Walcha

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

As of November 2025, Walcha's estimated population is around 2,496, reflecting a growth of 21 people since the 2021 Census. This increase represents an 0.8% rise from the previous population count of 2,475. AreaSearch validated this estimate by examining ABS ERP data released in June 2024 and identifying 15 new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density of approximately 0.80 persons per square kilometer. Walcha's growth rate of 0.8% is competitive with other SA3 areas, which had an average growth of 3.3%. Overseas migration was the primary driver of this population increase.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by these data, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections from 2022 with a base year of 2021 are applied. These projections indicate a decline in Walcha's population by 110 persons by 2041, despite expected growth in specific age cohorts such as the 5 to 14 age group, which 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 experiences limited development activity with an average of two approvals per year over the period from 2015 to 2019. This resulted in a total of thirteen dwellings approved during this five-year period. Such low levels are typical of 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 shows less construction activity than Rest of NSW, with this trend also below national patterns. All new constructions during this period were detached houses, maintaining the rural nature of the area with emphasis on space. The estimated population per dwelling approval was 706 people, reflecting its quiet, low activity development environment.

With a stable or declining population expected in the future, Walcha should face reduced pressure on housing, potentially creating opportunities for buyers.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch identified nine projects likely impacting the region. Key projects include Skye Ridge Wind Farm, Walcha Drought Security Project, Sewerage Network Upgrade, Winterbourne Wind Farm, and Thunderbolt Energy Hub (Thunderbolt Wind Farm). The following list 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 exceptional employment performance in Walcha places it among Australia's strongest labour markets

Walcha has a skilled workforce with diverse sector representation. The unemployment rate was 1.2% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 4.8%.

As of June 2025, 1,407 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.5% below Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%. Workforce participation is on par with Rest of NSW at 56.4%. Leading industries include agriculture, forestry & fishing, health care & social assistance, and education & training. Walcha specializes in agriculture, forestry & fishing, with an employment share 6.8 times the regional level.

However, health care & social assistance is under-represented at 10.4% compared to Rest of NSW's 16.9%. Employment opportunities locally appear limited based on Census working population vs resident population data. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 4.8% while the labour force grew by 4.2%, reducing the unemployment rate by 0.6 percentage points. In contrast, Rest of NSW saw employment contract by 0.1%, with a labour force growth of 0.3% and an increase in unemployment by 0.4 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 suggest potential future demand within Walcha. Over five years, national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% and over ten years by 13.7%. Applying these projections to Walcha's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 5.1% over five years and 11.3% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data released for financial year 2022, Walcha had a median taxpayer income of $44,271 and an average income of $55,864. These figures are lower than the national averages of $49,459 and $62,998 respectively in Rest of NSW. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, estimated median income for Walcha is approximately $49,854 as of September 2025, with average income estimated at $62,908 during the same period. Census 2021 data shows Walcha's household, family, and personal incomes fall between the 14th and 28th percentiles nationally. The largest income segment in Walcha is 27.7% earning $1,500 - 2,999 weekly (691 residents), similar to regional trends showing 29.9% in the same category. With modest housing costs, 91.2% of income is retained, ranking total disposable income at 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 structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 95.0% houses and 5.0% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Non-Metro NSW had 87.1% houses and 12.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Walcha was at 52.7%, with mortgaged dwellings at 24.1% and rented ones at 23.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,083, below the Non-Metro NSW average of $1,408. The median weekly rent in Walcha was $203, compared to $280 in Non-Metro NSW. Nationally, Walcha's mortgage repayments were significantly lower than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were 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 constitute 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 comprise the remaining 32.2%, with lone person households at 31.3% and group households comprising 1.2%. 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%. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are most common at 13.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (2.5%) and graduate diplomas (1.8%). Vocational credentials are prominent, with 40.4% of residents aged 15+ holding them - advanced diplomas at 10.4% and certificates at 30.0%.

Educational participation is high, with 26.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.7% in primary, 7.7% in secondary, and 2.6% in tertiary education. The area has two schools serving 350 students - Walcha Central School and St Patrick's Primary School. It demonstrates typical Australian school conditions (ICSEA: 965) with balanced educational opportunities. The educational mix includes one primary and one K-12 school.

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

Walcha has 196 active public transport stops. These are served by a mix of train and bus services. There are 17 individual routes in total, providing 142 weekly passenger trips collectively.

Residents have excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 149 meters to the nearest stop. 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 significant health challenges, with common conditions prevalent across both younger and older age groups. Private health cover stands at approximately 49%, covering around 1,224 people, lower than the national average of 55.3%.

The most frequent medical conditions are arthritis (affecting 12.2% of residents) and asthma (7.7%). A total of 62.7% claim to be free from medical ailments, compared to 65.5% in Rest of NSW. Walcha has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 31.0% (773 people), compared to 20.2% in Rest of NSW. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, outperforming the general population in health metrics.

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, 93.5% born in Australia, and 97.7% speaking English only at home. The predominant religion in Walcha is Christianity, accounting for 69.7% of the population compared to the regional average of 55.0%. In terms of ancestry, the top three groups are Australian (34.5%), English (32.4%), and Scottish (9.8%).

Notably, Australian Aboriginal representation in Walcha is higher at 4.4% than regionally (5.7%), Welsh at 0.6%, and Russian at 0.3%.

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 Australia's median age of 38. The age profile shows that individuals aged 75-84 years are particularly prominent, making up 11.5% of the population, compared to the national average of 6%. Meanwhile, the 25-34 age group is smaller at 8%, compared to Rest of NSW's proportion. Post-2021 Census data shows that the 0-4 age group has grown from 5.7% to 6.9%, while the 85+ cohort increased from 2.8% to 3.9%. Conversely, the 55-64 cohort has declined from 14.5% to 12.5%, and the 45-54 age group dropped from 11.4% to 10.0%. Demographic modeling suggests that Walcha's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041. The 5-14 age cohort is projected to grow steadily, increasing by 54 people (19%) from 287 to 342. In contrast, population declines are projected for the 0-4 and 75-84 cohorts.