The City of Rockingham lies 40km south of the city of Perth. It is a rapidly developing residential area and includes substantial industrial and commercial areas and a naval base on Garden Island. The 37km of coastline is currently stable and projected to remain stable due to the managed longshore sediment supply; yet is sensitive to regional hazards including storm surge and cyclones.
While Rockingham LGA is within the top 30% of advantaged LGAs nationally, there is evidence of financial hardship in some suburbs—the LGA experiences higher levels of mortgage stress and unemployment than the national average. The suburb of Baldivis, for example, which was zoned for development in the 1990s experienced significant growth between 2006 and 2016 in conjunction with the Western Australian mining boom. As the mining boom declined, many households in the region experienced financial hardship, with Baldivis recording the greatest increase in the rate of personal bankruptcy nationally between 2017-18.
Socio-economic characteristics, 2016
| 2016 | Rockingham LGA | Australian Average |
| Economic | ||
| Rental stress | 10% | 11.50% |
| Mortgage stress | 10% | 7.20% |
| Low income households | 18.30% | 23.70% |
| High income households | 15.90% | 11.20% |
| Rental housing | 25.90% | 30.90% |
| Unemployment | 9.80% | 6.90% |
| Economic diversity Index | 0.74 | 1 |
| Population | ||
| Total population | 125,114 | NA |
| <14 years | 22.30% | 18.70% |
| >65 years | 12.30% | 15.80% |
| Median age | 34 | 37 |
| Single parent families | 16.10% | 15.80% |
| Lone person households | 21% | 24.40% |
| Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander | 2% | 2.80% |
| Birthplace not Australia | 39.40% | 33% |
| Language other than english at home | 14.80% | 22.20% |
| Community | ||
| Volunteering rates | 14.40% | 19% |
| Health (Type 2 Diabetes) | 4.90% | 5% |
| Residents receiving government social service payments | 47.60% | 48% (WA) |