Coonabarabran

Development Activity

Schools in Coonabarabran iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged

Demographics

The median age of 50 is 10 years above the national figure, reflecting a decade-long aging trajectory where the senior share rose 6.7 points and the working-age share fell 3.0 points. The overseas-born share is just 7.7%, which is 13.9 percentage points below the national average, consistent with the predominantly Anglo-Celtic ancestry profile where English (1,354), Irish (330) and Scottish (308) are the leading ancestries. University qualification rates reach 17.1%, which is 13 points below the national rate. Average household size of 2.3 is 0.2 below national. The volunteering rate of 26.4% is notably high, suggesting strong community participation relative to population size.

Tenure structure leans heavily toward outright ownership: 48.7% own their home outright, 26.0% carry a mortgage, and 25.3% rent. The outright ownership share is substantially above the national average, reflecting the older demographic profile. The stock is almost exclusively separate houses at 94.4%, with semi-detached at just 0.5% and apartments at 4.6%. Three-bedroom homes account for 48.7% of dwellings, 4-plus bedroom for 32.5%, and two-bedroom for 14.1%. Prices have been stable, moving from $277,500 in 2024 to $275,000 in 2025, a 0.9% decline. Rent-to-income at 18.2% keeps tenants well under the 30% stress threshold, lower than most comparable regional towns.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Healthcare is the dominant employer at 19.6% of local jobs (150 workers), followed by Education at 17.4% (133) and Public Administration at 14.8% (113). Agriculture employs 9.7% of workers, reflecting the surrounding rural economy. By occupation, Managers lead at 208 workers, Professionals at 194, and Community/Personal service roles at 190, with Labourers close behind at 175. The unemployment rate of 7.0% is above the national average, and the labour force participation rate of 43.2% is low, largely because 1,139 residents are not in the labour force. SEIFA decile 2 on IRSD and IRSAD signals concentrated disadvantage, with household income in the 22nd percentile nationally. Real income growth of 19.2% over the decade has not been sufficient to close the gap.

Transport to Work

Car dependence is high: 84.5% of residents drive to work, while public transport usage is just 0.3%, well below the national average. Walking and cycling account for a relatively high 7.6%, consistent with a low-density regional town where destinations are close. No schools are recorded in the dataset for this suburb boundary, so families rely on schools in the broader Coonabarabran district. The IRSAD decile 2 ranking places the suburb in the bottom fifth nationally for relative advantage and disadvantage. Around 10.4% of residents need daily assistance (307 people), above the national rate, reflecting the older median age of 50 and the lower-income profile at the 22nd household income percentile.

Population Forecast

Population has declined 3.1% over the past decade, and the current trend runs at minus 0.43% per year, equating to roughly 34 fewer residents annually. Medium forecasts project the broader area falling from around 7,948 in 2025 to approximately 7,663 by 2031 under trend continuation. Net internal migration averages minus 2 per year, while overseas arrivals contribute a net 23, making migration broadly balanced but insufficient to offset natural population aging. The gentrification score of 38 registers early signs, though the standalone gentrification assessment rates the suburb as not actively gentrifying, which is consistent with the 10-year population decline and decile 2 SEIFA position.

National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs

How Coonabarabran compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

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