Whyalla

South Australia · South Australia - Outback · 21,241 people · 10 suburbs · 4 postcodes

Whyalla at a glance

21,241
Population
#23 of 72 in SA
1,085
km² area
20/km² density
41.1
Median age
-0.2 vs SA
$1,245
Median HH income/wk
#42 of 72 in SA
869
SEIFA IRSAD
#65 of 72 in SA
11
Schools
9 gov, 1 Cath, 1 indep
17.8%
Born overseas
40.8%
Renting

Map shows the Whyalla 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.

Whyalla is a Local Government Area in South Australia, in the Adelaide region. It covers 10 suburbs across 4 postcodes and an area of 1,085 km². Whyalla has a population of 21,241 , ranking #23 most populous in SA. The most populous suburb is Whyalla Stuart (6,476 residents), and the highest median household income is in Whyalla Jenkins at $1,970/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,245/week and median age is 41.1. About 17.8% of residents were born overseas and 6.4% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (17.8%) 15–24 (11.5%) 25–44 (23.8%) 45–64 (27.9%) 65+ (18.9%)
Show counts
0–14 years3,783 (17.8%)
15–24 years2,443 (11.5%)
25–44 years5,064 (23.8%)
45–64 years5,932 (27.9%)
65+ years4,012 (18.9%)
17.8%
Born overseas
6.4%
Speak a language other than English at home
5.5%
First Nations
2.2
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (27.4%) Mortgaged (31.8%) Renting (40.8%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (62.2%) Semi/townhouse (35.0%) Flat/apartment (2.8%)
$188
Median weekly rent
$1,124
Median monthly mortgage
50.9%
Households with 0-1 cars
49.1%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

8.0%
Unemployment rate
5,404
In full-time work
2,868
In part-time work

Schools in Whyalla

11 schools across Whyalla: 81.8% Government, 9.1% Catholic, 9.1% Independent. The SA average is 70.8% / 14.3% / 14.9%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 895 (range 756 to 1006). SA median is 999; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

SA average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (63.6%) Secondary (9.1%) Combined (18.2%) Special (9.1%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 895 SA median 999LGA range 756 to 1006

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 11 schools in Whyalla, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Whyalla Secondary College Government Secondary Whyalla Norrie 1,004 900
Samaritan College Catholic Combined Whyalla 881 979
Whyalla Town Primary School Government Primary Whyalla 318 989
Nicolson Avenue Primary School Government Primary Whyalla Norrie 261 885
Sunrise Christian School Whyalla Independent Combined Whyalla Norrie 257 1006
Memorial Oval Primary School Government Primary Whyalla 206 919
Hincks Avenue Primary School Government Primary Whyalla Norrie 170 833
Long Street Primary School Government Primary Whyalla Norrie 140 895
Whyalla Stuart Primary School R-6 Government Primary Whyalla Stuart 79 756
Fisk Street Primary School Government Primary Whyalla Norrie 63 857
Whyalla Special Education Centre Government Special Whyalla Norrie 63 890

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

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

869
Ranked #65 of 72 SA LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

883

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

879

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

865

Suburbs in Whyalla

Whyalla contains 10 suburbs and 4 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Whyalla Stuart 5608 6,476 $880/wk 41
Whyalla Norrie 5608 6,288 $1,071/wk 39
Whyalla 5600 3,609 $1,658/wk 46
Whyalla Playford 5600 2,540 $1,429/wk 44
Whyalla Jenkins 5609 1,961 $1,970/wk 33
Mullaquana 5608 272 $1,575/wk 52
Douglas Point 5601 47 $1,125/wk 69
Point Lowly 5601 34 $1,291/wk 64
Port Bonython 5601 14 $949/wk 67
Whyalla Barson 5601

Postcodes covered

5600, 5601, 5608, 5609

Compare Whyalla with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Whyalla (SA) 21,241 41.1 $1,245/wk 869 40.8% 17.8%
Unincorporated SA 2,874 42.1 $1,304/wk 902 45.9% 8.7%
Mount Remarkable 2,861 54.3 $1,171/wk 950 12.3% 8.0%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Whyalla

What is the population of Whyalla?

The 2021 Census recorded 21,241 people living in Whyalla, across 10 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Whyalla?

Whyalla contains 10 suburbs. The most populous are Whyalla Stuart, Whyalla Norrie, Whyalla, Whyalla Playford, Whyalla Jenkins.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Whyalla?

Whyalla covers 4 postcodes: 5600, 5601, 5608, 5609.

What is the median household income in Whyalla?

The population-weighted median household income across Whyalla is $1,245 per week (2021 Census), ranking #42 of 72 SA LGAs.

How many schools are in Whyalla?

Whyalla has 11 schools, including 9 government, 1 Catholic, and 1 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Whyalla?

Whyalla has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 869, 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.