Goonellabah, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Less advantaged than the national average
Goonellabah is more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 939, 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.
Goonellabah at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 13,351
- Median age
- 41
- Median weekly household income
- $1,318
- SEIFA score
- 939
- Coordinates
- -28.8128, 153.3339
Goonellabah demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Goonellabah 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 24%, 29% of homes are rented, and 10% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,450 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,489 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 3,200 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 3,215 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,995 | 22% |
Share of the 13,349 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,885 | 36% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,681 | 32% |
| Rented | 1,517 | 29% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4,095 | 78% |
| Townhouses & semis | 949 | 18% |
| Flats & apartments | 219 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 5,263 occupied private dwellings in Goonellabah.
- Median weekly rent
- $320
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,560
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,721
- Median weekly personal income
- $705
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,292 (10%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 819 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 996 (7%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,707 (45%)
- Labour-force participation
- 57.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.7%
- Employed full-time
- 3,383
- Employed part-time
- 2,229
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 Goonellabah
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Goonellabah is January (average daytime high around 29.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 19.8°C). The area receives roughly 1078 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.7°C | 19.8°C | 103 mm |
| Feb | 28.5°C | 19.8°C | 166 mm |
| Mar | 27.4°C | 19.1°C | 174 mm |
| Apr | 24.6°C | 15.8°C | 63 mm |
| May | 22°C | 12.9°C | 73 mm |
| Jun | 19.8°C | 10.6°C | 62 mm |
| Jul | 19.8°C | 9.5°C | 41 mm |
| Aug | 21.5°C | 10.3°C | 46 mm |
| Sep | 23.9°C | 12.3°C | 43 mm |
| Oct | 26.1°C | 15°C | 91 mm |
| Nov | 28.1°C | 17°C | 89 mm |
| Dec | 29.4°C | 18.9°C | 127 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Goonellabah
Where is Goonellabah?
Goonellabah is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Goonellabah?
At the 2021 Census, Goonellabah had a population of about 13,351.
Is Goonellabah an advantaged area?
Goonellabah has an ABS SEIFA score of 939, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 24 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Goonellabah?
Goonellabah has average daytime highs of about 25.1°C and overnight lows of about 15.1°C, with roughly 1,078 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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