2021 Census shows Wagga is changing rapidly: Five figures that show the changing face of Wagga

By comparing the results with the 2011 census, a picture of demographic change emerges, showing Wagga's population is more indigenous, multicultural and less religious than it was ten years ago.

The 2021 census shows the population of Wagga grew by 8,431 people between 2011 and 2021.

While population growth accelerated in the five years to 2021, it is a far cry from the boom seen in the five years to 2011, when over 12,000 people moved to the city in just five years.

In order to reach 100,000 residents by 2038, Wagga would need to attract more than 2,000 new residents a year - almost double the rate of the last five years.

When preliminary figures from the latest census were released in June 2022, Committee 4 Wagga CEO Scott Sanbrook said he expected population growth to accelerate as new developments in the region got up and running.

"Developments such as the Inland Rail, the Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics Hub, the Special Activation Precinct, the Riverina Redevelopment Joint Venture," he said.

"When some of these developments are up and running, we will see a much more senior significant rise in the population."

While there are concerns about whether Wagga has the housing available to continue to grow, the 2021 Census showed more than 2,000 residences were empty on census night.

Recent land release and modern construction proposals by Councillor Richard Foley have suggest council are still working towards being able to accommodate 100,000 residents.

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Median mortgages were flat, at slightly over $1,500, while rents rose from $985 to $1285 ($230 per week to $300 per week). This is an increase of just over 30 percent, suggesting rent increases were not a result of an increased costs incurred by landlords during this period.

Official interest rates began to rise in May of 2022 from 0.10 per cent to the current 3.6 per cent, precipitating a rise in the cost of mortgage repayments, and subsequent rental rises for many tenants.

The NSW Tenants Union's rental tracker suggests this change has only accelerated since the census, with median rents increasing by a further $100 since August 10, 2021 to $400.

VERTO CEO Ron Maxwell said ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, their South Western Tenants Advice and Advocacy program has experienced an increase in enquiries about rising rents and subsequent issues with landlords.

"When you have a situation where rents are rapidly rising, are increasingly difficult to retain and it's incredibly challenging to find new housing, you unfortunately have a perfect storm - and tenants are being significantly impacted," Mr Maxwell said.

"At VERTO we pride ourselves on helping those in need and we will continue to advocate for greater protection and an equal playing field for renters."

Wagga's total housing stock increased by 4,063; nearly one for every two new residents.

The perception among many long term residents is Wagga is a very religious city. Even in other parts of the country, Wagga has received (sometimes unwanted) attention for the perceived influence of churches on public policy.

Ten years ago, over 77 per cent of locals considered themselves Christian. Today, it's just over 58 per cent. While this tracks the trend of increasing secularism across the country, the affect is particularly pronounced in Wagga, which has historically been more religious than many other places in Australia.

Wagga's new Orthodox Priest noted in a recent interview that parishioners were "getting a little dusty" in their religious practice due to the lack of a regular priest in their church. This was not by design, but a struggle to find qualified priests to take on regional postings, particularly when Urban postings with larger congregations also need filling.

This will likely become an issue for other churches in the future, as ordination rates among most Christian denominations have been steadily declining since the 90s.

Catholicism has been the most stalwart of Christian denominations in Wagga over the last ten years, declining by slightly over 1,000 people in the last decade, but has remained over a quarter of Wagga's population.

18,343 people identified as Catholic in the 2021 Census - 27 per cent of the local population.

However, some parishes may be concerned about the dropout rate of young adults. The 2021 census shows that while there were nearly 3,979 Catholics in the 0 - 14 year age group, this drops off sharply to 2,626 in the 15 - 24 age group, continuing to decline until at least the mid 40s.

Father Brendan Lee was a Catholic priest active in the Wagga Diocese for over 20 years. He said the Catholic church's success relative to other forms of Christianity is "sticking to the basics".

"You can try to modernise to bring in new parishioners, but you're ultimately selling short," Father Lee said.

"We stick with our core practices - Jesus, and living a good, moral life.

"The way forward is the way backwards."

As Wagga's population has grown, so has its diversity. In part this is due to it's designation as a Refugee welcome zone, which has seen diverse sets of migrants flow into the city since 2012.

16 per cent of residents were born overseas, up from 12 per cent in 2011.

Since 2016, large refugee populations have been resettled from Northern Iraq and Afghanistan, with smaller populations relocating from Myanmar, Tibet, and a number of other countries.

Wagga Multicultural Centre's CEO Belinda Crain said refugee families are settling "extremely well" in Wagga, and the program has been a big win for both refugees and the wider community.

"We've had over 40 families who've purchased their own homes in Wagga, so they're not only living here, they're staying and retaining," Ms Crain said.

"There's even a Yazidi restaurant now ... I actually ate there today.

"They've really made Wagga their home."

Wagga's indigenous population increased from 4.6 to 6.6 per cent between 2011 and 2021 (2,728 to 4,471). This is nearly double the number for greater NSW of 3.4 per cent.

Proud Wiradjuri man Luke Wighton moved to Wagga in 1993 for broader experiences and opportunities. He said he isn't surprised by the rapid increase.

"Wagga really has everything you'd expect from a city - sport, education, services ... but it still has a real country feel," he said.

"There was a lot of shame, particularly around the stolen generation. Now more people are getting in touch with their roots and identifying as aboriginal.

"Because it's hub [for indigenous services], there are people coming from a lot of groups too - not just Wiradjuri."

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