Sorell

Tasmania · Hobart · 16,776 people · 20 suburbs · 7 postcodes

Sorell at a glance

16,776
Population
#13 of 29 in TAS
646
km² area
26/km² density
42.1
Median age
+0.1 vs TAS
$1,427
Median HH income/wk
#6 of 29 in TAS
946
SEIFA IRSAD
#7 of 29 in TAS
3
Schools
3 gov, 0 Cath, 0 indep
10.4%
Born overseas
18.9%
Renting

Map shows the Sorell 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.

Sorell is a Local Government Area in Tasmania, in the Hobart region. It covers 20 suburbs across 7 postcodes and an area of 646 km². Sorell has a population of 16,776 , ranking #13 most populous in TAS. The most populous suburb is Sorell (3,597 residents), and the highest median household income is in Orielton at $2,028/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,427/week and median age is 42.1. About 10.4% of residents were born overseas and 3.8% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (17.4%) 15–24 (10.1%) 25–44 (25.6%) 45–64 (27.1%) 65+ (19.8%)
Show counts
0–14 years2,910 (17.4%)
15–24 years1,690 (10.1%)
25–44 years4,281 (25.6%)
45–64 years4,527 (27.1%)
65+ years3,318 (19.8%)
10.4%
Born overseas
3.8%
Speak a language other than English at home
4.8%
First Nations
2.4
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (36.5%) Mortgaged (44.6%) Renting (18.9%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (98.9%) Semi/townhouse (1.0%) Flat/apartment (0.1%)
$337
Median weekly rent
$1,401
Median monthly mortgage
34.1%
Households with 0-1 cars
65.9%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

4.8%
Unemployment rate
4,369
In full-time work
2,899
In part-time work

Schools in Sorell

3 schools across Sorell: 100.0% Government, 0% Catholic, 0% Independent. The TAS average is 72.4% / 14.6% / 13.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 970 (range 924 to 981). TAS median is 965; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

TAS average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (66.7%) Secondary (0%) Combined (33.3%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 970 TAS median 965LGA range 924 to 981

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 3 schools in Sorell, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Sorell School Government Combined Sorell 792 924
Dodges Ferry Primary School Government Primary Dodges Ferry 533 981
Dunalley Primary School Government Primary Dunalley 136 970

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 Sorell. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

946
Ranked #7 of 29 TAS LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

991

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

993

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

932

Suburbs in Sorell

Sorell contains 20 suburbs and 7 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Sorell 7172 3,597 $1,317/wk 41
Midway Point 7171 3,384 $1,508/wk 38
Dodges Ferry 7173 2,646 $1,412/wk 43
Carlton 7173 1,363 $1,425/wk 38
Primrose Sands 7173 1,209 $922/wk 54
Forcett 7173 1,102 $1,797/wk 39
Lewisham 7173 799 $1,648/wk 46
Penna 7171 437 $1,666/wk 49
Orielton 7172 430 $2,028/wk 42
Carlton River 7173 347 $1,352/wk 42
Dunalley 7177 333 $1,292/wk 46
Copping 7174 200 $1,162/wk 45
Kellevie 7176 185 $1,562/wk 40
Wattle Hill 7172 176 $1,649/wk 43
Bream Creek 7175 126 $1,218/wk 39
Boomer Bay 7177 117 $1,187/wk 55
Nugent 7172 117 $1,199/wk 41
Pawleena 7172 112 $1,312/wk 41
Marion Bay 7175 56 $1,325/wk 53
Connellys Marsh 7173 40 $900/wk 69

Postcodes covered

7171, 7172, 7173, 7174, 7175, 7176, 7177

Compare Sorell with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Sorell (TAS) 16,776 42.1 $1,427/wk 946 18.9% 10.4%
Clarence 61,329 41.6 $1,665/wk 988 23.4% 14.3%
Tasman 2,586 57.0 $878/wk 902 15.3% 12.6%
Glamorgan-Spring Bay 4,967 55.1 $1,031/wk 924 21.4% 14.7%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Sorell

What is the population of Sorell?

The 2021 Census recorded 16,776 people living in Sorell, across 20 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Sorell?

Sorell contains 20 suburbs. The most populous are Sorell, Midway Point, Dodges Ferry, Carlton, Primrose Sands.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Sorell?

Sorell covers 7 postcodes: 7171, 7172, 7173, 7174, 7175, 7176, 7177.

What is the median household income in Sorell?

The population-weighted median household income across Sorell is $1,427 per week (2021 Census), ranking #6 of 29 TAS LGAs.

How many schools are in Sorell?

Sorell has 3 schools, including 3 government, 0 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Sorell?

Sorell has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 946, 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.