Our Economy
Tap into the potential
Our Economy
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF OPPORTUNITY
With a skilled workforce, strategic location and access to premier educational institutions, Queanbeyan-Palerang offers endless opportunities for businesses in a range of city and rural based sectors.
With close proximity to Canberra’s 480,000 residents and the south-east NSW population of over 600,000, now is the time to join a vibrant economy built for success.
GRP
$3.48B and climbing
GRP
$3.48B and climbingQueanbeyan-Palerang has a Gross Regional Product of $3.48b, drawn from a diverse base of industries and showing long-term growth.
Local Businesses
Sustained growth
Local Businesses
Sustained growth5,698 local businesses are registered in Queanbeyan-Palerang, with a concentration in the construction, agriculture, and professional, scientific and technical services industries; the number of active enterprises is growing annually.
Unemployment
Secure labour market
Unemployment
Secure labour marketAn unemployment rate of just 1.6% places Queanbeyan-Palerang over 2 percentage points lower than the regional NSW average and is reflective of an educated, productive and reliable workforce.
Building Approvals
$362M 2024 - 2025
Building Approvals
$362M 2024 - 2025The value of residential and commercial building approvals in Queanbeyan-Palerang over 2024-25 was $3362m, reflecting the confidence in the local economy.
Exports
$1,194M in 2023 - 2024
Exports
$1,194M in 2023 - 2024Queanbeyan-Palerang's sales of goods and services over FY 2023-24 exceeded $1,194.1m with the largest exporting sectors being public administration and manufacturing, valued at $514m and $161m respectively.
Employment
By industry sector
Employment
By industry sector1. Construction
2. Health care and social assistance
3. Public administration and safety
4. Education and training
5. Accommodation and Food Services
6. Retail Trade
In response to regional economies narrowing and deepening across the globe, the NSW Government has identified ‘engine industries’ which employ a higher proportion of people compared to other regions. These engine industries reflect an area’s competitive advantages and endowments.
Queanbeyan-Palerang shows strength across all of the Regional NSW engine industries, providing us with the means to become national and regional leaders in areas including defence, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, health and residential care, freight and logistics and agribusiness and forestry. The area brings a range of highly-specialised industries to NSW’s regional portfolio, and our business environment provides the foundation for the success of new businesses in these areas.
The Economic Profile for Queanbeyan-Palerang compiles data from a range of sources to tell the story of our local economy and how it is changing over time.
The profile includes economic modelling and is kept up to date with inputs from the most recent official data sets. QPRC provides the Economic Profile from .id to support decision making for local businesses.
Our Community Profile is a powerful tool that provides data on the people who live here and key indicators on age, ancestry, education, health, income and housing. The Social Atlas presents the demographic data spatially, overlaid across a map of the region.
These resources are funded by QPRC and delivered it partnership with .id (Informed Decisions).