New South Wales · Suburb Profile

Broken Hill NSW — Suburb Profile

Population, median income, rent prices, housing costs and demographics for Broken Hill, New South Wales. ABS Census 2021.

The population of Broken Hill NSW is 17,706 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Broken Hill is $650 per week ($33,800 per year). Median rent in Broken Hill is $220 per week ($953 per month). Broken Hill has a median age of 44 years, older than the national median of 38. Broken Hill has a population density of 1.4 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Broken Hill is England. The most common religion is No Religion (52% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is Other. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Broken Hill is $867.

There were 832 recorded offences in Broken Hill in 2025-26, a rate of 47 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was other against property (244 offences).

Broken Hill Map

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Broken Hill Population

residents (Census 2021)

Broken Hill Median Income & Rent

💰

Median Income

$650/wk

$33,800 per year

#6325 of 14,663

🏠

Median Rent

$220/wk

$953 per month

#7029 of 14,663

👤

Median Age

44years

6 years older than national median

🏡

Mortgage

$867/mo

Avg household size: 2.2 · 0.7 per bedroom

Broken Hill Demographics

Gender Split

Male 48.8% (8,639) Female 51.2% (9,071)

Population Density

1.4

people per km²

17,706 people · 13034.1 km²

Households

2.2

Avg household size

0.7

Persons per bedroom

$1,627

Family income/wk

Broken Hill Age Distribution

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80-84

85+

♂ Male ♀ Female

Source: ABS Census 2021 — Suburb & Locality (SAL)

Broken Hill Housing Tenure

🏠

Owned outright

58.5% 3,101 dwellings

🏦

Owned with mortgage

41.5% 2,202 dwellings

Source: ABS Census 2021 — Suburb & Locality (SAL)

Broken Hill Country of Birth

Australia

97.9%

England

1.0%

India

0.4%

Germany

0.2%

China

0.1%

France

0.1%

Canada

0.1%

Iran

0.1%

Indonesia

0.1%

Bosnia & Herzegovina

0.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G09 — Country of Birth by SAL

Broken Hill Religion

No Religion

51.6%

Catholic

18.9%

Not stated

10.6%

Anglican

9.4%

Uniting Church

6.4%

Christian (other)

1.3%

Baptist

0.9%

Christinty Prsbytrin Refrmd

0.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Broken Hill Education Level

Year 10 or equivalent

41.2%

Year 12 or equivalent

36.0%

Year 9 or equivalent

13.1%

Year 11 or equivalent

9.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G16 — Highest Year of School by SAL

Broken Hill Languages Spoken at Home

Other

22.8%

SAL Tot

22.4%

SAL Filipin

11.2%

Australian Indigenous

10.8%

SAL Tagalog

9.5%

Italian

9.5%

Gujarati

7.5%

Arabic

6.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G13 — Language Spoken at Home by SAL

Broken Hill Employment

💼

Employed full-time

34.7% 4,473 people

⏰

Employed part-time

17.0% 2,197 people

🔍

Unemployed

3.3% 422 people

🏠

Not in labour force

45.0% 5,798 people

Source: ABS Census 2021 G46 — Labour Force Status by SAL

Broken Hill Qualifications

Certificate III/IV

53.4%

Bachelor Degree

18.6%

Advanced Diploma/Diploma

15.9%

Postgraduate Degree

4.6%

Graduate Diploma/Certificate

4.1%

Certificate I/II

3.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G49 — Non-School Qualification by SAL

Broken Hill Occupation

Professionals

24.8%

Technicians & Trade Workers

19.8%

Community & Personal Service

18.2%

Managers

11.0%

Clerical & Administrative

10.4%

Machinery Operators & Drivers

6.9%

Labourers

5.0%

Sales Workers

3.9%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G51 — Industry of Employment by Occupation

Broken Hill Field of Study

Engineering

22.8%

Health

17.6%

Management & Commerce

16.5%

Society & Culture

13.6%

Education

11.3%

Food, Hospitality & Personal Services

6.5%

Architecture & Building

5.5%

Information Technology

2.1%

Agriculture & Environment

1.8%

Creative Arts

1.4%

Natural & Physical Sciences

1.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G51 — Field of Study by SAL

Broken Hill Dwelling Types

Separate house

97.5%

Semi-detached (1 storey)

2.2%

Semi-detached (2+ storey)

0.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Broken Hill Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk

2.1%

$1-$149/wk

0.7%

$150-$299/wk

2.0%

$300-$399/wk

3.7%

$400-$499/wk

11.9%

$500-$649/wk

6.5%

$650-$799/wk

8.6%

$800-$999/wk

8.4%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

8.4%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

7.9%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

5.3%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

5.2%

$2,000-$2,499/wk

9.8%

$2,500-$2,999/wk

6.0%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

4.9%

$3,500-$3,999/wk

3.0%

$4,000+/wk

5.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Broken Hill Marital Status

💍

Married

37.9% 5,564

↔️

Separated

4.2% 614

📋

Divorced

10.7% 1,569

🕊️

Widowed

8.2% 1,202

👤

Never married

39.1% 5,739

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Broken Hill Ancestry

Australian

35.2%

English

30.8%

Aboriginal Australianralian

7.5%

Irish

7.4%

Scottish

6.9%

German

3.7%

Other

2.6%

Italian

2.5%

Maltese

1.2%

Filipino

1.2%

Dutch

0.5%

Indian

0.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Broken Hill School & University Attendance

Primary — Government

37.4%

Secondary — Government

30.4%

Vocational Education

15.0%

Pre-school

11.2%

Primary — Catholic

5.2%

Secondary — Other Non-Govt

0.5%

Primary — Other Non-Govt

0.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G15 — Type of Educational Institution by SAL

Broken Hill Need for Assistance

♿

Needs assistance

9.1% 2,939

✅

No need for assistance

90.9% 29,299

Source: ABS Census 2021 G18 — Core Activity Need for Assistance by SAL

Broken Hill Volunteering

🤝

Volunteer

14.8% 1,974

—

Not a volunteer

85.2% 11,354

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Broken Hill Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo

6.8%

$300-$449/mo

8.9%

$450-$599/mo

8.8%

$600-$799/mo

16.5%

$800-$999/mo

16.0%

$1,000-$1,399/mo

23.3%

$1,400-$1,799/mo

11.3%

$1,800-$2,399/mo

5.4%

$2,400-$2,999/mo

1.9%

$3,000-$3,999/mo

1.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Broken Hill How People Get to Work

Car (driver)

74.4%

Did not go to work

12.3%

Car (passenger)

7.0%

Walked only

4.1%

Motorbike/Scooter

0.7%

Truck

0.6%

Bicycle

0.4%

Other

0.4%

Taxi/Rideshare

0.2%

Bus

0.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G62 — Method of Travel to Work by SAL

Broken Hill Car Ownership

0 vehicles

9.7%

1 vehicle

42.8%

2 vehicles

33.1%

3 vehicles

10.0%

4+ vehicles

4.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G34 — Motor Vehicles per Dwelling by SAL

Broken Hill Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom

4.1%

2 bedrooms

20.1%

3 bedrooms

55.3%

4 bedrooms

16.9%

5 bedrooms

2.9%

6+ bedrooms

0.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G41 — Number of Bedrooms by SAL

Broken Hill Population Mobility

12.8%

moved in the last year

31.8%

moved in the last 5 years

5.5%

unemployment rate (Census)

52.1%

labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Broken Hill Indigenous Population

10.8%

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander

3,519

Indigenous residents

29,071

Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Broken Hill Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health

2,090

Arthritis

989

Asthma

905

Diabetes

735

Heart disease

618

Lung condition

596

Cancer

300

Kidney disease

278

Stroke

240

Dementia

Source: ABS Census 2021 G19 — Long-term Health Conditions by SAL

Broken Hill Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk

8.7%

$1-$149/wk

3.7%

$150-$299/wk

7.3%

$300-$399/wk

6.7%

$400-$499/wk

7.0%

$500-$649/wk

4.6%

$650-$799/wk

9.7%

$800-$999/wk

9.9%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

10.4%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

7.5%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

6.7%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

5.7%

$2,000-$2,999/wk

9.1%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

1.4%

$3,500+/wk

1.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Broken Hill Family Structure

Couple — no children

32.0%

Couple — children under 15

31.6%

One parent — children under 15

14.6%

Couple — no children under 15

13.0%

One parent — no children under 15

8.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Broken Hill Military Service

🎖️

Current ADF — Regular

0.1% 10

🛡️

Current ADF — Reserves

0.0% 6

🏅

Previously served

3.3% 441

👤

Never served

96.6% 12,936

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Broken Hill Unpaid Carers

🤲

Provided unpaid assistance

14.4% 1,914

—

Did not provide

85.6% 11,353

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Broken Hill Children Ever Born

No children

27.0%

1 child

11.9%

2 children

31.3%

3 children

18.8%

4 children

8.5%

5+ children

2.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G28 — Children Ever Born by SAL

Broken Hill When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951

1951–1960

1961–1970

1971–1980

1981–1990

1991–2000

2001–2010

122

2011–2015

113

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Source: ABS Census 2021 G10 — Year of Arrival by SAL

Broken Hill Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours

16.7%

5–14 hours

26.4%

15–29 hours

12.2%

30+ hours

10.1%

Did not do domestic work

34.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G24 — Unpaid Domestic Work by SAL

Broken Hill Household Size

1 person

37.0%

2 persons

34.3%

3 persons

12.9%

4 persons

10.1%

5 persons

3.9%

6+ persons

1.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Broken Hill Where Residents Moved From

Same address

13,791

Moved — same area (SA2)

1,168

Moved from NSW

401

Moved from SA

140

Moved from VIC

Moved from QLD

Moved from overseas

Moved from WA

Moved from TAS

Moved from NT

Moved from ACT

Source: ABS Census 2021 G44 — Address 1 Year Ago by SAL

Broken Hill Family Blending

Intact family — no other children

74.8%

Step family — no other children

15.8%

Blended family — no other children

7.0%

Intact family — other children present

1.5%

Other couple — children only

0.9%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Broken Hill Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-26 — 832 total

Other Against Property

244

Theft

194

Assault

115

Property Damage

100

Other Against Person

Drug Offences

Sexual Offences

Weapons

Robbery

Domestic Violence

Offence trend by year:

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Source: NSW BOCSAR — bocsar.nsw.gov.au

Broken Hill Rent Prices & Affordability

19%

of income

Affordable

Household Income $1,176/wk

Median Rent $220/wk

Rent-to-Income 18.7%

Rent is under 25% of household income — generally considered affordable.

If you earn X in Broken Hill

Your weekly income

≈ $5,096/month

Median rent $220/wk

Left after rent $956/wk

Rent share 18.7%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Hamilton South

Income: $770/wk Rent: $162/wk Save: $58/wk

Darlington Point

Income: $736/wk Rent: $200/wk Save: $20/wk

Narrandera

Income: $626/wk Rent: $210/wk Save: $10/wk

Trangie

Income: $711/wk Rent: $180/wk Save: $40/wk

Warren

Income: $740/wk Rent: $215/wk Save: $5/wk

Coolah

Income: $595/wk Rent: $170/wk Save: $50/wk

Hay (NSW)

Income: $669/wk Rent: $175/wk Save: $45/wk

Gilgandra

Income: $606/wk Rent: $200/wk Save: $20/wk

Broken Hill vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in NSW

Wattle Grove (NSW)

Pop: 8,886 Income: $1,010/wk Rent: $500/wk

Thornleigh

Pop: 8,898 Income: $1,025/wk Rent: $530/wk

Berkeley Vale

Pop: 8,951 Income: $790/wk Rent: $420/wk

Moree

Pop: 8,962 Income: $851/wk Rent: $230/wk

North Sydney

Pop: 8,964 Income: $1,566/wk Rent: $575/wk

Hunters Hill

Pop: 9,014 Income: $1,239/wk Rent: $530/wk

Compare Broken Hill

Broken Hill vs Wattle Grove (NSW) →Broken Hill vs Thornleigh →Broken Hill vs Berkeley Vale →Broken Hill vs Moree →

Frequently Asked Questions About Broken Hill

What is the population of Broken Hill NSW?

The population of Broken Hill NSW is 17,706 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 1.4 people per km².Broken Hill is ranked #195 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Broken Hill?

The median personal income in Broken Hill NSW is $650 per week, or $33,800 per year.The median household income is $1,176 per week.Family income is $1,627 per week.Broken Hill is ranked #6,325 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Broken Hill?

Median rent in Broken Hill NSW is $220 per week ($953 per month).Rent represents 18.7% of household income, which is considered affordable.Broken Hill ranks #7,029 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Broken Hill?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Broken Hill NSW is $867. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Broken Hill?

The median age in Broken Hill NSW is 44 years.This is older than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Broken Hill a good suburb to live in?

Broken Hill is a suburb in New South Wales with a population of 17,706.The median income is $650/wk, which is below the NSW average of $781/wk.Rent affordability is rated as affordable (18.7% of household income). See the full suburb profile above for detailed statistics.

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Data: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021. SA2 area: 10589. All dollar figures in AUD.