Agriculture and sheep grazing are the dominant industries in the shire. The region is a major wool growing area, producing 15% of Australia's wool clip. Hamilton, the major centre in the shire, is also an important centre for education and health.

	2012-13	2011-12	2010-11	2009-10
Expenditure ($)	35.999m	38.696m	35.230m	31.135m
Revenue ($)	40.091m	40.745m	34.494m	31.987m
- Charges ($)	15.309m	14.164m	13.129m	12.069m
- VGC Grants ($)	6.808m	6.562m	6.379m	5.930m