Orange, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Orange is a cool-climate city in the Central West of New South Wales, about 250 kilometres west of Sydney and sitting high on the inland tablelands at over 860 metres. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with the fruit: the surveyor Major Thomas Mitchell named it in 1846 after the Prince of Orange, whom he had served alongside in the Peninsular War. The district lies on Wiradjuri country, and an 1851 gold strike at nearby Ophir helped touch off the Australian gold rush. Today Orange is known for its cool-climate wineries, its apple and stone-fruit orchards and its produce, with Mount Canobolas rising to the south-west.
Around the national middle
Orange is more socio-economically advantaged than about 43% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 975, 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.
Orange at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 41,232
- Median age
- 36
- Median weekly household income
- $1,641
- SEIFA score
- 975
- Coordinates
- -33.2510, 149.0824
Orange demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Orange 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%, 34% of homes are rented, and 12% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 8,913 | 22% |
| Youth (15–24) | 4,851 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 10,903 | 26% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 9,220 | 22% |
| Seniors (65+) | 7,352 | 18% |
Share of the 41,239 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 4,631 | 30% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 5,122 | 33% |
| Rented | 5,201 | 34% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 13,198 | 86% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,559 | 10% |
| Flats & apartments | 553 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 15,412 occupied private dwellings in Orange.
- Median weekly rent
- $330
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,690
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,116
- Median weekly personal income
- $836
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 4,474 (12%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 3,093 (8%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 3,238 (8%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 14,859 (48%)
- Labour-force participation
- 61.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.6%
- Employed full-time
- 12,245
- Employed part-time
- 5,944
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 Orange
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Orange is January (average daytime high around 27.4°C) and the coolest is July (around 10.3°C). The area receives roughly 848 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.4°C | 16.1°C | 65 mm |
| Feb | 26.1°C | 14.9°C | 48 mm |
| Mar | 23.3°C | 13.4°C | 70 mm |
| Apr | 19°C | 9.8°C | 66 mm |
| May | 13.9°C | 6.1°C | 52 mm |
| Jun | 10.9°C | 3.9°C | 69 mm |
| Jul | 10.3°C | 3.1°C | 71 mm |
| Aug | 11.3°C | 3°C | 74 mm |
| Sep | 15°C | 5.5°C | 64 mm |
| Oct | 19.2°C | 8.7°C | 81 mm |
| Nov | 21.9°C | 10.9°C | 95 mm |
| Dec | 25.2°C | 13.7°C | 93 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Orange
Where is Orange?
Orange is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Orange?
At the 2021 Census, Orange had a population of about 41,232.
Is Orange an advantaged area?
Orange has an ABS SEIFA score of 975, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 43 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 43% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Orange?
Orange has average daytime highs of about 18.6°C and overnight lows of about 9.1°C, with roughly 848 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Orange?
Orange is one of the most populous suburbs in New South Wales — the 4th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 41,232 usual residents).
Where Orange ranks
Orange appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in New South Wales#4 of 25
- Largest suburbs in Australia#13 of 25
Nearby suburbs in New South Wales
More suburb guides in New South Wales
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.