09/09/2026
$6.6 billion and counting: new data confirms Griffith’s economic muscle, but growth pains remain
By Tony Underhill
Griffith’s economy is worth $6.6 billion and is growing jobs faster than its population, according to new data unveiled at a community presentation this week — but the same session heard the city’s growth is being squeezed by tight housing, patchy “soft infrastructure” and unresolved questions over future water policy.
The update was delivered by Matthew Nichol of economic data firm Remplan, who was introduced by the Mayor after acknowledging the Wiradjuri people as traditional owners of the land. The Mayor told attendees that solid economic data underpins Council’s case for state and federal grants, pointing to the $10 million secured for Lake Wyangan infrastructure and $3 million for C*D projects as recent wins built on that evidence base.
Nichol explained that Remplan grew out of regional economics research at La Trobe University, and is built around giving councils and communities transparent, verifiable figures so development projects aren’t derailed by disputed estimates. Rather than simply counting heads, the platform measures an area’s contribution to the national economy through a productivity-based framework — and Nichol used the Griffith numbers to launch new publicly accessible economic profiles for the region.
A production hub, not just a farming town
The headline figure — a $6.6 billion local economy — puts Griffith firmly in “production hub and regional service centre” territory, Nichol said, rather than the image of a purely agricultural town. Manufacturing, including the city’s wineries and distilleries, sits alongside agriculture as a defining strength.
That stands out regionally: in many comparable centres, healthcare and other non-market sectors have overtaken manufacturing as the top employer. In Griffith, manufacturing still leads on both output and jobs.
The workforce numbers tell their own story. A remarkable 93 per cent of people who work in Griffith also live there, pointing to a highly self-contained local labour market. The city’s age profile is unusual too, with above-average numbers of both 15-19 year-olds moving into trades and workers aged 55 and over staying in the workforce. And despite population growth trailing the state average, job growth is outpacing it — a sign, Nichol said, of rising labour force participation rather than a shrinking economy.
Housing and “soft infrastructure” the sticking points
The presentation’s second half turned to what’s holding the region back. Construction employment has flatlined even as the population grows, which attendees linked to constrained housing supply — a tight vacancy rate of 1.7 per cent and a lack of alternatives such as retirement living or medium-density housing were both raised as concerns, alongside a 2.5 per cent unemployment rate that is making it harder for local employers to recruit.
Attracting and keeping skilled professionals, several participants argued, depends on more than jobs and houses. “Soft infrastructure” — childcare places, access to services such as paediatricians, and employment opportunities for professionals’ spouses — was repeatedly flagged as the missing piece needed to stop skilled workers treating Griffith as a transient posting. Council members pointed to increased density in areas like Lincoln Estate, through multi-dwelling subdivisions, as one response already under way.
Doug Curran raised a separate infrastructure concern: a lack of communication from the NSW Department of Education about school capacity, despite planned residential development at Lake Wang that will add further pressure to local schools.
Questions left on the table
The session closed without answers to several questions likely to shape Griffith’s medium-term outlook. Chief among them is how the next iteration of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and a draft Water Act will affect local water availability. Attendees also raised the possibility of pooling data with neighbouring councils such as Leeton and Murrumbidgee to build a broader regional picture, and asked whether private schools could realistically absorb enrolment growth that public infrastructure isn’t yet funded to handle.
Nichol said Remplan’s new online tools will let Council and state agencies, including the NSW Reconstruction Authority, model scenarios on population change, housing supply and economic uplift going forward — giving planners a common evidence base as these questions are worked through.
