Horsham, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Horsham is the principal city of the Wimmera, in the wheat and wool country of western Victoria, about 300 kilometres north-west of Melbourne on a bend of the Wimmera River. The district is the traditional Country of the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagik peoples. The settlement was named by an early pastoralist, James Monckton Darlot, after his home town of Horsham in England, and grew from a riverside cluster of cottages around 1850 into a service centre once the railway from Melbourne arrived in 1879. Proclaimed a city in 1949, Horsham today is the commercial and administrative hub of the region, and a natural base for visitors heading to the Grampians and the climbing cliffs of Mount Arapiles.
Less advantaged than the national average
Horsham is more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 938, 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.
Horsham at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 15,134
- Median age
- 40
- Median weekly household income
- $1,294
- SEIFA score
- 938
- Coordinates
- -36.7189, 142.1962
Horsham demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Horsham 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 25%, 30% of homes are rented, and 8% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,762 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,732 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 3,786 | 25% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 3,437 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,417 | 23% |
Share of the 15,134 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,288 | 36% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,942 | 31% |
| Rented | 1,887 | 30% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 5,611 | 89% |
| Townhouses & semis | 345 | 5% |
| Flats & apartments | 366 | 6% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 6,334 occupied private dwellings in Horsham.
- Median weekly rent
- $245
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,187
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,756
- Median weekly personal income
- $748
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,195 (8%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 872 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 329 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,932 (42%)
- Labour-force participation
- 58.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.6%
- Employed full-time
- 4,032
- Employed part-time
- 2,459
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 Horsham
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Horsham is January (average daytime high around 30.3°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.8°C). The area receives roughly 465 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30.3°C | 15.5°C | 34 mm |
| Feb | 28.6°C | 14.7°C | 17 mm |
| Mar | 25.7°C | 13.4°C | 28 mm |
| Apr | 20.9°C | 10.4°C | 35 mm |
| May | 16.3°C | 7.9°C | 45 mm |
| Jun | 13.4°C | 5.8°C | 47 mm |
| Jul | 12.8°C | 5.1°C | 46 mm |
| Aug | 13.7°C | 5.3°C | 47 mm |
| Sep | 16.2°C | 6.5°C | 51 mm |
| Oct | 20.4°C | 8.6°C | 50 mm |
| Nov | 23.5°C | 10.7°C | 38 mm |
| Dec | 27.3°C | 13.2°C | 27 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Horsham
Where is Horsham?
Horsham is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Horsham?
At the 2021 Census, Horsham had a population of about 15,134.
Is Horsham an advantaged area?
Horsham has an ABS SEIFA score of 938, 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 Horsham?
Horsham has average daytime highs of about 20.8°C and overnight lows of about 9.8°C, with roughly 465 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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