Tocumwal, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Tocumwal sits on the northern bank of the Murray River in the southern Riverina of New South Wales, about 270 kilometres north of Melbourne. The town's name is probably a corruption of 'Tucumiva', a Pangerang word said to mean 'deep hole'; before European settlement the district was country of the Ulupna and Bangerang people. Pastoral runs were taken up in the 1840s, the village was gazetted in 1862, the post office opened in 1868, and railways arrived from 1898. During the Second World War the town hosted RAAF Station Tocumwal, a large training airfield whose runways are now a renowned gliding site. A 'Big Murray Cod' sculpture on the foreshore nods to the river's famous fish.
Less advantaged than the national average
Tocumwal is more socio-economically advantaged than about 22% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 934, 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.
Tocumwal at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,862
- Median age
- 59
- Median weekly household income
- $1,067
- SEIFA score
- 934
- Coordinates
- -35.7910, 145.4977
Tocumwal demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Tocumwal 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 40%, 16% of homes are rented, and 10% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 403 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 189 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 442 | 15% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 682 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,150 | 40% |
Share of the 2,866 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 579 | 52% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 277 | 25% |
| Rented | 181 | 16% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,006 | 91% |
| Townhouses & semis | 64 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 11 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,107 occupied private dwellings in Tocumwal.
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,402
- Median weekly personal income
- $562
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 255 (10%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 70 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 60 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 716 (30%)
- Labour-force participation
- 41.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.9%
- Employed full-time
- 557
- Employed part-time
- 371
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 Tocumwal
Where is Tocumwal?
Tocumwal is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Tocumwal?
At the 2021 Census, Tocumwal had a population of about 2,862.
Is Tocumwal an advantaged area?
Tocumwal has an ABS SEIFA score of 934, 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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