Bellingen

New South Wales · Mid North Coast · 13,227 people · 29 suburbs · 6 postcodes

Bellingen at a glance

13,227
Population
#80 of 130 in NSW
1,628
km² area
8/km² density
50.0
Median age
+10.3 vs NSW
$1,223
Median HH income/wk
#103 of 130 in NSW
960
SEIFA IRSAD
#61 of 130 in NSW
13
Schools
10 gov, 2 Cath, 1 indep
12.6%
Born overseas
22.5%
Renting

Map shows the Bellingen LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.

Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: ● 1-2 (most disadvantaged), ● 3-4, ● 5-6, ● 7-8, ● 9-10 (most advantaged).

Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.

Bellingen is a Local Government Area in New South Wales, in the Sydney region. It covers 29 suburbs across 6 postcodes and an area of 1,628 km². Bellingen has a population of 13,227 , ranking #80 most populous in NSW. The most populous suburb is Bellingen (3,923 residents), and the highest median household income is in Hydes Creek at $2,050/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,223/week and median age is 50.0. About 12.6% of residents were born overseas and 3.7% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (16.7%) 15–24 (8.3%) 25–44 (17.5%) 45–64 (30.6%) 65+ (26.8%)
Show counts
0–14 years2,211 (16.7%)
15–24 years1,098 (8.3%)
25–44 years2,317 (17.5%)
45–64 years4,047 (30.6%)
65+ years3,538 (26.8%)
12.6%
Born overseas
3.7%
Speak a language other than English at home
4.3%
First Nations
2.3
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (49.7%) Mortgaged (27.7%) Renting (22.5%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (95.1%) Semi/townhouse (3.0%) Flat/apartment (1.9%)
$346
Median weekly rent
$1,542
Median monthly mortgage
40.9%
Households with 0-1 cars
59.1%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

5.2%
Unemployment rate
2,536
In full-time work
2,470
In part-time work

Schools in Bellingen

13 schools across Bellingen: 76.9% Government, 15.4% Catholic, 7.7% Independent. The NSW average is 69.6% / 16.9% / 13.5%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 1002 (range 948 to 1097). NSW median is 1005; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

NSW average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (69.2%) Secondary (15.4%) Combined (15.4%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 1002 NSW median 1005LGA range 948 to 1097

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.

All 13 schools in Bellingen, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Bellingen High School Government Secondary Bellingen 584 1006
Bellingen Public School Government Primary Bellingen 219 998
Chrysalis School for Rudolf Steiner Education Independent Combined Thora 188 1032
Urunga Public School Government Primary Urunga 179 974
St Mary's Primary School Catholic Primary Bellingen 123 1039
Dorrigo High School Government Secondary Dorrigo 118 951
Dorrigo Public School Government Primary Dorrigo 72 948
Repton Public School Government Primary Repton 63 1030
Mount St John Primary School Catholic Primary Dorrigo 61 961
Orama Public School Government Primary Thora 32 983
Raleigh Public School Government Primary Raleigh 24 1097
Hernani Public School Government Primary Dorrigo 14 1049
Cascade Environmental Education Centre Government Combined Cascade

Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Bellingen. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

960
Ranked #61 of 130 NSW LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

981

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

982

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

985

Suburbs in Bellingen

Bellingen contains 29 suburbs and 6 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Bellingen 2454 3,923 $1,268/wk 44
Urunga 2455 3,185 $1,071/wk 55
Dorrigo 2453 1,214 $925/wk 56
Raleigh 2454 681 $1,482/wk 49
Repton 2454 667 $1,480/wk 49
Fernmount 2454 444 $1,784/wk 46
Gleniffer 2454 414 $1,478/wk 53
Mylestom 2454 336 $1,083/wk 50
Brierfield 2454 322 $1,604/wk 46
Thora 2454 311 $1,271/wk 49
Kalang 2454 280 $989/wk 50
Darkwood 2454 237 $949/wk 47
North Dorrigo 2453 186 $933/wk 58
Megan 2453 168 $1,015/wk 57
Hydes Creek 2454 155 $2,050/wk 41
Bostobrick 2453 132 $974/wk 49
Fernbrook 2453 131 $1,271/wk 58
Deer Vale 2453 128 $1,125/wk 47
Bielsdown Hills 2453 104 $1,343/wk 56
Dorrigo Mountain 2453 88 $1,156/wk 61
Valery 2454 53 $1,562/wk 57
Spicketts Creek 2454 32 $1,375/wk 60
Tallowwood Ridge 2453 25 $387/wk 60
Cascade 2453 8 $575/wk 78
Kennaicle Creek 2449 3 $1,875/wk 72
Brinerville 2441
Never Never 2453
Tarkeeth 2455
Viewmont 2448

Postcodes covered

2441, 2448, 2449, 2453, 2454, 2455

Compare Bellingen with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Bellingen and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Bellingen (NSW) 13,227 50.0 $1,223/wk 960 22.5% 12.6%
Nambucca Valley 20,408 52.2 $1,020/wk 898 23.8% 9.9%
Coffs Harbour 78,743 43.9 $1,417/wk 954 30.5% 15.6%
Clarence Valley 53,861 48.7 $1,160/wk 910 24.5% 8.2%
Bathurst Regional 43,580 39.1 $1,680/wk 965 31.3% 9.9%

Services and amenities

NDIS Providers NDIS provider directory for Bellingen Climate & weather Climate data for Bellingen

Frequently asked questions about Bellingen

What is the population of Bellingen?

The 2021 Census recorded 13,227 people living in Bellingen, across 29 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Bellingen?

Bellingen contains 29 suburbs. The most populous are Bellingen, Urunga, Dorrigo, Raleigh, Repton.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Bellingen?

Bellingen covers 6 postcodes: 2441, 2448, 2449, 2453, 2454, 2455.

What is the median household income in Bellingen?

The population-weighted median household income across Bellingen is $1,223 per week (2021 Census), ranking #103 of 130 NSW LGAs.

How many schools are in Bellingen?

Bellingen has 13 schools, including 10 government, 2 Catholic, and 1 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Bellingen?

Bellingen has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 960, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.