Grenfell

Development Activity

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

Demographics

The median age of 54 stands 14 years above the national figure, making Grenfell one of the older rural towns by this measure. The senior share grew 6.5 points over the decade while the working-age share fell 3.1 points, a consistent aging trajectory. Overseas-born residents are 6.4%, which is 15.2 percentage points below the national rate, reflecting the low-migration character typical of inland agricultural towns. Ancestry is predominantly Anglo-Celtic: English (1,220), Irish (323) and Scottish (249) are the three largest groups. University qualifications reach 16.7%, which is 13.4 points below national, consistent with a workforce concentrated in trade and agricultural occupations. Average household size of 2.1 is 0.4 below national, partly because couples without children make up 39.5% of families.

Ownership structure in Grenfell skews heavily toward outright owners: 52.7% hold their home with no mortgage, 25.6% carry a mortgage and only 21.7% rent. This compares to national renter rates that typically exceed 30%, confirming that long-term residents rather than speculative buyers dominate the market. Separate houses account for 92.1% of all dwellings, with apartments at 4.1% and semi-detached at 3.1%. The bedroom split centres on three-bedroom homes (42.7%) and four-plus bedroom homes (32.3%). Prices moved from $292,500 in 2024 to $350,000 in 2025, a 19.7% rise, though this covers only one year of data and the thin transaction volume in small towns can distort short-term figures. Mortgage repayments average $1,083 monthly against a household income placing Grenfell in the 12.6th income percentile nationally.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Agriculture is the anchor industry at 21.8% of jobs (129 workers), consistent with the broad rural land use across 877 square kilometres. Healthcare follows at 16.2% (96 workers) and Education at 12.1% (72 workers), together forming the public-service employment base typical of a regional service town. Public Administration adds 11.0% (65 workers) and Construction 9.3% (55 workers). By occupation, Managers lead at 220 workers, ahead of Labourers (146) and Professionals (132). The unemployment rate is 5.5% and the full-time employment rate is 62.0%, but the participation rate of 44.7% is low relative to national benchmarks because the aging population leaves 1,020 residents outside the labour force. The IRSAD decile of 3 and IRSD decile of 3 both indicate below-average socio-economic advantage compared to the state.

Transport to Work

Car dependence is high at 82.1% of commuters driving, while 10.7% walk or cycle, a figure above the national rural average because the compact town centre keeps many destinations within walking distance. Crime statistics are not available for Grenfell in this dataset, so the SEIFA indexes serve as a proxy: the IRSAD decile of 3 places the suburb in the lower-advantage tier nationally, below average compared to NSW overall. Volunteering reaches 24.9% of the eligible population, notably high and consistent with the strong community participation typically seen in established rural towns. Housing stress is low: rent-to-income sits at 20.2% and mortgage-to-income at 25.2%, both below the 30% stress threshold. The need-assistance rate of 8.8% (214 residents) is above average relative to national figures, partly because the older median age of 54 means a higher share of residents require daily support.

Population Forecast

Grenfell's population declined 1.4% over the past decade, and the current trend of minus 0.28% annually translates to roughly minus 10 persons per year. Historical data shows the population fell from 3,599 in 2023 to 3,549 in 2025. Medium forecasts project a further fall to approximately 3,503 by 2031. Net internal migration averages minus 11 per year, meaning more residents are leaving for other parts of Australia than arriving, while overseas migration of 18 per year provides a partial offset. The gentrification score is effectively absent, as the suburb is not on a trajectory of socio-economic uplift. Rent grew 65% over the measured period while real incomes grew 22.1%, a divergence that has worsened affordability from 31.3% in 2011 to 34.4% in 2021, higher than the base but still below most coastal NSW towns.

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

How Grenfell compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions