Moree, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Moree lies on the black-soil plains of north-western New South Wales, on the Mehi River above the Great Artesian Basin, roughly 628 kilometres north-west of Sydney. The Kamilaroi and Weraerai peoples are recorded as the original inhabitants of the district. The name comes from an early pastoral run and is said to derive from an Aboriginal word variously given as rising sun, long spring or water hole, though this is not certain. The town was gazetted in 1862, the railway arrived in 1887, and the artesian basin was tapped in 1895, giving rise to the hot mineral baths for which Moree is still known. Its artesian pool was a focus of the 1965 Freedom Ride against racial segregation. Today cotton, wheat and pecans drive the local economy.
Less advantaged than the national average
Moree is more socio-economically advantaged than about 21% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 931, 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.
Moree at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 8,962
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $1,575
- SEIFA score
- 931
- Coordinates
- -29.3053, 149.5255
Moree demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Moree 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 26%, 37% of homes are rented, and 8% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,866 | 21% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,023 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,305 | 26% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,241 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,530 | 17% |
Share of the 8,965 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 900 | 30% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 763 | 26% |
| Rented | 1,102 | 37% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,444 | 83% |
| Townhouses & semis | 409 | 14% |
| Flats & apartments | 67 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,959 occupied private dwellings in Moree.
- Median weekly rent
- $230
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,326
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,962
- Median weekly personal income
- $851
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 564 (8%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 379 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 1,840 (21%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,511 (36%)
- Labour-force participation
- 54.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.9%
- Employed full-time
- 2,527
- Employed part-time
- 974
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 Moree
Where is Moree?
Moree is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Moree?
At the 2021 Census, Moree had a population of about 8,962.
Is Moree an advantaged area?
Moree has an ABS SEIFA score of 931, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 21 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 21% of Australian suburbs.
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