Gunnedah

New South Wales · New England and North West · 12,843 people · 22 suburbs · 6 postcodes

Gunnedah at a glance

12,843
Population
#82 of 130 in NSW
4,854
km² area
3/km² density
37.7
Median age
-2.0 vs NSW
939
SEIFA IRSAD
#90 of 130 in NSW
10
Schools
7 gov, 2 Cath, 1 indep
5.4%
Born overseas
30.1%
Renting

Map shows the Gunnedah 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.

Federal electorate boundaries can be toggled on the map. Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021 CED boundaries.

Gunnedah is a Local Government Area in New South Wales, in the Sydney region. It covers 22 suburbs across 6 postcodes and an area of 4,854 km². Gunnedah has a population of 12,843 , ranking #82 most populous in NSW. The most populous suburb is Gunnedah (10,359 residents).About 5.4% of residents were born overseas and 3.3% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (22.4%) 15–24 (10.5%) 25–44 (25.1%) 45–64 (23.0%) 65+ (19.0%)
Show counts
0–14 years2,878 (22.4%)
15–24 years1,354 (10.5%)
25–44 years3,222 (25.1%)
45–64 years2,949 (23.0%)
65+ years2,442 (19.0%)
5.4%
Born overseas
3.3%
Speak a language other than English at home
15.6%
First Nations
2.5
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (35.8%) Mortgaged (34.1%) Renting (30.1%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (94.2%) Semi/townhouse (4.9%) Flat/apartment (0.9%)
$290
Median weekly rent
$1,437
Median monthly mortgage
38.2%
Households with 0-1 cars
61.8%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

4.4%
Unemployment rate
3,781
In full-time work
1,662
In part-time work

Schools in Gunnedah

10 schools across Gunnedah: 70.0% Government, 20.0% Catholic, 10.0% Independent. The NSW average is 69.6% / 16.9% / 13.5%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 912 (range 785 to 996). NSW median is 1005; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

NSW average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (60.0%) Secondary (20.0%) Combined (10.0%) Special (10.0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 912 NSW median 1005LGA range 785 to 996

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 Gunnedah, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Gunnedah South Public School Government Primary Gunnedah 533 902
Gunnedah High School Government Secondary Gunnedah 438 820
St Mary's College Catholic Secondary Gunnedah 411 976
St Xavier's Primary School Catholic Primary Gunnedah 366 996
Carinya Christian School Gunnedah Independent Combined Gunnedah 231 965
Gunnedah Public School Government Primary Gunnedah 175 785
Curlewis Public School Government Primary Curlewis 77 833
Carroll Public School Government Primary Carroll 46 987
G S Kidd Memorial School Government Special Gunnedah 35 881
Mullaley Public School Government Primary Mullaley 28 922

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

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

939
Ranked #90 of 130 NSW LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

966

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

988

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

909

Suburbs in Gunnedah

Gunnedah contains 22 suburbs and 6 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Gunnedah 2380 10,359 $1,564/wk 37
Curlewis 2381 779 $1,403/wk 40
Carroll 2340 305 $1,524/wk 37
Tambar Springs 2381 273 $1,013/wk 50
Kelvin 2380 182 $1,812/wk 43
Mullaley 2379 174 $1,292/wk 45
Emerald Hill 2380 137 $1,708/wk 39
Breeza 2381 124 $1,625/wk 35
Marys Mount 2380 99 $1,875/wk 44
Ghoolendaadi 2380 85 $1,875/wk 35
Blue Vale 2380 81 $2,083/wk 38
Milroy 2380 72 $2,250/wk 42
Orange Grove 2380 60 $2,125/wk 37
Willala 2382 55 $1,375/wk 45
Rangari 2380 42 $2,125/wk 35
Keepit 2340 16 $1,999/wk 31
Basin Plain 2380
Burburgate 2380
Coocooboonah 2380
Gunnembene 2380
Meermaul 2380
Noggabri 2380

Postcodes covered

2340, 2379, 2380, 2381, 2382, 2850

Compare Gunnedah with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA Population Median age SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Gunnedah (NSW) 12,843 37.7 939 30.1% 5.4%
Tamworth Regional 62,017 39.3 935 32.8% 8.5%
Liverpool Plains 7,702 46.4 909 25.8% 4.7%
Warrumbungle Shire 9,188 49.4 914 22.2% 5.9%
Narrabri 12,648 40.2 937 31.1% 4.3%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Gunnedah

What is the population of Gunnedah?

The 2021 Census recorded 12,843 people living in Gunnedah, across 22 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Gunnedah?

Gunnedah contains 22 suburbs. The most populous are Gunnedah, Curlewis, Carroll, Tambar Springs, Kelvin.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Gunnedah?

Gunnedah covers 6 postcodes: 2340, 2379, 2380, 2381, 2382, 2850.

How many schools are in Gunnedah?

Gunnedah has 10 schools, including 7 government, 2 Catholic, and 1 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Gunnedah?

Gunnedah has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 939, 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.