Woolgoolga
Few coastal towns pair an $831,000 median house price with a household income sitting in just the 24.9th percentile nationally, yet Woolgoolga does, and the gap is the defining tension here. The 6,151 residents skew older at a median age of 45, a full 5.0 years above the national figure, and the housing stock is overwhelmingly detached at 82.8% with apartments at only 3.4%. SEIFA places the suburb at decile 4 on IRSAD, below the national midpoint, while Punjabi is the largest non-English language at 555 speakers, reflecting a long-established Sikh farming community. Population has grown 26.3% over the decade, fast for an established town, driven mainly by overseas migration.
Population
6,151
Median Age
45.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,190/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
86
Median House
$831K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The $831,000 median sits well above what local incomes support, which is why mortgage repayments of $1,733 a month produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 33.6%, above the 30% stress threshold. Prices rose 4.3% from $810,000 in 2024 to $845,000 in 2025, a steadier move than capital-city markets. The stock heavily favours buyers wanting land: 82.8% are separate houses against just 3.4% apartments, and 38.4% of dwellings have three bedrooms while 29.3% have four or more. Outright owners make up 45.8% of households, far above the 23.6% carrying a mortgage, a sign that much of the market is held by established, debt-free residents rather than recent buyers, which tightens turnover for newcomers competing for the limited stock that does change hands.
For Buyers
The $831,000 median sits well above what local incomes support, which is why mortgage repayments of $1,733 a month produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 33.6%, above the 30% stress threshold. Prices rose 4.3% from $810,000 in 2024 to $845,000 in 2025, a steadier move than capital-city markets. The stock heavily favours buyers wanting land: 82.8% are separate houses against just 3.4% apartments, and 38.4% of dwellings have three bedrooms while 29.3% have four or more. Outright owners make up 45.8% of households, far above the 23.6% carrying a mortgage, a sign that much of the market is held by established, debt-free residents rather than recent buyers, which tightens turnover for newcomers competing for the limited stock that does change hands.
For Investors
A 30.5% renter share and weekly rent of $360 give landlords a moderate tenant pool, but the gross yield against the $831,000 median sits near 2.3%, modest for a regional market. The 8.9% vacancy rate is elevated and points to seasonal demand softness in a tourism-leaning coastal town. Demand support leans on migration: net overseas migration adds about 129 residents a year while internal migration adds only 14, so growth is thin without the overseas channel. Development activity is healthy at 81 applications in 12 months, including new dwellings and subdivisions that will add supply. With rent having grown 46.2% over the period and annual population growth of 1.58%, the case rests more on capital growth and rent escalation than on yield, which trails what investors find in cheaper inland centres.
Development Activity
Total DAs
496
Last 12 Months
86
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+22.9%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Woolgoolga iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Francis Xavier Primary School
K-6 · 263 students
Woolgoolga High School
7-12 · 867 students
Woolgoolga Public School
K-6 · 349 students
Demographics
The median age of 45 runs 5.0 years above the national figure, and the trajectory is aging: the senior share rose 4.8 points while both the working-age share fell 1.5 points and the young share fell 1.6 points over the decade. Overseas-born residents reach 25.5%, which is 3.9 points above national, and the standout cultural marker is Punjabi at 555 speakers, far ahead of Mandarin at 28, reflecting the established Indian community that ranks fourth in ancestry at 550 people behind English at 2,321. University qualifications sit at 25.8%, which is 4.3 points below national, consistent with a workforce weighted toward trades, agriculture and care rather than knowledge professions. Average household size is 2.4, close to national, and couples without children make up 33.3% of families, in line with the older profile.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
82.8%
Houses
13.3%
Townhouse
3.4%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts strongly toward outright ownership: 45.8% own their home debt-free, almost double the 23.6% carrying a mortgage, while 30.5% rent. That outright share, well above what you see in growth-corridor suburbs, signals long-held wealth among older residents rather than a churn of recent buyers. The stock is 82.8% separate houses with apartments at only 3.4% and semi-detached at 13.3%, so buyers are almost always purchasing detached land. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 38.4% with four-plus at 29.3%. The median rose from $810,000 to $845,000 across 2024 to 2025, a 4.3% gain, yet against a household income in the 24.9th percentile both mortgage-to-income at 33.6% and rent-to-income at 30.3% breach the stress threshold, a divergence that explains why affordability remains tight despite regional pricing.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,733
Rent / wk
$360
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$636
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
8.9%
Unoccupied
227
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
30.3% stressed
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
33.6% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
33.3%
Couples, no children
4,480
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce concentrates in service and primary sectors rather than high-paying knowledge work: Healthcare leads at 19.6% (304 workers), Agriculture follows at 14.9% (231), Education at 11.2% (174) and Construction at 10.6% (165). By occupation, Managers (476) and Labourers (461) top the list ahead of Professionals (379), a mix that reflects the farming and trades base and aligns with the decile 4 IEO score for education and occupation, below the national midpoint. Unemployment is elevated at 6.6% and participation is low at 48.6%, because the aging profile leaves 2,161 residents out of the labour force entirely. The IER economic-resources score reaches decile 5, a notch above the other SEIFA indexes, because the 45.8% outright-ownership base lifts aggregate household wealth even where current incomes run low.
Unemployment
3.2%
Labour Force
6,932
Unemployed
221
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
57.4%
Part-time
36.0%
Participation
48.6%
Employed
2,353
Occupations
Top Industries
University
25.8%
Postgraduate
5.0%
Born Overseas
25.5%
Dwellings
2,308
Transport to Work
Car dependence is near total at 85.0% driving to work, while public transport carries just 0.4% and active travel 5.3%, far below the national reliance on trains and buses, a function of the regional coastal setting with no rail link. The suburb scores decile 4 on IRSAD, below the national midpoint, and decile 4 on IRSD for relative disadvantage, indicating a meaningful share of residents face economic pressure, consistent with 7.7% (443 people) needing daily assistance against an older median age of 45. Volunteering runs at 15.8%. No schools are recorded inside the 54.77 square kilometre boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in the town centre and neighbouring areas, a practical trade-off in a low-density town of 112 residents per square kilometre.
Drive
85.0%
Public Transport
0.4%
Walk / Cycle
5.3%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.58%/yr
(+241 people/yr)
EstablishedWoolgoolga is growing faster than its established status suggests: annual population growth registers 1.58%, about 241 persons a year, and the 10-year change reaches 26.3%, well above what most settled towns record. Overseas migration is the primary driver, adding roughly 129 residents a year against only 14 from net internal movement, so the inflow is international rather than domestic relocation. Medium forecasts continue the trend upward through 2031. The gentrification reading is early-stage, scored 25 with signals of population up 29% since 2011 and an accelerating overseas-born share, while a separate shift index reads Active at 55. Affordability improved slightly from 59.8% in 2011 to 56.4% in 2021, though it stays high relative to incomes in the 24.9th percentile.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+129
Net Internal / yr
+14
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +29% since 2011, Accelerating: 9% → 19%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Woolgoolga compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Woolgoolga a good suburb to live in?
Woolgoolga suits buyers wanting detached coastal living, with 82.8% separate houses and an $831,000 median. The main trade-offs are an aging profile at a median age of 45, 5.0 years above national, and household income in the 24.9th percentile, with SEIFA at decile 4 on IRSAD, below the national midpoint.
What is the median house price in Woolgoolga?
The median house price is $831,000. Prices rose 4.3% from $810,000 in 2024 to $845,000 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $360 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,733, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 33.6%, above the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Woolgoolga?
No schools are recorded inside the 54.77 square kilometre Woolgoolga boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in the town centre and neighbouring areas. The local university qualification rate is 25.8%, which is 4.3 points below the national figure.
Is Woolgoolga safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Woolgoolga in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 4 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, below the national midpoint, and 7.7% of its residents, about 443 people, need daily assistance.
Is Woolgoolga good for property investment?
Rent of $360 a week against an $831,000 median gives a gross yield near 2.3%, modest for a regional market, and the 8.9% vacancy rate is elevated. Net overseas migration of about 129 a year supports demand, but with 1.58% annual population growth returns lean on capital growth more than yield.
How is Woolgoolga's population changing?
Population grew 26.3% over 10 years, fast for an established town, at about 1.58% a year or 241 persons. Overseas migration of roughly 129 a year is the main driver against only 14 from internal movement. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 4.8 points over the decade.
What languages are spoken in Woolgoolga?
About 25.5% of residents were born overseas, 3.9 points above the national figure. Punjabi is by far the largest non-English language at 555 speakers, well ahead of Mandarin at 28, reflecting Woolgoolga's long-established Indian and Sikh farming community.
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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