Suburbs in Australia with the highest median pay: WA, NSW, Victoria, Queensland

Outback mining towns and Perth’s most upmarket suburbs have Australia’s highest typical pay levels – leaving Sydney’s exclusive harbourside postcodes for dead.

The national median, or middle, income level is $52,338 but in some resources-rich outback areas, the typical resident earned almost twice that amount.

In another twist, Perth’s elite suburbs on the Swan River, where the billionaires live, has richer residents than Sydney’s eastern suburbs and lower north shore, new Australian Bureau of Statistics personal income data for 2019-20 showed.

Wealthy suburbs in Perth, Sydney and to a lesser extent Melbourne have the highest average incomes in the six figures, but when it comes to median or middle pay and investment income, Western Australia’s Pilbara region tops the list. 

Average individual pay levels were significantly higher in upmarket postcodes that are home to mining tycoons while median incomes were much higher in remote outback towns where a commodity used to make steel is extracted and shipped to China.

Highest median income 

The Shire of Ashburton – taking in the iron ore mining town of Tom Price in Western Australia’s vast and remote Pilbara region – had the nation’s highest middle income of $99,367 with this figure covering pay and investment dividends and capital gains.

The South Australian uranium and copper mining town of Roxby Downs was next on $98,355.

This put it ahead of Perth’s ultra-elite Peppermint Grove council on the Swan River with a median income of $96,244.

In the overall median income stakes, Port Hedland was fourth on $89,365, making it one of four WA Pilbara local government areas in the top 10, along with Karratha ($84,851) and East Pilbara ($81,605). 

The far north Queensland bauxite mining town of Weipa was fifth with a median income of $88,989. 

The Shire of Ashburton – taking in the iron ore mining town of Tom Price (pictured) in Western Australia’s vast and remote Pilbara region – had the nation’s highest middle income of $99,367 with this figure covering pay, investment dividends and capital gains

Intriguingly, the Maralinga Tjarutja council in the remote far west of South Australia was seventh on the national list, with a median income of $84,447. 

Sydney didn’t even enter this elite list until ninth spot, with Woollahra council in the eastern suburbs overlooking the harbour having a mid-point income of $81,096.

Across the harbour on the lower north shore, North Sydney had a middle income of $80,266. 

Sydney’s lower north shore had four councils in the top 20 for median income, including Mosman ($78,073), Lane Cove ($74,773) and Hunters Hill ($74,274). 

Woollahra council in Sydney’s eastern suburbs – covering Bellevue Hill, Point Piper and Vaucluse – is Australia’s third richest area, having an average income of $172,458. Within that council area, Rose Bay, Watsons Bay and Vaucluse (pictured) in Sydney’s eastern suburbs had average pay of $187,485, ahead of nearby Double Bay and Bellevue Hill on $176,577

Highest average income 

In Australia’s richest postcodes, the typical resident earns 5.5 times the average income of $67,236 – or more than $350,000 a year, with wealthy billionaires in their neighbourhood helping to significantly raise pay levels.

When it came to the average income, where earnings are divided by the number of people, Perth was by far the richest part of Australia.

Cottelsoe council’s median income of $76,983 doesn’t even put it anywhere near the top 30 list, however, this beachside suburb on the Indian Ocean has Australia’s highest average income of $369,687.

This area is also where billionaire Fortescue Metals Group chairman Andrew Forrest has an historic Le Fanu beach mansion.

The suburb of Cottesloe itself has an even higher average income of $378,588.

Nearby Peppermint Grove council has an average income of $351,014.

Perth has five spots in the top 10 for average income including the Nedlands council area, covering Dalkeith on the Swan River where mining magnate Gina Rinehart – Australia’s richest individual – owns property.

The average income here is $147,034, compared with the $131,160 in nearby Mosman Park, $118,300 at Claremont and $117,065 in the Cambridge council area covering Floreat Beach.

Woollahra council in Sydney’s eastern suburbs  – covering Bellevue Hill, Point Piper and Vaucluse – is Australia’s third richest area, having an average income of $172,458.

Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and Aussie Home Loans founder John Symond are among the multi-millionaires living in this local government area on Sydney Harbour. 

Within that council area, Rose Bay, Watsons Bay and Vaucluse in Sydney’s eastern suburbs had average pay of $187,485, ahead of nearby Double Bay and Bellevue Hill on $176,577. 

Woollahra was one of five Sydney councils in the top 10 list for average income, with the elite list including Mosman ($171,980), Hunters Hill ($142,482), Lane Cove ($113,579) and North Sydney ($117,294).

Melbourne didn’t enter the average-income stakes until 12th spot with the Stonnington local government area covering Glen Iris and Malvern residents earning $113,113.

Within this council area, Toorak had an average income of $179,140.

This put it ahead of Waverley council in Sydney’s east, covering Bondi, where the average income is $112,857 and Ku-ring-gai on Sydney’s upper north shore, where the mean pay is $109,218.

Melbourne’s Bayside council was 15th with an average income of $109,004 but within this area, Brighton had an average salary of $139,718.

Brisbane was the only mainland state capital city which didn’t have any councils in the six-figure stakes for average income, but the Queensland capital also has a super-sized council instead of smaller ones focused on ultra-wealthy suburbs. 

But it has individual suburbs with average pay in six figures, with Port of Brisbane and Lytton residents typically earning $105,091, compared with $108,003 in Brookfield, $115,164 in Bulimba, $122,760 in Fig Tree Pocket and $124,478 at Ascot.

Callemondah, near Gladstone in central Queensland, has average pay of $132,966. 

Adelaide had Walkerville council at No. 18 in the average income stakes, with $106,634 the typical pay.

The Australian Capital Territory, which doesn’t have local councils, didn’t make the elite list of average salaries but Campbell covering the Australian War Memorial has average pay of $104,076 rising to $122,686 in Yarralumla where Governor-General David Hurley lives, $129,512 in Deakin and $162,120 in Forrest.