Bowral

Population growth drivers in Bowral are slightly above average based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium term trends

Based on ABS population updates and AreaSearch validations, as of Nov 2025, Bowral's estimated population is around 10,793. This reflects an increase of 29 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 10,764. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of 10,759 residents following examination of ABS's latest ERP data release in June 2024 and additional validation of 173 new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 290 persons per square kilometer. Overseas migration contributed approximately 79.0% of overall population gains recently.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 with a base year of 2021 are used. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Future population dynamics anticipate an above median growth for locations outside capital cities, with Bowral expected to expand by 1,412 persons by 2041, reflecting an increase of 11.6% over the 17-year period.

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

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers, allocated from statistical area data, shows Bowral has had around 104 dwelling approvals per year over the past five financial years up to FY26. This totals an estimated 524 homes. By FY26, 35 approvals have been recorded so far. Despite population decline in recent years, development activity has been adequate relative to population size.

Developers target the premium market segment with new dwellings valued at an average of $673,000. In this financial year, $30.3 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded. Compared to the Rest of NSW, Bowral has 50% more development activity per person. New development consists of 62% detached dwellings and 38% medium and high-density housing. This shows a shift from the current housing mix of 81% houses.

Bowral has around 158 people per dwelling approval, indicating low density characteristics. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, Bowral is expected to grow by 1,251 residents by 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

Bowral has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 20% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 11 projects that could affect this region. Notable ones include the Bowral and District Hospital Redevelopment - Stage 2, Bowral Sewage Treatment Plant Upgrade, Bowral South New Living Area (NLA), and Retford Farm Stormwater Detention Basin. The following list details those most likely to be relevant.

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

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.

The labour market strength in Bowral positions it well ahead of most Australian regions

Bowral's workforce is highly educated with significant representation in professional services. The unemployment rate was 1.1% as of September 2025.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 3.1%. Compared to Rest of NSW, Bowral had an unemployment rate of 2.8%, but workforce participation lagged at 48.6%. Dominant employment sectors include health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services, with a notable concentration in the latter, being 2.0 times the regional average. Agriculture, forestry & fishing employed only 1.6% of local workers, below Rest of NSW's 5.3%.

Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census working population data. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment increased by 3.1%, labour force by 3.3%, raising the unemployment rate by 0.2 percentage points. In contrast, Rest of NSW saw employment fall by 0.5% and unemployment rise by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data to 25-Nov-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03% with an unemployment rate of 3.9%, compared to the national rate of 4.3%. National employment forecasts from May-25 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Bowral's employment mix suggests local employment growth could be 6.9% over five years and 14.1% over ten years, though this is a simplified extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

Income levels sit below national averages according to AreaSearch assessment

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2023, the suburb of Bowral had a median income among taxpayers of $48,683. The average income stood at $92,942. Nationally, these figures are extremely high compared to the rest of NSW, which has median and average incomes of $52,390 and $65,215 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since financial year 2023, current estimates for Bowral would be approximately $52,996 (median) and $101,177 (average) as of September 2025. According to the 2021 Census figures, household, family, and personal incomes in Bowral rank modestly, between the 37th and 49th percentiles. The earnings profile shows that 26.9% of the community (2,903 individuals) falls within the $1,500 - $2,999 earnings band, mirroring regional levels where 29.9% occupy this bracket. After housing expenses, 84.9% of income remains for other expenses. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

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

Dwelling structure in Bowral, as evaluated at the latest Census held on 28 August 2016, comprised 80.7% houses and 19.3% other dwellings including semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings, compared to Non-Metro NSW's 90.6% houses and 9.4% other dwellings. In Bowral, the level of home ownership was 53.8%, with mortgaged dwellings at 26.3% and rented dwellings at 19.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Bowral was $2,167 as of July 2021, aligning with Non-Metro NSW's average but higher than the national average of $1,863. The median weekly rent figure in Bowral was recorded at $500 in June 2021, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $430 and the national figure of $375.

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

Family households comprise 66.8% of all households, including 21.9% couples with children, 36.1% couples without children, and 8.2% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 33.2%, with lone person households at 31.2% and group households comprising 1.9% of the total. The median household size is 2.2 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.4.

The educational profile of Bowral exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

In Bowral, 35.4% of residents aged 15 and above have university qualifications, exceeding the broader benchmarks of 21.3% in Rest of NSW and 22.4% in the SA4 region. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 22.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (9.4%) and graduate diplomas (3.7%). Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 33.7% of residents holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas at 14.4% and certificates at 19.3%. A total of 23.9% of the population is actively pursuing formal education, including 8.4% in primary, 7.4% in secondary, and 3.5% in tertiary education.

A substantial 23.9% of the population actively pursues formal education. This includes 8.4% in primary education, 7.4% in secondary education, and 3.5% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Bowral has 197 active public transport stops, serving a mix of train and bus services. These are covered by 52 routes offering 2,823 weekly passenger trips in total. The average distance to the nearest stop for residents is 157 meters.

On average, there are 403 trips per day across all routes, which translates to about 14 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Bowral faces significant health challenges, with common conditions prevalent across both younger and older age groups. Private health cover is notably high at approximately 64% (6,862 people), compared to the national average of 55.7%.

The most frequent medical conditions are arthritis (12.7%) and mental health issues (6.6%). Conversely, 62.3% of residents report no medical ailments, slightly lower than Rest of NSW's 64.8%. Bowral has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 37.2% (4,014 people), compared to Rest of NSW's 27.7%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors in Bowral are strong, exceeding general population metrics.

In terms of cultural diversity, Bowral records figures broadly comparable to the national average, as found in AreaSearch's assessment of a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Bowral's cultural diversity aligns with the broader region, as 77.3% were born in Australia, 89.8% are citizens, and 91.9% speak English only at home. Christianity is the predominant religion, practiced by 60.6%. Judaism is slightly overrepresented at 0.5%, compared to 0.3% regionally.

The top three ancestry groups are English (32.7%), Australian (24.0%), and Irish (11.3%). Notable differences exist in Scottish (10.0% vs regional 9.6%), French (0.8% vs 0.6%), and Welsh (0.7% vs 0.6%) ancestry representation.

Bowral ranks among the oldest 10% of areas nationwide

Bowral's median age is 55 years, higher than Rest of NSW's average of 43 and national norm of 38. The age profile shows 75-84 year-olds comprise 15.9%, compared to Rest of NSW's 65+ concentration of 12.0%. The 25-34 group is smaller at 6.1% than in Rest of NSW (10.6%). Nationally, the 75-84 age group is 6.0%. Between 2021 and present, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 8.2% to 9.1%, while the 65 to 74 cohort has decreased from 16.9% to 15.2%. By 2041, demographic projections show significant shifts: the 85+ age cohort is expected to rise by 439 people (67%) from 658 to 1,098. Conversely, the 15-24 and 55-64 cohorts are projected to decline in population.