Gundagai

Gundagai 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 November 2025, the estimated population of Gundagai is around 1,640 people, reflecting a decrease of 59 individuals since the 2021 Census. The ABS ERP estimate for surrounding areas applied by AreaSearch to Gundagai in June 2024 indicated a resident population of 1,614, with an additional five validated new addresses added since the Census date contributing to this figure. This results in a population density of approximately 34 persons per square kilometer. Natural growth accounted for about 53% of overall population gains recently. AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections released in 2024 with a base year of 2022 for covered SA2 areas, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections from 2022 with a base year of 2021 for uncovered areas until 2041.

By 2041, the population is projected to decrease by 105 persons, but specific age cohorts like those aged 75 to 84 are expected to grow by 34 individuals.

The level of residential development activity in Gundagai is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Gundagai approved 3 new dwellings annually from 2017 to 2021, totalling 18. The area's rural nature drives development based on local housing needs rather than market demand. Small sample size can significantly impact annual growth and relativity statistics.

Gundagai has lower development activity compared to Rest of NSW and national averages. All approved dwellings were detached houses suited for families seeking rural lifestyle. With an estimated 3464 people per dwelling approval, Gundagai's stable or declining population forecasts may reduce housing pressure, benefiting buyers.

Given stable or declining population forecasts, Gundagai may experience less housing pressure, creating favourable conditions for buyers.

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

Ten projects have been identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area, with key ones including Sheridan Street Upgrade, Public Toilet Facility in Gundagai's Main Street, Gundagai Netball Courts Upgrades, and Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council Single Local Environmental Plan Development.

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

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The labour market in Gundagai demonstrates typical performance when compared to similar areas across Australia

Gundagai has a balanced workforce across white and blue collar jobs, with manufacturing and industrial sectors prominent. Its unemployment rate was 3.6% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 7.7%.

As of June 2025781 residents were employed, aligning with Rest of NSW's 3.7% unemployment rate but having a lower workforce participation at 52.2%. Key industries include manufacturing, health care & social assistance, and accommodation & food services. Manufacturing stands out with employment levels three times the regional average, while health care & social assistance is relatively lower at 13.9%. The area may lack local employment opportunities, as indicated by Census data comparing working population to resident population.

Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 7.7% while labour force rose by 8.3%, raising the unemployment rate by 0.5 percentage points. In contrast, Rest of NSW saw employment fall by 0.1%, labour force expand by 0.3%, and unemployment rise by 0.4 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 project overall growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, but growth varies significantly between sectors. Applying these projections to Gundagai's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 5.4% over five years and 12.1% over ten years, though this is a simplified extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

The area's income levels rank in the lower 15% nationally based on AreaSearch comparative data

Gundagai's median income among taxpayers was $43,396 in financial year 2022. The average income stood at $56,425 during the same period. These figures compare to Rest of NSW's median and average incomes of $49,459 and $62,998 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, estimated median income in Gundagai as of September 2025 would be approximately $48,868, with average income estimated at $63,540. Census 2021 income data shows household, family and personal incomes in Gundagai fall between the 15th and 23rd percentiles nationally. In Gundagai, 29.4% of the population (482 individuals) have incomes ranging from $1,500 to $2,999, similar to metropolitan regions where 29.9% occupy this bracket. Housing costs are modest in Gundagai, with residents retaining 89.0% of their income after housing expenses. However, total disposable income ranks at the 20th percentile nationally.

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

In Gundagai, as per the latest Census, 87.9% of dwellings were houses with the remaining 12.1% being semi-detached homes, apartments, or other types. This compares to Non-Metro NSW's figures of 88.4% houses and 11.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Gundagai stood at 47.5%, with mortgaged properties at 27.9% and rented ones at 24.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,211, lower than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,430. The median weekly rent in Gundagai was $230, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $280. Nationally, Gundagai's mortgage repayments were significantly lower than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

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

Family households comprise 62.1% of all households, including 23.9% couples with children, 28.1% couples without children, and 8.9% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 37.9%, with lone person households making up 33.6% and group households comprising 3.3%. The median household size is 2.3 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.5.

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

The area faces educational challenges, with university qualification rates at 15.2%, significantly below 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 11.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (2.7%) and graduate diplomas (1.3%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 35.9% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials - advanced diplomas (8.6%) and certificates (27.3%).

Educational participation is high at 27.6%, including 11.0% in primary education, 8.1% in secondary education, and 1.9% pursuing tertiary education. Gundagai's three schools have a combined enrollment of 401 students as of the latest data. The area demonstrates typical Australian school conditions (ICSEA: 957) with balanced educational opportunities. Education provision is balanced with two primary and one secondary school serving distinct age groups. As an education hub, the area has 24.4 school places per 100 residents, significantly above the regional average of 15.3, attracting students from surrounding communities as of the current statistics.

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

Gundagai has 37 active public transport stops, all of which operate buses. These stops are served by 19 different routes that together offer 136 weekly passenger trips. The town's transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically living 282 meters away from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 19 trips per day across all routes, which translates to approximately 3 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Gundagai faces significant health challenges, as indicated by data from younger and older age groups. Approximately 49% (808 people) have private health cover, lower than the Rest of NSW's 51.4%, and below the national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent conditions are arthritis (10.5%) and asthma (8.1%), with 64.5% reporting no medical ailments, similar to the Rest of NSW figure.

Gundagai has a higher proportion of residents aged 65 and over at 27.1% (444 people), compared to the Rest of NSW's 19.6%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors are challenging but perform better than the general population in health metrics.

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

Gundagai's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 84.9% of its population being citizens, 89.8% born in Australia, and 91.7% speaking English only at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Gundagai, comprising 75.4% of people, compared to 64.3% across Rest of NSW. The top three ancestry groups in Gundagai are Australian (34.4%), English (34.4%), and Irish (10.2%).

Notably, Australian Aboriginal is overrepresented at 3.0%, Chinese at 2.9%, and Maori at 0.4% compared to regional averages of 4.5%, 0.9%, and 0.2% respectively.

Gundagai hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

Gundagai's median age is 45 years, which is slightly higher than Rest of NSW's median age of 43. This makes Gundagai considerably older than the national norm of 38 years. Compared to the Rest of NSW average, the percentage of people aged 85 and above is notably higher in Gundagai (4.6% locally), while the percentage of people aged 15 to 24 is lower (9.7%). Between 2021 and the present, the age group of 75 to 84 has increased from 8.2% to 9.3% of Gundagai's population. Conversely, the age group of 55 to 64 has decreased from 13.8% to 12.5%. Demographic projections suggest that by 2041, Gundagai's age profile will change significantly. The 75 to 84 age cohort is projected to expand by 29 people (19%), growing from 152 to 182 individuals. Notably, the combined age groups of 65 and above are expected to account for 93% of Gundagai's total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic trend. In contrast, population declines are projected for the age groups of 45 to 54 and 55 to 64.