Katherine NT 0850
Katherine is a town in Northern Territory, 318 km from Darwin CBD, around 3 hours 20 minutes by car. Population is 1,254; the median age is 34 and the median household income is $106,756 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the middle range nationally. Population fell 15.7% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $360 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,408. 2 schools sit within the town boundary, and walkability is moderate.
Is Katherine a good town?
Katherine scores a C (47/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade.
Mixed results
2 schools
Some car dependence
Walkability 48/100 · 318.4 km · 201 min drive to Darwin
Median available
Median $380K
Mid-range socio-economic
SEIFA decile 5/10 · median age 34 · 1,254 residents
Liveability Rating
47 / 100 · Ranked #60 in NTEach bar is Katherine's rank among NT suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 3 of 5 factors: no school or safety data, so the other factors carry its weight.
No bushfire or crime or flood data is published for Northern Territory — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.
How do you rate the liveability in Katherine?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
47 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataKatherine's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $380,000, about 3% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$380,000
In line with its 3 neighbours (median $385,000)
Based on 38 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 93 days — median across 11 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 23 sales $355K
- 4 bed 12 sales $450K
Units
$260,750
Based on only 4 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Katherine are currently listed at around $420,000 on average. Based on 31 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$420K
31 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$299K
5 units listed in the last 6 months.
36 of the suburb's 398 dwellings (9.0%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Katherine rent for around $600 a week on average, based on 7 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$600/wk
7 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
8 rentals advertised against an estimated 211 rented homes (3.8%) in the last 6 months.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$600/week ($31,000 a year) on a $420,000 median
Based on a small sample (7 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Crime in the Katherine area
Crime recorded across the whole area over the 12 months to Aug 2026, not in Katherine alone. NT Police publish by town and district, not by suburb, and recent months can take several months to settle.
| Type | Count | Per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| All offences | 2,626 | 233.0 |
| Assault | 1,009 | 89.5 |
| Domestic violence assault | 689 | 61.1 |
| Sexual offences | 58 | 5.1 |
| House burglary | 196 | 17.4 |
| Commercial burglary | 97 | 8.6 |
| Theft | 482 | 42.8 |
| Property damage | 619 | 54.9 |
| Robbery and extortion | 54 | 4.8 |
| Endangering people | 107 | 9.5 |
Rates use the Katherine area’s 11,269 residents. The latest month is preliminary and may be revised.
Schools
Two schools serve Katherine, but none have published comparable ratings yet.
- • 251 students across 2 schools (avg 126)
- • ICSEA 693-931, median 812 (below the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Katherine School Of The Air (137 students)
Primary
Combined
Walkability
Katherine is car-dependent on foot — at 48/100, most errands require a car. Within the town there are 1 supermarket, 3 parks and 12 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
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 Katherine.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 100%
- Premises covered
- 784
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
Katherine: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 5 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 3 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the town closely.
Katherine is home to about 1,300 residents, with a median age of 34, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $107,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,254
Median Age
34
Median Household Income
$106,756/yr
Census Median Rent
$360/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,408/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$59,332/yr
Unemployment Rate
2.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
24.4%
Total Dwellings
398
Owner-Occupier Rate
46.9%
Houses
73.1%
Rental Stress
17.5%
Mortgage Stress
15.8%
Work From Home
4.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
41 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 3 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 195 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 63.6%
- English Spoken at Home
- 64.9%
- Employment Rate
- 61.8%
- Completed Year 12
- 38.0%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
96 residents (7.7%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
13.7% of residents (164) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Darwin (55).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,198 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (6 of 650).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,781 a year through Katherine based on 2025 figures.
Building Approvals: Katherine
In the year to August 2026, 31 new dwellings were approved across Katherine. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses.
Climate & Setting
from Katherine Aviation Museum, 1.0 kmHigh rainfall — very hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 108 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Annual rainfall
- 1,002 mm
- 63 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 34.4°C
- 122 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 13.3°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the town 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.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
4 facilities within 5 km- 2.5 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Xylenes (individual or mixed isomers) · Cumene (1-methylethylbenzene)
- 2.9 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Cumene (1-methylethylbenzene) · Benzene
- 3.0 km
- 3.0 kmFossil Fuel Electricity GenerationTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
EV adoption
In postcode 0850, 8 of 6,060 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.2% (131 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.3%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 0850, 1,004 rooftop-solar systems totalling 9.6 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,878 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 28 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.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$50,000 for new homes.
Administered as the HomeGrown Territory Grant. Established-home buyers may also be eligible for the separate BuildBonus Grant.
Mortgage repayments
Stamp duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Territory Revenue Office
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-26 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Marion Scrymgour Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Marion Scrymgour | 58.1% | 41.9% | +6.5 |
| 2022 | Marion Scrymgour | 51.0% | 49.0% | +4.5 |
| 2019 | Warren Snowdon | 55.5% | 44.5% | +2.7 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact town's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Jo Hersey Country Liberal
Next state election: 26 August 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Jo Hersey CLP | 62.2% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2023, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: Northern Territory Electoral Commission.
Looking at a specific address in Katherine?
Every figure above is a town 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.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 1,254 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
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Common questions about Katherine
Is Katherine a safe place to live?
NT does not publish suburb-level crime statistics, so there is no crime figure for Katherine.
Is Katherine a good place to live?
Katherine has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (47/100), ranked against other NT suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Katherine?
Katherine, NT had a population of 1,254 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Katherine, NT?
The postcode for Katherine, NT is 0850.
How far is Katherine from Darwin?
Katherine is 318 km from Darwin CBD by road, about 201 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Katherine?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Katherine was $106,756 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 Katherine?
The median advertised rent in Katherine is $600 a week for houses (7 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Katherine?
The median age of residents in Katherine was 34 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Katherine?
There are 2 schools inside the Katherine boundary, none of which has enough NAPLAN and ICSEA data for a quality band.
Is Katherine walkable?
Katherine scores 48/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the weather like in Katherine?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Katherine, Katherine Aviation Museum (1 km away), summer days average 34.4°C, winter nights 13.3°C, 1,002 mm of rain a year over 63 rainy days, and 122 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Katherine?
First-home buyers in NT may be eligible for $50,000 towards new homes. The grant is administered by Territory Revenue Office; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Katherine belong to?
Katherine sits within the Katherine local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Katherine?
The average residential rates bill through Katherine is $2,781 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Katherine?
Across Katherine, 31 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Katherine in?
Katherine sits within the federal Division of Lingiari, currently held by Marion Scrymgour (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2025–26
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2024
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.