Population explosion predicted for Murray

This data also predicts a spike in almost 2000 extra households by 2041, with the biggest residential increase forecast for Moama.

These population forecasts use estimated residential population (ERP) as a starting point and assess what is driving population change in the area to forecast how the age structure and household types will change as a result.

Director environment and planning Rod Croft said Murray River Council’s planning team worked with data experts REMPLAN to complete the town-level population projections to help inform planning for housing, services and economic growth.

This data is now also available for use by locals, with forecast projections available for each year up until 2041.

“We use population and housing forecasts to inform the planning of our services, programs, policies, and strategies,” Mr Croft said.

“It provides important information on how our community and municipality may change in the future and helps us predict how many people will live within our towns, how many jobs there will be and where these will be located.

“The current projections predict strong growth and paint a very positive picture for many of our towns.”

Other key findings identified by council is that couples with no children will be the council’s largest household type in the future, with the 80 year-old and over group experiencing the biggest change - a 146.67 per cent increase on the 2016 figures.

The projections are broken down into 11 regions and are now available via the REMPLAN Forecast module on council’s website.

These projections will be updated annually, with the first update set for November 2022 to include the latest census data.

“Other organisations and individuals are encouraged to utilise these forecasts for planning, funding applications and projects,” Mr Croft said.

To view the population forecasts, go to https://www.murrayriver.nsw.gov.au/Business/Economic-and-community-profiles or contact the planning team for further information.