Carcoar, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Carcoar is a small heritage town in the Central West of New South Wales, about 52km south-west of Bathurst and 258km west of Sydney, sitting roughly 720m above sea level. Settled by Europeans from 1839, it grew into one of the oldest inland towns west of the Blue Mountains and an important administrative and banking centre for the surrounding farming district. The country is that of the Wiradjuri people. Carcoar's fortunes faded as later gold discoveries pulled prospectors further west, and the town was largely left behind by twentieth-century growth - which is why its nineteenth-century streetscape of shops, churches and the old courthouse survives so intact today. It now draws visitors for its heritage buildings and events such as the Carcoar Cup running festival.
Around the national middle
Carcoar is more socio-economically advantaged than about 51% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 989, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Carcoar at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 271
- Median age
- 55
- Median weekly household income
- $1,187
- SEIFA score
- 989
- Coordinates
- -33.6190, 149.1537
Carcoar demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Carcoar using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 35%, 12% of homes are rented, and 11% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 46 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 19 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 33 | 12% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 98 | 35% |
| Seniors (65+) | 86 | 30% |
Share of the 282 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 61 | 50% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 36 | 30% |
| Rented | 15 | 12% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 110 | 93% |
| Townhouses & semis | 4 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 118 occupied private dwellings in Carcoar.
- Median weekly rent
- $195
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,021
- Median weekly personal income
- $662
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 27 (11%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 5 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 4 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 88 (39%)
- Labour-force participation
- 56.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.1%
- Employed full-time
- 72
- Employed part-time
- 43
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Carcoar
Where is Carcoar?
Carcoar is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Carcoar?
At the 2021 Census, Carcoar had a population of about 271.
Is Carcoar an advantaged area?
Carcoar has an ABS SEIFA score of 989, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 51 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 51% of Australian suburbs.
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