Western Australia tops economic rankings in latest CommSec report

In the latest CommSec State of the States economic report, Western Australia has claimed the title of Australia's best-performing economy for the 5th consecutive quarter.

The State of the States report ranks the economic performance of the states across the country, tracking 8 key economic indicators. These include economic growth, retail spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work, population growth, housing finance, and dwelling starts. 

WA was in the lead for 4 of the report's key economic - household spending, housing finance, dwelling starts, and equipment investment. 

Western Australia leads on household spending ahead of Queensland and the Northern Territory, being 14.8% higher than the long-term average.

For housing finance, WA stays in the top spot, with the value of home loans up by 42.5% on the long-term average.

Moving from 2nd to 1st position, WA now leads on dwelling starts, up on the decade-average level by 24.8%. 

And for equipment investment, WA remains in 1st place, being 32.9% above the decade average.

Fast facts:

• WA had the fastest wage growth at 3.7%.
• Unemployment in WA was 18.9% below the decade average.
• WA remained in 2nd place for construction work done - 16.6% above the decade average and 2nd to South Australia.
• WA continues to see the highest population growth at 2.3%, with its latest population 30.6% higher than the decade average. This indicates that people want to move to the West, drawn to the abundant opportunities and laidback lifestyle. 

Looking ahead, WA has cemented its position as Australia's top economic performer, and is expected to continue to lead in 2026.

Read more and download the CommSec State of the States report here.