Broken Hill

New South Wales · Far West and Orana · 17,706 people · 1 suburbs · 1 postcodes

Broken Hill at a glance

17,706
Population
#74 of 130 in NSW
13,034
km² area
1/km² density
44.0
Median age
+4.3 vs NSW
$1,176
Median HH income/wk
#113 of 130 in NSW
893
SEIFA IRSAD
#123 of 130 in NSW
10
Schools
9 gov, 1 Cath, 0 indep
5.1%
Born overseas
24.7%
Renting

Map shows the Broken Hill 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.

Broken Hill is a Local Government Area in New South Wales, in the Sydney region. It covers 1 suburbs across 1 postcodes and an area of 13,034 km². Broken Hill has a population of 17,706 , ranking #74 most populous in NSW. The most populous suburb is Broken Hill (17,706 residents), and the highest median household income is in Broken Hill at $1,176/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,176/week and median age is 44.0. About 5.1% of residents were born overseas and 3.4% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (17.0%) 15–24 (10.6%) 25–44 (23.1%) 45–64 (26.1%) 65+ (23.2%)
Show counts
0–14 years3,014 (17.0%)
15–24 years1,874 (10.6%)
25–44 years4,088 (23.1%)
45–64 years4,616 (26.1%)
65+ years4,111 (23.2%)
5.1%
Born overseas
3.4%
Speak a language other than English at home
9.9%
First Nations
2.2
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (44.0%) Mortgaged (31.3%) Renting (24.7%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (96.8%) Semi/townhouse (1.7%) Flat/apartment (1.5%)
$220
Median weekly rent
$867
Median monthly mortgage
52.6%
Households with 0-1 cars
47.4%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

5.5%
Unemployment rate
4,470
In full-time work
2,198
In part-time work

Schools in Broken Hill

10 schools across Broken Hill: 90.0% Government, 10.0% Catholic, 0% Independent. The NSW average is 69.6% / 16.9% / 13.5%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 886 (range 858 to 990). NSW median is 1005; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

NSW average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (80.0%) Secondary (20.0%) Combined (0%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 886 NSW median 1005LGA range 858 to 990

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 10 schools in Broken Hill, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Willyama High School Government Secondary Broken Hill 570 903
Broken Hill High School Government Secondary Broken Hill 411 892
Morgan Street Public School Government Primary Broken Hill 290 960
Alma Public School Government Primary Broken Hill 255 875
Broken Hill North Public School Government Primary Broken Hill 206 864
Burke Ward Public School Government Primary Broken Hill 200 858
Sacred Heart Parish School Catholic Primary Broken Hill 190 990
Broken Hill Public School Government Primary Broken Hill 162 881
Railway Town Public School Government Primary Broken Hill 124 868
School of the Air Government Primary Broken Hill 120 985

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

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

893
Ranked #123 of 130 NSW LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

914

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

920

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

888

Suburbs in Broken Hill

Broken Hill contains 1 suburbs and 1 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Broken Hill 2880 17,706 $1,176/wk 44

Postcodes covered

2880

Compare Broken Hill with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Broken Hill (NSW) 17,706 44.0 $1,176/wk 893 24.7% 5.1%
Unincorporated NSW 837 44.2 $1,649/wk 1022 29.2% 11.8%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Broken Hill

What is the population of Broken Hill?

The 2021 Census recorded 17,706 people living in Broken Hill, across 1 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Broken Hill?

Broken Hill contains 1 suburbs. The most populous are Broken Hill.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Broken Hill?

Broken Hill covers 1 postcodes: 2880.

What is the median household income in Broken Hill?

The population-weighted median household income across Broken Hill is $1,176 per week (2021 Census), ranking #113 of 130 NSW LGAs.

How many schools are in Broken Hill?

Broken Hill has 10 schools, including 9 government, 1 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Broken Hill?

Broken Hill has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 893, 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.