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WESTERN AUSTRALIA

MEDIAN AGE

• Western Australia (WA) had a median age (the age at which half the population is older and half is younger) of 36.6 years at June 2017, up from 36.0 years at June 2012. The median age of males in 2017 was 36.0 years compared with 37.2 years for females.

• The median age of the population in Greater Perth was 36.1 years at June 2017, up slightly from 35.7 at June 2012, while the median age in the rest of WA increased from 37.1 to 38.6 years over the same period.

• The SA2s with the highest median ages in WA were the popular retirement and tree-change/sea-change locations of York - Beverley (51.5 years) and Toodyay (50.6) in the northern wheat belt, and Pemberton (49.8) in the state's south-west.

• Roebuck (27.4 years) in the state's far north had the lowest median age in WA, followed by Halls Creek (28.2 years) in the Kimberley region.

  SA2s WITH OLDEST AND YOUNGEST MEDIAN AGES(a), Western Australia, 2017
  		Median Age
  SA2	GCCSA	years
  OLDEST MEDIAN AGES
  York - Beverley	Rest of WA	51.5
  Toodyay	Rest of WA	50.6
  Pemberton	Rest of WA	49.8
  Irwin	Rest of WA	49.4
  Bridgetown - Boyup Brook	Rest of WA	49.0
  YOUNGEST MEDIAN AGES
  Roebuck	Rest of WA	27.4
  Halls Creek	Rest of WA	28.2
  Alkimos - Eglinton	Greater Perth	28.5
  Byford	Greater Perth	29.6
  Seville Grove	Greater Perth	29.9
  (a) Excludes SA2s with a population of less than 1,000 at June 2017.

• At June 2017, the sex ratio (the number of males per 100 females) in WA was 100.3. This was the second highest sex ratio of all states and territories, behind the Northern Territory at 108.1 (the only other state or territory where males outnumbered females).
  
• Females outnumbered males in Greater Perth (with a sex ratio of 99.3), while males outnumbered females in the rest of WA (104.3).

• The SA2s with the highest sex ratios in WA included East Pilbara (274.7 males per 100 females), Ashburton (245.9), Roebourne (159.1) and Meekatharra (154.1), which are all located in areas of significant mining activity, and Chidlow (238.7), which contains a large male prison facility.

• The SA2s with the lowest sex ratios were Mosman Park - Peppermint Grove (85.6 males per 100 females) in Greater Perth and Albany (87.1) in the state's south.

  SA2s WITH HIGHEST AND LOWEST SEX RATIOS(a), Western Australia, 2017
  		Sex Ratio
  SA2	GCCSA	males per 100 females
  HIGHEST SEX RATIOS
  East Pilbara	Rest of WA	274.7
  Ashburton	Rest of WA	245.9
  Chidlow	Greater Perth	238.7
  Roebourne	Rest of WA	159.1
  Meekatharra	Rest of WA	154.1
  LOWEST SEX RATIOS
  Mosman Park - Peppermint Grove	Greater Perth	85.6
  Albany	Rest of WA	87.1
  Willagee	Greater Perth	88.4
  Como	Greater Perth	89.2
  East Bunbury - Glen Iris	Rest of WA	89.4
  (a) Excludes SA2s with a population of less than 1,000 at June 2017.

• In 2017, Greater Perth had a lower proportion of its population aged less than 15 years (19%) compared with the rest of WA (21%) and a higher proportion aged 15 to 34 years (29% compared with 25%). This is consistent with young adults moving to the capital city for employment or education purposes.

AGE AND SEX DISTRIBUTION (%), Western Australia - 30 June 2017