South Australia · Postcode 5259

Tailem Bend postcode and suburb data

South Australia · Phone area code 08 · 86 km from Adelaide

Outer Regional Bottom 20% SEIFA
1,705
Population (2021)
$905
Household income/wk
$225
Median rent/wk
49
Median age
1/10
SEIFA advantage

Suburb snapshot

Tailem Bend at a glance vs SA

Fast facts and benchmark bars show the suburb's key postcode, Census, SEIFA, school and LGA signals in context.

Quick facts

5259 Postcode See every suburb sharing this postcode
1,705 People Resident population, Census 2021
Coorong Council area 35 suburbs, 9 postcodes
49 Median age Years, Census 2021
$905/wk Household income Suburb median, Census 2021 dollars
Decile 1/10 SEIFA advantage Very low SEIFA advantage
1 Schools ACARA 2025 profiles in this suburb

Benchmarks against SA

Household income
$905/wk
41% below SA average
Suburb median, Census 2021
Weekly rent
$225/wk
27% below SA average
Suburb median, Census 2021
SEIFA advantage
1/10
4.0 deciles below SA average
IRSAD decile, higher means more advantage
Median age
49 years
4.0 years older than SA average
Resident median age
Unemployment
7.7%
1.7 pts above SA average
Census labour-force rate

Income, rent and SEIFA figures are from the ABS 2021 Census and are reported in 2021 dollars, not adjusted for subsequent inflation.

Where Tailem Bend ranks: household income sits in the bottom 25% of SA suburbs; SEIFA decile 1 places it in the bottom 20% of Australia for socio-economic advantage.

ABS Census 2021 · SEIFA 2021

Detailed comparison table

Tailem Bend vs the SA average and the national average, using population-weighted 2021 Census data.

MetricTailem BendSA avgAU avg
Household income/wk $905 -SA $1,545 $1,836
Rent/wk $225 -SA $308 $390
Mortgage/month $867 -SA $1,558 $1,958
Median age 49 45.0 45.0
SEIFA decile 1/10 -SA 5.0/10 6.0/10
Unemployment 7.7% +SA 6.0% 5.0%

Green pill = at least 10% above the SA average; red = at least 10% below; grey = within 10%. For unemployment, colour polarity is inverted: lower is better.

Tailem Bend is a locality 86 km from Adelaide in South Australia, classified as outer regional by the ABS. The postcode is 5259. It falls within the South Australia - South East region. The local government area is Coorong.

According to the 2021 Census, Tailem Bend has a population of 1,705 with a median age of 49. The median weekly household income is $905, below the SA average. The unemployment rate is 7.7%, higher than the SA average. The Indigenous population is 65 (3.8% of residents).

Housing in Tailem Bend includes a median weekly rent of $225, median monthly mortgage repayment of $867, with 694 total dwellings. Housing costs in the area sit below the SA average. Owner-occupied dwellings (owned or mortgaged) make up 76.3% of housing.

On the SEIFA Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, Tailem Bend scores in decile 1 out of 10, which is well below the national average.

Tailem Bend is served by Tailem Bend Primary School.

Tailem Bend is part of the Murray and Mallee statistical area in South Australia.

Tailem Bend details

Location, Census, housing, SEIFA and geography fields used across this profile.

Postcode5259
StateSouth Australia (SA)
Phone Area Code08
Population (2021)1,705
Median Age49 years
Median Household Income (Census 2021)$905/week
Median Personal Income (Census 2021)$506/week
Median Weekly Rent (Census 2021)$225
Median Monthly Mortgage (Census 2021)$867
Average Household Size2.1 persons
Area233.8 km²
Population Density7/km²
Total Dwellings694
Australian Citizens86.5%
Indigenous Population65 (3.8%)
Unemployment Rate7.7%
SEIFA IRSAD Decile1/10 (well below average)
Latitude-35.253346
Longitude139.4561136
Distance from Adelaide86 km
Region (SA4)South Australia - South East
Area (SA3)Murray and Mallee
Local GovernmentCoorong
Federal ElectorateBarker
State ElectorateMackillop
Time ZoneACST (UTC+9:30), Australia/Adelaide (standard time)

Age Profile

0–14 (14.2%) 15–24 (12.0%) 25–44 (18.7%) 45–64 (28.0%) 65+ (27.9%)
Show counts
0–14 years242 (14.2%)
15–24 years204 (12.0%)
25–44 years319 (18.7%)
45–64 years477 (28.0%)
65+ years475 (27.9%)

Housing Tenure

Owned outright (42.7%) Mortgaged (33.6%) Rented (23.7%)

SEIFA socio-economic index

Tailem Bend is in SEIFA IRSAD decile 1 of 10. Higher deciles indicate more relative socio-economic advantage. This is an area-level index, not a score for individual households.
More disadvantagedMiddle rangeMore advantaged

Health Conditions (2021 Census)

Arthritis267 (15.7%)
Asthma172 (10.1%)
Diabetes133 (7.8%)
Heart Disease104 (6.1%)
Cancer82 (4.8%)
Lung Condition67 (3.9%)
Dementia16 (0.9%)

Long-term health conditions self-reported in the 2021 Census. Persons may report more than one condition.

Motor Vehicles per Dwelling

No vehicle45 (6.6%)
1 vehicle265 (38.6%)
2 vehicles227 (33.0%)
3+ vehicles150 (21.8%)

Schools in Tailem Bend

ACARA 2025 school profiles for schools located in Tailem Bend. ICSEA is shown where ACARA publishes it.

Tailem Bend Primary School
Primary · Gov · ICSEA 894 · 125 students

Suburbs Near Tailem Bend

Same Postcode (5259)

More Tailem Bend Data

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 IRSAD, ACARA school profiles 2025. How this data is sourced.