Katoomba, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Katoomba is the chief town of the Blue Mountains, about 100 km west of Sydney and the seat of the City of Blue Mountains council. Perched above the Jamison Valley, it is one of New South Wales's best-known tourist destinations, famous for the Three Sisters rock formation viewed from Echo Point, the steep cliffs and rainforest walking tracks, and Scenic World with its very steep cableway and railway. The name comes from an Aboriginal term recorded as 'Kedumba' or 'Katta-toon-bah', understood to mean 'falling water', after a local waterfall. Katoomba lies on the lands of the Dharug and Gundungurra peoples, its traditional custodians.
Less advantaged than the national average
Katoomba is more socio-economically advantaged than about 38% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 967, 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.
Katoomba at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 8,268
- Median age
- 48
- Median weekly household income
- $1,171
- SEIFA score
- 967
- Coordinates
- -33.7207, 150.2955
Katoomba demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Katoomba 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 31%, 33% of homes are rented, and 23% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,142 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 770 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,892 | 23% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,526 | 31% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,946 | 24% |
Share of the 8,276 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,321 | 35% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,067 | 28% |
| Rented | 1,259 | 33% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,076 | 82% |
| Townhouses & semis | 214 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 412 | 11% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,757 occupied private dwellings in Katoomba.
- Median weekly rent
- $350
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,600
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,669
- Median weekly personal income
- $649
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,848 (23%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 812 (10%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 273 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,138 (60%)
- Labour-force participation
- 53.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 6%
- Employed full-time
- 1,531
- Employed part-time
- 1,517
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.
Weather and climate in Katoomba
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Katoomba is January (average daytime high around 26.5°C) and the coolest is July (around 13°C). The area receives roughly 1019 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.5°C | 15.1°C | 122 mm |
| Feb | 25.1°C | 14.2°C | 121 mm |
| Mar | 22.7°C | 13°C | 172 mm |
| Apr | 19.7°C | 9.6°C | 70 mm |
| May | 16.1°C | 6.2°C | 33 mm |
| Jun | 13.1°C | 4.1°C | 54 mm |
| Jul | 13°C | 3.4°C | 51 mm |
| Aug | 14.2°C | 3.7°C | 56 mm |
| Sep | 17.7°C | 5.8°C | 47 mm |
| Oct | 21°C | 8.8°C | 85 mm |
| Nov | 23.3°C | 10.8°C | 93 mm |
| Dec | 25.5°C | 13.1°C | 115 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Katoomba
Where is Katoomba?
Katoomba is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Katoomba?
At the 2021 Census, Katoomba had a population of about 8,268.
Is Katoomba an advantaged area?
Katoomba has an ABS SEIFA score of 967, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 38 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 38% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Katoomba?
Katoomba has average daytime highs of about 19.8°C and overnight lows of about 9°C, with roughly 1,019 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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