Moruya

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

The population of the Moruya statistical area (Lv2) is estimated at 4,306 as of Nov 2025, reflecting an increase of 11 people since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 4,295. This change was inferred from AreaSearch's estimate of the resident population at 4,296 following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2024 and an additional 23 validated new addresses since the Census date. The population density is approximately 55 persons per square kilometer. Interstate migration contributed around 56% of overall population gains during recent periods for this area. AreaSearch's projections for the Moruya (SA2) are based on ABS/Geoscience Australia data released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and NSW State Government SA2 level projections released in 2022 with a base year of 2021.

These projections anticipate a population increase to 357 persons by 2041, reflecting an 8.3% increase over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Moruya according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers indicates Moruya averaged approximately 25 new dwelling approvals per year. Between FY-21 and FY-25, around 126 homes were approved, with a further 13 approved in FY-26 to date. On average, 0.9 new residents arrived annually for each new home constructed over the past five financial years, suggesting new construction is meeting or exceeding demand.

The average expected construction cost value of new properties was $523,000, indicating a focus on premium segment development. This year alone, $4.5 million in commercial approvals have been registered, implying limited commercial development focus compared to residential. Moruya's building activity per capita is comparable to the rest of NSW, maintaining market balance, although recent periods show some moderation.

New developments consist predominantly of standalone homes (78%) and townhouses/apartments (22%), preserving the area's traditional low-density character. As of now, there are an estimated 453 people per dwelling approval in Moruya, reflecting its quiet development environment. Looking ahead, Moruya is projected to grow by 359 residents by 2041, with current construction levels expected to meet demand adequately, creating favourable buying conditions and potentially exceeding current growth forecasts.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch identified five projects likely impacting the region. Notable ones are South Moruya Roundabout, Moruya Housing Infrastructure Project, New Eurobodalla Regional Hospital, and Moruya Bypass. The following details these projects in order of relevance.

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While Moruya retains a healthy unemployment rate of 3.9%, recent employment declines have impacted its national performance ranking

Moruya's workforce is balanced across white and blue-collar jobs, with essential services well represented. Its unemployment rate is 3.9%, according to AreaSearch data aggregation.

As of September 2025, Moruya has 1,800 residents employed, with an unemployment rate of 4.0%. This rate is slightly higher than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.8%. Workforce participation in Moruya lags at 47.3%, compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. The leading employment industries are health care & social assistance, retail trade, and construction.

Retail trade is particularly strong, with an employment share 1.3 times the regional level. Agriculture, forestry & fishing, however, is under-represented at 2.8% of Moruya's workforce compared to 5.3% in Rest of NSW. Between September 2024 and September 2025, labour force levels decreased by 5.5%, with employment decreasing by 5.6%. This left unemployment broadly flat. In contrast, Rest of NSW experienced a 0.5% employment decline and a 0.1% labour force decline, with a 0.4 percentage point rise in unemployment. State-level data to 25-Nov-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03%, losing 2,260 jobs, with an unemployment rate of 3.9%. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project a 6.6% expansion over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Moruya's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.4% over five years and 13.2% 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, Moruya had a median income among taxpayers of $39,344. The average income stood at $50,461 in this period. These figures are lower than national averages of $52,390 and $65,215 for Rest of NSW respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since financial year ended June 2023, current estimates would be approximately $42,830 (median) and $54,932 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals household incomes in Moruya fall between the 9th and 10th percentiles nationally. Predominant income cohort spans 28.1% of locals (1,209 people) in the $400 - $799 category. After housing costs, 85.6% of income remains, ranking at the 12th percentile nationally.

Moruya is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Moruya's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, were 89.3% houses and 10.7% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). Non-Metro NSW had 84.3% houses and 15.7% other dwellings. Home ownership in Moruya was 49.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 27.4% and rented ones at 22.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,517, aligning with Non-Metro NSW's average. Median weekly rent in Moruya was $300, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $320. Nationally, Moruya's mortgage repayments were lower at $1,517 versus Australia's $1,863, and rents were substantially lower at $300 compared to the national figure of $375.

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

Family households comprise 67.0% of all households, including 19.4% couples with children, 35.1% couples without children, and 11.0% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 33.0%, with lone person households at 30.3% and group households comprising 2.8%. The median household size is 2.2 people, which matches the average for the Rest of NSW.

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

The area's university qualification rate is 16.8%, 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 11.5%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.5%) and graduate diplomas (1.8%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 44.2% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (11.4%) and certificates (32.8%).

Educational participation is high, with 26.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.9% in primary education, 7.5% in secondary education, and 1.9% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Moruya has 161 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 34 different routes that together offer 323 weekly passenger trips. The average distance residents live from the nearest stop is 198 meters, indicating excellent transport accessibility.

On average, there are 46 trips per day across all routes, equating to roughly two weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Moruya faces significant health challenges, with various conditions affecting both younger and older residents. Private health cover is low at approximately 47%, covering about 2,022 people, compared to the national average of 55.7%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (13.0%) and mental health issues (9.1%). Meanwhile, 57.8% report no medical ailments, slightly lower than Rest of NSW's 59.6%. Moruya has 29.6% residents aged 65 and over (1,274 people), lower than the 31.7% in Rest of NSW. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors are challenging but better than those for the general population.

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

Moruya's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 89.1% of its population being citizens, 88.2% born in Australia, and 96.7% speaking English only at home. The dominant religion in Moruya is Christianity, comprising 54.3% of the population, compared to 49.0% across Rest of NSW. The top three ancestry groups based on country of birth of parents are English (31.8%), Australian (30.9%), and Irish (9.7%).

Notably, Welsh (0.8%) is overrepresented in Moruya compared to the regional average of 0.5%, as are Hungarian (0.4% vs 0.2%) and Dutch (1.7% vs 1.4%).

Moruya ranks among the oldest 10% of areas nationwide

The median age in Moruya is 52 years, which is significantly higher than the Rest of NSW average of 43 years and the national norm of 38 years. The 65-74 age cohort is notably over-represented in Moruya at 16.4%, compared to the Rest of NSW average, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 9.1%. This concentration of the 65-74 age group is well above the national average of 9.4%. Between 2021 and present, the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 8.6% to 9.6% of Moruya's population. Conversely, the 55 to 64 age cohort has declined from 18.1% to 15.3%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Moruya. The 85+ age group is projected to grow by 70%, adding 107 residents to reach a total of 263. In contrast, population declines are projected for the 5-14 and 55-64 age cohorts.