Temora
A median house price of $311,000 places Temora well below almost any metropolitan market, and that affordability is the defining feature of this Riverina town. Household income sits in the 22.6th percentile nationally, so local pay is modest, yet the price-to-income gap stays manageable because dwellings are cheap. The median age of 48 runs 8.0 years above the national figure, reflecting an aging resident base, and 48.2% of homes are owned outright, far higher than mortgage holders at 26.0%. With 90.7% of dwellings detached houses across a 298 km2 footprint, density is just 15.8 people per km2, a genuinely rural settlement pattern rather than a commuter town.
Population
4,706
Median Age
48.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,165/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
129
Median House
$311K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
Buyers face one of the most affordable markets in NSW: the median house price is $311,000, and recorded medians moved from $341,000 in 2024 to $280,000 in 2025, a 17.9% pullback that signals a thin, volatile sales pool rather than a sustained decline. The stock suits families, with 46.1% of homes having three bedrooms and 33.5% having four or more, while apartments are almost nonexistent at 0.7%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,183, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.5%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite household incomes in the 22.6th percentile. Outright owners at 48.2% nearly double mortgage holders at 26.0%, a sign that much of the housing is held by older, debt-free residents rather than recent entrants competing for stock.
For Buyers
Buyers face one of the most affordable markets in NSW: the median house price is $311,000, and recorded medians moved from $341,000 in 2024 to $280,000 in 2025, a 17.9% pullback that signals a thin, volatile sales pool rather than a sustained decline. The stock suits families, with 46.1% of homes having three bedrooms and 33.5% having four or more, while apartments are almost nonexistent at 0.7%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,183, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.5%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite household incomes in the 22.6th percentile. Outright owners at 48.2% nearly double mortgage holders at 26.0%, a sign that much of the housing is held by older, debt-free residents rather than recent entrants competing for stock.
For Investors
A 25.8% renter share and weekly rent of $240 give landlords a modest tenant pool, and against the $311,000 median that rent implies a gross yield near 4.0%, far stronger than inner-city Sydney yields below 2%. The catch is demand depth: the vacancy rate is 11.8%, high enough to point at periodic oversupply for a town this size. Population is contracting at 0.12% a year, and net internal migration removes about 11 residents annually while overseas migration adds 15, leaving growth essentially flat. Development activity is healthy at 124 applications in 12 months, including a neighbourhood supermarket and seniors housing, which leans toward local services rather than speculative new dwellings. Rent grew 57.1% over the decade, so the investment case rests on yield and rent escalation more than capital growth or volume.
Development Activity
Total DAs
562
Last 12 Months
129
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+17.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Temora iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Anne's Catholic College
K-12 · 288 students
Temora Public School
K-6 · 213 students
Temora High School
7-12 · 275 students
Temora West Public School
K-6 · 122 students
Demographics
The median age of 48 is 8.0 years above national, and the trajectory is clearly aging: the senior share rose 5.3 points while the working-age share fell 3.5 points over the decade. Only 6.1% of residents were born overseas, which is 15.5 points below the national figure, making this an unusually Anglo population. Ancestry is led by English (1,998), Irish (589), Scottish (505) and German (455), with no significant non-English language community recorded. University qualifications reach 19.1%, running 11.0 points below national, consistent with a workforce weighted toward trades, care and farm work rather than knowledge professions. Average household size is 2.3, which is 0.2 below national, and couples without children make up 33.9% of the 3,504 families, a profile shaped by the older age structure.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
90.7%
Houses
7.1%
Townhouse
0.7%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts heavily toward outright ownership: 48.2% own their home outright, 26.0% carry a mortgage and 25.8% rent. Outright owners nearly doubling mortgage holders points to long-held, debt-free property rather than a churn of recent buyers. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 90.7%, with semi-detached at 7.1% and apartments at just 0.7%, so almost every purchase is a standalone house on a generous block. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 46.1% and four-plus-bedroom at 33.5%, leaving small dwellings scarce. Recorded medians swung from $341,000 in 2024 to $280,000 in 2025, a 17.9% move that reflects low transaction volume rather than a structural shift. Mortgage-to-income at 23.5% and rent-to-income at 20.6% both sit well below the 30% stress line, a direct result of cheap housing relative even to 22.6th-percentile incomes.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,183
Rent / wk
$240
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$645
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
11.8%
Unoccupied
256
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.5%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
33.9%
Couples, no children
3,504
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce concentrates in essential services rather than high-paying knowledge sectors: Healthcare leads at 16.7% (202 workers), Education follows at 14.1% (171) and Agriculture at 10.3% (125), with Construction at 8.5% and Retail at 7.8%. By occupation, Professionals (312) and Managers (287) top the list, but Labourers (267) and Community and Personal workers (262) feature heavily, matching the care and farm economy. Unemployment is low at 3.3% and the full-time employment rate is 62.2%. Participation reads just 50.4%, well below most metro areas, because the aging profile leaves 1,581 residents not in the labour force. SEIFA scores read decile 3 on IRSAD, IRSD and IEO, with IER slightly higher at decile 4, the gap reflecting that high outright ownership lifts household economic resources above what incomes alone would suggest.
Unemployment
3.4%
Labour Force
2,944
Unemployed
101
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
62.2%
Part-time
34.5%
Participation
50.4%
Employed
1,889
Occupations
Top Industries
University
19.1%
Postgraduate
2.7%
Born Overseas
6.1%
Dwellings
1,914
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-dependent, as expected for a rural town: 84.8% drive to work and only 0.5% use public transport, while 8.9% walk or cycle, below metro active-transport rates. SEIFA places Temora at decile 3 on IRSAD and IRSD, indicating relative disadvantage compared with the national average, a function of modest incomes rather than visible deprivation. Volunteering runs at a strong 24.0%, well above typical metro participation, reflecting the community involvement common in country towns. About 8.4% of residents (377 people) need daily assistance, slightly elevated because of the median age of 48. Rent-to-income at 20.6% keeps tenants comfortable, and with 90.7% detached housing on large blocks, residents trade big-city amenities for space and affordability.
Drive
84.8%
Public Transport
0.5%
Walk / Cycle
8.9%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
-0.12%/yr
(-8 people/yr)
EstablishedTemora is contracting slowly: the population trend runs at minus 0.12% a year, about 8 fewer residents annually, and the 10-year change of 4.4% has already reversed into decline. Medium forecasts hold the population easing from roughly 6,588 toward 6,548 through 2031, so no expansion is expected. Migration is balanced but weak, with net overseas inflow of about 15 a year offset by net internal outflow of about 11. The gentrification stage reads early signs with a score of 38, driven mainly by 27.5% real income growth and 57.1% rent growth over the decade rather than demographic turnover, since turnover is low at 18.4%. Affordability was stable, moving only from 34.3% in 2011 to 34.4% in 2021, so the town stays accessible even as incomes slowly rise.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+15
Net Internal / yr
-11
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Temora compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Temora a good suburb to live in?
Temora suits buyers who value affordability and space over services. The median house price is $311,000 and 90.7% of homes are detached on large blocks, with density at just 15.8 people per km2. It scores decile 3 on SEIFA, below the national average, and the median age of 48 is 8.0 years above national, so it leans older and quieter.
What is the median house price in Temora?
The median house price is $311,000, among the most affordable in NSW. Recorded medians moved from $341,000 in 2024 to $280,000 in 2025, a 17.9% swing that reflects thin sales volume. Weekly rent averages $240 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,183, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.5%.
What schools are in Temora?
No schools are recorded inside the Temora boundary in this dataset. Education is still a major local employer at 14.1% of the workforce (171 workers), the second-largest industry, so families typically rely on town schools that fall outside the mapped suburb area.
Is Temora safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Temora in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, it scores decile 3 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage and turnover is low at 18.4%, with 81.6% of residents staying put, both consistent with a stable, settled country town rather than a transient population.
Is Temora good for property investment?
Rent of $240 a week against a $311,000 median gives a gross yield near 4.0%, well above Sydney yields below 2%. The trade-offs are an 11.8% vacancy rate and a population shrinking at 0.12% a year, so returns lean on yield and 57.1% decade rent growth rather than capital gains.
How is Temora's population changing?
The population is contracting at about 0.12% a year, roughly 8 fewer residents annually, and forecasts ease it toward 6,548 by 2031. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 5.3 points and the working-age share down 3.5 points over the decade, while net overseas migration of 15 a year only partly offsets internal outflow.
How much development is happening in Temora?
There were 124 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, healthy for a town of 4,706 residents. Recent examples include a neighbourhood supermarket and seniors housing, which point to investment in local services and aged care rather than speculative new housing supply.
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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