Grafton, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Grafton is a city on the Clarence River in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, roughly midway between Sydney and Brisbane. It lies on the country of the Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr peoples. Cedar-getters opened up the district in the 1830s and 1840s, and Governor FitzRoy named the town in 1851 after his grandfather, the Duke of Grafton, a former British prime minister. Grafton is famous as the Jacaranda City: each spring its wide heritage streets turn purple beneath flowering jacarandas, celebrated with an annual Jacaranda Festival. Landmarks include the 1932 bridge across the Clarence and the 1884 Christ Church Cathedral. Timber, cattle, sugar, fishing and manufacturing have long supported the surrounding district.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Grafton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 13% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 906, 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.
Grafton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 10,563
- Median age
- 44
- Median weekly household income
- $1,179
- SEIFA score
- 906
- Coordinates
- -29.6748, 152.9367
Grafton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Grafton 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 seniors (65+) at 26%, 34% of homes are rented, and 7% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,862 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,174 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,325 | 22% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,495 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,703 | 26% |
Share of the 10,559 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,510 | 35% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,194 | 28% |
| Rented | 1,458 | 34% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,280 | 76% |
| Townhouses & semis | 458 | 11% |
| Flats & apartments | 534 | 12% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,313 occupied private dwellings in Grafton.
- Median weekly rent
- $300
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,348
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,509
- Median weekly personal income
- $641
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 672 (7%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 380 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 962 (9%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 3,160 (38%)
- Labour-force participation
- 51.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 6%
- Employed full-time
- 2,386
- Employed part-time
- 1,528
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 Grafton
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Grafton is January (average daytime high around 29.6°C) and the coolest is July (around 19.5°C). The area receives roughly 974 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.6°C | 19.9°C | 100 mm |
| Feb | 28.5°C | 19.6°C | 154 mm |
| Mar | 27°C | 18.7°C | 182 mm |
| Apr | 24.4°C | 15.2°C | 46 mm |
| May | 21.9°C | 11.9°C | 45 mm |
| Jun | 19.4°C | 9.3°C | 51 mm |
| Jul | 19.5°C | 7.9°C | 38 mm |
| Aug | 21.2°C | 8.6°C | 38 mm |
| Sep | 23.6°C | 11.3°C | 50 mm |
| Oct | 26.1°C | 14.3°C | 74 mm |
| Nov | 27.8°C | 16.5°C | 79 mm |
| Dec | 29.3°C | 18.7°C | 117 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Grafton
Where is Grafton?
Grafton is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Grafton?
At the 2021 Census, Grafton had a population of about 10,563.
Is Grafton an advantaged area?
Grafton has an ABS SEIFA score of 906, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 13 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 13% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Grafton?
Grafton has average daytime highs of about 24.9°C and overnight lows of about 14.3°C, with roughly 974 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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