Cootamundra

Cootamundra is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

As of May 2026, the estimated population of the suburb of Cootamundra is around 6,896 people. This figure reflects an increase of 11 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 6,885 people. The change was inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population based on the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2025 and the validation of 38 new addresses since the Census date. This level of population results in a density ratio of 7.8 persons per square kilometer, indicating ample space per person. The suburb's 0.2% growth since the census places it within 2.0 percentage points of the SA4 region (2.2%), suggesting competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration was primarily responsible for population growth in recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting 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 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 the years 2032 to 2041. Future population trends indicate lower quartile growth nationally for regional areas. Based on aggregated SA2-level projections, the suburb is expected to increase by 259 persons to 2041, reflecting a total increase of 3.8% over the 16-year period.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Cootamundra, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers allocated from statistical area data indicates Cootamundra has experienced approximately 15 dwellings receiving development approval per year over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 79 homes. In the current financial year FY-26, 9 approvals have been recorded. Over these five years, an average of 0 people per year moved to the area for each dwelling built, suggesting supply meets or exceeds demand and supports potential population growth while providing greater buyer choice. The average expected construction cost value of new homes is $423,000, which is higher than regional norms, reflecting quality-focused development.

This financial year has seen $7.0 million in commercial development approvals, demonstrating the area's primarily residential nature. When compared to the Rest of NSW, Cootamundra records markedly lower building activity, at 54.0% below the regional average per person, which typically reinforces demand and pricing for existing homes. This activity is also under the national average, indicating the area's established nature and suggesting potential planning limitations. The new building activity shows 89.0% standalone homes and 11.0% medium and high-density housing, preserving the area's low density nature with an emphasis on detached housing attracting space-seeking buyers. The estimated count of people in the area per dwelling approval is 809, reflecting its quiet, low activity development environment.

Future projections show Cootamundra adding 259 residents by 2041, based on the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate. With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Cootamundra has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified two projects expected to affect the region: The Wired Lab - The Church (Muttama Cultural Tourism Project) and Inland Rail - Illabo to Stockinbingal. Other notable initiatives include the Smart Water Meter Replacement Program and the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council Single Local Environmental Plan Development. Below are details of projects 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.

Despite maintaining a low unemployment rate of 3.3%, Cootamundra has experienced recent job losses, resulting in a below average employment performance ranking when compared nationally

Cootamundra's workforce is balanced across white and blue collar jobs, with prominent essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate was 3.3% as of December 2025, according to AreaSearch's statistical area data aggregation. In this period, 2,576 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate 0.7% lower than Regional NSW's rate of 3.9%.

Workforce participation was significantly lower at 45.4%, compared to Regional NSW's 60.5%. Census responses showed that only 8.5% of residents worked from home, but Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered. Leading employment industries were health care & social assistance, retail trade, and agriculture, forestry & fishing. The area had a strong specialization in agriculture, forestry & fishing, with an employment share 1.8 times the regional level.

Conversely, accommodation & food services showed lower representation at 5.2% versus the regional average of 7.8%. The area appeared to offer limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the count of Census working population vs resident population. In the 12-month period ending in December 2025, labour force decreased by 2.9%, alongside a 2.9% employment decline, with unemployment remaining essentially unchanged. This contrasted with Regional NSW, where employment contracted by 1.2%, the labour force fell by 0.8%, and unemployment rose by 0.4 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 offered further insight into potential future demand within Cootamundra. These projections estimated that national employment would expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, with growth rates varying significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Cootamundra's employment mix suggested local employment should increase by 6.1% over five years and 13.0% over ten years.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year ended June 2023, Cootamundra had a median income among taxpayers of $46,248 and an average income of $59,418. This is below the national averages of $52,390 and $65,215 for Regional NSW respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.32% since financial year ended June 2023, current estimates would be approximately $51,021 (median) and $65,550 (average) as of March 2026. According to the Census conducted in August 2021, household, family and personal incomes in Cootamundra all fall between the 4th and 10th percentiles nationally. Income analysis reveals that the largest segment comprises 29.8% earning $400 - $799 weekly (2,055 residents), differing from the broader area where the $1,500 - $2,999 category predominates at 29.9%. Housing costs are modest with 88.3% of income retained, but total disposable income ranks at just the 8th percentile nationally.

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

In Cootamundra, as per the latest Census, 91.6% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 8.4% being semi-detached, apartments, or other types. This compares to Regional NSW's figures of 82.6% houses and 17.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Cootamundra stood at 50.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 25.6% and rented ones at 24.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,149, lower than Regional NSW's average of $1,733. Median weekly rent in Cootamundra was $220, compared to Regional NSW's $330. Nationally, Cootamundra's mortgage repayments were significantly lower at $1,149 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 64.8% of all households, including 20.0% couples with children, 34.1% couples without children, and 10.1% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 35.2%, with lone person households at 33.2% and group households comprising 1.9%. The median household size is 2.2 people, which is smaller than the Regional NSW average of 2.4.

Cootamundra faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area has university qualification rates of 13.1%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 9.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (1.8%) and graduate diplomas (1.7%). Trade and technical skills are prevalent, with 40.9% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials - advanced diplomas (10.3%) and certificates (30.6%). Educational participation is high, with 25.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education.

This includes 9.8% in primary education, 7.9% in secondary education, and 1.5% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Cootamundra has 222 active public transport stops offering a mix of train and bus services. These stops are served by 35 routes, collectively providing 875 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated excellent, with residents typically located 152 meters from the nearest stop. Most commutes are outward-bound due to Cootamundra's residential nature. Cars remain the dominant mode at 91%, with 6% walking. Vehicle ownership averages 1.3 per dwelling, below the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, a relatively low 8.5% of residents work from home, which may reflect COVID-19 conditions. Service frequency averages 125 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 3 weekly trips per stop. The accompanying map displays the 100 nearest stops to the location centrepoint.

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

Cootamundra faces significant health challenges, according to AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Notably high prevalence was observed across both younger and older age groups.

Private health cover is relatively low at approximately 50% of the total population (~3,479 people), compared to the national average of 55.7%. The most common medical conditions are arthritis (12.8%) and mental health issues (9.5%). Conversely, 56.2% of residents reported being completely clear of medical ailments, lower than Regional NSW's 63.3%. Working-age population health challenges include elevated chronic condition rates. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 34.4% (2,372 people), compared to Regional NSW's 23.4%. Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

The latest Census data sees Cootamundra placing among the least culturally diverse areas in the country when compared across a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Cootamundra, as per the 2016 Census, exhibited lower cultural diversity with 91.7% of its population being Australian citizens, 92.5% born in Australia, and 97.3% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 69.5%, compared to 55.9% across Regional NSW. The top three ancestry groups were English (33.5%), Australian (32.9%), and Irish (10.6%).

Notably, Australian Aboriginal representation was higher at 5.1% in Cootamundra versus 4.6% regionally, while Samoan and German representations were similar at 0.1% and 3.2% respectively.

Cootamundra ranks among the oldest 10% of areas nationwide

Cootamundra's median age at 51 years is significantly higher than the Regional NSW average of 43 and the Australian median of 38. The 75-84 cohort is notably over-represented in Cootamundra, making up 12.6% of the local population compared to the Regional NSW average of 9.5%. This concentration is well above the national average of 6.1%. Post-2021 Census data shows that the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 10.9% to 12.6%, while the 15 to 24 cohort increased from 9.3% to 10.6%. Conversely, the 55 to 64 cohort declined from 14.7% to 13.2%, and the 35 to 44 group dropped from 8.9% to 7.8%. By 2041, Cootamundra is expected to see notable shifts in its age composition. The 85+ group will grow by 40%, reaching 493 people from 351. Those aged 65 and above are projected to comprise 53% of the population growth, while both the 65-74 and 55-64 age groups are expected to see reduced numbers.