Leeton, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Leeton is a planned town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, set within the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area about 580 kilometres south-west of Sydney. The country was long home to the Wiradjuri people. Laid out in 1913 to a design by the American architect Walter Burley Griffin, who also planned Canberra, Leeton features sweeping curved streets quite unlike the usual country grid. It takes its name from Charles Alfred Lee, a New South Wales public works minister of the early twentieth century. The town grew around irrigation farming and is often called Australia's rice capital, serving as the home of the SunRice company. Heritage landmarks include the Art Deco Roxy Theatre, the historic Hydro Hotel and the early Burley Griffin water towers.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Leeton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 17% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 919, 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.
Leeton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 9,170
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $1,425
- SEIFA score
- 919
- Coordinates
- -34.5060, 146.3971
Leeton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Leeton 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%, 31% of homes are rented, and 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,891 | 21% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,189 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,196 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,207 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,692 | 18% |
Share of the 9,175 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,125 | 34% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,043 | 32% |
| Rented | 1,001 | 31% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,784 | 85% |
| Townhouses & semis | 113 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 319 | 10% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,283 occupied private dwellings in Leeton.
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,844
- Median weekly personal income
- $763
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,101 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 992 (12%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 661 (7%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,462 (36%)
- Labour-force participation
- 59.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 4%
- Employed full-time
- 2,722
- Employed part-time
- 1,191
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.
Common questions about Leeton
Where is Leeton?
Leeton is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Leeton?
At the 2021 Census, Leeton had a population of about 9,170.
Is Leeton an advantaged area?
Leeton has an ABS SEIFA score of 919, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 17 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 17% of Australian suburbs.
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