Gunnedah, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Gunnedah is a town on the Liverpool Plains of north-central New South Wales, on the Namoi River about 66 kilometres west of Tamworth and 432 kilometres north-west of Sydney. The Kamilaroi, or Gamilaraay, people have long lived on these plains, and the town's name is usually said to mean place of white stones. Sheep farmers settled the rich black-soil plains in the early 1830s, and the railway reached the town in 1879. Cotton, coal, grain and livestock now underpin the economy, and Gunnedah hosts AgQuip, one of the largest agricultural field days in the country. The town calls itself the koala capital of the world, and it is fondly linked with the poet Dorothea Mackellar, who wrote her famous poem My Country about a family farm nearby.
Less advantaged than the national average
Gunnedah is more socio-economically advantaged than about 22% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 932, 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.
Gunnedah at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 10,359
- Median age
- 37
- Median weekly household income
- $1,564
- SEIFA score
- 932
- Coordinates
- -31.0027, 150.2101
Gunnedah demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Gunnedah 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 young adults (25–44) at 26%, 31% of homes are rented, and 6% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,347 | 23% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,107 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,651 | 26% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,252 | 22% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,010 | 19% |
Share of the 10,367 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,215 | 32% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,267 | 33% |
| Rented | 1,169 | 31% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,347 | 88% |
| Townhouses & semis | 352 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 82 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,806 occupied private dwellings in Gunnedah.
- Median weekly rent
- $300
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,033
- Median weekly personal income
- $787
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 581 (6%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 385 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 1,730 (17%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,852 (37%)
- Labour-force participation
- 60%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.5%
- Employed full-time
- 2,951
- Employed part-time
- 1,350
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 Gunnedah
Where is Gunnedah?
Gunnedah is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Gunnedah?
At the 2021 Census, Gunnedah had a population of about 10,359.
Is Gunnedah an advantaged area?
Gunnedah has an ABS SEIFA score of 932, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 22 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 22% of Australian suburbs.
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