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Living in Palmerston North

Palmerston North is in New Zealand; its population was 78,021 in March 2023. The city covers 77.05 km², with a population density of 1,056.3 people per km² in March 2023.

Which New Zealand-wide rules apply when you move to Palmerston North?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in New ZealandNational rates and thresholds that apply in Palmerston North.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Palmerston North yet. We do not infer one from another place.

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

24.4% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 18,999 people of 78,021 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in New ZealandUnemployment in Palmerston North is 4.5%. Of 73 cities with data, 34 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in New Zealand per band14 cities: 0% to under 2%140–234 cities: 2% to under 4%342–416 cities: 4% to under 6%164–6Palmerston North 4.5%8 cities: 6% to under 8%86–81 city: 14% to under 16%114–16

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate4.5 %country median 3.2%31 Dec 2023Stats NZ6Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Palmerston North. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Work and Income employment service — Public employment service

Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand

Job Search
Open official service
Open the New Zealand service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Palmerston North. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport5 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights3Official
Nearest airportPMR3 Aug 2026OurAirports4Official
Distance to nearest airport4 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports4Official

Language courses and integration in Palmerston North

1 exact course-location record is linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally
1verified local records
Check courses in Palmerston NorthHow the country programme works
Exact city-linked record checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Climate and air quality

MetricValuePeriodSource
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 32.77 · Feb 30.48 · Mar 29.45 · Apr 24.29 · May 21.03 · Jun 17.5 · Jul 16.1 · Aug 16.93 · Sep 19.34 · Oct 22.65 · Nov 26.05 · Dec 29.55 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan 5.52 · Feb 5.44 · Mar 4.63 · Apr 2.65 · May 0.88 · Jun -0.48 · Jul -1.21 · Aug -0.96 · Sep -0.33 · Oct -0.35 · Nov 1.39 · Dec 3.28 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official
Average temperature by monthJan 17.1 · Feb 17.36 · Mar 15.68 · Apr 12.96 · May 10.79 · Jun 8.67 · Jul 7.65 · Aug 8.23 · Sep 9.6 · Oct 11.04 · Nov 12.89 · Dec 15.4 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center1Official

Cities of a similar size in New Zealand

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All New Zealand cities
New Plymouth90,100 residentsNapier64,695 residentsPorirua58,080 residentsRotorua55,326 residentsNelson54,300 residentsWhangarei53,841 residents

Population and city profile

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Palmerston North residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport75.6%Foreign residents24.4%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area77.05 km²1 Jan 2023Official Stats NZ Urban-rural 2023 area for the exact UR2023 urban-area code. AREA_SQ_KM is the clipped official geography used here; no territorial-authority or SA observation is substituted.2Official
Foreign-resident share21.8 %31 Dec 2023Stats NZ6Official
Foreign residents18,999 people31 Dec 2023Stats NZ6Official
Population density1,056 people/km²7 Mar 2023Reproducible exact-UR2023 density using the existing official Stats NZ population denominator and the exact official UR2023 area. No observation geography is promoted.5Official
Population78,021 people7 Mar 2023Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population8Official

International community in Palmerston North

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
Asia8,36110.8%
United Kingdom and Ireland2,8533.7%
Middle East and Africa2,0852.7%
Pacific Islands1,5752.0%
Australia1,1191.4%
Europe (excl United Kingdom and Ireland)8041.0%
North America5820.8%
Other3540.5%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Ancestry or ethnicity

Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
New Zealand European52,86667.8%
Māori16,48221.1%
Other European4,3565.6%
Indian3,8675.0%
Chinese3,1174.0%
Southeast Asian2,7723.6%
Other Asian2,2412.9%
Samoan2,0492.6%
Cook Islands Maori1,1311.4%
Tongan1,0681.4%
Show 11 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Other Ethnicity8941.1%
Middle Eastern5310.7%
Latin American4950.6%
Fijian4530.6%
African3990.5%
Niuean2670.3%
European nfd2100.3%
Other Pacific Peoples1890.2%
Asian nfd1860.2%
Tokelauan1770.2%
Pacific Peoples nfd390.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Ancestry or ethnicity

Census usually resident population count for the 2023 Census place-summary geography · 2023 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
European56,28372.1%
Māori16,48221.1%
Asian12,06015.5%
Pacific Peoples4,8786.3%
Middle Eastern/Latin American/African1,4101.8%
Other Ethnicity8941.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Is Palmerston North a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker55%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 44–66%
Skilled employee61%strong on work, weak on safety · range 51–71%
Student56%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 44–68%
Family55%strong on family, weak on safety · range 43–67%
Retirement51%strong on cost, weak on admin · range 37–65%
Foreign residents18,999 people31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
Population78,021 people7 Mar 2023Official source · Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population
Unemployment rate4.5 %31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
City area77.05 km²1 Jan 2023Official source · Official Stats NZ Urban-rural 2023 area for the exact UR2023 urban-area code. AREA_SQ_KM is the clipped official geography used here; no territorial-authority or SA observation is substituted.
Foreign-resident share21.8 %31 Dec 2023Official source · Stats NZ
Population density1,056 people/km²7 Mar 2023Official source · Reproducible exact-UR2023 density using the existing official Stats NZ population denominator and the exact official UR2023 area. No observation geography is promoted.
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-13

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Palmerston North when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Palmerston North?

The unemployment rate is 4.5 %. Source: Stats NZ.

How many people live in Palmerston North?

The published population is 78,021 people. Source: Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population.

How many foreign residents live in Palmerston North?

18,999 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Stats NZ.

Is Palmerston North a good place to live?

Palmerston North may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Australia live in Palmerston North?

The official country of birth distribution records 1,119 people (1.4%) in the source-defined population for 2023 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Palmerston North, New Zealand: jobs, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/palmerston-north/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_palmerston-north-new-zealand-jobs-climate_53a5d99c1dd6,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Palmerston North, New Zealand: jobs, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/palmerston-north/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Palmerston North, New Zealand: jobs, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/nz/palmerston-north/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  2. Official Stats NZ Urban-rural 2023 area for the exact UR2023 urban-area code. AREA_SQ_KM is the clipped official geography used here; no territorial-authority or SA observation is substituted. services2.arcgis.com · checked 2023-01-01
  3. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  4. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Reproducible exact-UR2023 density using the existing official Stats NZ population denominator and the exact official UR2023 area. No observation geography is promoted. services2.arcgis.com · checked 2023-03-07
  6. Stats NZ tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-03
  7. Stats NZ / Tatauranga Aotearoa tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-30
  8. Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries — Census population Stats NZ Urban Rural 2023 place summaries · tools.summaries.stats.govt.nz · checked 2026-08-13

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.