Goonellabah

An assessment of population growth drivers in Goonellabah reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

Goonellabah's population, as of November 2025, is approximately 14,105. This figure represents an increase of 514 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 13,591. The growth is inferred from the estimated resident population of 14,026 in June 2024 and an additional 253 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 559 persons per square kilometer. Goonellabah's population grew by 3.8% between the 2021 Census and November 2025, exceeding the SA3 area's growth rate of 0.5%. Overseas migration contributed approximately 43.8% to the 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, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections where necessary, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for the years 2032 to 2041. Based on projected demographic shifts, Goonellabah is expected to increase by approximately 928 persons by 2041, reflecting a total increase of 6.0% over the 17-year period.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Goonellabah when compared nationally

Goonellabah recorded approximately 74 residential property approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling 373 homes. As of FY-26, 37 approvals have been recorded. On average, 1.4 new residents arrived per new home each year between FY-21 and FY-25, suggesting balanced supply and demand dynamics. The average construction cost for new dwellings was $263,000 during this period.

In FY-26, commercial approvals amounted to $5.8 million, indicating limited focus on commercial development. Compared to the Rest of NSW, Goonellabah exhibited 91.0% higher building activity per capita as of recent data. The area's construction activity has recently eased. Between FY-21 and FY-25, approximately 80.0% of new dwellings were detached houses, with the remaining 20.0% being medium to high-density housing.

This maintained Goonellabah's traditional low-density character, appealing to those seeking space for families. As of recent estimates, there are roughly 250 people per dwelling approval in the area. Population forecasts suggest Goonellabah will gain approximately 848 residents by 2041. Given current development patterns, new housing supply is expected to meet demand, potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Goonellabah has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

The performance of an area is significantly influenced by changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. A total of 22 such projects have been identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area. Notable projects include Platypus Park Residential Development, Invercauld Road Subdivision at 226 Invercauld Road, Goonellabah Urban Release Area at 1055 Bruxner Highway, and Points North Estate. The following list details those likely to be most relevant.

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

Goonellabah has a skilled workforce with prominent representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 3.6%.

As of September 2025, there are 6455 residents employed, with an unemployment rate of 3.4%, which is 0.2% lower than the Rest of NSW's rate of 3.8%. Workforce participation in Goonellabah is similar to that of the Rest of NSW at 56.4%. The dominant employment sectors are health care & social assistance, retail trade, and education & training. Notably, health care & social assistance employs 17.9% of local workers, which is 1.4 times the regional level.

Conversely, agriculture, forestry & fishing employs only 2.7%, below the Rest of NSW's 5.3%. The area may offer limited local employment opportunities as indicated by Census data; over the year to September 2025, labour force levels decreased by 2.3% while employment declined by 1.2%, leading to a fall in unemployment by 1.1 percentage points. In comparison, Rest of NSW experienced an employment decline of 0.5% and labour force decline of 0.1%, with a rise in unemployment of 0.4 percentage points. State-level data from November 25 shows that NSW employment contracted by 0.03%, losing 2260 jobs, with the state's unemployment rate at 3.9%. This compares favourably to the national unemployment rate of 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia forecasts national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Goonellabah's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.7% over five years and 14.2% over ten years, although this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localized population projections.

Income figures position the area below 75% of locations analysed nationally by AreaSearch

The Goonellabah SA2 had a median taxpayer income of $46,374 and an average income of $59,358 in the financial year 2022, according to postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch. This was lower than the national average, with Rest of NSW having a median income of $49,459 and an average income of $62,998 in the same period. By September 2025, estimates suggest the median income would be approximately $52,222 and the average income $66,843, based on a 12.61% growth in wages since financial year 2022. In Goonellabah, as of 2021 Census figures, household incomes ranked at the 21st percentile, family incomes at the 25th percentile, and personal incomes at the 29th percentile. Income distribution showed that 31.4% of residents earned between $1,500 and $2,999 weekly, which was similar to the surrounding region where 29.9% fell into this range. Housing affordability pressures were severe in Goonellabah, with only 83.8% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 22nd percentile.

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

In Goonellabah, as per the latest Census, 78.0% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 21.9% comprising semi-detached homes, apartments, and other types. In comparison, Non-Metro NSW had 86.8% houses and 13.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Goonellabah stood at 37.3%, with mortgaged properties at 33.2% and rented ones at 29.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,560, higher than Non-Metro NSW's $1,452. Median weekly rent in Goonellabah was $320, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $300. Nationally, Goonellabah's mortgage repayments were lower at $1,863 and rents were substantially below the national average of $375.

Goonellabah features high concentrations of lone person households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 65.5% of all households, including couples with children (24.4%), couples without children (25.7%), and single parent families (14.2%). Non-family households account for 34.5%, with lone person households at 31.0% and group households comprising 3.6%. The median household size is 2.4 people, which aligns with the average in Rest of NSW.

Educational outcomes in Goonellabah fall within the lower quartile nationally, indicating opportunities for improvement in qualification attainment

The area's university qualification rate is 21.3%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. This disparity presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are most common at 14.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.9%) and graduate diplomas (2.7%). Vocational credentials are prominent, with 38.0% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications – advanced diplomas account for 10.0% and certificates for 28.0%.

Educational participation is high, with 28.2% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.8% in primary education, 7.6% in secondary education, and 3.9% pursuing tertiary education.

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

The analysis of public transport in Goonellabah shows that there are currently 304 active transport stops operating within the area. These stops serve a mix of bus routes totalling 44 individual routes. Together, these routes facilitate 685 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility of transport is rated as excellent, with residents typically located just 111 meters from their nearest transport stop. On average, service frequency across all routes amounts to 97 trips per day, which equates to approximately two weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Goonellabah is well below average with prevalence of common health conditions notable across both younger and older age cohorts

Health data indicates significant health challenges in Goonellabah. Both younger and older age groups experience a high prevalence of common health conditions.

Approximately 49% (~6,925 people) have private health cover, compared to the national average of 55.3%. Mental health issues affect 11.1% of residents, while asthma impacts 9.9%. About 59.8% report no medical ailments, compared to 61.9% in the Rest of NSW. As of 2021, 21.9% (3,090 people) are aged 65 and over. Senior health outcomes present challenges similar to those experienced by the general population.

Goonellabah is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Goonellabah, as per data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census conducted on 9 August 2016, showed low cultural diversity with 89.7% of its population born in Australia and 91.4% being citizens. English was spoken at home by 93.6% of residents. Christianity was the predominant religion, practiced by 55.5% of Goonellabah's population.

The 'Other' religious category comprised 1.6%, slightly higher than the Rest of NSW average of 1.1%. Ancestry-wise, Australian (30.1%), English (30.0%), and Irish (9.3%) were the top three groups. Notable differences existed in the representation of certain ethnicities: Australian Aboriginal at 5.2% compared to regional 4.6%, Scottish at 8.0% versus 8.5%, and Italian at 3.2% against regional 2.6%.

Goonellabah's median age exceeds the national pattern

Goonellabah's median age is 42 years, similar to Rest of NSW's average of 43 but older than Australia's average of 38 years. The age profile shows that those aged 0-4 are prominent at 6.8%, while the 65-74 group is smaller at 11.1% compared to Rest of NSW. Between 2021 and present, the 0-4 age group has increased from 5.8% to 6.8%. Conversely, the 55-64 cohort has decreased from 12.4% to 11.6%. By 2041, population forecasts indicate significant demographic changes in Goonellabah. The 25-34 age group is projected to grow by 17%, adding 298 residents to reach 2,059. In contrast, the 65-74 and 55-64 cohorts are projected to decline in population.