The WEROC region covers an area of 43,136km² in the Eastern Wheatbelt, encompassing six Local Government areas. The estimated resident population of the WEROC region is 7,412 (ABS Census 2016). Merredin as the largest town within the WEROC region, acts as a regional hub for government, population services and commerce.
The WEROC area is a region of small businesses with 52.4% of registered businesses being non-employing and a further 44.8% employing less than 20 people. Agriculture is the largest industry by volume of registered businesses and is also the principal industry of employment across much of the WEROC region. While agriculture is still an important employer, within the Shires of Yilgarn and Westonia mining (gold and iron ore) is the largest industry of employment.
The WEROC regions Gross Regional Product (GRP) is estimated at $1.605 billion (24% of the total GRP for the Wheatbelt).
At an estimated $909.743 million, mining is the largest value added contributor to the WEROC region’s economy. Mining in the WEROC region accounts for 78% of the mining value-add for the entire Wheatbelt region. Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing is the second largest value-adding industry with a contribution of approximately $118 million.