New South Wales · Postcode 2478

Ballina postcode and suburb data

New South Wales · Phone area code 02 · 602 km from Sydney

Inner Regional
9,735
Population (2021)
$1,013
Household income/wk
$360
Median rent/wk
56
Median age
3/10
SEIFA advantage

Suburb snapshot

Ballina at a glance vs NSW

Fast facts and benchmark bars show the suburb's key postcode, Census, SEIFA, school and LGA signals in context.

Quick facts

2478 Postcode See every suburb sharing this postcode
9,735 People Resident population, Census 2021
Ballina Council area 40 suburbs, 5 postcodes
56 Median age Years, Census 2021
$1,013/wk Household income Suburb median, Census 2021 dollars
Decile 3/10 SEIFA advantage Lower SEIFA advantage
6 Schools ACARA 2025 profiles in this suburb

Benchmarks against NSW

Household income
$1,013/wk
48% below NSW average
Suburb median, Census 2021
Weekly rent
$360/wk
19% below NSW average
Suburb median, Census 2021
SEIFA advantage
3/10
3.0 deciles below NSW average
IRSAD decile, higher means more advantage
Median age
56 years
11.0 years older than NSW average
Resident median age
Unemployment
4.0%
1.0 pts below NSW average
Census labour-force rate

Income, rent and SEIFA figures are from the ABS 2021 Census and are reported in 2021 dollars, not adjusted for subsequent inflation.

Where Ballina ranks: household income sits in the bottom 25% of NSW suburbs.

ABS Census 2021 · SEIFA 2021

Detailed comparison table

Ballina vs the NSW average and the national average, using population-weighted 2021 Census data.

MetricBallinaNSW avgAU avg
Household income/wk $1,013 -NSW $1,931 $1,836
Rent/wk $360 -NSW $445 $390
Mortgage/month $1,733 -NSW $2,247 $1,958
Median age 56 45.0 45.0
SEIFA decile 3/10 -NSW 6.0/10 6.0/10
Unemployment 4.0% -NSW 5.0% 5.0%

Green pill = at least 10% above the NSW average; red = at least 10% below; grey = within 10%. For unemployment, colour polarity is inverted: lower is better.

Ballina is a locality 602 km from Sydney in New South Wales, classified as inner regional by the ABS. The postcode is 2478. It falls within the Richmond - Tweed region. The local government area is Ballina.

According to the 2021 Census, Ballina has a population of 9,735 with a median age of 56. The median weekly household income is $1,013, below the NSW average. The unemployment rate is 4.0%, lower than the NSW average. The Indigenous population is 487 (5.0% of residents).

Housing in Ballina includes a median weekly rent of $360, median monthly mortgage repayment of $1,733, with 4,357 total dwellings. Housing costs in the area sit below the NSW average. Rental properties account for 41.0% of dwellings.

On the SEIFA Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, Ballina scores in decile 3 out of 10, which is below the national average.

There are 6 schools in the Ballina area, including Emmanuel Anglican College, Ballina Coast High School, St Francis Xavier Primary School and others.

Ballina is part of the Richmond Valley - Coastal statistical area in New South Wales.

Ballina details

Location, Census, housing, SEIFA and geography fields used across this profile.

Postcode2478
StateNew South Wales (NSW)
Phone Area Code02
Population (2021)9,735
Median Age56 years
Median Household Income (Census 2021)$1,013/week
Median Personal Income (Census 2021)$615/week
Median Weekly Rent (Census 2021)$360
Median Monthly Mortgage (Census 2021)$1,733
Average Household Size2 persons
Area20.5 km²
Population Density476/km²
Total Dwellings4,357
Australian Citizens88.7%
Indigenous Population487 (5.0%)
Unemployment Rate4.0%
SEIFA IRSAD Decile3/10 (below average)
Latitude-28.8379654
Longitude153.5629067
Distance from Sydney602 km
Region (SA4)Richmond - Tweed
Area (SA3)Richmond Valley - Coastal
Local GovernmentBallina
Federal ElectorateRichmond
State ElectorateBallina
Time ZoneAEST (UTC+10), Australia/Sydney (standard time)

Age Profile

0–14 (11.9%) 15–24 (7.7%) 25–44 (18.6%) 45–64 (23.3%) 65+ (38.4%)
Show counts
0–14 years1,156 (11.9%)
15–24 years749 (7.7%)
25–44 years1,813 (18.6%)
45–64 years2,270 (23.3%)
65+ years3,743 (38.4%)

Housing Tenure

Owned outright (39.4%) Mortgaged (19.5%) Rented (41.0%)

SEIFA socio-economic index

Ballina is in SEIFA IRSAD decile 3 of 10. Higher deciles indicate more relative socio-economic advantage. This is an area-level index, not a score for individual households.
More disadvantagedMiddle rangeMore advantaged

Health Conditions (2021 Census)

Arthritis1,460 (15.0%)
Heart Disease849 (8.7%)
Asthma813 (8.4%)
Diabetes628 (6.5%)
Cancer513 (5.3%)
Lung Condition439 (4.5%)
Dementia270 (2.8%)

Long-term health conditions self-reported in the 2021 Census. Persons may report more than one condition.

Motor Vehicles per Dwelling

No vehicle509 (11.9%)
1 vehicle2,112 (49.5%)
2 vehicles1,216 (28.5%)
3+ vehicles430 (10.1%)

Schools in Ballina

ACARA 2025 school profiles for schools located in Ballina. ICSEA is shown where ACARA publishes it.

Emmanuel Anglican College
Combined · Ind · ICSEA 1113 · 878 students
Ballina Coast High School
Secondary · Gov · ICSEA 952 · 722 students
St Francis Xavier Primary School
Primary · Cat · ICSEA 1045 · 398 students
Richmond Christian College
Combined · Ind · ICSEA 1069 · 327 students
Ballina Public School
Primary · Gov · ICSEA 869 · 254 students
Biala Special School
Special · Ind · ICSEA 898 · 33 students

Suburbs Near Ballina

Same Postcode (2478)

More Ballina Data

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 IRSAD, ACARA school profiles 2025. How this data is sourced.