suburb.guide

NSW · Upper Lachlan Shire Council

Dalton, 2581

Est. population · Jun 2025

227

Growth (1 yr)

+1.3%

Growth (5 yr)

+7.6%

Median age

48

Median income

$1,531/wk

Employment rate

51.6%

University qualified

16.5%

Work from home

18.8%

Languages at home

1.5%non-English

Most common: Italian

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

51.1/100
Average

Top 29% of New South Wales' suburbs

Verified 92% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • Agricultural
  • Country town
What Dalton is known for: Green suburb, Agricultural, Country town

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Dalton, NSW suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Dalton, NSW Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nsw/dalton

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Suburb profile

Dalton is a regional town in New South Wales, in Upper Lachlan Shire Council. It is primarily residential, without a particularly distinct commercial centre or landmark identity.

Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places. Open-space access is better than in most comparable places, well above typical levels for regional towns. Recorded road crashes are a relative strength, with recorded road crashes 100% below the peer median, and green cover is an exceptional strength, and population has been growing faster than in comparable places, with population growth 103% above the peer median, and socio-economic advantage is a very strong feature of the suburb.

Dalton's appeal is better explained by housing, access and location than by a strong standalone precinct or destination.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Regional town · compared with regional towns in New South Wales (192)

Strengths

  • Recorded road crashes are a relative strength
  • Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places
  • Open-space access is better than in most comparable places
  • Green cover is stronger than in comparable places
  • Population has been growing faster than in comparable places
  • Socio-economic advantage is a relative strength

Weaknesses

No relative weaknesses against comparable places.

What stands out

Nothing distinctive beyond the usual profile.

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Dalton compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$300/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

227

+1.3% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

14.9%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#80

among Country & regional · Mature

Crime rate

25th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

76th

percentile in NSW

Rented dwellings

0%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

6/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

20th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
51.1/100 — Average
State standing
Top 29% of New South Wales' suburbs
National rank
1772nd in Australia
State rank
619th in NSW
Peer rank
#80 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#134 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
92%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

227(June 2025)

+1.3% annual · +7.6% over 5 years · 76th percentile in NSW

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.3%
5-year growth
+7.6%
Change in 1 year
+3
Change in 5 years
+16
Growth rank in NSW
76th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~250), extrapolated at +1.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
230
Median age
48
Median household income / week
$1,531
Dwelling vacancy
14.9%
Unoccupied private dwellings
14 of 94
Median monthly mortgage
$1,300
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$300
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
56.8% / 43.2% / 0%
Employment rate
51.6%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
18.8% / 0% / 71.9%
Walked or cycled to work
3.1%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
76 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

16.5% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 22.3% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified16.5% · 27.8% NSW
  • Diploma qualified8% · 9.3% NSW
  • Trade / vocational22.3% · 15% NSW
  • Year 12 or below53.2% · 47.9% NSW

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Society and culture16.7%
  • Engineering and related technologies15.7%
  • Management and commerce15.7%
  • Education12.7%
  • Health9.8%
  • Agriculture and environment7.8%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$62,314

70th percentile in NSW · +6% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$73,452

80th percentile in NSW · +13% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
16.0%

65th percentile in NSW · +16% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$115,464

88th percentile in NSW · +82% vs Australia

Residents with business income
12.0%

74th percentile in NSW · +15% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2581 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
1,577
Taxpayers reporting net rent
245
Median net rent
$212
Taxpayers reporting business income
196
Taxable income vs state median
+11%
Salary / wages vs state median
+17%
Rental investment vs state median
+14%
Super vs state median
+64%
Business income vs state median
+20%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in NSW, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Seasonal & agricultural work

20.8% of employed residents work in agriculture, forestry and fishing, 9.0× the Australian share (2.3%) — compared with 2.0% across New South Wales.

Agriculture, forestry & fishing
20.8%

73rd percentile in NSW · +804% vs Australia

Resident workers (2021)
20
WHM specified work
Subclass 417 / 462

Postcode 2581

Occupation mix in this industry

2021 Census G56, residents employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Counts below 10 are not shown.

  • Managers13

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census General Community Profile tables G54 (industry of employment) and G56 (industry by occupation), Statistical Area Level (suburb), place of usual residence. Figures are residents’ main job in the week before Census night — not jobs located in the suburb. Agriculture, forestry and fishing is the 1-digit ANZSIC division; grape growing and other 3- and 4-digit industries are not in this datapack. The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Plant and animal cultivation in postcode 2581 (Regional Australia) may count as specified work for Working Holiday Maker visas (subclasses 417 and 462). This is a postcode rule from the Home Affairs instruments — not evidence that seasonal jobs exist here, and not a count of WHM residents. Home Affairs specified work · LIN 22/012 · LIN 22/013. Compilation used: 5 April 2025.

Region employment estimates (SA4, not this suburb)

Jobs and Skills Australia NERO modelled estimates for Capital Region (SA4 101), 2026-08. These figures describe the broader region, not this suburb, and occupations are not added together.

  • Livestock Farmers ANZSCO 12132,138
  • Crop Farmers ANZSCO 1212538
  • Livestock Farm Workers ANZSCO 8415461
  • Mixed Crop and Livestock Farmers ANZSCO 1214302
  • Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers ANZSCO 8419122
  • Agricultural, Forestry and Horticultural Plant Operators ANZSCO 7211112
  • Aquaculture Workers ANZSCO 841141
  • Mixed Crop and Livestock Farm Workers ANZSCO 841635
  • Crop Farm Workers ANZSCO 841234
  • Forestry and Logging Workers ANZSCO 841329

Capital Region is a Statistical Area Level 4. Fruit, nut and vegetable workers are not published separately in NERO (they sit under ANZSCO 8412). Jobs and Skills Australia warns not to sum occupations or geographies. NERO data. Nowcast of Employment by Region and Occupation, Jobs and Skills Australia, Commonwealth of Australia. CC BY 4.0.

Census employed residents counted in G54: 96 · AFF share +940% vs the state.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — industry of employment (G54/G56), place of usual residence — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated · Resident main job in the week before Census night, not jobs located in the suburb

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • WHM specified work areas (LIN 22/012 and LIN 22/013) — Department of Home Affairs · 2025-04-05 · Updated · Postcode eligibility for plant and animal cultivation; not a count of WHM residents
  • Nowcast of Employment by Region and Occupation (NERO), SA4 × ANZSCO 4-digit — Jobs and Skills Australia · 2026-08 · Updated · Monthly modelled SA4 estimates; not suburb-level. CC BY 4.0

Community & culture

1.5% speak a language other than English at home; 9% born overseas

Language at home
203 English only · 3 other
Non-English at home
1.5%
Born overseas
19 (9%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
10 (4.3%)
Australian citizens
204
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
1

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Italian3 · 100%

Religion

47.8%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 47.8%, while 38.3% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion38.3%32.8%
Christianity47.8%47.6%
Other / not stated13.9%19.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Anglican20.9%11.9%
Catholic18.7%22.4%
Uniting Church5.7%2.1%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 2581, which is shared with other suburbs.

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
10
Against the person
2
Against property
3
Rate per 1,000 residents
44.1
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 115 residents
State crime-rate percentile
24.6th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate)
+0.3%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
0
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
0

Most common offence types

  • Domestic Violence Related Assault1
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment1
  • Malicious Damage To Property1
  • Receiving Or Handling Stolen Goods1
  • Sexual Assault1

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
1
Median school ICSEA
936
Median ICSEA percentile
20th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
2
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
1
School list
  • Dalton Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 936 · 20th percentile · LBOTE 0% · 6 students · Top SEA quarter 0% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Dalton PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Gunning PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Yass HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

29 public transport stops in this suburb

  • 1598 Jerrawa Rd
  • Gunning St At Chapel St
  • Loop Rd After Gunning St
  • Rugby Rd At Felled Timber Rd
  • Rugby Rd Before Felled Timber Rd

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

  • Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · current · Updated · Nightly GTFS feed

Amenities

17 mapped amenities

1 pubs · 2 places of worship · 1 petrol stations · 1 post offices

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • A car helps for daily needs
  • Great for outdoor family life — 2 parks mapped in suburb
  • Well connected by public transport — 29 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
32/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
4.35
Parks per 1,000 residents
8.7
Food & drink(1)
  • Royal Hotel DaltonPub
Everyday services(2)
  • Petrol station
  • Dalton Post OfficePost office

    30 Gunning Street

Sport & outdoors(3)
  • Fossilised RockPark
  • Park
  • Sports field
Other(8)
  • Car repair
  • Dance
  • Dalton Rural Fire BrigadeFire station

    10 Chapel Street

  • Grave Yard

    22 Chapel Street, Dalton

  • St Matthews Anglican Church GraveyardGrave Yard

    10 Jobson Street, Dalton

  • Parking (4)
  • Dalton Uniting ChurchPlace of worship

    22 Chapel Street, Dalton

  • St Matthews Anglican ChurchPlace of worship

    10 Jobson Street, Dalton

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Fossilised RockPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
4.6%
Woodland / forest cover
4.6%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
5
Parks (OSM)
2
Typical summer maximum
27°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Places of worship

2 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • Dalton Uniting Church

    22 Chapel Street, Dalton

  • St Matthews Anglican Church

    10 Jobson Street, Dalton

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Nearest hospital
Yass District Hospital (29.6 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
5
Participants per 1,000 residents
22.0

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
27° / 12°
Rainfall
171 mm · ~21 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
21° / 7°
Rainfall
169 mm · ~21 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
12° / 1°
Rainfall
183 mm · ~23 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
19° / 6°
Rainfall
212 mm · ~26 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from NSW Planning Portal.

2026· 1 proposal

  • April 2026

  • Demolition; Shed; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation
    682 DALTON ROAD DALTON 2581Withdrawn
2025· 1 proposal

  • December 2025

  • Demolition; Shed; Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation
    682 DALTON ROAD DALTON 2581Withdrawn
2024· 2 proposals

  • September 2024

  • Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation
    135 LOOP ROAD DALTON 2581Determined

  • January 2024

  • Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    1269 RYE PARK ROAD DALTON 2581Determined
2023· 5 proposals

  • November 2023

  • Subdivision
    1598 JERRAWA ROAD DALTON 2581Determined

  • June 2023

  • Dwelling
    201 WALSHS ROAD DALTON 2581Determined

  • March 2023

  • Dwelling
    9 YOUNG STREET DALTON 2581Determined

  • February 2023

  • Subdivision of land
    12 BROWN STREET DALTON 2581Determined

  • January 2023

  • Shed
    6 LOOP ROAD DALTON 2581Determined
2022· 2 proposals

  • August 2022

  • Other
    1598 JERRAWA ROAD DALTON 2581Determined

  • June 2022

  • Shed
    6 LOOP ROAD DALTON 2581Determined
2021· 1 proposal

  • July 2021

  • Other
    1598 JERRAWA ROAD DALTON 2581Determined

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping. Flood cover uses NSW flood planning polygons against the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Riverina
Member of Parliament
Michael McCORMACK (The Nationals)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
128,537
Turnout (2025)
92.8%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-2.9 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 62.6%Labor 37.4%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 30.6 km away).

Coalition 60.2%Labor 39.8%

2.4 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -4.0 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • DaltonLabor 39.6% · Coalition 60.4% TPP (2025)1.4 km away
  • GunningLabor 41.1% · Coalition 58.9% TPP (2025)9.0 km away
  • Grabben GullenLabor 24.9% · Coalition 75.1% TPP (2025)27.5 km away
  • Yass NorthLabor 54.5% · Coalition 45.5% TPP (2025)28.6 km away
  • YassLabor 56.8% · Coalition 43.2% TPP (2025)28.7 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
6/10
IRSD decile (2021)
6/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

More in Upper Lachlan Shire Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.