Coolamon, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Coolamon is a town in the Riverina region of south-western New South Wales, about 40 kilometres north-west of Wagga Wagga and roughly 500 kilometres from Sydney. Its name comes from an Aboriginal word for a coolamon, a basin-shaped wooden dish used for carrying water, food or a baby. The town sits in the New South Wales wheat belt and is also known for lamb, wool and farm machinery, including the chaser bins built at the local steelworks. Its best-known landmark is the heritage-listed Up-to-Date Store, a beautifully preserved early department store on the main street. Nearby are the Coolamon Holes, natural ground hollows that fill with water, and the Kindra State Forest.
Less advantaged than the national average
Coolamon is more socio-economically advantaged than about 37% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 964, 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.
Coolamon at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,275
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $1,427
- SEIFA score
- 964
- Coordinates
- -34.7941, 147.2051
Coolamon demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Coolamon 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 24%, 17% of homes are rented, and 5% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 466 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 261 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 491 | 22% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 550 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 510 | 22% |
Share of the 2,278 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 327 | 39% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 331 | 39% |
| Rented | 144 | 17% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 801 | 96% |
| Townhouses & semis | 18 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 9 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 831 occupied private dwellings in Coolamon.
- Median weekly rent
- $270
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,500
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,834
- Median weekly personal income
- $746
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 106 (5%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 33 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 113 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 636 (37%)
- Labour-force participation
- 60.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.5%
- Employed full-time
- 675
- Employed part-time
- 309
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 Coolamon
Where is Coolamon?
Coolamon is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Coolamon?
At the 2021 Census, Coolamon had a population of about 2,275.
Is Coolamon an advantaged area?
Coolamon has an ABS SEIFA score of 964, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 37 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 37% of Australian suburbs.
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