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Forbes
New South Wales · Central West · 9,348 people · 21 suburbs · 6 postcodes
Forbes at a glance
Map shows the Forbes 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.
Forbes is a Local Government Area in New South Wales, in the Sydney region. It covers 21 suburbs across 6 postcodes and an area of 4,755 km². Forbes has a population of 9,348 , ranking #92 most populous in NSW. The most populous suburb is Forbes (8,157 residents), and the highest median household income is in Paytens Bridge at $2,750/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,278/week and median age is 42.0. About 4.2% of residents were born overseas and 2.1% speak a language other than English at home.
Who lives here
Age structure
Show counts
| 0–14 years | 1,855 (19.8%) |
| 15–24 years | 1,021 (10.9%) |
| 25–44 years | 2,005 (21.4%) |
| 45–64 years | 2,329 (24.9%) |
| 65+ years | 2,161 (23.1%) |
How they live
Housing tenure
Dwelling type mix
Work and learning
Schools in Forbes
6 schools across Forbes: 66.7% Government, 16.7% Catholic, 16.7% Independent. The NSW average is 69.6% / 16.9% / 13.5%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 945 (range 818 to 992). NSW median is 1005; national mean is 1000.
Sector mix
Type breakdown
ICSEA range
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 6 schools in Forbes, sorted by enrolment:
| School | Sector | Type | Suburb | Students | ICSEA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Bend Catholic College | Independent | Secondary | Forbes | 880 | 989 |
| Forbes Public School | Government | Primary | Forbes | 356 | 940 |
| St Laurence's Parish School | Catholic | Primary | Forbes | 298 | 992 |
| Forbes High School | Government | Secondary | Forbes | 287 | 848 |
| Forbes North Public School | Government | Primary | Forbes | 203 | 818 |
| Bedgerabong Public School | Government | Primary | Bedgerabong | 31 | 950 |
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 ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.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 Forbes. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.
IRSAD
Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage
IRSD
Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)
IER
Economic resources: income, wealth, housing
IEO
Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels
Suburbs in Forbes
Forbes contains 21 suburbs and 6 postcodes. Sorted by population.
| Suburb | Postcode | Population | Median income | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes | 2871 | 8,157 | $1,221/wk | 42 |
| Cookamidgera | 2870 | 151 | $1,300/wk | 48 |
| Bedgerabong | 2871 | 127 | $1,375/wk | 45 |
| Warroo | 2871 | 123 | $1,875/wk | 39 |
| Paytens Bridge | 2871 | 109 | $2,750/wk | 36 |
| Wirrinya | 2871 | 92 | $1,625/wk | 33 |
| Daroobalgie | 2870 | 88 | $2,049/wk | 36 |
| Gunning Gap | 2871 | 88 | $1,312/wk | 42 |
| Garema | 2871 | 84 | $1,312/wk | 50 |
| Jemalong | 2871 | 82 | $1,218/wk | 43 |
| Corinella | 2871 | 72 | $1,875/wk | 35 |
| Ootha | 2875 | 44 | $1,166/wk | 50 |
| Ooma | 2871 | 41 | $2,666/wk | 30 |
| Mulyandry | 2871 | 38 | $1,875/wk | 61 |
| Yarrabandai | 2875 | 33 | $1,124/wk | 56 |
| Mulguthrie | 2877 | 19 | $1,625/wk | 24 |
| Botfields | 2876 | |||
| Milby | 2877 | |||
| Nanami | 2806 | |||
| The Troffs | 2875 | |||
| Trajere | 2806 |
Postcodes covered
2806, 2870, 2871, 2875, 2876, 2877
Compare Forbes with neighbouring LGAs
Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Forbes and its closest neighbouring LGAs.
| LGA | Population | Median age | Median HH income | SEIFA IRSAD | % renting | % overseas-born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes (NSW) | 9,348 | 42.0 | $1,278/wk | 940 | 28.4% | 4.2% |
| Weddin | 3,488 | 52.2 | $1,057/wk | 940 | 19.7% | 5.5% |
| Cabonne | 14,134 | 44.6 | $1,610/wk | 994 | 16.4% | 5.9% |
| Parkes | 14,271 | 40.6 | $1,351/wk | 923 | 28.8% | 5.6% |
| Lachlan | 5,910 | 40.5 | $1,233/wk | 933 | 30.0% | 4.9% |
| Bland | 5,406 | 43.5 | $1,331/wk | 956 | 19.1% | 5.7% |
Services and amenities
Frequently asked questions about Forbes
What is the population of Forbes?
The 2021 Census recorded 9,348 people living in Forbes, across 21 suburbs.
What suburbs are in Forbes?
Forbes contains 21 suburbs. The most populous are Forbes, Cookamidgera, Bedgerabong, Warroo, Paytens Bridge.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.
What postcodes are in Forbes?
Forbes covers 6 postcodes: 2806, 2870, 2871, 2875, 2876, 2877.
What is the median household income in Forbes?
The population-weighted median household income across Forbes is $1,278 per week (2021 Census), ranking #96 of 130 NSW LGAs.
How many schools are in Forbes?
Forbes has 6 schools, including 4 government, 1 Catholic, and 1 independent schools (ACARA 2025).
What is the SEIFA score for Forbes?
Forbes has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 940, 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.