Narrandera, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Narrandera is a town in the central Riverina of New South Wales, on the Murrumbidgee River about 100 kilometres west of Wagga Wagga, in the Narrandera Shire. The district is Wiradjuri country, and the name is generally derived from the Wiradjuri word 'nharrang', usually translated as a kind of lizard — the frill-necked lizard or goanna. Pastoralists took up the Narrandera run in the 1840s and a township was reserved around 1850, growing quickly once it became a gateway to the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. Today the surrounding country produces cereals, sheep, wool, rice, citrus and wine grapes, while the town itself is known for Lake Talbot, its riverside wetlands and a reserve set aside to help regenerate the local koala population.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Narrandera is more socio-economically advantaged than about 9% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 886, 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.
Narrandera at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 4,369
- Median age
- 44
- Median weekly household income
- $1,113
- SEIFA score
- 886
- Coordinates
- -34.6756, 146.5998
Narrandera demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Narrandera 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 25%, 27% of homes are rented, and 6% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 868 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 460 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 889 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,100 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,046 | 24% |
Share of the 4,363 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 633 | 38% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 521 | 31% |
| Rented | 451 | 27% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,550 | 94% |
| Townhouses & semis | 38 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 51 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,653 occupied private dwellings in Narrandera.
- Median weekly rent
- $210
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,083
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,478
- Median weekly personal income
- $626
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 249 (6%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 161 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 638 (15%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,073 (32%)
- Labour-force participation
- 51.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.1%
- Employed full-time
- 1,030
- Employed part-time
- 574
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 Narrandera
Where is Narrandera?
Narrandera is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Narrandera?
At the 2021 Census, Narrandera had a population of about 4,369.
Is Narrandera an advantaged area?
Narrandera has an ABS SEIFA score of 886, 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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