The city was one of the lowest ranked in terms of population growth between 2012-2013 with long-running rivals Albury-Wodonga and central NSW cities Bathurst and Orange growing faster.

A total of 547 settled in the city for a total of 54,679 in 2013 compared to 1287 in Albury-Wodonga for a combined total of 86,274.

Bathurst added 667 and Orange added 703, however, they both lag well behind Wagga in total population.

The figures were part of the ABS's latest demographic report published last month.

Wagga mayor Rod Kendall said population growth rates were not a competition and the city's growth had always been "pretty predictable".

He said one of the benefits of a predictable growth rate was it was easier for Wagga City Council to plan for the future.

"It'd be nice if it was higher ... but higher growth rates are based on a single sector of the economy, if you get boom, you also get a bust," Councillor Kendall said.

"Wagga's economy is so diverse, there's not a single sector which dominates it."

Cr Kendall said there were positive indicators on the horizon for Wagga with several new developments being considered.

He said one of the key areas of improvement was providing employment opportunity for the spouses of people who had moved to Wagga.

"It's not just getting people to move here (Wagga), it's getting people to stay," Wagga resident Jenny Wallace said.

For Mrs Wallace, one of the reasons she, her husband and four-month-old daughter moved was to be closer to family, but there was more to living in a city than simply having a house.

After making the move to the city seven years ago, she said it was often the little things which mattered, whether it was a playground in the park or finding a good coffee.

She said events like Wagga Live and Eat Local Thursday created connections in the city which helped encourage people to continue residing in the city.

"Support networks - meeting like-minded people (in a new city) makes a difference," she said.

For people who made the effort to connect, Mrs Wallace said there was a diverse cultural scene outside of sport for locals and visitors.

"There's a lot of things which happen here in Wagga that happen but you don't know about unless you go looking for it," Mrs Wallace said.

While happy to see the city grow, Mrs Wallace hoped it would continue to retain its friendliness and community-mindedness.

As at June 30 2014

Average annual growth rate between 2012-2013

Bathurst 1.95%

Orange 1.82%

Albury-Wodonga 1.51%

Tamworth 1.47%

Dubbo 1.09%

Wollongong 1.09%

Coffs Harbour 1.04%

Wagga 1.01%

Port Macquarie 0.90%

National average 1.8%

Average annual growth rate between 2008-2013

Orange 1.81%

Bathurst 1.72%

Tamworth 1.33%

Port Macquarie 1.26%

Albury-Wodonga 1.14%

Dubbo 1.07%

Wollongong 1.03%

Coffs Harbour 1.01%

Wagga 0.67%