Cowra

New South Wales · Central West · 11,273 people · 8 suburbs · 4 postcodes

Cowra at a glance

11,273

Population

#88 of 130 in NSW

1,782

km² area

6/km² density

46.4

Median age

+6.7 vs NSW

$1,107

Median HH income/wk

#121 of 130 in NSW

905

SEIFA IRSAD

#119 of 130 in NSW

Schools

6 gov, 1 Cath, 1 indep

6.9%

Born overseas

27.7%

Renting

Map shows the Cowra 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.

Cowra is a Local Government Area in New South Wales, in the Sydney region. It covers 8 suburbs across 4 postcodes and an area of 1,782 km². Cowra has a population of 11,273 , ranking #88 most populous in NSW. The most populous suburb is Cowra (10,145 residents), and the highest median household income is in Wattamondara at $1,402/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,107/week and median age is 46.4. About 6.9% of residents were born overseas and 4.0% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

17.4%

11.1%

19.9%

25.5%

26.2%

0–14 (17.4%) 15–24 (11.1%) 25–44 (19.9%) 45–64 (25.5%) 65+ (26.2%)

Show counts

0–14 years	1,964 (17.4%)
15–24 years	1,251 (11.1%)
25–44 years	2,257 (19.9%)
45–64 years	2,885 (25.5%)
65+ years	2,960 (26.2%)

6.9%

Born overseas

4.0%

Speak a language other than English at home

9.3%

First Nations

2.3

Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

44.4%

27.9%

27.7%

Owned outright (44.4%) Mortgaged (27.9%) Renting (27.7%)

Dwelling type mix

95.0%

Separate house (95.0%) Semi/townhouse (3.7%) Flat/apartment (1.2%)

$228

Median weekly rent

$1,222

Median monthly mortgage

43.9%

Households with 0-1 cars

56.1%

Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

5.3%

Unemployment rate

2,691

In full-time work

1,597

In part-time work

Schools in Cowra

8 schools across Cowra: 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 908 (range 822 to 985). NSW median is 1005; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

75.0%

12.5%

NSW average for comparison

69.6%

16.9%

13.5%

Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

62.5%

12.5%

Primary (62.5%) Secondary (12.5%) Combined (12.5%) Special (12.5%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300

LGA median 908 NSW median 1005LGA range 822 to 985

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 Cowra, sorted by enrolment:

School	Sector	Type	Suburb	Students	ICSEA
St Raphael's Catholic School Cowra	Catholic	Combined	Cowra	442	985
Cowra High School	Government	Secondary	Cowra	439	884
Cowra Public School	Government	Primary	Cowra	338	895
Mulyan Public School	Government	Primary	Cowra	336	896
Holman Place School	Government	Special	Cowra	30	822
Gooloogong Public School	Government	Primary	Gooloogong	26	919
Holmwood Public School	Government	Primary	Cowra	26	920
OneSchool Global NSW - Cowra	Independent	Primary	Cowra	18	963

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

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

905

Ranked #119 of 130 NSW LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

929

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

945

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

903

Suburbs in Cowra

Cowra contains 8 suburbs and 4 postcodes. Sorted by population.

Suburb	Postcode	Population	Median income	Median age
Cowra	2794	10,145	$1,107/wk	46
Gooloogong	2805	408	$992/wk	47
Darbys Falls	2793	243	$845/wk	55
Wattamondara	2794	214	$1,402/wk	46
Billimari	2804	117	$1,375/wk	50
Bumbaldry	2794	107	$1,375/wk	52
Roseberg	2793	39	$754/wk	58
Mount Mcdonald	2793

Postcodes covered

2793, 2794, 2804, 2805

Compare Cowra with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA	Population	Median age	Median HH income	SEIFA IRSAD	% renting	% overseas-born
Cowra (NSW)	11,273	46.4	$1,107/wk	905	27.7%	6.9%
Hilltops	19,586	44.5	$1,198/wk	929	24.6%	7.6%
Cabonne	14,134	44.6	$1,610/wk	994	16.4%	5.9%
Blayney	7,119	41.9	$1,645/wk	966	23.4%	6.3%
Weddin	3,488	52.2	$1,057/wk	940	19.7%	5.5%
Forbes	9,348	42.0	$1,278/wk	940	28.4%	4.2%

Services and amenities

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

Frequently asked questions about Cowra

What is the population of Cowra?

The 2021 Census recorded 11,273 people living in Cowra, across 8 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Cowra?

Cowra contains 8 suburbs. The most populous are Cowra, Gooloogong, Darbys Falls, Wattamondara, Billimari.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Cowra?

Cowra covers 4 postcodes: 2793, 2794, 2804, 2805.

What is the median household income in Cowra?

The population-weighted median household income across Cowra is $1,107 per week (2021 Census), ranking #121 of 130 NSW LGAs.

How many schools are in Cowra?

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

What is the SEIFA score for Cowra?

Cowra has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 905, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed June 2026. 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.