Dubbo - West
Statistical Area - sa2

Dubbo - West lies within the top quartile of areas nationally for population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Dubbo - West's population is approximately 11,071 as of August 2025. This figure reflects an increase of 754 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 10,317. The growth is inferred from the estimated resident population of 10,902 in June 2024 and an additional 315 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 159 persons per square kilometer. Dubbo - West's population grew by 7.3% between the 2021 Census and August 2025, exceeding the SA4 region's growth rate of 3.2%. Natural growth contributed approximately 51.3% to overall population gains during this period.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas from these aggregations for the years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, Dubbo - West is forecast to have a population increase of 2,798 persons, marking a gain of 23.7% over the seventeen-year period.

AreaSearch assessment of residential approval activity sees Dubbo - West among the top 30% of areas assessed nationwide

Dubbo - West recorded approximately 71 residential properties granted approval annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics produces development approval data on a financial year basis. Between FY-20 and FY-25, around 359 homes were approved. As of FY-26, about 47 properties have been approved thus far.

Over the past five financial years, an average of 2.4 new residents per dwelling was recorded, indicating steady demand which supports property values. The average construction cost value for new homes over this period was approximately $496,000. In FY-26 alone, around $31.8 million in commercial approvals have been registered, reflecting high levels of local commercial activity.

Compared to the Rest of NSW, Dubbo - West has seen slightly more development, with a 35.0% increase per person over the five-year period, balancing buyer choice while supporting current property values. However, building activity has slowed in recent years. The majority of new developments consist of detached dwellings (83.0%), maintaining the area's traditional low-density character focused on family homes. With around 232 people per approval, Dubbo - West reflects a transitioning market. Future projections suggest Dubbo - West will add approximately 2,628 residents by 2041. Building activity is keeping pace with growth projections, though buyers may encounter increased competition as the population grows.

Dubbo - West has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 41stth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 18 projects likely to affect the region. Notable initiatives include Dubbo Residential Rehabilitation Centre, Bunglegumbie Road Residential Estate, Dubbo Firming Power Station, and Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone. The following list details those expected to have the most relevance.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

Despite maintaining a low unemployment rate of 3.6%, Dubbo - West has experienced recent job losses, resulting in a below average employment performance ranking when compared nationally

Dubbo - West has a skilled workforce with an unemployment rate of 3.6% as of June 2025. It has 5,047 residents in work, with an unemployment rate matching Rest of NSW's 3.7%.

Workforce participation is 60.5%, slightly higher than Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Key employment industries include health care & social assistance, retail trade, and education & training. Agriculture, forestry & fishing is underrepresented at 2.4% compared to Rest of NSW's 5.3%.

In the year ending June 2025, Dubbo - West's labour force decreased by 1.8%, with employment declining by 3.1%, leading to a 1.3 percentage point rise in unemployment rate. Meanwhile, Rest of NSW saw an employment decline of 0.1%, labour force growth of 0.3%, and a 0.4 percentage point increase in unemployment. State-level data from Sep-25 shows NSW's employment contracted by 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%. National unemployment is 4.5%, with national employment growth of 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia projects national employment to grow by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Dubbo - West's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.5% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

Income levels align closely with national averages, indicating typical economic conditions for Australian communities according to AreaSearch analysis

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that Dubbo - West has a median income of $52,660 and an average income of $62,191. This is below the national average. Rest of NSW has a median income of $49,459 and an average income of $62,998. Using Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Dubbo - West would be approximately $58,242 (median) and $68,783 (average) as of March 2025. The 2021 Census data ranks personal income at the 59th percentile ($850 weekly) and household income at the 43rd percentile. Income distribution shows that 33.2% of individuals in Dubbo - West earn between $1,500 and $2,999 per week. After housing costs, 85.4% of income remains for other expenses. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 4th decile.

Dubbo - West is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Dwelling structure in Dubbo-West, as per the latest Census, consisted of 86.3% houses and 13.8% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This is compared to Non-Metro NSW's 88.0% houses and 12.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Dubbo-West was at 29.2%, with the rest being mortgaged (38.1%) or rented (32.7%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $1,517, higher than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,450. The median weekly rent figure was $320, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $280. Nationally, Dubbo-West's mortgage repayments were lower at $1,517 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

Dubbo - West has a typical household mix, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 71.4% of all households, including 29.4% couples with children, 26.2% couples without children, and 14.3% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 28.6%, with lone person households at 25.2% and group households comprising 3.4%. The median household size is 2.6 people, which is larger than the Rest of NSW average of 2.5 people.

Dubbo - West faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area's university qualification rate is 20.5%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 14.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (4.4%) and graduate diplomas (2.1%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 37.3% of residents aged 15+ holding them - advanced diplomas account for 9.3% and certificates for 28.0%. Educational participation is high at 32.7%, including 12.6% in primary education, 8.8% in secondary education, and 2.6% pursuing tertiary education.

Seven schools operate within Dubbo - West, educating approximately 1,681 students. The educational mix includes two primary, two secondary, and three K-12 schools.

Transport servicing is moderate compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility

Dubbo - West has 162 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 35 different routes that collectively facilitate 558 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of the transport system is rated as excellent; residents on average live just 146 meters from their nearest stop.

Across all routes, service frequency averages 79 trips per day, which translates to approximately 3 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Dubbo - West is well below average with considerably higher than average prevalence of common health conditions and to an even higher degree among older age cohorts

Dubbo-West faces substantial health challenges with a considerably higher prevalence of common conditions compared to the average SA2 area.

The most prevalent conditions are asthma and arthritis, affecting 9.8% and 9.1% of residents respectively. However, 64.8% of residents report no medical ailments, slightly higher than the 64.1% across Rest of NSW. Private health cover is at approximately 51%, lagging behind the average SA2 area. The population aged 65 and over stands at 16.8%, lower than the 19.5% in Rest of NSW, but health outcomes among seniors require more attention due to these challenges.

Dubbo - West ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Dubbo-West had a cultural diversity index below the average, with 85.4% of its population being Australian citizens, 89.0% born in Australia, and 91.5% speaking English only at home. The predominant religion was Christianity, accounting for 62.5% of Dubbo-West's population, compared to 65.6% across the rest of NSW. The top three ancestry groups were Australian (29.5%), English (28.1%), and Australian Aboriginal (14.1%).

Notable differences existed in the representation of certain ethnic groups: Korean was overrepresented at 0.2%, Lebanese at 0.2%, and Irish at 7.7%.

Dubbo - West hosts a young demographic, positioning it in the bottom quartile nationwide

Dubbo-West has a median age of 34, which is lower than the Rest of NSW figure of 43 and significantly lower than Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to the Rest of NSW average, Dubbo-West has an over-representation of the 25-34 cohort (17.1% locally) and an under-representation of those aged 65-74 (7.8%). Between 2021 and present, the 25-34 age group grew from 15.2% to 17.1%, while the 15-24 cohort increased from 12.3% to 13.5%. Conversely, the 5-14 cohort declined from 15.2% to 13.3%, and the 45-54 group dropped from 10.8% to 9.7%. Demographic modeling indicates that Dubbo-West's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041, with the 25-34 age cohort projected to expand by 591 people (31%) from 1,889 to 2,481. Meanwhile, the 5-14 cohort is expected to grow by a modest 5% (69 people).