Capel

Western Australia · Bunbury · 18,269 people · 14 suburbs · 4 postcodes

Capel at a glance

18,269
Population
#32 of 123 in WA
589
km² area
31/km² density
39.2
Median age
+0.1 vs WA
$1,964
Median HH income/wk
#26 of 123 in WA
982
SEIFA IRSAD
#46 of 123 in WA
9
Schools
5 gov, 0 Cath, 4 indep
21.8%
Born overseas
21.4%
Renting

Map shows the Capel LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.

Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: 1-2 (most disadvantaged), 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 (most advantaged).

Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.

Capel is a Local Government Area in Western Australia, in the Perth region. It covers 14 suburbs across 4 postcodes and an area of 589 km². Capel has a population of 18,269 , ranking #32 most populous in WA. The most populous suburb is Dalyellup (9,770 residents), and the highest median household income is in The Plains at $2,749/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,964/week and median age is 39.2. About 21.8% of residents were born overseas and 8.7% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (22.2%) 15–24 (12.5%) 25–44 (23.5%) 45–64 (27.8%) 65+ (14.0%)
Show counts
0–14 years4,052 (22.2%)
15–24 years2,289 (12.5%)
25–44 years4,303 (23.5%)
45–64 years5,081 (27.8%)
65+ years2,550 (14.0%)
21.8%
Born overseas
8.7%
Speak a language other than English at home
2.7%
First Nations
2.8
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (28.9%) Mortgaged (49.6%) Renting (21.4%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (97.8%) Semi/townhouse (1.7%) Flat/apartment (0.5%)
$349
Median weekly rent
$1,769
Median monthly mortgage
27.7%
Households with 0-1 cars
72.3%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

4.0%
Unemployment rate
5,376
In full-time work
3,081
In part-time work

Schools in Capel

9 schools across Capel: 55.6% Government, 0% Catholic, 44.4% Independent. The WA average is 71.4% / 14.1% / 14.5%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 986 (range 967 to 1100). WA median is 1006; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

WA average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (44.4%) Secondary (11.1%) Combined (44.4%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 986 WA median 1006LGA range 967 to 1100

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.

All 9 schools in Capel, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Bunbury Baptist College Independent Combined Dalyellup 792 1013
Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School Independent Combined Gelorup 663 1100
Dalyellup College Government Secondary Dalyellup 576 970
Tuart Forest Primary School Government Primary Dalyellup 459 967
Dalyellup Primary School Government Primary Dalyellup 448 970
Capel Primary School Government Primary Capel 320 979
Boyanup Primary School Government Primary Boyanup 123 986
Child Side School Independent Combined Boyanup 72 1048
South-West John Calvin Christian College Independent Combined Capel 65 1051

Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Capel. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

982
Ranked #46 of 123 WA LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

1015

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

1051

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

948

Suburbs in Capel

Capel contains 14 suburbs and 4 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Dalyellup 6230 9,770 $2,066/wk 34
Capel 6271 2,606 $1,425/wk 42
Gelorup 6230 2,255 $2,330/wk 46
Boyanup 6237 1,304 $1,609/wk 46
Stratham 6237 793 $2,366/wk 45
Peppermint Grove Beach 6271 518 $1,862/wk 49
North Boyanup 6237 323 $2,091/wk 49
Stirling Estate 6271 161 $1,481/wk 47
Capel River 6271 136 $1,458/wk 52
Elgin 6237 133 $1,375/wk 46
Ludlow 6280 132 $1,843/wk 42
Gwindinup 6237 52 $1,416/wk 50
The Plains 6237 52 $2,749/wk 48
Forrest Beach 6271 34 $1,125/wk 50

Postcodes covered

6230, 6237, 6271, 6280

Compare Capel with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Capel and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Capel (WA) 18,269 39.2 $1,964/wk 982 21.4% 21.8%
Busselton 40,534 45.1 $1,548/wk 985 24.5% 19.3%
Bunbury 32,980 42.6 $1,376/wk 922 35.4% 19.7%
Dardanup 14,687 40.6 $1,773/wk 961 19.9% 16.9%
Donnybrook-Balingup 6,155 48.7 $1,397/wk 962 14.8% 18.1%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Capel

What is the population of Capel?

The 2021 Census recorded 18,269 people living in Capel, across 14 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Capel?

Capel contains 14 suburbs. The most populous are Dalyellup, Capel, Gelorup, Boyanup, Stratham.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Capel?

Capel covers 4 postcodes: 6230, 6237, 6271, 6280.

What is the median household income in Capel?

The population-weighted median household income across Capel is $1,964 per week (2021 Census), ranking #26 of 123 WA LGAs.

How many schools are in Capel?

Capel has 9 schools, including 5 government, 0 Catholic, and 4 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Capel?

Capel has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 982, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.