Moruya - Tuross Head
Statistical Area - sa2

Moruya - Tuross Head has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

Moruya-Tuross Head's population is 8,741 as of Aug 2025, a 1.6% increase from the 2021 Census figure of 8,600 people. This growth reflects an estimated resident population of 8,684 in June 2024 and 44 new addresses validated since the Census date. The population density is 52 persons per square kilometer. Moruya-Tuross Head's growth rate of 1.6% since the Census is within 0.7 percentage points of the SA3 area's 2.3%, indicating strong fundamentals. Interstate migration contributed approximately 55.9% to recent population gains. 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, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections are used, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Future trends suggest a population increase just below the median of Australia's non-metropolitan areas, with an expected expansion of 691 persons to 2041, representing a total gain of 7.2% over the 17-year period.

AreaSearch analysis of residential development drivers sees Moruya - Tuross Head recording a relatively average level of approval activity when compared to local markets analysed countrywide

Moruya - Tuross Head has recorded approximately 39 residential property approvals each year over the past five financial years, totalling 196 homes. As of FY2025/26, 5 approvals have been recorded. On average, 1.6 new residents per year per dwelling constructed were noted between FY2020/21 and FY2024/25. The average construction value for new properties is $523,000.

This financial year, $4.5 million in commercial approvals have been registered. Compared to the rest of NSW, Moruya - Tuross Head records about three-quarters the building activity per person and ranks among the 52nd percentile nationally. New building activity comprises 80% detached dwellings and 20% townhouses or apartments, maintaining the area's low-density nature.

The estimated population count is 357 people per dwelling approval. Future projections indicate Moruya - Tuross Head will add approximately 634 residents by 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand.

Moruya - Tuross Head has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified five projects that could impact the area. Notable projects are South Moruya Roundabout, IRT Moruya Community-Integrated Seniors Housing, New Eurobodalla Regional Hospital, and Moruya Bypass. The following list details those most relevant.

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

AreaSearch assessment indicates Moruya - Tuross Head faces employment challenges relative to the majority of Australian markets

Moruya-Tuross Head has a skilled workforce with prominent essential services sectors. As of June 2025, the unemployment rate is 4.7%.

The area's employment rate is 1.1% higher than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%, but participation lags at 45.4% compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Key employment sectors include health care & social assistance, construction, and retail trade. Construction is particularly specialized with an employment share 1.3 times the regional level. Agriculture, forestry & fishing has limited presence at 2.6%, compared to 5.3% regionally.

Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census data comparisons between working population and local population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, the labour force decreased by 3.5% alongside a 4.7% employment decline, causing unemployment to rise by 1.2 percentage points. Rest of NSW recorded an employment decline of 0.1%, labour force growth of 0.3%, with unemployment rising 0.4 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project a 6.6% expansion over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Moruya-Tuross Head's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.6%% over five years and 13.6% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not consider localized population projections.

Income metrics place the area in the bottom 10% of locations nationally according to AreaSearch analysis

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows Moruya - Tuross Head had a median taxpayer income of $40,674 and an average of $52,166. This is lower than national averages, with Rest of NSW having a median of $49,459 and average of $62,998. By September 2025, estimated incomes would be approximately $45,803 (median) and $58,744 (average), based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61%. Census data indicates Moruya - Tuross Head's household, family, and personal incomes fall between the 10th and 13th percentiles nationally. Income analysis reveals 27.9% of the population (2,438 individuals) earn within the $400-$799 range, differing from surrounding regions where the $1,500-$2,999 category is predominant at 29.9%. After housing costs, 86.6% of income remains, ranking at the 14th percentile nationally.

Moruya - Tuross Head is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

The dwelling structure in Moruya - Tuross Head, as per the latest Census, consisted of 91.5% houses and 8.5% other dwellings such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. In contrast, Non-Metro NSW had 84.3% houses and 15.7% other dwellings. Home ownership in Moruya - Tuross Head stood at 53.8%, with mortgaged properties accounting for 26.7% and rented dwellings making up 19.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,517, aligning with the Non-Metro NSW average. The median weekly rent figure was recorded as $310, compared to Non-Metro NSW's figures of $1,517 and $320 respectively. Nationally, Moruya - Tuross Head's mortgage repayments were significantly lower than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

Moruya - Tuross Head features high concentrations of lone person households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 67.0% of all households, including 18.1% couples with children, 39.1% couples without children, and 9.0% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 33.0%, with lone person households at 30.5% and group households comprising 2.5%. The median household size is 2.2 people, which aligns with the average in the Rest of NSW.

Educational outcomes in Moruya - Tuross Head fall within the lower quartile nationally, indicating opportunities for improvement in qualification attainment

The area's university qualification rate is 21.4%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 14.1%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (4.6%) and graduate diplomas (2.7%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 43.1% of residents aged 15+ holding them - advanced diplomas (11.8%) and certificates (31.3%). A total of 24.2% of the population is actively pursuing formal education, including 9.0% in primary, 7.2% in secondary, and 2.1% in tertiary education.

The three schools in Moruya-Tuross Head have a combined enrollment of 837 students. There are two primary and one secondary school serving distinct age groups, with school places per 100 residents at 9.6, below the regional average of 12.7. Some students may attend schools in neighboring areas due to varied educational conditions across Moruya-Tuross Head.

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

Moruya-Tuross Head has 268 active public transport stops. These are served by buses on 32 routes, offering 335 weekly passenger trips in total. Residents' average distance to the nearest stop is 178 meters.

On average, there are 47 trips per day across all routes, equating to about one weekly trip per stop.

Health performance in Moruya - Tuross Head is a key challenge with a range of health conditions having marked impacts on both younger and older age cohorts

Moruya - Tuross Head faces significant health challenges, with various conditions affecting both younger and older residents. Approximately 46% (~4,038 people) have private health cover, lower than the national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (13.8%) and mental health issues (8.7%). Conversely, 58.1% report no medical ailments, compared to 59.6% in Rest of NSW. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 34.3% (2,995 people), compared to 31.7% in Rest of NSW. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors are above average, outperforming the general population in health metrics.

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

Moruya-Tuross Head had a cultural diversity below average, with 89.2% of its population being Australian citizens, born in Australia (86.8%), speaking English only at home (97.2%). Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 51.4%, compared to 49.0% across Rest of NSW. The top three ancestry groups were English (32.4%), Australian (30.0%), and Irish (10.1%).

Notably, Hungarian (0.4%) and Welsh (0.7%) were overrepresented compared to regional averages of 0.2% and 0.5%, respectively, while Scottish representation was slightly lower at 8.5% versus 8.6%.

Moruya - Tuross Head ranks among the oldest 10% of areas nationwide

The median age in Moruya-Tuross Head is 56 years, which is notably higher than Rest of NSW's average of 43 years and significantly exceeds Australia's average of 38 years. The 65-74 age group constitutes 20.2% of the population, compared to Rest of NSW, while the 5-14 cohort makes up 8.4%. This concentration in the 65-74 age group is well above the national average of 9.4%. According to the 2021 Census, the 75-84 age group has increased from 9.6% to 10.8% of the population, while the 55-64 cohort has declined from 19.3% to 16.7%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in Moruya-Tuross Head's age structure. The 75-84 cohort is projected to grow by 24%, adding 222 residents to reach 1,162. Residents aged 65 and older are anticipated to represent 51% of the population growth, while declines are projected for the 5-14 and 55-64 cohorts.