New South Wales · Suburb Profile

Forbes NSW — Suburb Profile

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

The population of Forbes NSW is 8,157 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Forbes is $706 per week ($36,712 per year). Median rent in Forbes is $230 per week ($997 per month). Forbes has a median age of 42 years, older than the national median of 38. Forbes has a population density of 9.2 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Forbes is England. The most common religion is Catholic (33% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is Mandarin. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Forbes is $1,257.

There were 339 recorded offences in Forbes in 2025-26, a rate of 42 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was theft (107 offences).

Forbes Map

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Forbes Population

residents (Census 2021)

Forbes Median Income & Rent

💰

Median Income

$706/wk

$36,712 per year

#5380 of 14,663

🏠

Median Rent

$230/wk

$997 per month

#6811 of 14,663

👤

Median Age

42years

4 years older than national median

🏡

Mortgage

$1,257/mo

Avg household size: 2.3 · 0.7 per bedroom

Forbes Demographics

Gender Split

Male 49.0% (3,997) Female 51.0% (4,157)

Population Density

9.2

people per km²

8,157 people · 884.4 km²

Households

2.3

Avg household size

0.7

Persons per bedroom

$1,641

Family income/wk

Forbes 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)

Forbes Housing Tenure

🏠

Owned outright

55.3% 1,177 dwellings

🏦

Owned with mortgage

44.7% 953 dwellings

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

Forbes Country of Birth

Australia

98.3%

England

0.9%

India

0.4%

China

0.2%

Germany

0.2%

Fiji

0.1%

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

Forbes Religion

Catholic

33.2%

No Religion

26.5%

Anglican

21.5%

Not stated

9.2%

Uniting Church

4.3%

Christinty Prsbytrin Refrmd

2.6%

Christian (other)

1.5%

Baptist

1.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Forbes Education Level

Year 12 or equivalent

43.9%

Year 10 or equivalent

37.4%

Year 9 or equivalent

10.1%

Year 11 or equivalent

8.6%

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

Forbes Languages Spoken at Home

Mandarin

18.0%

Other

16.0%

Malayalam

12.0%

SAL Tot

12.0%

Italian

12.0%

Bengali

10.0%

Cantonese

10.0%

German

10.0%

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

Forbes Employment

💼

Employed full-time

38.4% 2,222 people

⏰

Employed part-time

19.0% 1,101 people

🔍

Unemployed

2.6% 150 people

🏠

Not in labour force

40.0% 2,314 people

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

Forbes Qualifications

Certificate III/IV

50.6%

Bachelor Degree

22.0%

Advanced Diploma/Diploma

16.4%

Postgraduate Degree

4.2%

Certificate I/II

3.9%

Graduate Diploma/Certificate

3.0%

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

Forbes Occupation

Professionals

23.7%

Technicians & Trade Workers

17.5%

Managers

16.6%

Community & Personal Service

13.4%

Clerical & Administrative

10.2%

Labourers

7.7%

Machinery Operators & Drivers

6.0%

Sales Workers

4.9%

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

Forbes Field of Study

Engineering

19.6%

Management & Commerce

17.3%

Education

13.2%

Society & Culture

12.3%

Health

11.3%

Agriculture & Environment

7.7%

Architecture & Building

7.4%

Food, Hospitality & Personal Services

7.0%

Creative Arts

1.7%

Information Technology

1.2%

Natural & Physical Sciences

1.2%

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

Forbes Dwelling Types

Separate house

94.8%

Semi-detached (1 storey)

4.8%

Semi-detached (2+ storey)

0.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Forbes Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk

2.4%

$1-$149/wk

1.1%

$150-$299/wk

1.5%

$300-$399/wk

3.4%

$400-$499/wk

9.9%

$500-$649/wk

5.3%

$650-$799/wk

10.1%

$800-$999/wk

8.4%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

9.1%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

8.1%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

5.0%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

5.4%

$2,000-$2,499/wk

9.8%

$2,500-$2,999/wk

6.1%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

5.4%

$3,500-$3,999/wk

2.4%

$4,000+/wk

6.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Forbes Marital Status

💍

Married

44.8% 2,943

↔️

Separated

4.2% 277

📋

Divorced

9.0% 593

🕊️

Widowed

7.7% 507

👤

Never married

34.3% 2,253

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Forbes Ancestry

Australian

34.9%

English

30.7%

Aboriginal Australianralian

10.3%

Irish

9.5%

Scottish

6.5%

German

3.2%

Other

2.1%

Italian

1.1%

Dutch

0.5%

Chinese

0.4%

French

0.4%

Indian

0.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Forbes School & University Attendance

Primary — Government

28.0%

Secondary — Catholic

16.2%

Primary — Catholic

15.6%

Secondary — Government

13.7%

Vocational Education

12.0%

Pre-school

11.9%

Primary — Other Non-Govt

1.3%

Secondary — Other Non-Govt

1.3%

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

Forbes Need for Assistance

♿

Needs assistance

7.2% 1,077

✅

No need for assistance

92.8% 13,942

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

Forbes Volunteering

🤝

Volunteer

19.4% 1,165

—

Not a volunteer

80.6% 4,829

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Forbes Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo

5.5%

$300-$449/mo

2.7%

$450-$599/mo

3.2%

$600-$799/mo

9.4%

$800-$999/mo

12.7%

$1,000-$1,399/mo

26.9%

$1,400-$1,799/mo

18.9%

$1,800-$2,399/mo

13.6%

$2,400-$2,999/mo

4.2%

$3,000-$3,999/mo

2.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Forbes How People Get to Work

Car (driver)

77.2%

Did not go to work

9.0%

Car (passenger)

6.1%

Walked only

4.1%

Truck

1.5%

Other

0.7%

Motorbike/Scooter

0.5%

Bicycle

0.4%

Bus

0.4%

Taxi/Rideshare

0.2%

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

Forbes Car Ownership

0 vehicles

5.9%

1 vehicle

37.3%

2 vehicles

37.4%

3 vehicles

12.8%

4+ vehicles

6.5%

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

Forbes Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom

2.8%

2 bedrooms

18.2%

3 bedrooms

45.7%

4 bedrooms

27.6%

5 bedrooms

5.0%

6+ bedrooms

0.7%

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

Forbes Population Mobility

13.5%

moved in the last year

36.6%

moved in the last 5 years

4.1%

unemployment rate (Census)

56.2%

labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Forbes Indigenous Population

15.8%

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander

2,383

Indigenous residents

12,689

Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Forbes Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health

782

Arthritis

409

Asthma

320

Diabetes

284

Heart disease

260

Lung condition

230

Cancer

169

Kidney disease

119

Stroke

Dementia

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

Forbes Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk

8.6%

$1-$149/wk

4.8%

$150-$299/wk

6.4%

$300-$399/wk

5.9%

$400-$499/wk

5.1%

$500-$649/wk

4.8%

$650-$799/wk

11.2%

$800-$999/wk

12.2%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

12.0%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

8.3%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

6.1%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

4.4%

$2,000-$2,999/wk

7.0%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

1.0%

$3,500+/wk

2.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Forbes Family Structure

Couple — children under 15

38.0%

Couple — no children

32.6%

One parent — children under 15

11.9%

Couple — no children under 15

10.9%

One parent — no children under 15

6.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Forbes Military Service

🛡️

Current ADF — Reserves

0.1% 4

🏅

Previously served

2.5% 148

👤

Never served

97.4% 5,808

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Forbes Unpaid Carers

🤲

Provided unpaid assistance

13.8% 820

—

Did not provide

86.2% 5,138

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Forbes Children Ever Born

No children

25.8%

1 child

9.6%

2 children

26.9%

3 children

22.8%

4 children

10.8%

5+ children

4.1%

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

Forbes When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951

1951–1960

1961–1970

1971–1980

1981–1990

1991–2000

2001–2010

2011–2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

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

Forbes Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours

19.0%

5–14 hours

27.4%

15–29 hours

14.0%

30+ hours

10.8%

Did not do domestic work

28.7%

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

Forbes Household Size

1 person

32.1%

2 persons

36.9%

3 persons

11.3%

4 persons

10.6%

5 persons

6.1%

6+ persons

3.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Forbes Where Residents Moved From

Same address

6,354

Moved — same area (SA2)

574

Moved from NSW

322

Moved from QLD

Moved from VIC

Moved from ACT

Moved from overseas

Moved from NT

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

Forbes Family Blending

Intact family — no other children

81.8%

Step family — no other children

10.6%

Blended family — no other children

4.9%

Intact family — other children present

1.4%

Other couple — children only

1.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Forbes Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-26 — 339 total

Theft

107

Other Against Property

Property Damage

Drug Offences

Assault

Weapons

Other Against Person

Sexual Offences

Offence trend by year:

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

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

Forbes Schools

schools nearby

government

917

avg ICSEA score

2,024

total students

St Laurence's Parish School Catholic

Primary · K-6 · 298 students

992

ICSEA

Red Bend Catholic College Independent

Secondary · 7-12 · 880 students

989

ICSEA

Forbes Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 356 students

940

ICSEA

Forbes High School Government

Secondary · 7-12 · 287 students

848

ICSEA

Forbes North Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 203 students

818

ICSEA

Source: ACARA — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2025. ICSEA = Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (national average 1000).

View all schools in Forbes with map →

Forbes Rent Prices & Affordability

19%

of income

Affordable

Household Income $1,221/wk

Median Rent $230/wk

Rent-to-Income 18.8%

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

If you earn X in Forbes

Your weekly income

≈ $5,291/month

Median rent $230/wk

Left after rent $991/wk

Rent share 18.8%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Coleambally

Income: $841/wk Rent: $180/wk Save: $50/wk

Nyngan

Income: $770/wk Rent: $200/wk Save: $30/wk

Hamilton South

Income: $770/wk Rent: $162/wk Save: $68/wk

Lake Cargelligo

Income: $641/wk Rent: $170/wk Save: $60/wk

Darlington Point

Income: $736/wk Rent: $200/wk Save: $30/wk

South Albury

Income: $775/wk Rent: $200/wk Save: $30/wk

Narrandera

Income: $626/wk Rent: $210/wk Save: $20/wk

Culcairn

Income: $623/wk Rent: $220/wk Save: $10/wk

Forbes vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in NSW

Eastgardens

Pop: 4,086 Income: $1,113/wk Rent: $650/wk

Weston (NSW)

Pop: 4,088 Income: $635/wk Rent: $320/wk

Wellington (NSW)

Pop: 4,096 Income: $552/wk Rent: $230/wk

Putney

Pop: 4,097 Income: $1,085/wk Rent: $700/wk

Lake Heights

Pop: 4,105 Income: $623/wk Rent: $400/wk

North St Marys

Pop: 4,123 Income: $597/wk Rent: $340/wk

Compare Forbes (NSW)

Forbes (NSW) vs Eastgardens →Forbes (NSW) vs Weston (NSW) →Forbes (NSW) vs Wellington (NSW) →Forbes (NSW) vs Putney →

Frequently Asked Questions About Forbes

What is the population of Forbes NSW?

The population of Forbes NSW is 8,157 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 9.2 people per km².Forbes is ranked #867 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Forbes?

The median personal income in Forbes NSW is $706 per week, or $36,712 per year.The median household income is $1,221 per week.Family income is $1,641 per week.Forbes is ranked #5,380 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Forbes?

Median rent in Forbes NSW is $230 per week ($997 per month).Rent represents 18.8% of household income, which is considered affordable.Forbes ranks #6,811 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Forbes?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Forbes NSW is $1,257. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Forbes?

The median age in Forbes NSW is 42 years.This is older than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Forbes a good suburb to live in?

Forbes is a suburb in New South Wales with a population of 8,157.The median income is $706/wk, which is below the NSW average of $781/wk.Rent affordability is rated as affordable (18.8% of household income). See the full suburb profile above for detailed statistics.

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Looking for schools, childcare centres, and playgrounds in this area? See kid.com.au for family facilities data.

Data: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021. SA2 area: 11539. All dollar figures in AUD.