Walcha

Walcha has shown very soft population growth performance across periods assessed by AreaSearch

The population of the Walcha statistical area (Lv2) is estimated at approximately 2,458 as of November 2025. This figure reflects a decrease of 17 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 2,475. AreaSearch's estimation, based on resident population data from June 2024 and validated new addresses, shows a population of 2,418. The population density is around 0.80 persons per square kilometer. Overseas migration was the primary driver of population growth in recent periods.

For projections, AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia data released in 2024 with a base year of 2022 for covered areas and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections from 2022 with a base year of 2021 for uncovered areas. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas until 2041. According to these projections, the population is expected to decline by 110 persons by 2041, while the 5 to 14 age group is projected to expand by 53 people.

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

Walcha experienced limited development activity with an average of two approvals per year between 2014 and 2018, resulting in a total of ten dwellings over the five-year period. This low level of development is typical in rural areas where housing needs are modest and construction activity is constrained by local demand and infrastructure capacity. It should be noted that due to the small number of approvals, individual projects can significantly impact annual growth and relativity statistics.

Walcha's construction activity was significantly lower than that of the Rest of NSW during this period, and it also fell below national averages. All new constructions in Walcha between 2014 and 2018 were detached houses, reflecting the area's rural nature and emphasis on space. The estimated population per dwelling approval was 706 people, indicating a quiet, low activity development environment. Given the expected stability or decline in population, housing pressure in Walcha is likely to remain reduced, potentially presenting opportunities for buyers.

With population expected to remain stable or decline, Walcha should see reduced pressure on housing, potentially creating opportunities for buyers.

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

Infrastructure changes significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch identified nine projects potentially impacting the area. Notable ones are Skye Ridge Wind Farm, Walcha Drought Security Project, Sewerage Network Upgrade, Winterbourne Wind Farm, and Thunderbolt Energy Hub (Thunderbolt Wind Farm). The following details those most 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 Walcha positions it well ahead of most Australian regions

Walcha has a skilled workforce with diverse sector representation. The unemployment rate was 1.5% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 1.2%.

As of September 2025, 1,396 residents were employed while the unemployment rate was 2.3% lower than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.8%. Workforce participation was on par with Rest of NSW at 56.4%. Leading employment industries among residents included agriculture, forestry & fishing, health care & social assistance, and education & training. Walcha had a particular employment specialization in agriculture, forestry & fishing, with an employment share 6.8 times the regional level.

However, health care & social assistance was under-represented, with only 10.4% of Walcha's workforce compared to 16.9% in Rest of NSW. Employment opportunities appeared limited locally based on Census working population vs resident population data. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment levels increased by 1.2%, labour force increased by 1.4%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.2 percentage points in Walcha. This contrasted with Rest of NSW where employment contracted by 0.5%, labour force fell by 0.1%, and unemployment rose by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data from 25-Nov-25 showed NSW employment had contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%. National employment forecasts from May-25 projected national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Walcha's employment mix suggested local employment should increase by 5.1% over five years and 11.3% over ten years, though this was a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and did not consider localised population projections.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year ended June 2023, Walcha had a median income among taxpayers of $44,271 and an average income of $55,864. This is lower than the national averages of $52,390 and $65,215 respectively for Rest of NSW. Based on Wage Price Index growth rate of 8.86% from financial year ended June 2023 to September 2025, estimated median income in Walcha would be approximately $48,193 and average income around $60,814 by that date. According to Census 2021 data, incomes in Walcha fall between the 14th and 28th percentiles nationally for households, families, and individuals. The largest income segment comprises 27.7% earning $1,500 - $2,999 weekly (680 residents), similar to the broader trend across regional areas showing 29.9% in the same category. Housing costs are modest with 91.2% of income retained, but total disposable income ranks at just the 22nd percentile nationally. Walcha's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 4th decile.

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

Walcha's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 95.0% houses and 5.0% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This contrasts with Non-Metro NSW's figures of 87.1% houses and 12.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Walcha stood at 52.7%, with mortgaged dwellings at 24.1% and rented ones at 23.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,083, lower than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,408. Median weekly rent in Walcha was recorded at $203, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $280. Nationally, Walcha's mortgage repayments were significantly lower than the Australian average of $1,863, with rents substantially below the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 67.8% of all households, including 23.6% couples with children, 37.3% couples without children, and 6.0% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 32.2%, with lone person households at 31.3% and group households comprising 1.2% of the total. The median household size is 2.2 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.3.

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

The area's university qualification rate is 17.3%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are the most common university qualifications, with a rate of 13.0%. Postgraduate qualifications and graduate diplomas follow, at 2.5% and 1.8% respectively. Vocational credentials are prominent among residents aged 15 and above, with 40.4% holding such qualifications.

Advanced diplomas account for 10.4%, while certificates make up 30.0%. Educational participation is high, with 26.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.7% in primary education, 7.7% in secondary education, and 2.6% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Walcha has 197 active public transport stops. These include both train and bus services. There are 17 different routes operating in total, providing 142 weekly passenger trips collectively.

The average distance from residents to the nearest transport stop is 149 meters, indicating excellent accessibility. On average, there are 20 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately zero weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Walcha faces substantial health challenges with common conditions prevalent across both younger and older age groups. Private health cover stands at approximately 49%, covering around 1,206 people, compared to the national average of 55.7%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (affecting 12.2% of residents) and asthma (7.7%). A total of 62.7% of residents report no medical ailments, slightly lower than the Rest of NSW figure of 65.5%. Walcha has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 31%, or 761 people, compared to the Rest of NSW average of 20.2%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors in Walcha are above average, even better than those of the general population.

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

Walcha's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 90.1% of its population being citizens and 93.5% born in Australia. Moreover, 97.7% spoke English only at home. The predominant religion in Walcha was Christianity, accounting for 69.7%, compared to the regional average of 55.0%.

Regarding ancestry, Australian was the largest group at 34.5%, higher than the regional average of 29.0%. English followed with 32.4% and Scottish with 9.8%. Notably, Australian Aboriginal were overrepresented at 4.4%, Welsh at 0.6%, and Russian at 0.3%, compared to their respective regional averages of 5.7%, 0.5%, and 0.2%.

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

Walcha's median age of 48 years is significantly older than Rest of NSW's 43 and higher than Australia's median age of 38. The age profile shows that those aged 75-84 are particularly prominent, making up 11.5% of the population, while those aged 25-34 make up only 8.0%. This is higher than the national average for the 75-84 age group, which stands at 6.0%. Post-2021 Census data shows that the 0 to 4 age group has grown from 5.7% to 6.9%, while the 85+ cohort has increased from 2.8% to 3.9%. Conversely, the 55 to 64 cohort has declined from 14.5% to 12.5% and the 45 to 54 group has dropped from 11.4% to 10.0%. Demographic modeling suggests that Walcha's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041, with the 5-14 age cohort projected to grow steadily, expanding by 59 people (21%) from 282 to 342. In contrast, population declines are projected for both the 0 to 4 and 75 to 84 cohorts.