Bourke

New South Wales · Far West and Orana · 2,377 people · 11 suburbs · 2 postcodes

Bourke at a glance

2,377
Population
#125 of 130 in NSW
59,150
km² area
37.0
Median age
-2.7 vs NSW
$1,595
Median HH income/wk
#58 of 130 in NSW
954
SEIFA IRSAD
#69 of 130 in NSW
8
Schools
6 gov, 1 Cath, 1 indep
4.3%
Born overseas
37.9%
Renting

Map shows the Bourke 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.

Bourke is a Local Government Area in New South Wales, in the Sydney region. It covers 11 suburbs across 2 postcodes and an area of 59,150 km². Bourke has a population of 2,377 , ranking #125 most populous in NSW. The most populous suburb is Bourke (1,699 residents), and the highest median household income is in Hungerford at $4,750/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,595/week and median age is 37.0. About 4.3% of residents were born overseas and 3.8% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (22.8%) 15–24 (11.5%) 25–44 (24.5%) 45–64 (26.2%) 65+ (15.0%)
Show counts
0–14 years531 (22.8%)
15–24 years268 (11.5%)
25–44 years572 (24.5%)
45–64 years610 (26.2%)
65+ years349 (15.0%)
4.3%
Born overseas
3.8%
Speak a language other than English at home
30.0%
First Nations
2.5
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (36.7%) Mortgaged (25.4%) Renting (37.9%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (98.6%) Semi/townhouse (0.5%) Flat/apartment (0.9%)
$167
Median weekly rent
$952
Median monthly mortgage
44.6%
Households with 0-1 cars
55.4%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

2.9%
Unemployment rate
720
In full-time work
210
In part-time work

Schools in Bourke

8 schools across Bourke: 75.0% Government, 12.5% Catholic, 12.5% Independent. The NSW average is 69.6% / 16.9% / 13.5%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 826 (range 600 to 993). NSW median is 1005; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

NSW average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (75.0%) Secondary (12.5%) Combined (12.5%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 826 NSW median 1005LGA range 600 to 993

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 8 schools in Bourke, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Bourke Public School Government Primary Bourke 145 702
Bourke High School Government Secondary Bourke 134 714
St Ignatius' Parish School Catholic Primary Bourke 90 826
Bourke-Walgett School of Distance Education Government Primary Bourke 47 993
Enngonia Public School Government Primary Enngonia 11 600
Louth Public School Government Primary Louth 8 923
Wanaaring Public School Government Primary Wanaaring 7 851
Koinonia Christian Academy Independent Combined Bourke 3

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 Bourke. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

954
Ranked #69 of 130 NSW LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

947

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

948

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

979

Suburbs in Bourke

Bourke contains 11 suburbs and 2 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Bourke 2840 1,699 $1,560/wk 35
North Bourke 2840 200 $1,781/wk 42
Enngonia 2840 183 $1,562/wk 37
Wanaaring 2840 81 $1,375/wk 34
Louth 2840 74 $1,562/wk 51
Fords Bridge 2840 30 $1,875/wk 52
Gunderbooka 2840 27 $1,062/wk 39
Byrock 2831 26 $687/wk 41
Gumbalie 2840 23 $3,999/wk 64
Yantabulla 2840 22 $899/wk 54
Hungerford 2840 12 $4,750/wk 45

Postcodes covered

2831, 2840

Compare Bourke with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Bourke (NSW) 2,377 37.0 $1,595/wk 954 37.9% 4.3%
Brewarrina 1,300 35.9 $1,026/wk 862 61.0% 3.8%
Cobar 4,094 37.1 $1,757/wk 938 32.9% 7.3%
Bogan 2,473 41.0 $1,466/wk 948 29.6% 5.4%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Bourke

What is the population of Bourke?

The 2021 Census recorded 2,377 people living in Bourke, across 11 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Bourke?

Bourke contains 11 suburbs. The most populous are Bourke, North Bourke, Enngonia, Wanaaring, Louth.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Bourke?

Bourke covers 2 postcodes: 2831, 2840.

What is the median household income in Bourke?

The population-weighted median household income across Bourke is $1,595 per week (2021 Census), ranking #58 of 130 NSW LGAs.

How many schools are in Bourke?

Bourke has 8 schools, including 6 government, 1 Catholic, and 1 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Bourke?

Bourke has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 954, 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.