Walgett

New South Wales · Far West and Orana · 5,500 people · 12 suburbs · 7 postcodes

Walgett at a glance

5,500
Population
#109 of 130 in NSW
24,801
km² area
0/km² density
43.9
Median age
+4.2 vs NSW
$1,151
Median HH income/wk
#117 of 130 in NSW
899
SEIFA IRSAD
#121 of 130 in NSW
9
Schools
8 gov, 1 Cath, 0 indep
8.5%
Born overseas
34.5%
Renting

Map shows the Walgett 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.

Walgett is a Local Government Area in New South Wales, in the Sydney region. It covers 12 suburbs across 7 postcodes and an area of 24,801 km². Walgett has a population of 5,500 , ranking #109 most populous in NSW. The most populous suburb is Lightning Ridge (1,946 residents), and the highest median household income is in Come By Chance at $2,125/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,151/week and median age is 43.9. About 8.5% of residents were born overseas and 5.2% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (18.2%) 15–24 (9.7%) 25–44 (21.9%) 45–64 (28.6%) 65+ (21.7%)
Show counts
0–14 years993 (18.2%)
15–24 years532 (9.7%)
25–44 years1,198 (21.9%)
45–64 years1,563 (28.6%)
65+ years1,185 (21.7%)
8.5%
Born overseas
5.2%
Speak a language other than English at home
21.3%
First Nations
2.3
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (48.8%) Mortgaged (16.7%) Renting (34.5%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (96.5%) Semi/townhouse (2.5%) Flat/apartment (1.0%)
$165
Median weekly rent
$805
Median monthly mortgage
45.9%
Households with 0-1 cars
54.1%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

6.8%
Unemployment rate
1,119
In full-time work
534
In part-time work

Schools in Walgett

9 schools across Walgett: 88.9% Government, 11.1% Catholic, 0% Independent. The NSW average is 69.6% / 16.9% / 13.5%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 790 (range 625 to 1017). NSW median is 1005; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

NSW average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (66.7%) Secondary (11.1%) Combined (22.2%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 790 NSW median 1005LGA range 625 to 1017

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 9 schools in Walgett, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Lightning Ridge Central School Government Combined Lightning Ridge 311 790
St Joseph's Primary School Catholic Primary Walgett 134 879
Walgett Community College - Primary School Government Primary Walgett 97 672
Walgett Community College - High School Government Secondary Walgett 83 677
Collarenebri Central School Government Combined Collarenebri 68 625
Burren Junction Public School Government Primary Burren Junction 36 969
Rowena Public School Government Primary Rowena 20 944
Carinda Public School Government Primary Carinda 18 1017
Pilliga Public School Government Primary Pilliga 18 747

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

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

899
Ranked #121 of 130 NSW LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

892

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

902

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

930

Suburbs in Walgett

Walgett contains 12 suburbs and 7 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Lightning Ridge 2834 1,946 $792/wk 53
Walgett 2832 1,824 $1,554/wk 35
Collarenebri 2833 634 $1,042/wk 39
Burren Junction 2386 225 $1,124/wk 49
Cumborah 2832 198 $497/wk 58
Pilliga 2388 175 $762/wk 51
Rowena 2387 172 $1,731/wk 31
Carinda 2831 165 $1,343/wk 37
Come By Chance 2832 88 $2,125/wk 35
Cryon 2832 39 $1,875/wk 44
Angledool 2832 34 $825/wk 56
Grawin Opal Fields 2832

Postcodes covered

2386, 2387, 2388, 2831, 2832, 2833, 2834

Compare Walgett with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Walgett (NSW) 5,500 43.9 $1,151/wk 899 34.5% 8.5%
Narrabri 12,648 40.2 $1,550/wk 937 31.1% 4.3%
Brewarrina 1,300 35.9 $1,026/wk 862 61.0% 3.8%
Coonamble 3,711 39.0 $1,226/wk 892 32.5% 3.1%
Moree Plains 12,673 38.5 $1,523/wk 931 37.9% 5.6%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Walgett

What is the population of Walgett?

The 2021 Census recorded 5,500 people living in Walgett, across 12 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Walgett?

Walgett contains 12 suburbs. The most populous are Lightning Ridge, Walgett, Collarenebri, Burren Junction, Cumborah.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Walgett?

Walgett covers 7 postcodes: 2386, 2387, 2388, 2831, 2832, 2833, 2834.

What is the median household income in Walgett?

The population-weighted median household income across Walgett is $1,151 per week (2021 Census), ranking #117 of 130 NSW LGAs.

How many schools are in Walgett?

Walgett has 9 schools, including 8 government, 1 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Walgett?

Walgett has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 899, 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.