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Brisbane vs Toowoomba

Name: Brisbane vs Toowoomba — 2021 Census comparison
Creator: Australian Bureau of Statistics
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Council (LGA) comparison ≈ 133 km apart · Brisbane profile · Toowoomba profile

Brisbane Toowoomba

Brisbane and Toowoomba are both major Queensland hubs, but they differ sharply in scale and diversity. Brisbane is far more multicultural, with 31.8% of people born overseas and 24.0% using another language at home, compared to 13.9% and 9.0% in Toowoomba. Education and income levels are also far higher in Brisbane, where 38.1% of adults have a bachelor degree or higher and 29.3% of households earn $3,000 or more a week. In contrast, Toowoomba has more detached housing, with 82.7% of homes being separate houses, and a higher share of larger homes with three or more bedrooms.

Both areas sit near the national figure for unemployment, which is 5.0% in each place. They are also very similar in the typical size of their households and the rate of people who volunteer. While these commonalities exist, other gaps are widening. The difference in university qualifications and high weekly incomes has grown since 2011, and the share of people working from home is now far higher in Brisbane.

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Where they differ most

Year 12: 22.6 pts higher in Brisbane Population: 1,069,621 larger in Brisbane Separate houses: 20.1 pts higher in Toowoomba Bachelor+: 19.2 pts higher in Brisbane Born overseas: 17.9 pts higher in Brisbane

Demographics & Identity

Population in Brisbane in Toowoomba +1,069,621 larger in Brisbane gap widening

1,242,825 100th pct 173,204 87th pct

Median age in Brisbane in Toowoomba +3 yrs older in Toowoomba gap steady

36 yrs 19th pct 39 yrs 33rd pct

Age structure

31.9% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +7.5 pts 24.4%

23.4% Older adults (45–64) +0.6 pts ▸ 23.9%

17.4% Children (0–14) +2.1 pts ▸ 19.6%

13.5% Seniors (65+) +6.0 pts ▸ 19.5%

13.8% Youth (15–24) ◂ +1.2 pts 12.6%

Marital status

44.0% Married +4.2 pts ▸ 48.2%

41.2% Never married ◂ +7.9 pts 33.3%

8.1% Divorced +1.0 pts ▸ 9.1%

3.8% Widowed +1.9 pts ▸ 5.8%

2.8% Separated +0.8 pts ▸ 3.6%

Age & sex structure

Brisbane Toowoomba

Bars show the share of each area's own population, so differently sized areas stay comparable.

Ancestry & Birthplace

Country of birth

64.4% Australia +16.3 pts ▸ 80.7%

3.4% England ◂ +1.5 pts 1.9%

3.4% New Zealand ◂ +1.9 pts 1.4%

3.0% China ◂ +2.6 pts 0.4%

2.8% India ◂ +1.7 pts 1.1%

1.3% Vietnam ◂ +1.2 pts 0.1%

1.1% South Africa ◂ +0.5 pts 0.6%

1.1% Philippines ◂ +0.2 pts 0.9%

0.4% Nepal even 0.4%

0.4% Italy ◂ +0.3 pts 0.1%

Ancestry

33.3% English +5.5 pts ▸ 38.8%

27.9% Australian +10.6 pts ▸ 38.5%

12.3% Irish +0.3 pts ▸ 12.6%

10.2% Scottish +0.7 pts ▸ 10.9%

5.2% German +5.6 pts ▸ 10.8%

7.7% Chinese ◂ +6.4 pts 1.3%

3.7% Indian ◂ +2.5 pts 1.2%

3.4% Italian ◂ +1.9 pts 1.6%

1.9% Vietnamese ◂ +1.7 pts 0.1%

1.7% Filipino ◂ +0.4 pts 1.2%

1.5% Dutch ◂ +0.2 pts 1.4%

1.1% Greek ◂ +0.9 pts 0.2%

Language

Language used at home

71.6% English only +13.9 pts ▸ 85.5%

4.4% Mandarin ◂ +3.8 pts 0.7%

1.7% Vietnamese ◂ +1.6 pts 0.1%

1.5% Cantonese ◂ +1.4 pts 0.1%

1.0% Punjabi ◂ +0.6 pts 0.4%

0.9% Hindi ◂ +0.7 pts 0.2%

0.6% Arabic ◂ +0.1 pts 0.5%

0.6% Italian ◂ +0.5 pts 0.1%

0.5% Greek ◂ +0.4 pts 0.0%

0.5% Tagalog ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%

Religion

Religious affiliation

43.1% Christianity +12.8 pts ▸ 55.9%

41.4% No religion ◂ +9.4 pts 32.1%

6.1% Not stated +1.0 pts ▸ 7.1%

2.9% Hinduism ◂ +1.6 pts 1.2%

2.7% Buddhism ◂ +1.8 pts 0.9%

2.3% Islam ◂ +1.4 pts 0.8%

1.3% Other religions +0.6 pts ▸ 1.9%

0.1% Judaism ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Schools in Brisbane in Toowoomba +230 more in Brisbane

318 100th pct 88 88th pct

Schools/1k kids in Brisbane in Toowoomba +1.13 more in Toowoomba

1.47 8th pct 2.60 33rd pct

Students in Brisbane in Toowoomba +187,338 more in Brisbane

219,026 100th pct 31,688 87th pct

Avg size in Brisbane in Toowoomba +331 larger in Brisbane

691 96th pct 360 68th pct

ICSEA in Brisbane in Toowoomba +90 higher in Brisbane

1,095 90th pct 1,005 70th pct

Highest year of school

74.1% Year 12 ◂ +22.6 pts 51.5%

11.7% Year 10 +13.0 pts ▸ 24.7%

5.1% Year 9 or below +6.0 pts ▸ 11.1%

4.1% Year 11 +1.9 pts ▸ 6.0%

Highest qualification level

36.1% Bachelor degree ◂ +14.2 pts 21.9%

17.8% Certificate III / IV +16.0 pts ▸ 33.8%

14.1% Advanced diploma / diploma +0.6 pts ▸ 14.7%

14.1% Postgraduate degree ◂ +7.7 pts 6.4%

5.0% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +1.4 pts 3.6%

1.5% Certificate I / II +1.3 pts ▸ 2.8%

Field of qualification

22.6% Management & commerce ◂ +6.5 pts 16.1%

12.2% Engineering & related +2.4 pts ▸ 14.6%

12.9% Society & culture ◂ +1.1 pts 11.8%

11.8% Health +1.0 pts ▸ 12.8%

7.2% Education +2.5 pts ▸ 9.8%

4.1% Food, hospitality & personal services +1.7 pts ▸ 5.8%

4.5% Architecture & building +0.7 pts ▸ 5.2%

5.0% Creative arts ◂ +2.7 pts 2.3%

4.3% Information technology ◂ +2.5 pts 1.8%

4.0% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +2.2 pts 1.8%

1.2% Agriculture & environment +2.3 pts ▸ 3.5%

Income

Personal income in Brisbane in Toowoomba +$204 higher in Brisbane gap widening

$947 81st pct $743 50th pct

Household income in Brisbane in Toowoomba +$607 higher in Brisbane gap widening

$2,068 87th pct $1,461 56th pct

Family income in Brisbane in Toowoomba +$627 higher in Brisbane gap widening

$2,474 87th pct $1,847 55th pct

Household income distribution

30.5% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +0.5 pts 29.9%

22.0% $650–$1,499 +8.3 pts ▸ 30.3%

17.3% $4,000 or more ◂ +10.4 pts 6.9%

12.4% Under $650 +4.7 pts ▸ 17.1%

12.0% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +3.8 pts 8.2%

Personal income distribution

35.0% Under $650 +6.6 pts ▸ 41.6%

30.4% $650–$1,499 +2.9 pts ▸ 33.3%

21.8% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +6.3 pts 15.5%

7.2% $3,000 or more ◂ +4.5 pts 2.7%

Health & Disability

Long-term health conditions reported

9.1% Mental health +1.8 pts ▸ 10.9%

6.3% Arthritis +4.4 pts ▸ 10.7%

7.8% Asthma +2.1 pts ▸ 9.9%

8.3% Other condition +0.6 pts ▸ 8.9%

3.6% Diabetes +1.6 pts ▸ 5.2%

3.4% Heart disease +1.5 pts ▸ 4.9%

2.7% Cancer +0.7 pts ▸ 3.4%

1.3% Lung condition +0.8 pts ▸ 2.1%

0.7% Stroke +0.4 pts ▸ 1.1%

0.6% Dementia +0.3 pts ▸ 0.9%

Number of long-term health conditions

68.0% None ◂ +8.5 pts 59.5%

18.1% One condition +2.7 pts ▸ 20.9%

5.0% Two conditions +2.3 pts ▸ 7.3%

2.3% Three or more +1.9 pts ▸ 4.2%

Community Participation

First Nations

First Nations people in Brisbane in Toowoomba +14,263 larger in Brisbane

22,940 100th pct 8,677 90th pct

Median age in Brisbane in Toowoomba +6 yrs older in Brisbane

26 yrs 57th pct 20 yrs 7th pct

Median income in Brisbane in Toowoomba +$100 higher in Brisbane

$687 78th pct $587 59th pct

Household income in Brisbane in Toowoomba +$348 higher in Brisbane

$1,806 80th pct $1,458 59th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Brisbane in Toowoomba even gap narrowing

2.5 71st pct 2.5 71st pct

Family composition

59.3% Couples with children ◂ +5.8 pts 53.6%

26.6% Couples without children +3.0 pts ▸ 29.6%

12.4% One-parent families +3.2 pts ▸ 15.6%

1.6% Other families ◂ +0.5 pts 1.1%

Household size

33.4% 2 people +2.8 pts ▸ 36.2%

25.6% 1 person +1.8 pts ▸ 27.4%

16.7% 3 people ◂ +2.6 pts 14.0%

15.9% 4 people ◂ +3.2 pts 12.6%

5.9% 5 people +0.2 pts ▸ 6.1%

2.6% 6 or more +1.0 pts ▸ 3.6%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Brisbane in Toowoomba +$108 higher in Brisbane gap narrowing

$408 87th pct $300 63rd pct

Mortgage in Brisbane in Toowoomba +$502 higher in Brisbane gap narrowing

$2,019 83rd pct $1,517 57th pct

People / bedroom in Brisbane in Toowoomba even gap steady

0.80 43rd pct 0.80 43rd pct

How homes are owned or rented

38.3% Rented ◂ +6.4 pts 31.8%

33.7% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +1.6 pts 32.1%

25.3% Owned outright +7.3 pts ▸ 32.6%

1.6% Other tenure +0.5 pts ▸ 2.1%

1.2% Not stated +0.3 pts ▸ 1.4%

Types of homes

62.6% Separate house +20.1 pts ▸ 82.7%

25.6% Flat or apartment ◂ +21.9 pts 3.7%

11.3% Townhouse / semi-detached +1.7 pts ▸ 13.0%

0.3% Other dwelling +0.1 pts ▸ 0.4%

Bedrooms per home

34.2% 3 bedrooms +6.7 pts ▸ 40.9%

25.4% 4 bedrooms +6.6 pts ▸ 32.0%

21.5% 2 bedrooms ◂ +5.9 pts 15.7%

9.9% 5 or more ◂ +2.9 pts 7.0%

7.3% 1 bedroom ◂ +4.5 pts 2.8%

0.5% Studio / none ◂ +0.2 pts 0.3%

Weekly rent distribution

18.6% $200–$349 +38.0 pts ▸ 56.6%

54.6% $350–$549 ◂ +27.4 pts 27.2%

12.2% $550–$749 ◂ +10.8 pts 1.4%

8.3% Under $200 +3.2 pts ▸ 11.5%

3.7% $750 or more ◂ +3.4 pts 0.3%

Monthly mortgage distribution

25.4% $1,000–$1,799 +18.1 pts ▸ 43.5%

35.6% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +10.7 pts 24.9%

21.6% $3,000 or more ◂ +14.5 pts 7.1%

12.1% Under $1,000 +7.2 pts ▸ 19.3%

Transport & Vehicles

PT stops in Brisbane in Toowoomba +5,338 more in Brisbane

5,990 100th pct 652 86th pct

Stops/1k in Brisbane in Toowoomba +1.06 more in Brisbane

4.82 70th pct 3.76 56th pct

Departures/1k in Brisbane in Toowoomba +1,251.1 more in Brisbane

1,578.9 87th pct 327.8 66th pct

PT routes in Brisbane in Toowoomba +421 more in Brisbane

429 100th pct 8 52nd pct

Stop walk in Brisbane in Toowoomba

28 61st pct —

Drive to city in Brisbane in Toowoomba +99 longer in Toowoomba

20 29th pct 119 84th pct

How people get to work

48.1% Car (driver) +20.9 pts ▸ 69.0%

21.4% Worked at home ◂ +13.0 pts 8.4%

3.7% Car (passenger) +1.9 pts ▸ 5.6%

4.0% Bus ◂ +3.8 pts 0.3%

3.2% Walked ◂ +0.4 pts 2.8%

2.5% Train ◂ +2.5 pts 0.0%

1.2% Bicycle ◂ +0.6 pts 0.5%

Motor vehicles per home

39.6% 1 vehicle ◂ +4.1 pts 35.5%

36.7% 2 vehicles +1.2 pts ▸ 37.9%

10.4% 3 vehicles +2.9 pts ▸ 13.3%

8.1% No vehicle ◂ +2.7 pts 5.4%

5.1% 4 or more +2.6 pts ▸ 7.8%

Migration & Movement

Jobs & Industry

Industries people work in

15.7% Health care & social assistance +2.7 pts ▸ 18.4%

11.5% Professional & technical ◂ +6.9 pts 4.6%

9.8% Education & training +1.0 pts ▸ 10.8%

8.2% Retail trade +1.0 pts ▸ 9.1%

6.7% Construction +1.7 pts ▸ 8.4%

7.0% Accommodation & food ◂ +1.1 pts 6.0%

6.9% Public administration & safety ◂ +1.0 pts 5.8%

4.7% Manufacturing +2.1 pts ▸ 6.8%

0.4% Agriculture, forestry & fishing +5.5 pts ▸ 5.9%

4.6% Transport & warehousing ◂ +0.7 pts 3.9%

3.4% Other services +0.7 pts ▸ 4.1%

4.0% Finance & insurance ◂ +1.7 pts 2.4%

Occupations people work in

32.0% Professionals ◂ +12.3 pts 19.7%

9.9% Technicians & trades +4.6 pts ▸ 14.5%

14.0% Managers ◂ +2.0 pts 12.0%

10.5% Community & personal service +2.9 pts ▸ 13.4%

13.1% Clerical & administrative ◂ +0.7 pts 12.4%

6.9% Labourers +4.7 pts ▸ 11.5%

7.7% Sales workers +0.7 pts ▸ 8.4%

4.3% Machinery operators & drivers +2.1 pts ▸ 6.4%

Economy & Advantage

IRSAD decile in Brisbane in Toowoomba +3 higher in Brisbane

9 86th pct 6 57th pct

IRSD decile in Brisbane in Toowoomba +3 higher in Brisbane

9 86th pct 6 57th pct

IER decile in Brisbane in Toowoomba +2 higher in Brisbane

8 71st pct 6 57th pct

IEO decile in Brisbane in Toowoomba +2 higher in Brisbane

9 86th pct 7 64th pct

IRSAD score in Brisbane in Toowoomba +102 higher in Brisbane

1,061 89th pct 959 55th pct

ERP in Brisbane in Toowoomba +1,189,025 higher in Brisbane

1,375,301 100th pct 186,276 87th pct

Growth in Brisbane in Toowoomba +2.6 pts higher in Brisbane

8.9% 86th pct 6.3% 72nd pct

Businesses in Brisbane in Toowoomba +127,922 higher in Brisbane

145,916 100th pct 17,994 86th pct

Approvals in Brisbane in Toowoomba +6,475 higher in Brisbane

7,365 100th pct 890 86th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Brisbane in Toowoomba +589 higher in Brisbane

1,251 86th pct 662 52nd pct

Max temp in Brisbane in Toowoomba +0.7 higher in Brisbane

26.7 72nd pct 26.0 66th pct

Min temp in Brisbane in Toowoomba +3.5 higher in Brisbane

14.7 79th pct 11.2 51st pct

Crime & Safety

Crime rate in Brisbane in Toowoomba +545 higher in Toowoomba

11,122 68th pct 11,667 71st pct

Assault/100k in Brisbane in Toowoomba +150 higher in Toowoomba

797 37th pct 947 48th pct

Sexual/100k in Brisbane in Toowoomba +138 higher in Toowoomba

166 26th pct 304 61st pct

Robbery/100k in Brisbane in Toowoomba +4 higher in Brisbane

59 86th pct 55 85th pct

Burglary/100k in Brisbane in Toowoomba +18 higher in Brisbane

861 78th pct 843 77th pct

Theft/100k in Brisbane in Toowoomba +1,241 higher in Brisbane

3,370 92nd pct 2,129 78th pct

Vehicle theft/100k in Brisbane in Toowoomba +103 higher in Brisbane

415 58th pct 312 45th pct

Property damage/100k in Brisbane in Toowoomba +146 higher in Toowoomba

616 38th pct 762 52nd pct

Drugs/100k in Brisbane in Toowoomba +209 higher in Toowoomba

1,546 84th pct 1,755 86th pct

5-yr change in Brisbane in Toowoomba +4.3 pts higher in Brisbane

25.6% 72nd pct 21.3% 68th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Brisbane in Toowoomba +3.0 higher in Brisbane

7.4 91st pct 4.4 65th pct

Types ≤15 min in Brisbane in Toowoomba +2.5 more in Brisbane

6.9 90th pct 4.4 61st pct

15-min city in Brisbane in Toowoomba +33.7 pts higher in Brisbane

87.8% 89th pct 54.1% 61st pct

Walk to shops in Brisbane in Toowoomba +33.3 pts higher in Brisbane

86.2% 89th pct 52.9% 60th pct

Walk to transit in Brisbane in Toowoomba +41.7 pts higher in Brisbane

95.8% 86th pct 54.1% 57th pct

Walk to school in Brisbane in Toowoomba +27.3 pts higher in Brisbane

88.3% 86th pct 61.0% 61st pct

Walk to a park in Brisbane in Toowoomba +19.9 pts higher in Brisbane

98.5% 88th pct 78.6% 62nd pct

Walk to health in Brisbane in Toowoomba +37.0 pts higher in Brisbane

75.1% 88th pct 38.1% 51st pct

Amenities/1k in Brisbane in Toowoomba +0.7 more in Brisbane

14.6 33rd pct 13.9 29th pct

Intersections/km² in Brisbane in Toowoomba +91 higher in Brisbane

93 83rd pct 2 58th pct

Mean slope in Brisbane in Toowoomba +0.2 pts higher in Brisbane

6.5% 75th pct 6.3% 73rd pct

Compare Brisbane with nearby areas

Ipswich Logan Moreton Bay Redland Scenic Rim Somerset Lockyer Valley Gold Coast

Compare Toowoomba with nearby areas

Lockyer Valley Southern Downs Somerset Ipswich Goondiwindi South Burnett Scenic Rim Brisbane

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Brisbane vs Toowoomba [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/lga/LGA31000/brisbane/vs/LGA36910/toowoomba