Dubbo, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Dubbo is the largest city in the Orana region of central-western New South Wales, set on the Macquarie River about 390 kilometres north-west of Sydney. Evidence of Wiradjuri habitation in the area stretches back tens of thousands of years, and the name is thought to come from a Wiradjuri word, though its precise meaning is uncertain. European pastoralists arrived from the late 1820s; the village was gazetted in 1849, became a municipality in 1872 and was proclaimed a city in 1966. A major road and rail freight hub, Dubbo is best known for the open-range Taronga Western Plains Zoo and the heritage-listed Old Dubbo Gaol. Its economy spans agriculture, meat processing, health, retail and tourism for the surrounding region.
Less advantaged than the national average
Dubbo is more socio-economically advantaged than about 38% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 966, 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 Dubbo 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 5 components we can score for Dubbo 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
38/100Less advantaged than the national average
Less advantaged than the national average — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (38/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
41/100Around the national median for cost
Median weekly rent was $310 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 41% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Amenities & access
45/100Some mapped nearby
About 8 everyday places (cafés, shops, services and more) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. · OpenStreetMap
Green space
55/100Some green space nearby
About 4.6% of the area within ~1.2 km of the centre is mapped as green space — parks, reserves, sportsgrounds and the like. An area estimate from a radius around the centre, not the suburb boundary. · OpenStreetMap
Transport
66/100A good number of stops nearby
About 17 public-transport stops (bus, train, tram or ferry) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. Stop coverage, not timetable frequency. · OpenStreetMap
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- 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.
Dubbo at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 43,516
- Median age
- 35
- Median weekly household income
- $1,690
- SEIFA score
- 966
- Local government area
- Dubbo Regional
- Coordinates
- -32.2814, 148.6173
Map of Dubbo
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Dubbo
What it costs to live in Dubbo and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $310
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,582
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 62%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 34%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Dubbo demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Dubbo demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Dubbo 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 young adults (25–44) at 28% and 11% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 9,352 | 21% |
| Youth (15–24) | 5,032 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 12,184 | 28% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 9,709 | 22% |
| Seniors (65+) | 7,236 | 17% |
Share of the 43,513 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 4,355 | 28% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 5,311 | 34% |
| Rented | 5,222 | 34% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 12,898 | 83% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,394 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,106 | 7% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 15,495 occupied private dwellings in Dubbo.
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,047
- Median weekly personal income
- $876
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 4,533 (11%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 3,878 (10%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 6,786 (16%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 15,105 (46%)
- Labour-force participation
- 63.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.3%
- Employed full-time
- 13,590
- Employed part-time
- 6,065
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.
Weather and climate in Dubbo
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Dubbo is January (average daytime high around 32.8°C) and the coolest is July (around 14.5°C). The area receives roughly 626 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32.8°C | 19.9°C | 49 mm |
| Feb | 31.2°C | 18.5°C | 43 mm |
| Mar | 28.3°C | 16.8°C | 77 mm |
| Apr | 23.6°C | 12.6°C | 53 mm |
| May | 18.4°C | 8.2°C | 32 mm |
| Jun | 15.1°C | 5.7°C | 45 mm |
| Jul | 14.5°C | 4.6°C | 49 mm |
| Aug | 15.9°C | 4.9°C | 45 mm |
| Sep | 20.1°C | 7.7°C | 49 mm |
| Oct | 24.5°C | 11.6°C | 63 mm |
| Nov | 27.3°C | 14.3°C | 65 mm |
| Dec | 30.6°C | 17.2°C | 56 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Places in and around Dubbo
Amenities mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre, from OpenStreetMap. A guide to what's nearby — not a complete directory.
Parks & recreation
8 nearbyCaroline Recreation Reserve · Mona Alice Berruex Park · Sommerlea Park · Southlakes
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Common questions about Dubbo
Is Dubbo a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage, housing affordability, amenities, green space and transport, Dubbo rates 47/100 overall (Below the national middle on the data we score). Schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Dubbo?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Dubbo was $310, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,582. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Dubbo?
Dubbo is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia, in the Dubbo Regional local government area.
What is the population of Dubbo?
At the 2021 Census, Dubbo had a population of about 43,516.
Is Dubbo an advantaged area?
Dubbo has an ABS SEIFA score of 966, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 38 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 38% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Dubbo?
Dubbo has average daytime highs of about 23.5°C and overnight lows of about 11.8°C, with roughly 626 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Dubbo?
Dubbo is one of the most populous suburbs in New South Wales — the 3rd-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 43,516 usual residents).
Where Dubbo ranks
Dubbo appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in New South Wales#3 of 25
- Largest suburbs in Australia#11 of 25
Nearby suburbs in New South Wales
More suburb guides in New South Wales
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.