Dorrigo, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Dorrigo is a town on the Dorrigo Plateau in northern New South Wales, about 64 kilometres west of Coffs Harbour and 580 kilometres north of Sydney, sitting around 730 metres above sea level. Its name is thought to come from a Gumbaynggirr word, variously recorded as 'Dundurriga' and said to refer to stringybark. Cedar-getters reached the district in the 1840s and closer settlement followed from the 1860s; the railway branch from Glenreagh operated between 1924 and 1972. Dairying has long anchored the local economy. Today Dorrigo is best known for nearby Dangar Falls and the rainforest of Dorrigo National Park, part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage area. Cricketer Adam Gilchrist spent part of his childhood here.
Less advantaged than the national average
Dorrigo is more socio-economically advantaged than about 21% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 931, 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.
Dorrigo at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,214
- Median age
- 56
- Median weekly household income
- $925
- SEIFA score
- 931
- Coordinates
- -30.3277, 152.6966
Dorrigo demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Dorrigo 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 35%, 21% of homes are rented, and 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 176 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 82 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 177 | 15% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 346 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 422 | 35% |
Share of the 1,203 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 300 | 56% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 112 | 21% |
| Rented | 115 | 21% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 509 | 94% |
| Townhouses & semis | 16 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 8 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 540 occupied private dwellings in Dorrigo.
- Median weekly rent
- $300
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,271
- Median weekly personal income
- $560
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 148 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 44 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 67 (6%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 396 (39%)
- Labour-force participation
- 44.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.7%
- Employed full-time
- 216
- Employed part-time
- 193
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 Dorrigo
Where is Dorrigo?
Dorrigo is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Dorrigo?
At the 2021 Census, Dorrigo had a population of about 1,214.
Is Dorrigo an advantaged area?
Dorrigo has an ABS SEIFA score of 931, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 21 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 21% of Australian suburbs.
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