Wagga Wagga, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Wagga Wagga, widely shortened to Wagga, straddles the Murrumbidgee River in the Riverina, almost exactly midway between Sydney and Melbourne. It is the largest inland city in New South Wales and the service centre for a broad farming district, with Charles Sturt University and the Kapooka and RAAF defence bases among its biggest employers. The land is the country of the Wiradjuri people. The name comes from the Wiradjuri language: wagga was long thought to mean crow, so the doubled wagga wagga was read as a place of many crows, though the meaning is debated and other readings are offered. Riverside beaches, the Botanic Gardens, and a notable art-glass collection give the city its character.
Around the national middle
Wagga Wagga is more socio-economically advantaged than about 45% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 979, 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.
Wagga Wagga at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 7,198
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $1,355
- SEIFA score
- 979
- Coordinates
- -35.1055, 147.3606
Wagga Wagga demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Wagga Wagga 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 31%, 50% of homes are rented, and 18% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 882 | 12% |
| Youth (15–24) | 959 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,212 | 31% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,554 | 22% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,593 | 22% |
Share of the 7,200 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 902 | 27% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 573 | 17% |
| Rented | 1,666 | 50% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,772 | 54% |
| Townhouses & semis | 679 | 21% |
| Flats & apartments | 791 | 24% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,299 occupied private dwellings in Wagga Wagga.
- Median weekly rent
- $295
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Average household size
- 1.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,932
- Median weekly personal income
- $819
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,184 (18%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 969 (14%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 289 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 3,315 (54%)
- Labour-force participation
- 60.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 5%
- Employed full-time
- 2,308
- Employed part-time
- 1,131
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 Wagga Wagga
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Wagga Wagga is January (average daytime high around 31.2°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.2°C). The area receives roughly 624 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31.2°C | 18°C | 64 mm |
| Feb | 29.7°C | 16.8°C | 22 mm |
| Mar | 26.7°C | 14.9°C | 55 mm |
| Apr | 21.6°C | 10.7°C | 48 mm |
| May | 16.3°C | 6.5°C | 45 mm |
| Jun | 12.8°C | 4.2°C | 57 mm |
| Jul | 12.2°C | 3.3°C | 42 mm |
| Aug | 13°C | 3.5°C | 53 mm |
| Sep | 16.7°C | 5.4°C | 56 mm |
| Oct | 21.5°C | 9.2°C | 52 mm |
| Nov | 24.8°C | 12.2°C | 77 mm |
| Dec | 28.7°C | 15.4°C | 53 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Wagga Wagga
Where is Wagga Wagga?
Wagga Wagga is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Wagga Wagga?
At the 2021 Census, Wagga Wagga had a population of about 7,198.
Is Wagga Wagga an advantaged area?
Wagga Wagga has an ABS SEIFA score of 979, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 45 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 45% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Wagga Wagga?
Wagga Wagga has average daytime highs of about 21.3°C and overnight lows of about 10°C, with roughly 624 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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