Cowra, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Cowra is a town in the Central West of New South Wales, on the Lachlan River about 310 kilometres west of Sydney and 190 kilometres north of Canberra. Its name evolved from an earlier label, Coura Rocks, used in the 1840s. During the Second World War the town held a large prisoner-of-war camp, and in August 1944 it saw a mass breakout by Japanese prisoners, one of the biggest such escapes of the conflict. In the decades since, Cowra has become a symbol of reconciliation: it cares for the only Japanese war cemetery in Australia and built the Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre, among the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Farming and winemaking sustain the district.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Cowra is more socio-economically advantaged than about 12% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 900, 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.
Cowra at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 10,145
- Median age
- 46
- Median weekly household income
- $1,107
- SEIFA score
- 900
- Coordinates
- -33.8503, 148.6579
Cowra demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Cowra 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 seniors (65+) at 26%, 28% of homes are rented, and 7% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,784 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,129 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,041 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,540 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,649 | 26% |
Share of the 10,143 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,701 | 42% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,073 | 26% |
| Rented | 1,149 | 28% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,696 | 91% |
| Townhouses & semis | 265 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 90 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,083 occupied private dwellings in Cowra.
- Median weekly rent
- $230
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,235
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,449
- Median weekly personal income
- $617
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 699 (7%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 421 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 981 (10%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,705 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.6%
- Employed full-time
- 2,412
- Employed part-time
- 1,434
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 Cowra
Where is Cowra?
Cowra is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Cowra?
At the 2021 Census, Cowra had a population of about 10,145.
Is Cowra an advantaged area?
Cowra has an ABS SEIFA score of 900, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 12 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 12% of Australian suburbs.
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