Parkes

New South Wales · Central West · 14,271 people · 13 suburbs · 5 postcodes

Parkes at a glance

14,271
Population
#77 of 130 in NSW
6,324
km² area
2/km² density
40.6
Median age
+0.9 vs NSW
$1,351
Median HH income/wk
#87 of 130 in NSW
923
SEIFA IRSAD
#104 of 130 in NSW
12
Schools
8 gov, 3 Cath, 1 indep
5.6%
Born overseas
28.8%
Renting

Map shows the Parkes 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.

Parkes is a Local Government Area in New South Wales, in the Sydney region. It covers 13 suburbs across 5 postcodes and an area of 6,324 km². Parkes has a population of 14,271 , ranking #77 most populous in NSW. The most populous suburb is Parkes (11,324 residents), and the highest median household income is in Gunningbland at $1,875/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,351/week and median age is 40.6. About 5.6% of residents were born overseas and 3.4% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (20.2%) 15–24 (11.6%) 25–44 (22.4%) 45–64 (24.9%) 65+ (20.8%)
Show counts
0–14 years2,889 (20.2%)
15–24 years1,658 (11.6%)
25–44 years3,194 (22.4%)
45–64 years3,556 (24.9%)
65+ years2,973 (20.8%)
5.6%
Born overseas
3.4%
Speak a language other than English at home
13.1%
First Nations
2.4
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (38.7%) Mortgaged (32.4%) Renting (28.8%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (94.4%) Semi/townhouse (2.4%) Flat/apartment (3.2%)
$240
Median weekly rent
$1,211
Median monthly mortgage
42.1%
Households with 0-1 cars
57.9%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

5.1%
Unemployment rate
3,930
In full-time work
1,894
In part-time work

Schools in Parkes

12 schools across Parkes: 66.7% Government, 25.0% Catholic, 8.3% Independent. The NSW average is 69.6% / 16.9% / 13.5%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 895 (range 815 to 1014). NSW median is 1005; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

NSW average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (58.3%) Secondary (8.3%) Combined (33.3%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 895 NSW median 1005LGA range 815 to 1014

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 12 schools in Parkes, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Parkes High School Government Secondary Parkes 467 894
Parkes Christian School Independent Combined Parkes 402 1014
Parkes Public School Government Primary Parkes 363 896
Parkes East Public School Government Primary Parkes 281 949
Middleton Public School Government Primary Parkes 173 891
Holy Family Parish School Catholic Primary Parkes 171 988
Peak Hill Central School Government Combined Peak Hill 126 815
Trundle Central School Government Combined Trundle 98 919
Tullamore Central School Government Combined Tullamore 54 915
St Joseph's Parish School Catholic Primary Peak Hill 34 850
St Patrick's Parish School Catholic Primary Trundle 12 859
Bogan Gate Public School Government Primary Bogan Gate 11 828

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

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

923
Ranked #104 of 130 NSW LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

946

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

959

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

914

Suburbs in Parkes

Parkes contains 13 suburbs and 5 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Parkes 2870 11,324 $1,401/wk 39
Peak Hill 2869 1,162 $996/wk 48
Trundle 2875 568 $1,114/wk 51
Tullamore 2874 369 $931/wk 50
Bogan Gate 2876 269 $1,260/wk 40
Alectown 2870 151 $1,803/wk 49
Goonumbla 2870 98 $1,374/wk 28
Tichborne 2870 92 $1,542/wk 39
Gunningbland 2876 90 $1,875/wk 44
Cooks Myalls 2870 49 $1,374/wk 43
Nelungaloo 2876 47 $1,812/wk 31
Bruie Plains 2875 28 $1,625/wk 31
Trewilga 2869 24 $1,374/wk 53

Postcodes covered

2869, 2870, 2874, 2875, 2876

Compare Parkes with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Parkes (NSW) 14,271 40.6 $1,351/wk 923 28.8% 5.6%
Cabonne 14,134 44.6 $1,610/wk 994 16.4% 5.9%
Forbes 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%
Narromine 6,391 40.4 $1,328/wk 935 25.4% 3.8%
Lachlan 5,910 40.5 $1,233/wk 933 30.0% 4.9%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Parkes

What is the population of Parkes?

The 2021 Census recorded 14,271 people living in Parkes, across 13 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Parkes?

Parkes contains 13 suburbs. The most populous are Parkes, Peak Hill, Trundle, Tullamore, Bogan Gate.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Parkes?

Parkes covers 5 postcodes: 2869, 2870, 2874, 2875, 2876.

What is the median household income in Parkes?

The population-weighted median household income across Parkes is $1,351 per week (2021 Census), ranking #87 of 130 NSW LGAs.

How many schools are in Parkes?

Parkes has 12 schools, including 8 government, 3 Catholic, and 1 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Parkes?

Parkes has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 923, 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.