Walgett - Lightning Ridge
Statistical Area - sa2

Walgett - Lightning Ridge has shown very soft population growth performance across periods assessed by AreaSearch

Walgett-Lightning Ridge's population was 5,799 as of November 2025, according to AreaSearch's analysis. This marked a 4.8% increase from the 2021 Census figure of 5,534 people. The growth was inferred from ABS' estimated resident population of 5,784 in June 2024 and seven validated new addresses since the Census date. This resulted in a population density of 0.20 persons per square kilometer. Walgett-Lightning Ridge's growth rate exceeded that of its SA3 area (2.6%) and SA4 region, making it a growth leader. Natural growth contributed approximately 70.3% to overall population gains recently.

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 from 2022 with a base year of 2021 are utilized. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, the population is projected to decline by 1,552 persons. However, specific age cohorts like those aged 85 and over are expected to grow, with a projected increase of 43 people in this group.

The level of residential development activity in Walgett - Lightning Ridge is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Walgett - Lightning Ridge has seen roughly four dwellings granted development approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, 23 homes were approved, with another eight approved so far in FY26. Despite population decline, housing supply has remained adequate relative to demand, resulting in a balanced market with good buyer choice.

The average expected construction cost value for new homes is $301,000. This year, $18.3 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, indicating moderate levels of commercial development. Compared to the Rest of NSW, Walgett - Lightning Ridge records about 59% of building activity per person and ranks among the 10th percentile nationally, suggesting relatively constrained buyer choice and supporting interest in existing properties.

This activity is below the national average, implying the area's established nature and potential planning limitations. New development consists of 67.0% detached dwellings and 33.0% attached dwellings, with a growing mix of townhouses and apartments offering options across different price points. Given stable or declining population forecasts, Walgett - Lightning Ridge may experience less housing pressure, creating favourable conditions for buyers.

Walgett - Lightning Ridge has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 12thth percentile nationally

No factors impact an area's performance more than changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified 0 projects that could affect this region. Key projects include Inland Rail - Narromine to Narrabri, Macquarie-Castlereagh Alluvium Water Resource Plan, Castlereagh Country Regional Drought Resilience Plan, and Newell Highway Upgrade. The following list provides details on those most relevant.

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Employment conditions in Walgett - Lightning Ridge face significant challenges, ranking among the bottom 10% of areas assessed nationally

Walgett - Lightning Ridge has a balanced workforce with white and blue collar jobs, well-represented essential services sectors, and an unemployment rate of 9.6% as of June 2025. There are 2,193 residents employed while the unemployment rate is 6.0% higher than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%.

Workforce participation is significantly lower at 41.6%, compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Dominant employment sectors include agriculture, forestry & fishing, education & training, and health care & social assistance. Agriculture, forestry & fishing has notably high concentration with employment levels at 5.3 times the regional average. Construction is under-represented with only 3.5% of Walgett - Lightning Ridge's workforce compared to Rest of NSW's 9.7%.

Limited local employment opportunities are indicated by Census working population vs resident population count. In the 12-month period ending June 2025, labour force decreased by 1.7%, employment declined by 5.4%, causing unemployment rate to rise by 3.6 percentage points. This contrasts with Rest of NSW where employment fell by 0.1%, labour force expanded by 0.3%, and unemployment rose by 0.4 percentage points. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia (May 2025) project national growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, with varying rates across industry sectors. Applying these projections to Walgett - Lightning Ridge's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 5.2% over five years and 11.6% over ten years, using simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

Walgett - Lightning Ridge's median income among taxpayers was $41,131 and average income stood at $49,311 in financial year 2022. These figures are lower than Rest of NSW's median income of $49,459 and average income of $62,998 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% from financial year 2022 to September 2025, estimated incomes would be approximately $46,318 (median) and $55,529 (average). According to the 2021 Census, household, family and personal incomes in Walgett - Lightning Ridge fall between the 3rd and 6th percentiles nationally. Income analysis shows that 28.2% of residents (1,635 people) are in the $400 - 799 income bracket, contrasting with the surrounding region where the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket leads at 29.9%. Lower income households are prevalent, with 40.9% earning below $800 weekly. While housing costs are modest, with 89.9% of income retained, total disposable income ranks at just the 7th percentile nationally.

Walgett - Lightning Ridge is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Walgett-Lightning Ridge's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 81.1% houses and 18.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Non-Metro NSW's 90.0% houses and 10.0% other dwellings. The home ownership rate in Walgett-Lightning Ridge was 46.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 17.1% and rented ones at 37.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $852, lower than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,000. The median weekly rent figure was $179, similar to Non-Metro NSW's $180. Nationally, Walgett-Lightning Ridge's mortgage repayments were significantly lower at $852 compared to Australia's average of $1,863, and rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

Walgett - Lightning Ridge features high concentrations of lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 59.0% of all households, including 18.1% couples with children, 27.1% couples without children, and 12.6% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 41.0%, with lone person households at 37.3% and group households accounting for 3.5%. The median household size is 2.2 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.3.

Walgett - Lightning Ridge faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area has educational challenges, with university qualification rates at 16.7%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 13.6%, followed by graduate diplomas at 1.7% and postgraduate qualifications at 1.4%. Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 43.6% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials - advanced diplomas at 11.5% and certificates at 32.1%.

Educational participation is high, with 39.3% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 17.6% in primary education, 10.9% in secondary education, and 3.1% pursuing tertiary education. There are nine schools operating within Walgett - Lightning Ridge, educating approximately 875 students. The educational mix includes five primary, one secondary, and three K-12 schools.

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

Walgett-Lightning Ridge has 239 active public transport stops. These are serviced by 28 routes offering 263 weekly trips. Residents' average distance to the nearest stop is 312 meters.

Daily service frequency averages 37 trips across all routes, equating to about one weekly trip per stop. Transport accessibility is rated as good in this area.

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

Walgett - Lightning Ridge faces significant health challenges, with common conditions prevalent among both younger and older age groups. Only approximately 46% (~2,673 people) have private health cover, compared to 50.1% in Rest of NSW and a national average of 55.3%. The most frequent medical conditions are arthritis (10.6%) and asthma (7.8%), while 63.5% report no medical ailments, slightly lower than the 65.9% in Rest of NSW.

The area has a higher proportion of residents aged 65 and over at 23.3% (1,349 people), compared to 20.2% in Rest of NSW.

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

Walgett-Lightning Ridge has a cultural diversity below average, with 71.3% of its population being citizens born in Australia speaking English only at home: 88.9% and 93.2%, respectively. Christianity is the predominant religion here, comprising 57.7% compared to 67.2% regionally. Top ancestry groups are Australian (27.0%), English (23.2%), and Australian Aboriginal (20.7%).

Notably, Serbian (0.8%) and Hungarian (0.4%) populations exceed the regional averages of 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively, while Croatian is slightly higher at 0.6%.

Walgett - Lightning Ridge hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

Walgett-Lightning Ridge has a median age of 44 years, similar to Rest of NSW's 43 and above the national average of 38 years. Compared to Rest of NSW, Walgett-Lighting Ridge has a higher proportion of residents aged 55-64 (14.6%) but fewer residents aged 35-44 (9.6%). Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, the population aged 75 to 84 increased from 6.5% to 7.5%, while the 55 to 64 age group decreased from 15.8% to 14.6%. By 2041, Walgett-Lighting Ridge is projected to experience significant changes in its age composition, with the 85+ group growing by 48 people to reach 143, and residents aged 65 and older accounting for all anticipated growth. Conversely, both the 75 to 84 and 0 to 4 age groups are expected to decrease in number.