% of WA Higher than 13% of WA
NBN connectivity Higher than 50% of WA
same for both

Liveability

Harris River Palmer
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
same for both

Risk profile

Palmer carries more crime risk (83 vs 62).

Harris River Palmer
Bushfire High
72/100
 High
77/100
Crime Moderate
62/100
 High
83/100
Flood Low
23/100
 Low
17/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Harris River Palmer
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Harris River Palmer
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 0 1
Waterways 21 3

Mobility

Palmer sits further from the CBD (214.1 km vs 192.3 km).

Harris River Palmer
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Perth 192.3 km 214.1 km
+11% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 147 min 154 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 6225
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 55
postcode 6225
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Harris River Palmer
Car (driver) 84.2% / 62.1%
Harris River — Car (driver): 84.2% Palmer — Car (driver): 62.1%
Worked from Home 7.9% / 27.6%
Harris River — Worked from Home: 7.9% Palmer — Worked from Home: 27.6%
Bus 7.9% / 10.3%
Harris River — Bus: 7.9% Palmer — Bus: 10.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (84.2%).

Setting

Harris River Palmer
Elevation 254 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 260 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Harris River Palmer
Connectivity score 25/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
42 premises
 0%
39 premises

Climate

Harris River Palmer
Annual rainfall 765 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Harris River Palmer
Average residential rate $1,887/yr
same for both
Council Collie
same for both

Federal electorate

Harris River Palmer
Division O'connor
same for both
Member Rick Wilson
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Harris River Palmer
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Harris River

Rural

Palmer

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Harris River

Harris River vs Collie Harris River vs Allanson

Other comparisons with Palmer

Palmer vs Collie
Full data on Harris River Full data on Palmer
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or