Goulburn
Sitting on the Hume Highway halfway between Sydney (200km) and Canberra (90km), Goulburn runs on an institutional employer base that few regional NSW towns match: healthcare absorbs 22.4% of jobs, public administration takes another 14.0%, and the Goulburn Correctional Centre plus the NSW Police Academy at Goulburn anchor the public-sector workforce. The result is a 23,963-resident town where the median house sits at $590,000 with 8.7% one-year growth, and 346 development applications were lodged in the last 12 months, a pace closer to a metro fringe than a typical Southern Tablelands service centre. SEIFA economic resources decile 3 sits below national but the worker base is unusually stable for regional NSW.
Population
23,963
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,405/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
396
Median House
$590K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
Goulburn suits buyers priced out of Canberra or Sydney's western fringe who still want detached-house living: 84.3% of stock is separate houses and only 3.9% is apartments, with a $590,000 median against a $1,625 monthly mortgage. Mortgage-to-income sits at 26.7%, below the 30% stress threshold but tighter than Orange's 23.8% because Goulburn household incomes (40.5th percentile) trail the regional NSW average. Four-bedroom homes account for 33.6% of stock and three-bedroom 45.1%, so trade-up families dominate; entry-level 0-1 bedroom stock is just 4.4%, well below the metro Sydney baseline. Peak-to-latest growth is flat at 0.0%, so buyers are entering at cycle top rather than chasing a rally.
For Buyers
Goulburn suits buyers priced out of Canberra or Sydney's western fringe who still want detached-house living: 84.3% of stock is separate houses and only 3.9% is apartments, with a $590,000 median against a $1,625 monthly mortgage. Mortgage-to-income sits at 26.7%, below the 30% stress threshold but tighter than Orange's 23.8% because Goulburn household incomes (40.5th percentile) trail the regional NSW average. Four-bedroom homes account for 33.6% of stock and three-bedroom 45.1%, so trade-up families dominate; entry-level 0-1 bedroom stock is just 4.4%, well below the metro Sydney baseline. Peak-to-latest growth is flat at 0.0%, so buyers are entering at cycle top rather than chasing a rally.
For Investors
Goulburn tilts more renter-heavy than most regional NSW towns: 35.1% of households rent, ahead of the 33.8% who own outright, and weekly rent of $320 against a $590k median implies a gross yield near 2.8%, slightly above Orange's 2.6% but below Dubbo. The 8.6% vacancy rate is the warning flag, several times higher than Sydney's sub-2% benchmark and a signal supply is running ahead of demand. Working in the investor's favour: 346 DAs in 12 months, rent growth of 66.7% over the decade ahead of Orange's 38.9%, and net internal migration of +107 per year suggesting Sydney and Canberra commuter overflow is structural. Yield-led buyers should pair Goulburn with monitoring of the prison and police academy workforce cycles.
Development Activity
Total DAs
1,797
Last 12 Months
396
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+42.4%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Goulburn iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Tambelin Independent School
K-6 · 39 students
Saints Peter and Paul's Primary School
K-6 · 366 students
Trinity Catholic College Goulburn
7-12 · 714 students
Goulburn West Public School
K-6 · 373 students
Wollondilly Public School
K-6 · 387 students
Demographics
Goulburn is markedly more Anglo-Celtic than metro NSW: English (9,865), Irish (3,129) and Scottish (2,374) ancestries dominate, and only 11.4% of residents were born overseas, 10.2 percentage points below the national average. The migrant pipeline that does exist is tiny but unusual: Nepali (89 speakers) leads, ahead of Mandarin (61) and Malayalam (39), a profile shaped by overseas-trained healthcare and corrections staff rather than family chain migration. University attainment at 20.8% runs 9.3 points below national, the structural gap you would expect in a town anchored by trades, healthcare and uniformed services rather than knowledge work. Median age 40 matches national exactly, with seniors share rising 3.9 points over the decade.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
84.3%
Houses
11.1%
Townhouse
3.9%
Apartment
Tenure
The tenure split in Goulburn is unusually even for regional NSW: 33.8% own outright, 31.1% carry a mortgage, and 35.1% rent, a near-thirds distribution reflecting retiree stayers plus a churning prison-and-healthcare workforce. Stock skews suburban-detached at 84.3% separate houses with 11.1% semi-detached and only 3.9% apartments. Median house price climbed from $567,500 to $617,000 in 2025 (a 8.7% CAGR) before the PSI-derived 2024-2025 median settled at $590,000, so values are running materially ahead of inflation. Mortgage-to-income at 26.7% and rent-to-income at 22.8% both sit below stress flags, but both run higher than Orange because incomes here track lower than the Central West.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,625
Rent / wk
$320
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$747
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
8.6%
Unoccupied
868
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
28.8%
Couples, no children
17,221
Total families
Economy & Employment
Goulburn runs an institutional economy that few regional towns can match: 1,474 healthcare jobs (22.4% of total), 924 in public administration (14.0%), 693 in education (10.5%) and 691 in construction (10.5%), with retail at 478. The public administration share is the structural anomaly, more than double the national figure, because Goulburn hosts the Goulburn Correctional Centre and the NSW Police Academy. Community and personal services workers (1,719) outnumber Professionals (1,605), the inverse of metro Sydney and a marker that uniformed and care occupations dominate. Unemployment sits at 4.9% with 66.0% full-time participation, healthier than the NSW regional average. SEIFA shows IEO and IER deciles of 2-3, below Orange's decile 4.
Unemployment
3.8%
Labour Force
12,275
Unemployed
463
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
66.0%
Part-time
29.1%
Participation
52.9%
Employed
9,844
Occupations
Top Industries
University
20.8%
Postgraduate
4.8%
Born Overseas
11.4%
Dwellings
9,261
Transport to Work
Goulburn's livability rests on a 10-school stack of moderate ICSEA: Tambelin Independent (ICSEA 1091, 39 students) leads, followed by Saints Peter and Paul's (1033, 366) and Trinity Catholic College Goulburn (1025, 714). Five of the 10 schools sit below ICSEA 975, lower than Orange's stack which had three independents above 1050. The Catholic system carries the high-ICSEA load, with government secondary schools Mulwaree High (951) and Goulburn High (943) below national average. Transport is overwhelmingly car-based: 87.3% drive to work and only 0.5% use public transport despite the main southern railway through town, well below the metro Sydney baseline. Volunteering at 14.0% runs above national; IRSAD decile 3 reflects mid-band disadvantage. Crime data is not published at suburb level by NSW BOCSAR.
Drive
87.3%
Public Transport
0.5%
Walk / Cycle
4.5%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.12%/yr
(+161 people/yr)
EstablishedGoulburn is forecast to grow 1.12% annually, adding around 161 residents per year through 2031, slower than Orange's 1.93% but faster than typical Southern Tablelands towns. The driver is net internal migration at +107 per year (Sydney and Canberra commuter overflow), while net overseas migration adds 35 per year, so population growth is roughly three-quarters domestic and unusual for regional NSW where overseas dominates. Population has climbed 19.1% since 2011, real incomes are up 21.0%, and the gentrification score sits at 65 with stage Active, well above Orange's 13. The trajectory is aging (senior share +3.9 points, working-age -1.4), so price-to-income is pushing up faster than wages can absorb.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+35
Net Internal / yr
+107
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +21% since 2011, Net internal migration +107/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Goulburn compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Goulburn a good suburb to live in?
Goulburn suits households priced out of Canberra (90km south) or Sydney (200km north) who want detached-house living: 84.3% of homes are separate houses, the median sits at $590,000, and institutional employers (Correctional Centre, Police Academy, hospital) keep the labour market stable. The trade-off is car dependence at 87.3% and a SEIFA economic resources decile of 3.
What is the median house price in Goulburn?
The median house price in Goulburn is $590,000 (2024-2025 PSI-derived), running roughly 8.7% above the $567,500 figure from 2024. Mortgage-to-income sits at 26.7%, below the 30% stress threshold but tighter than Orange's 23.8%, and weekly rent averages $320. That makes Goulburn materially cheaper than Canberra while broadly tracking Orange.
What schools are in Goulburn?
Goulburn has 10 schools serving roughly 3,860 students. Tambelin Independent leads with ICSEA 1091 (39 enrolments), followed by Saints Peter and Paul's Primary (ICSEA 1033, 366 students) and Trinity Catholic College Goulburn (ICSEA 1025, 714 students). The Catholic system carries the top tier; five government schools sit at ICSEA 975 or below, lower than Orange's regional stack.
Is Goulburn safe?
Crime-rate data for Goulburn is not published at suburb level in the brief, so safety claims should be cross-checked against NSW BOCSAR LGA reports for Goulburn Mulwaree. Indirect signals: volunteering runs at 14.0% (above national), 33.8% of residents own outright suggesting a stayer base, and unemployment of 4.9% sits below the NSW regional average.
Is Goulburn good for property investment?
Goulburn has a 35.1% renter share and $320 weekly rent against a $590k median, implying a gross yield around 2.8%, marginally above Orange's 2.6%. The 8.6% vacancy rate is materially higher than Sydney's sub-2% benchmark and signals near-term supply pressure from 346 DAs lodged in the last 12 months. Rents have grown 66.7% over the decade, well ahead of Orange's 38.9%, so cash-flow investors should weight rent trajectory over yield snapshots.
How is Goulburn's population changing?
Goulburn grows around 1.12% per year, adding 161 residents annually, and is forecast to reach 15,363 by 2031 (the projection covers the urban centre rather than the full 23,963 suburb population). The driver is net internal migration at +107 per year (Sydney and Canberra commuter overflow), with overseas migration adding 35. Senior share has risen 3.9 points and working-age share fell 1.4 points.
Why does Goulburn have so many public-sector jobs?
Public administration absorbs 14.0% of Goulburn jobs (924 workers), more than double the national share, because the town hosts the Goulburn Correctional Centre and the NSW Police Academy. Healthcare adds another 22.4% (1,474 jobs) anchored by Goulburn Base Hospital. Together with education (10.5%), the institutional workforce makes up roughly 47% of total employment, well above typical regional NSW towns.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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