Howatharra WA 6532

Located in Western Australia, Howatharra sits 444 km from Perth CBD, around 5 hours by car. The locality has 112 residents, a median age of 50, and a median household income of $86,112 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The locality fell 17.0% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $200 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,343. Howatharra is characterised by high coastal erosion risk and no recorded flood exposure. Walkability is low.

This locality is too small to rate.

The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 112. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.

How do you rate the liveability in Howatharra?

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Not enough data to score this locality.

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Rental Market

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

110 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 27% of its income on the median rent in postcode 6532.

SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.

Short-Stay Rentals

1 active Airbnb listing: 1 whole home and 0 rooms.

Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months.

Coastal Erosion

89
monitoring points
within 5 km
82
actively eroding
> 0.1 m/yr retreat
-0.88
worst rate (m/yr)
Significant
7.9 km
nearest coastline
monitoring point

Shoreline Change Summary

1988–2025
Stable or accreting 14 (16%)
Moderate erosion (0.1–0.3 m/yr) 21 (24%)
Significant erosion (> 0.3 m/yr) 54 (61%)

Nearest Eroding Coastline

Distance
7.9 km
Rate
-0.35 m/yr
Net Movement
-15.7 m
Certainty
likely rocky coastline

Data Quality

High certainty: 64 of 89 points (72%)

Schools

No schools in this locality boundary.

Walkability

Howatharra is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.

0
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Bottom 10% in WA
Public Transport within 1 km not measured
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 0

We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.

NBN connectivity

The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Howatharra.

25
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
53
Technology mix
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 64%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 36%

NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.

Amenities

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
3 in locality
Sport & Recreation
None
Beaches
None
Waterways
None
Childcare
None
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Chapman Valley: council population

The whole council area, not just Howatharra · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
1,725
+1.4% in a year
Change
+23
people since 2024
Density
0.4
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+8
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+10
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+5
arrivals minus departures

The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
4/10
3/10 within WA
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
6/10
5/10 within WA
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
4/10
3/10 within WA
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Howatharra is home to 112 residents, with a median age of 50 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $86,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.5%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

112

17.0% since 2016

Median Age

50

no change since 2016

Median Household Income

$86,112/yr

29.3% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$200/wk

16.0% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,343/mo

31.5% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.1

12.5% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$43,524/yr

6.8% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

4.5%

52.1% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

19.6%

3.9% since 2016

Total Dwellings

51

4.1% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

100.0%

14.7% since 2016

Houses

90.2%

0.4% since 2016

Rental Stress

12.1%

34.9% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

18.7%

47.0% since 2016

Work From Home

12.2%

17.3% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 46 (90.2%)
Flats / Apartments 5 (9.8%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 22 (52.4%)
Mortgage 20 (47.6%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
72.3%
English Spoken at Home
88.4%
Employment Rate
63.9%
5.3% since 2016
Completed Year 12
32.1%

Occupations

Technicians & Trades 13 (20.6%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 10 (15.9%)
Clerical & Administrative 9 (14.3%)
Labourers 9 (14.3%)
Managers 7 (11.1%)
Professionals 5 (7.9%)
Community & Personal Service 4 (6.3%)
Sales 3 (4.8%)

Religion

No Religion 65 (58.0%)
Christianity 35 (31.2%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 9 (8.0%)
New Zealand 3 (2.7%)
Germany 3 (2.7%)

Age Distribution

0-4 5 (4.5%)
5-14 11 (9.8%)
15-19 3 (2.7%)
25-34 5 (4.5%)
35-44 13 (11.6%)
45-54 25 (22.3%)
55-64 17 (15.2%)
65-74 17 (15.2%)
75-84 5 (4.5%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 15 (65.2%)
Couple Families 8 (34.8%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 37 (75.5%)
Walked Only 6 (12.2%)
Worked from Home 6 (12.2%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 21 (18.8%)
Bachelor Degree 14 (12.5%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8 (7.1%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 6 (12.8%)
2 cars 24 (51.1%)
3 cars 8 (17.0%)
4+ cars 9 (19.1%)

Council Rates

Chapman Valley
FY 2023-24
Avg residential rate
Not published for this council
WA reports total rate revenue rather than a residential average, and for this council that figure is dominated by non-residential rates. Ask the council for a rates estimate.
Valuation basis
Gross Rental Value / Unimproved Value
GRV for urban, UV for rural/mining

Building Approvals: Chapman Valley

The whole council area, not just Howatharra · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 22 new dwellings were approved across Chapman Valley. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are up 100.0% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
22dwellings
+100.0% YoY
Houses
22
detached dwellings
Units
0
townhouses + apartments

Climate & Setting

from Nabawa, 14.8 km

Dry climate.

Elevation
120 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Distance to the ocean
7.9 km
Annual rainfall
374 mm
43 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
—
Winter min (Jul)
—

Elevation is the ground at the locality centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.

EV adoption

0.2%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.1 points this year
Bottom 19% in WA

In postcode 6532, 16 of 7,762 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.8% (215 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.0%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.00%
2023
0.00%
2024
0.12%
2025
0.21%

Rooftop solar

60
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.8 kW each

In postcode 6532, 1,564 rooftop-solar systems totalling 10.6 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,628 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 76 went up in the last year.

Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
123
2020
142
2021
139
2022
91
2023
122
2024
101
2025
73
2026
38

2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.

First Home Owner Grant

FY2026-27

$10,000 for new homes priced up to $800,000.

Cap is $800,000 SOUTH of the 26th parallel (which includes all of metropolitan Perth) and $1,000,000 NORTH of it. We store the southern figure because that is where almost every buyer is; the northern cap is higher, so the stored value never overstates eligibility. The southern cap rose from $750,000 on 7 May 2026 in the 2026-27 Housing Taxation Package. The same package moved the first home owner RATE OF DUTY thresholds, which is a different scheme and lives in the web repo's app/stamp_duty.py.

Verify eligibility with Department of Finance WA

Federal Electorate

Division of Durack

Currently held by Melissa Price Liberal

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Melissa Price 39.9% 60.1% -5.5
2022 Melissa Price 45.7% 54.3% -9.2
2019 Melissa Price 35.2% 64.8% +3.7

Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.

State Electorate

Geraldton District

Currently held by Kirrilee Warr The Nationals WA

Next state election: 10 March 2029.

Year Winner Won with
2025 Kirrilee Warr NP 64.1%
2021 Lara Dalton ALP 61.7%
2017 Ian Blayney LP 51.3%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2023, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: Western Australian Electoral Commission.

Looking at a specific address in Howatharra?

Every figure above is a locality average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.

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Nearby suburbs

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Common questions about Howatharra

Is Howatharra a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Howatharra is low (35/100, ranked against other WA suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Howatharra?

Howatharra has a moderate recorded bushfire history (41/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). No mapped flood overlay applies. These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

What is the population of Howatharra?

Howatharra, WA had a population of 112 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Howatharra, WA?

The postcode for Howatharra, WA is 6532.

How far is Howatharra from Perth?

Howatharra is 444 km from Perth CBD by road, about 298 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Howatharra?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Howatharra was $86,112 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.

What is the median weekly rent in Howatharra?

There are too few current rental listings in Howatharra for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $200, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Howatharra?

The median age of residents in Howatharra was 50 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Howatharra at risk of bushfire?

Howatharra has a moderate recorded bushfire history (41/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.

What is the weather like in Howatharra?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Howatharra, Nabawa (14.8 km away), 374 mm of rain a year over 43 rainy days over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Howatharra?

First-home buyers in WA may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $800,000. The grant is administered by Department of Finance WA; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.

What council does Howatharra belong to?

Howatharra sits within the Chapman Valley local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much is being built near Howatharra?

Across Chapman Valley, 22 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 100.0% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.

Which federal electorate is Howatharra in?

Howatharra sits within the federal Division of Durack, currently held by Melissa Price (Liberal).

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