Chart Color Schemes
This analysis uses ABS Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2) boundaries, which can materially differ from Suburbs and Localities (SAL) even when sharing similar names.
SA2 boundaries are defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and are designed to represent communities for statistical reporting (e.g., census and ERP).
Suburbs and Localities (SAL) represent commonly-used suburb/locality names (postal-style areas) and may use different geographic boundaries. For comprehensive analysis, consider reviewing both boundary types if available.
est. as @ -- *
ABS ERP | -- people | --
2021 Census | -- people
Sales Activity
Curious about local property values? Filter the chart to assess the volume and appreciation (including resales) trends and regional comparisons, or scroll to the map below view this information at an individual property level.
Find a Recent Sale
Sales Detail
Population
Inverell Surrounds - East is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends
Inverell Surrounds - East's population was around 5,273 as of November 2025, according to AreaSearch's analysis. This reflects a growth of 73 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 5,200. The change is inferred from an estimated resident population of 5,233 in June 2024 and an additional 45 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 0.60 persons per square kilometer. Inverell Surrounds - East's growth rate of 1.4% since the census is within 1.5 percentage points of the SA3 area's growth rate of 2.9%, indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration contributed approximately 62.5% of overall population gains during recent periods in this area.
AreaSearch adopts 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 uses the NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Future population trends suggest an increase just below the median of regional areas across the nation. The area is expected to expand by 602 persons to 2041, reflecting a gain of 10.7% in total over the 17 years, based on the latest annual ERP population numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
Development
The level of residential development activity in Inverell Surrounds - East is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch
Inverell Surrounds - East has seen approximately eight new homes approved annually in the eastern region over the past five financial years, with a total of 42 approvals between FY21 and FY25, and two so far in FY26. Despite population decline during this period, housing supply has been adequate relative to demand, resulting in a balanced market with good buyer choice. New dwellings are developed at an average construction cost value of $306,000.
Additionally, $1.8 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded in the current financial year, indicating a predominantly residential focus. Compared to the rest of NSW, Inverell Surrounds - East has around two-thirds the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and ranks among the 32nd percentile nationally, suggesting limited buyer options while strengthening demand for established homes. Development activity has increased in recent periods, though it remains lower than national levels, reflecting market maturity and possible development constraints. New building activity comprises 86.0% detached houses and 14.0% medium to high-density housing, maintaining the area's traditional low density character with a focus on family homes appealing to those seeking space.
The estimated population per dwelling approval is 500 people, indicating its quiet, low activity development environment. According to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate, Inverell Surrounds - East is expected to grow by 562 residents through to 2041. If current construction levels persist, housing supply may lag population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and underpinning price growth.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Infrastructure
Inverell Surrounds - East has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 38thth percentile nationally
Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 32 projects that could impact the region. Notable ones include Lake Inverell Recreational Precinct Enhancement, Inverell Hospital Redevelopment, New Residential Areas Structure Plans, and Inverell Sports Complex Upgrade. The following list details those most likely to be relevant.
Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.
INFRASTRUCTURE SEARCH
Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.
Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
New Residential Areas Structure Plans
Council has endorsed the Structure Plans to provide an overall framework for three new residential growth areas in Inverell. The plans guide sustainable urban expansion, ensuring orderly and efficient development for road linkages, stormwater drainage, open space, and services provision. The project aims to accommodate population growth while minimising impacts on natural attributes and is supported by NSW Government fast-track funding for detailed drainage assessment and plans.
Inverell Hospital Redevelopment
NSW Health Infrastructure delivered a major upgrade of Inverell Health Service, including a new acute services hospital (Stage 1A) and refurbishment of the existing building to relocate community health services (Stage 1B). The project modernised facilities and expanded key services such as renal dialysis, day surgery, emergency, maternity, imaging and inpatient care.
Inverell Town Centre Renewal Plan
Comprehensive, multi-staged renewal of Inverell's town centre, adopted by Council in 2014. Key works include streetscape improvements, enhanced pedestrian areas, public art installations, and replacement of old street trees with new species (Pin Oaks and Chanticleer Pears) to create an innovative at-grade centre median. Stage 1 (Otho Street) was completed in 2018. Stage 2 (Byron Street) was completed in 2020. The project is currently in the planning/funding stage for future works, referred to as TCRP Stage 3, for which over $517,000 in surplus funds from the Aquatic Centre Redevelopment were allocated in late 2025.
Gwydir Highway Improvements, Inverell Town Centre
Planning study for improvements to the Gwydir Highway through Inverell including intersection upgrades, pedestrian crossings, and traffic flow enhancements. The project aims to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion in the town centre. Transport for NSW manages the Gwydir Highway in Inverell, with local input from Inverell Shire Council for project selection and maintenance. The highway through Inverell is a major peak traffic area.
Sapphire Wind Farm
NSW's largest operational wind farm with 75 Vestas V126 3.6MW turbines generating 270MW of renewable energy. Located between Glen Innes Severn and Inverell Shires in the New England region (18km west of Glen Innes, 28km east of Inverell). Fully operational since late 2018. Includes a co-located 30MW Sapphire Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) operational since 2024. Generates enough energy to power approximately 115,000-135,000 homes annually, offsetting over 700,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. Major offtakers include ACT Government (100MW PPA helping achieve 100% renewables), Nestl‚, Fujitsu, Transurban, and others. Annual community benefit fund of $187,500 (primarily to Inverell Shire, minor portion to Glen Innes Severn).
Inverell Aquatic Centre Redevelopment
A complete replacement of the 70-year-old memorial swimming pool with a state-of-the-art $25 million aquatic centre featuring an 8-lane 50m outdoor/indoor pool, 20m warm water program pool with moveable floor, indoor splash park, toddlers pool, cafe, and comprehensive aquatic programs. The facility achieved World Aquatics (FINA) accreditation and opened in February 2025.
Bunnings Warehouse Inverell
Development of a new Bunnings Warehouse store with a total floor area of 8,497 square metres, featuring a main warehouse retail area (3,770 square metres), outdoor nursery (621 square metres), timber trade sales area (1,697 square metres), and other specialized zones. The project includes sustainability features such as 1,400 square metres of solar panels, rainwater capture tanks for irrigation and toilet reuse, bio-retention areas for site runoff management, and 198 parking spaces. Expected to create 90 jobs, representing an increase of 40 jobs compared to the existing Bunnings location.
Sundown Solar Farm
A 360 MW (AC) solar photovoltaic farm with a 150 MW battery energy storage system (BESS, approximately 4-hour duration) located approximately 30 km east of Inverell in the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). The project includes approximately 660,000 solar panels on single-axis trackers, an onsite 330 kV substation, grid connection infrastructure, access road upgrades, and supporting facilities. It is expected to generate enough renewable energy to power over 150,000 average NSW homes annually. As of November 2025, the project remains under assessment with additional information requested by the NSW Department of Planning.
Employment
Inverell Surrounds - East has seen below average employment performance when compared to national benchmarks
Inverell Surrounds - East has a balanced workforce with white and blue collar employment, diverse sector representation, and an unemployment rate of 3.5%. Over the past year, there has been relative employment stability.
As of September 2025, 2,485 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 0.3% lower than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.8%. Workforce participation is significantly lower at 49.0%, compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Employment is concentrated in agriculture, forestry & fishing, health care & social assistance, and education & training. The area has a high specialization in agriculture, forestry & fishing, with an employment share 6.3 times the regional level.
Conversely, accommodation & food services have lower representation at 3.1%, compared to the regional average of 7.8%. The limited local employment opportunities are indicated by the count of Census working population versus resident population. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment increased by 0.1% while labour force increased by 0.9%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate by 0.8 percentage points. In contrast, Rest of NSW experienced an employment decline of 0.5% and a labour force decline of 0.1%, with a 0.4 percentage point rise in unemployment rate. State-level data up to 25-Nov-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%. National employment forecasts from May-25 suggest national employment will expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Inverell Surrounds - East's employment mix indicates local employment should increase by 5.0% over five years and 11.4% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Income
Income metrics place the area in the bottom 10% of locations nationally according to AreaSearch analysis
The Inverell Surrounds - East SA2's median income among taxpayers was $39,684 in financial year 2022. The average income stood at $45,631 during the same period. This compares to figures for Rest of NSW which were $49,459 and $62,998 respectively. By September 2025, based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61%, current estimates would be approximately $44,688 (median) and $51,385 (average). According to the 2021 Census, household, family and personal incomes in Inverell Surrounds - East all fell between the 3rd and 5th percentiles nationally. The largest income segment comprised 28.5% earning $800 - $1,499 weekly, with 1,502 residents falling into this bracket, unlike broader area trends where 29.9% earned within the $1,500 - $2,999 range. Housing costs were modest, with 90.3% of income retained, however total disposable income ranked at just the 11th percentile nationally.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Housing
Inverell Surrounds - East is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership
Inverell Surrounds - East's dwelling structure in its latest Census evaluation showed 98.1% houses and 1.9% other dwellings. This compared to Non-Metro NSW's 93.0% houses and 6.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Inverell Surrounds - East was recorded at 53.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 29.4% and rented ones at 17.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,000, lower than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,100. The median weekly rent figure was $200, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $240. Nationally, Inverell Surrounds - East's mortgage repayments were significantly lower at $1,000 versus Australia's average of $1,863, and rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Household Composition
Inverell Surrounds - East has a typical household mix, with a higher-than-average median household size
Family households constitute 70.4% of all households, including 24.6% couples with children, 34.4% couples without children, and 9.9% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 29.6%, with lone person households at 26.7% and group households making up 3.0% of the total. The median household size is 2.4 people, which is larger than the Rest of NSW average of 2.3.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
Local Schools & Education
Inverell Surrounds - East faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally
The area's university qualification rate is 12.0%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 9.6%, followed by graduate diplomas (1.3%) and postgraduate qualifications (1.1%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 41.2% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (10.4%) and certificates (30.8%). Educational participation is high at 29.7%, with 12.3% in primary education, 9.6% in secondary education, and 1.7% pursuing tertiary education.
Educational participation is notably high, with 29.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 12.3% in primary education, 9.6% in secondary education, and 1.7% pursuing tertiary education.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Nearby Services & Amenities
Transport
Transport servicing is low compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility
Transport analysis shows 108 active stops operating within Inverell Surrounds - East. These are served by buses via 19 routes, offering 227 weekly passenger trips. Accessibility is limited, with residents typically 7831 meters from the nearest stop.
Service frequency averages 32 daily trips across all routes, equating to approximately two weekly trips per stop.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
Health
Health performance in Inverell Surrounds - East is well below average with prevalence of common health conditions notable across both younger and older age cohorts
Inverell Surrounds - East faces significant health challenges. Common health conditions are prevalent across both younger and older age groups.
Private health cover is low at approximately 47% (~2,457 people), compared to the national average of 55.3%. The most common medical conditions are arthritis (12.3%) and asthma (8.0%). 61.6% of residents report no medical ailments, similar to Rest of NSW at 61.0%. The area has 24.6% of residents aged 65 and over (1,299 people), lower than the 27.4% in Rest of NSW. Health outcomes among seniors are challenging but generally align with the overall population's health profile.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Cultural Diversity
The latest Census data sees Inverell Surrounds - East placing among the least culturally diverse areas in the country when compared across a range of language and cultural background related metrics
Inverell Surrounds - East had a lower cultural diversity, with 87.1% of its population being Australian citizens, 92.2% born in Australia, and 98.6% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, comprising 66.0% of people, compared to 64.8% across Rest of NSW. The top three ancestry groups were Australian (33.2%), English (30.6%), and Irish (8.2%).
Notably, Australian Aboriginal representation was higher at 8.0%, compared to the regional average of 6.4%. German representation stood at 4.5% versus 3.9% regionally, while Scottish representation was slightly lower at 7.9% against 8.4%.
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
Age
Inverell Surrounds - East hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide
Inverell Surrounds - East has a median age of 47 years, which is significantly higher than the Rest of NSW average of 43 and substantially exceeds the national average of 38 years. The age profile shows that those aged 55-64 are particularly prominent at 15.2%, while the 15-24 group is comparatively smaller at 9.0% compared to the Rest of NSW. Between 2021 and present, the 5-14 age group has grown from 12.5% to 13.6% of the population. Conversely, the 45-54 cohort has declined from 14.2% to 12.2%, and the 15-24 group has dropped from 10.4% to 9.0%. By 2041, Inverell Surrounds - East is expected to see notable shifts in its age composition. Leading this demographic shift, the 75-84 age group will grow by 35 people, reaching 578 from 427. The aging population trend is clear, with those aged 65 and above comprising 50% of projected growth. Conversely, numbers in the 15-24 age range are expected to fall by approximately 8%.