Ashburton in Western Australia is a mining area that includes the towns of Onslow (right) and Tom Price (left). (Source: Visit Ashburton/Google Earth)
A remote and small township in Western Australia has pipped Sydney’s affluent eastern and northern suburbs to be crowned as the home of the “richest” residents in the country, earning the highest average personal income. Located in the Pilbara mining region, the area has a population of just 13,000 people.
Ashburton in Western Australia was found to have the highest median personal income in Australia, according to fresh statistics released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Residents of the area, which includes Tom Price and the towns of Onslow, Pannawonica and Paraburdoo, have an average income of $112,881.
Most residents work in mining, with 66 per cent of local employment concentrated in the industry. The area also consistently maintains one of the lowest unemployment rates in Australia, hovering around 1 per cent over a decade, which is influenced by a high temporary resident population.
RELATED
Mining towns dominated the rich list, with Roxby Downs in South Australia coming in second place with a median personal income of $106,845.
The town was purpose-built to support the Olympic Dam Mine Site, owned by BHP, and has a highly transient population of around 4,000 people.
Queensland mining town Weipa came in third place at $96,818. This was followed by other areas in the Pilbara region, with Port Hedland in fourth at $92,947 and Karratha in fifth at $92,657.
Areas in the major cities then followed, with the wealthy riverside suburb of Peppermint Grove and the affluent Cottesloe in Perth making the list, along with North Sydney, Woollahra and Lane Cove in Sydney.
Do you have a story to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com
Ashburton had an average income of $112,881, which was nearly double the average across Australia of $58,216. (Source: Visit Ashburton)
Here were the top 10 areas with the highest personal income for the 2022-23 income year, according to the ABS.
Ashburton, WA $112,881
Roxby Downs, SA $106,845
Weipa, Qld $96,818
Port Hedland, WA $92,947
Karratha, WA $92,657
Peppermint Grove, WA $90,000
North Sydney, NSW $88,760
Woollahra, NSW $88,612
Lane Cove, NSW $85,425
Cottesloe, WA $83,861
The median personal income in Australia over the same period was $58,216. That means the average resident in Ashburton was earning nearly double the average.
Personal income includes employment income, along with other sources of income like superannuation, investment income and business income.