Cooma (NSW), NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Cooma is a town on the Monaro tableland of southern New South Wales, about 114 kilometres south of Canberra and close to the Murrumbidgee River. The district is the traditional country of the Ngarigo people, and the town's name is thought to come from an Aboriginal word said to mean big lake or open country, though its origin is uncertain. Europeans explored the area in 1823, and Cooma was gazetted in 1849. The town's defining era began in 1949, when it became headquarters of the vast Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme; over the next 25 years some 65,000 workers from more than 30 countries passed through, giving Cooma a lasting multicultural character. Today it is widely known as the gateway to the Snowy Mountains.
Less advantaged than the national average
Cooma (NSW) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 31% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 953, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Is Cooma (NSW) a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Below the national middle on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Cooma (NSW) from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
31/100Less advantaged than the national average
Less advantaged than the national average — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (31/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
49/100Around the national median for cost
Median weekly rent was $290 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 49% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Cooma (NSW) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 6,715
- Median age
- 44
- Median weekly household income
- $1,374
- SEIFA score
- 953
- Local government area
- Snowy Monaro Regional
- Coordinates
- -36.2509, 149.1127
Map of Cooma (NSW)
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Cooma (NSW)
What it costs to live in Cooma (NSW) and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $290
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,300
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 67%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 29%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Cooma (NSW) demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Cooma (NSW) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Cooma (NSW) using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 26% and 17% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,098 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 640 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,668 | 25% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,758 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,535 | 23% |
Share of the 6,699 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,039 | 38% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 789 | 29% |
| Rented | 792 | 29% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,407 | 88% |
| Townhouses & semis | 166 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 121 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,726 occupied private dwellings in Cooma (NSW).
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,907
- Median weekly personal income
- $771
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,107 (17%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 605 (10%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 301 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,428 (45%)
- Labour-force participation
- 55.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.8%
- Employed full-time
- 1,851
- Employed part-time
- 988
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
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Common questions about Cooma (NSW)
Is Cooma (NSW) a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Cooma (NSW) rates 37/100 overall (Below the national middle on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Cooma (NSW)?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Cooma (NSW) was $290, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,300. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Cooma (NSW)?
Cooma (NSW) is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy Monaro Regional local government area.
What is the population of Cooma (NSW)?
At the 2021 Census, Cooma (NSW) had a population of about 6,715.
Is Cooma (NSW) an advantaged area?
Cooma (NSW) has an ABS SEIFA score of 953, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 31 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 31% of Australian suburbs.
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