State Electorate · Area profile
Cootamundra
34,705 km²
Life in Cootamundra revolves around a car-dependent landscape where most people live in large, detached houses. It is a noticeably older community, with the typical resident now 46 and a high proportion of seniors. This shift is reflected in a shrinking population that has lost about 11% of its people since 2011. While it remains a predominantly Australian-born town, it has a significant and growing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander presence.
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The community is far older than the national figure, with 25% of residents aged 65 or over. A striking 7% of the population is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, a figure that has risen 6.5 points since 2011 and is well above the state average.
Most residents were born in Australia (85.2%), and the area has among the lowest proportions of overseas-born people at 6.7%. This is a sharp drop from 2011, when over a third of the population was born abroad.
English is the dominant language, with only 3.7% of people using another language at home. This is far below the New South Wales average, and the number of people who speak little or no English is very low at 0.7%.
About 62.6% of the population identifies as Christian. Those with no religion make up 26% of the community, which is far below the national figure of 38.9%.
Educational qualifications are much lower than in most areas, with only 11% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Just 34.1% of residents have completed Year 12, which is far below the state average.
Typical weekly household income is $1,181, which is well below the national figure. Only 10.9% of households earn $3,000 or more per week, and the typical personal weekly income has fallen by $253 since 2011.
Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 34.2% of people living with a long-term health condition. About 7.2% of residents need help with daily activities, a figure that has risen since 2011.
Volunteerism is very high at 20.1%, well above the national average. There is also a strong trend of unpaid care, with 13.4% of people providing care and 23.2% doing over 15 hours of housework weekly.
The area has a high number of people living alone (31.2%) and a higher than average rate of one-parent families at 15.5%. Household sizes are generally small, with 2.3 people per home.
Housing is dominated by separate houses (92.3%), and 44.2% of homes are owned outright, which is far above the national average. Rents are very affordable, with a typical weekly cost of $230.
Most people rely on cars for work, and only 0.7% of commuters use public transport. While 12% of the workforce works from home, the area has very few public transport departures compared to the state.
The population is relatively stable, with only 31.1% of people moving in the last five years, which is well below the national average. However, 17.2% of residents are recent arrivals from overseas.
Working or looking for work is less common here than in most areas, at 53.2%. Agriculture, forestry and fishing is the largest industry, employing 18.6% of the workforce.
The town is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score far below the state average. Only 36.4% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries, and just 34.6% are near public transport.