Tumut, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Tumut sits on the Tumut River in the north-western foothills of the Snowy Mountains, in the Riverina region of New South Wales about 410 kilometres south-west of Sydney. The town lies on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri, Wolgalu and Ngunnawal peoples, who gathered in the high country each summer to feast on bogong moths. The name possibly comes from a Wiradjuri word meaning a quiet resting place by the river, though the origin is uncertain. British pastoralists arrived in the 1830s, and in 1908 Tumut was even shortlisted as a possible site for the national capital. Today the economy leans on softwood plantation forestry and timber milling. Known for its European deciduous trees, the town holds an annual Festival of the Falling Leaf and serves as a gateway to the Snowy Mountains Scheme.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Tumut is more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 898, 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.
Is Tumut a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Lower on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Tumut from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
11/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (11/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
64/100More affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $245 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 64% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Tumut at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 6,613
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $1,242
- SEIFA score
- 898
- Local government area
- Snowy Valleys
- Coordinates
- -35.3224, 148.2357
Map of Tumut
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Tumut
What it costs to live in Tumut and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $245
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,300
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 66%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 32%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Tumut demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Tumut demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Tumut 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 mid-life (45–64) at 24% and 10% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,285 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 724 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,498 | 23% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,620 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,489 | 23% |
Share of the 6,616 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 954 | 37% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 741 | 29% |
| Rented | 829 | 32% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,214 | 85% |
| Townhouses & semis | 308 | 12% |
| Flats & apartments | 50 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,597 occupied private dwellings in Tumut.
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,613
- Median weekly personal income
- $655
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 624 (10%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 356 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 508 (8%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,878 (37%)
- Labour-force participation
- 56.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.2%
- Employed full-time
- 1,681
- Employed part-time
- 985
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.
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Common questions about Tumut
Is Tumut a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Tumut rates 29/100 overall (Lower on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Tumut?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Tumut was $245, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,300. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Tumut?
Tumut is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy Valleys local government area.
What is the population of Tumut?
At the 2021 Census, Tumut had a population of about 6,613.
Is Tumut an advantaged area?
Tumut has an ABS SEIFA score of 898, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 11 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of Australian suburbs.
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