Gloucester, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Gloucester is a country town in the lower Mid North Coast of New South Wales, lying in a green river valley about 220 kilometres north of Sydney and 145 kilometres north of Newcastle. It is the closest town to the Barrington Tops, a rugged world-heritage wilderness of high plateaus and rainforest, and is framed by the distinctive rocky peaks of the Bucketts Range. The district was opened up for sheep from 1855, when the Australian Agricultural Company held vast grants of land here and even surveyed a railway that was never built. Timber-getting and dairy and beef cattle became the mainstays, and the Gloucester and Avon Rivers still water rich farmland. Today the town is a popular base for walkers, anglers and visitors heading into the national park.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Gloucester is more socio-economically advantaged than about 9% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 885, 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.
Gloucester at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,133
- Median age
- 55
- Median weekly household income
- $985
- SEIFA score
- 885
- Coordinates
- -32.0100, 151.9621
Gloucester demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Gloucester 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%, 26% of homes are rented, and 8% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 462 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 245 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 528 | 17% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 799 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,096 | 35% |
Share of the 3,130 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 679 | 50% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 284 | 21% |
| Rented | 348 | 26% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,234 | 91% |
| Townhouses & semis | 75 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 29 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,358 occupied private dwellings in Gloucester.
- Median weekly rent
- $275
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,324
- Median weekly personal income
- $553
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 245 (8%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 52 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 265 (8%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 811 (31%)
- Labour-force participation
- 43.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.2%
- Employed full-time
- 569
- Employed part-time
- 430
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 Gloucester
Where is Gloucester?
Gloucester is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Gloucester?
At the 2021 Census, Gloucester had a population of about 3,133.
Is Gloucester an advantaged area?
Gloucester has an ABS SEIFA score of 885, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 9 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 9% of Australian suburbs.
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