Nimbin
With a median age of 50, Nimbin's residents are 10 years older than the national average, and a household income sitting in just the 4.7th percentile nationally makes this one of NSW's most economically modest communities. Yet 55.4% of households own their homes outright, well above typical Australian rates, because many properties were purchased decades ago when land was cheap. Healthcare and education together account for 47.5% of local employment, reflecting a service-oriented economy rather than industry or agriculture. The population of 1,607 is spread across 72.88 square kilometres, giving a density of 22.1 people per km2, far below state urban norms.
Population
1,607
Median Age
50.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$798/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
30
Median House
$585K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The median house price of $585,000 sits below the NSW regional average, and recent price data shows a softening trend: the median fell from $600,000 in 2024 to $577,500 in 2025, a 3.8% decline. Separate houses dominate at 94.6% of the stock, so buyers have few apartment alternatives. Three-bedroom dwellings account for 34.4% of homes and two-bedroom for 28.6%, while 4-plus bedroom properties are 14.5%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,199, but with a mortgage-to-income ratio of 34.7%, households carrying debt are above the 30% stress threshold. The relatively lower entry price compared to coastal NSW markets is offset by thin local employment and an unemployment rate of 9.2%, which affects refinancing capacity.
For Buyers
The median house price of $585,000 sits below the NSW regional average, and recent price data shows a softening trend: the median fell from $600,000 in 2024 to $577,500 in 2025, a 3.8% decline. Separate houses dominate at 94.6% of the stock, so buyers have few apartment alternatives. Three-bedroom dwellings account for 34.4% of homes and two-bedroom for 28.6%, while 4-plus bedroom properties are 14.5%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,199, but with a mortgage-to-income ratio of 34.7%, households carrying debt are above the 30% stress threshold. The relatively lower entry price compared to coastal NSW markets is offset by thin local employment and an unemployment rate of 9.2%, which affects refinancing capacity.
For Investors
A vacancy rate of 9.3% is considerably higher than healthy-market benchmarks of 2-3%, signalling excess supply relative to rental demand. Weekly rent averages $300, which against the $585,000 median implies a gross yield near 2.7%, modest for a regional market. Only 19.9% of residents rent, meaning the pool of potential tenants is structurally limited. Development activity shows 30 applications lodged in the past 12 months, moderate for a town of 1,607 people, suggesting some ongoing build activity. The price decline of 3.8% from 2024 to 2025 and the high vacancy rate make the short-term capital growth case weak, so investment suits a long-hold, low-leverage approach rather than active yield strategies.
Development Activity
Total DAs
131
Last 12 Months
30
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-16.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Nimbin iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Nimbin Central School
K-12 · 245 students
Demographics
The median age of 50 is 10.0 years above the national figure, placing Nimbin among Australia's older communities. The overseas-born share of 19.7% is 1.9 percentage points below national, with ancestry led by English (610 residents), Irish (253) and Scottish (221). University qualifications reach 26.0%, which is 4.1 points below the national rate, lower than might be expected given the community's historically alternative character. Average household size is 2.0, half a person below the national average, consistent with the older, post-child-rearing household structure where couples without children are 29.8% of families. Volunteering is notably high at 31.1%, well above national norms, and 9.9% of residents need daily assistance, which rises with an aging population.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
94.6%
Houses
1.6%
Townhouse
1.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Outright ownership dominates at 55.4%, compared to the national owner-occupier benchmark, because many residents purchased before regional land prices rose. Only 24.7% carry a mortgage and 19.9% rent, a highly unusual split that reflects a long-settled, older population rather than a transient one. The stock is overwhelmingly separate houses at 94.6%, with apartments at just 1.3% and semi-detached at 1.6%. The median fell 3.8% from $600,000 in 2024 to $577,500 in 2025, the only two data points available. Rent-to-income at 37.6% places renters in stress territory, above the 30% threshold, because low incomes in the 4.7th income percentile nationally interact badly even with modest $300 weekly rents.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,199
Rent / wk
$300
HH Size
2.0
Personal Income / wk
$479
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.3%
Unoccupied
64
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
37.6% stressed
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
34.7% stressed
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
29.8%
Couples, no children
851
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the dominant industry at 28.8% of employment (100 workers), followed by Education at 18.7% (65 workers), Retail at 8.6% and Professional/Tech at 7.5%. Agriculture employs 5.5% (19 workers), a small share for a rural area, reflecting the community's orientation toward services over farming. By occupation, Professionals (109) lead, followed by Community/Personal workers (90) and Labourers (65). The unemployment rate of 9.2% is above state and national averages, because the local economy offers limited full-time work: just 36.1% of employed residents work full-time, and the participation rate is only 36.4%, far below national norms. Household income in the 4.7th percentile nationally reflects this structural underemployment.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
36.1%
Part-time
54.7%
Participation
36.4%
Employed
454
Occupations
Top Industries
University
26.0%
Postgraduate
5.2%
Born Overseas
19.7%
Dwellings
607
Transport to Work
Car dependence is extreme: 83.4% of residents drive to work, compared to lower rates in urban NSW, and public transport reaches just 1.3%. Walking and cycling account for 9.6%, above what most rural towns record, partly because the village centre is compact relative to the surrounding rural land. Crime data is not available in the brief, so direct comparison is not possible. The volunteering rate of 31.1% is notable, well above national averages, suggesting strong community participation. Rent stress at 37.6% and mortgage stress at 34.7%, both above the 30% threshold, indicate housing affordability pressure despite the $585,000 median being lower than coastal NSW markets. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary in this dataset.
Drive
83.4%
Public Transport
1.3%
Walk / Cycle
9.6%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Nimbin compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nimbin a good suburb to live in?
Nimbin suits buyers seeking rural lifestyle and lower entry prices, with a median house of $585,000 and 55.4% of residents owning outright. The trade-offs are significant: unemployment sits at 9.2%, household income is in just the 4.7th percentile nationally, and the vacancy rate of 9.3% suggests limited rental demand. The 31.1% volunteering rate points to community engagement.
What is the median house price in Nimbin?
The median house price is $585,000 as of the 2024-2025 period. Prices softened from $600,000 in 2024 to $577,500 in 2025, a 3.8% decline. Weekly rent averages $300 and monthly mortgage repayments are around $1,199, though the mortgage-to-income ratio of 34.7% puts borrowing households above the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Nimbin?
No schools are recorded inside the Nimbin suburb boundary in this dataset. Families would rely on schools in nearby towns within the Northern Rivers region. The local university qualification rate is 26.0%, which is 4.1 percentage points below the national figure.
Is Nimbin safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Nimbin in this dataset. An indirect indicator is that 9.9% of the 1,607 residents need daily assistance, above national norms, driven partly by the median age of 50, which is 10 years older than the national average. No crime rate comparison to state or national benchmarks can be made from available data.
Is Nimbin good for property investment?
The investment case is challenging. Vacancy sits at 9.3%, well above the 2-3% healthy-market benchmark, and only 19.9% of residents rent, limiting the tenant pool. Weekly rent of $300 against a $585,000 median implies a gross yield near 2.7%. Prices fell 3.8% from 2024 to 2025. A long-hold, low-debt strategy is more appropriate than active yield investing.
How is Nimbin's population changing?
Detailed population forecast data is not available for Nimbin in this dataset. The current population is 1,607 across 72.88 km2. The resident turnover rate is 18.6%, with 81.4% staying in place year to year. The median age of 50, which is 10 years above national, and a 9.9% assistance-needs rate signal an aging trajectory rather than growth-driven change.
How much development is happening in Nimbin?
There were 30 development applications lodged in the past 12 months. Recent applications include new dwelling houses and a modification to an existing CDC, indicating activity at the individual property level rather than subdivision or medium-density scale. For a population of 1,607, 30 applications represents moderate activity relative to the suburb's size.
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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