Hay (NSW), NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Hay sits on the Murrumbidgee River in the western Riverina, at the heart of the vast, treeless Hay Plains, roughly 720 kilometres west-south-west of Sydney. The Nari-Nari and Wiradjuri peoples are associated with the surrounding country and river. The settlement began as 'Lang's Crossing-place' in the late 1850s and was proclaimed a township in 1859, taking its name from John Hay, later Sir John, a wealthy squatter and New South Wales politician. A busy river port and Cobb and Co coaching centre, Hay gained a bridge in 1872, a gaol in 1880 and the railway in 1882. During the Second World War the town held high-security internment and prisoner-of-war camps, among them the wartime refugees later remembered as the 'Dunera Boys'.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Hay (NSW) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 907, 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.
Hay (NSW) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,300
- Median age
- 47
- Median weekly household income
- $1,152
- SEIFA score
- 907
- Coordinates
- -34.3783, 144.8610
Hay (NSW) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Hay (NSW) 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 28%, 28% of homes are rented, and 8% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 379 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 269 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 442 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 646 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 564 | 25% |
Share of the 2,300 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 381 | 42% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 218 | 24% |
| Rented | 256 | 28% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 830 | 91% |
| Townhouses & semis | 76 | 8% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 916 occupied private dwellings in Hay (NSW).
- Median weekly rent
- $175
- Median monthly mortgage
- $867
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,581
- Median weekly personal income
- $669
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 161 (8%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 90 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 201 (9%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 629 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 53.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.4%
- Employed full-time
- 586
- Employed part-time
- 331
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 Hay (NSW)
Where is Hay (NSW)?
Hay (NSW) is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Hay (NSW)?
At the 2021 Census, Hay (NSW) had a population of about 2,300.
Is Hay (NSW) an advantaged area?
Hay (NSW) has an ABS SEIFA score of 907, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 14 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of Australian suburbs.
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