The Golden Plains Shire is predominately rural, with a number of small townships servicing local communities between Ballarat and Geelong. The Shire is the fastest growing municipality in regional Victoria, and sixth overall in the State, with a growth rate of 3.51%. Many Golden Plains residents work in Ballarat or Geelong. The shire's economic base is provided through agriculture, retailing and tourism, while home-based business is the largest employer. Agriculture is responsible for $44 million worth of output annually. The main industries include agriculture (wool and grain growing, intensive poultry and pig farming), beverage and malt manufacturing.

	2012-13	2011-12	2010-11	2009-10
Expenditure ($)	27.758m	28.012m	25.585m	22.489m
Revenue ($)	33.607m	32.300m	28.400m	25.237m
- Charges ($)	15.422m	13.833m	12.441m	10.824m
- VGC Grants ($)	5.050m	4.867m	4.672m	4.363m