Wadeye NT 0822
Wadeye sits 404 km from Darwin CBD in Northern Territory, around 8 hours 35 minutes by car. Census data records 1,924 residents with a median age of 27 and a median household income of $39,884 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The town fell 15.6% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $50 per week. 1 school sits within the town boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Wadeye a good town?
Wadeye scores a D (22/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit and community.
Mixed results
1 school
Car-dependent
Walkability 28/100 · 404.5 km · 516 min drive to Darwin
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 27 · 1,924 residents
Liveability Rating
22 / 100 · Ranked #84 in NTEach bar is Wadeye'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 Wadeye?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
22 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Crime in the Thamarrurr area
Crime recorded across the whole area over the 12 months to Aug 2026, not in Wadeye 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 | 793 | 322.5 |
| Assault | 402 | 163.5 |
| Domestic violence assault | 316 | 128.5 |
| Sexual offences | 13 | 5.3 |
| House burglary | 57 | 23.2 |
| Commercial burglary | 45 | 18.3 |
| Theft | 55 | 22.4 |
| Property damage | 166 | 67.5 |
| Robbery and extortion | 12 | 4.9 |
| Endangering people | 43 | 17.5 |
Rates use the Thamarrurr area’s 2,459 residents. The latest month is preliminary and may be revised.
Schools
One school serve Wadeye, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 467 students in one school (avg 467)
Combined
Walkability
Wadeye is car-dependent on foot — at 28/100, most errands require a car.
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 Wadeye.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 40
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
West Daly: 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
Wadeye is home to about 1,900 residents, and skews young, with a median age of 27 against the national 38. Median household income runs at $40,000 a year, with unemployment at 12.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,924
Median Age
27
Median Household Income
$39,884/yr
Census Median Rent
$50/wk
Census Median Mortgage
—
Avg Household Size
4.8
Median Personal Income
$9,412/yr
Unemployment Rate
12.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
21.2%
Total Dwellings
339
Owner-Occupier Rate
1.1%
Houses
72.3%
Rental Stress
6.5%
Mortgage Stress
—
Work From Home
1.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
60 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 170 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 280 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 94.3%
- English Spoken at Home
- 12.3%
- Employment Rate
- 22.1%
- Completed Year 12
- 27.4%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
3.6% of residents (65) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Darwin (30).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,790 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 (4 of 313).
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 $2,195 a year through West Daly based on 2026 figures.
Building Approvals: West Daly
In the year to August 2026, 10 new dwellings were approved across West Daly. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are down 100.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Setting
- Elevation
- 12 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 6.6 km
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
2 facilities within 5 km- 2.9 km
- 2.9 kmFossil Fuel Electricity GenerationTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 0822, 9 of 6,890 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.7% (119 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 0822, 1,382 rooftop-solar systems totalling 17.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 5,409 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 77 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.
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 Dheran Young Labor
Next state election: 26 August 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dheran Young ALP | 52.3% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2023, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: Northern Territory Electoral Commission.
Looking at a specific address in Wadeye?
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 1,924 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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Compare Wadeye to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NT suburb — type a name and pick one.
Common questions about Wadeye
Is Wadeye a safe place to live?
NT does not publish suburb-level crime statistics, so there is no crime figure for Wadeye.
Is Wadeye a good place to live?
Wadeye has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (22/100), 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 Wadeye?
Wadeye, NT had a population of 1,924 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Wadeye, NT?
The postcode for Wadeye, NT is 0822.
How far is Wadeye from Darwin?
Wadeye is 404 km from Darwin CBD by road, about 516 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Wadeye?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Wadeye was $39,884 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 Wadeye?
There are too few current rental listings in Wadeye for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $50, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Wadeye?
The median age of residents in Wadeye was 27 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Wadeye?
There is 1 school inside the Wadeye boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Wadeye walkable?
Wadeye scores 28/100 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.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Wadeye?
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 Wadeye belong to?
Wadeye sits within the West Daly local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Wadeye?
The average residential rates bill through West Daly is $2,195 a year (2026). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Wadeye?
Across West Daly, 10 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 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 Wadeye in?
Wadeye sits within the federal Division of Lingiari, currently held by Marion Scrymgour (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Council rates · FY 2026–27
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- 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.