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Cairns vs Douglas

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

Council (LGA) comparison ≈ 117 km apart · Cairns profile · Douglas profile

Cairns Douglas

Cairns and Douglas are two distinct Queensland areas with very different layouts. Cairns is a larger, more urban hub where the typical resident is 39 and the walkability is somewhat walkable. In contrast, Douglas is mostly car-dependent and has a noticeably older population, with a typical age of 46. This urban difference is clear in their infrastructure; Cairns has far more public transport stops and departures, while Douglas has none. Educational outcomes also differ, with First Nations Year 12 completion far higher in Cairns at 48.8% compared to 37.8% in Douglas. Cairns also sees much higher rates of theft, robbery and drug offences.

The age gap between the two areas has widened since 2016, growing from six to seven years. Despite this, they share several common traits, such as similar proportions of people born overseas (around 22%) and a nearly identical share of homes that are separate detached houses. Both areas also have similar levels of access to money and resources, and about the same percentage of residents living with long-term health conditions.

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Where they differ most

Population: 154,606 larger in Cairns Under 15: 4.1 pts higher in Cairns Median age: 7 yrs older in Douglas Unpaid child care: 6.2 pts higher in Cairns Household size: 0.2 larger in Cairns

Demographics & Identity

Population in Cairns in Douglas +154,606 larger in Cairns gap steady

166,943 87th pct 12,337 50th pct

Median age in Cairns in Douglas +7 yrs older in Douglas gap widening

39 yrs 33rd pct 46 yrs 71st pct

Age structure

26.9% Older adults (45–64) +4.0 pts ▸ 30.9%

26.9% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +2.3 pts 24.6%

15.5% Seniors (65+) +5.4 pts ▸ 20.8%

19.1% Children (0–14) ◂ +4.1 pts 14.9%

11.7% Youth (15–24) ◂ +3.2 pts 8.5%

Marital status

41.2% Never married ◂ +1.0 pts 40.3%

39.9% Married ◂ +0.5 pts 39.4%

10.7% Divorced +1.3 pts ▸ 11.9%

4.4% Widowed +0.2 pts ▸ 4.6%

3.8% Separated +0.1 pts ▸ 3.9%

Age & sex structure

Cairns Douglas

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Country of birth

69.1% Australia ◂ +2.7 pts 66.3%

3.9% England +1.2 pts ▸ 5.1%

2.8% New Zealand +0.7 pts ▸ 3.5%

1.3% Philippines ◂ +0.7 pts 0.6%

1.1% India ◂ +0.8 pts 0.4%

0.4% Italy +0.2 pts ▸ 0.6%

0.5% China ◂ +0.4 pts 0.1%

0.5% South Africa ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%

0.3% Nepal ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

0.2% Vietnam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%

Ancestry

34.4% English +1.8 pts ▸ 36.1%

30.0% Australian +0.6 pts ▸ 30.7%

10.5% Irish ◂ +0.1 pts 10.4%

9.3% Scottish +0.2 pts ▸ 9.5%

5.0% Italian +0.5 pts ▸ 5.5%

5.2% German +0.2 pts ▸ 5.4%

2.0% Chinese ◂ +1.2 pts 0.8%

1.9% Filipino ◂ +1.1 pts 0.8%

1.6% Dutch ◂ +0.1 pts 1.5%

1.3% Indian ◂ +0.8 pts 0.5%

0.6% Greek ◂ +0.3 pts 0.3%

0.3% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.2%

Language

Language used at home

76.8% English only +2.0 pts ▸ 78.8%

0.6% Italian +0.3 pts ▸ 0.9%

0.7% Mandarin ◂ +0.4 pts 0.3%

0.6% Punjabi ◂ +0.5 pts 0.2%

0.5% Tagalog ◂ +0.2 pts 0.3%

0.3% Cantonese ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

0.3% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%

0.1% Hindi even 0.1%

0.1% Greek even 0.1%

0.1% Arabic ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Religion

Religious affiliation

42.2% No religion +5.2 pts ▸ 47.4%

42.9% Christianity ◂ +6.2 pts 36.7%

10.7% Not stated +3.0 pts ▸ 13.7%

1.7% Buddhism ◂ +0.7 pts 1.0%

1.1% Other religions ◂ +0.6 pts 0.5%

0.9% Hinduism ◂ +0.6 pts 0.3%

0.5% Islam ◂ +0.3 pts 0.1%

0.1% Judaism +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%

Education & Qualifications

Schools in Cairns in Douglas +43 more in Cairns

51 86th pct 8 43rd pct

Schools/1k kids in Cairns in Douglas +2.74 more in Douglas

1.60 11th pct 4.34 56th pct

Students in Cairns in Douglas +33,331 more in Cairns

34,820 87th pct 1,489 44th pct

Avg size in Cairns in Douglas +497 larger in Cairns

683 96th pct 186 43rd pct

ICSEA in Cairns in Douglas +34 higher in Cairns

981 56th pct 947 35th pct

Highest year of school

54.7% Year 12 ◂ +5.8 pts 48.9%

19.8% Year 10 +1.0 pts ▸ 20.7%

7.8% Year 11 +1.7 pts ▸ 9.5%

7.5% Year 9 or below +0.1 pts ▸ 7.6%

Highest qualification level

31.8% Certificate III / IV +0.5 pts ▸ 32.3%

20.8% Bachelor degree ◂ +2.8 pts 18.0%

15.2% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +1.3 pts 13.9%

5.5% Postgraduate degree ◂ +1.5 pts 4.0%

3.3% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +0.9 pts 2.5%

2.4% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.1 pts 2.3%

Field of qualification

15.6% Management & commerce ◂ +2.5 pts 13.1%

14.5% Engineering & related ◂ +0.1 pts 14.3%

11.9% Society & culture ◂ +3.3 pts 8.6%

11.5% Health ◂ +3.7 pts 7.7%

6.5% Food, hospitality & personal services +3.3 pts ▸ 9.8%

7.9% Education ◂ +1.5 pts 6.4%

5.5% Architecture & building +0.5 pts ▸ 6.0%

2.4% Creative arts +1.0 pts ▸ 3.4%

1.8% Agriculture & environment +1.3 pts ▸ 3.1%

2.2% Natural & physical sciences +0.2 pts ▸ 2.4%

1.4% Information technology ◂ +0.6 pts 0.8%

Income

Personal income in Cairns in Douglas +$73 higher in Cairns gap widening

$809 65th pct $736 48th pct

Household income in Cairns in Douglas +$268 higher in Cairns gap widening

$1,578 64th pct $1,310 40th pct

Family income in Cairns in Douglas +$268 higher in Cairns gap widening

$1,950 63rd pct $1,682 41st pct

Household income distribution

28.3% $650–$1,499 +4.1 pts ▸ 32.5%

30.9% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +2.4 pts 28.5%

15.5% Under $650 +4.0 pts ▸ 19.5%

9.2% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +3.9 pts 5.4%

7.6% $4,000 or more ◂ +2.6 pts 5.1%

Personal income distribution

36.8% Under $650 +0.9 pts ▸ 37.7%

33.4% $650–$1,499 +2.3 pts ▸ 35.7%

16.6% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +5.7 pts 10.9%

2.8% $3,000 or more ◂ +0.8 pts 2.1%

Health & Disability

Long-term health conditions reported

7.9% Mental health ◂ +0.8 pts 7.1%

7.2% Arthritis +0.5 pts ▸ 7.7%

7.7% Other condition ◂ +1.0 pts 6.7%

6.4% Asthma ◂ +0.7 pts 5.7%

3.5% Heart disease +0.8 pts ▸ 4.2%

4.0% Diabetes ◂ +0.4 pts 3.7%

2.8% Cancer +0.5 pts ▸ 3.3%

1.7% Lung condition +0.5 pts ▸ 2.2%

0.9% Stroke +0.1 pts ▸ 1.0%

0.7% Dementia even 0.7%

Number of long-term health conditions

63.9% None ◂ +2.1 pts 61.8%

17.2% One condition ◂ +0.8 pts 16.4%

5.1% Two conditions +0.4 pts ▸ 5.5%

2.4% Three or more +0.2 pts ▸ 2.6%

Community Participation

First Nations

First Nations people in Cairns in Douglas +15,114 larger in Cairns

16,153 95th pct 1,039 64th pct

Median age in Cairns in Douglas +1 yrs older in Douglas

23 yrs 29th pct 24 yrs 43rd pct

Median income in Cairns in Douglas +$85 higher in Cairns

$576 56th pct $491 32nd pct

Household income in Cairns in Douglas +$338 higher in Cairns

$1,435 57th pct $1,097 21st pct

Family & Households

Household size in Cairns in Douglas +0.2 larger in Cairns gap steady

2.5 71st pct 2.3 29th pct

Family composition

52.5% Couples with children ◂ +7.0 pts 45.5%

27.9% Couples without children +11.5 pts ▸ 39.4%

18.5% One-parent families ◂ +4.5 pts 14.0%

1.2% Other families even 1.2%

Household size

35.0% 2 people +6.4 pts ▸ 41.4%

27.0% 1 person +2.3 pts ▸ 29.4%

15.7% 3 people ◂ +3.6 pts 12.0%

13.7% 4 people ◂ +3.3 pts 10.5%

5.4% 5 people ◂ +0.9 pts 4.5%

3.2% 6 or more ◂ +1.0 pts 2.2%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Cairns in Douglas +$30 higher in Cairns gap widening

$340 74th pct $310 66th pct

Mortgage in Cairns in Douglas +$71 higher in Cairns gap narrowing

$1,588 62nd pct $1,517 57th pct

People / bedroom in Cairns in Douglas even gap steady

0.80 43rd pct 0.80 43rd pct

How homes are owned or rented

35.6% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +5.2 pts 30.5%

35.0% Rented ◂ +4.1 pts 30.9%

26.4% Owned outright +8.4 pts ▸ 34.7%

1.7% Not stated +0.4 pts ▸ 2.1%

1.3% Other tenure +0.7 pts ▸ 2.0%

Types of homes

72.9% Separate house +0.1 pts ▸ 73.0%

15.7% Flat or apartment ◂ +4.9 pts 10.8%

10.0% Townhouse / semi-detached +2.2 pts ▸ 12.1%

0.8% Other dwelling +1.8 pts ▸ 2.6%

Bedrooms per home

35.6% 3 bedrooms +2.7 pts ▸ 38.3%

29.5% 4 bedrooms ◂ +8.5 pts 21.0%

20.8% 2 bedrooms +5.6 pts ▸ 26.4%

5.4% 1 bedroom +2.5 pts ▸ 7.9%

6.3% 5 or more ◂ +3.3 pts 3.0%

0.7% Studio / none +0.5 pts ▸ 1.3%

Weekly rent distribution

41.2% $350–$549 ◂ +7.5 pts 33.7%

37.9% $200–$349 +2.9 pts ▸ 40.8%

11.7% Under $200 +5.0 pts ▸ 16.7%

4.9% $550–$749 ◂ +0.9 pts 4.0%

0.8% $750 or more +0.4 pts ▸ 1.3%

Monthly mortgage distribution

41.3% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +2.3 pts 39.0%

27.4% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +2.3 pts 25.1%

17.8% Under $1,000 +4.5 pts ▸ 22.3%

7.8% $3,000 or more ◂ +1.3 pts 6.5%

Transport & Vehicles

PT stops in Cairns in Douglas +462 more in Cairns

462 82nd pct 0 0th pct

Stops/1k in Cairns in Douglas +2.77 more in Cairns

2.77 44th pct 0.00 0th pct

Departures/1k in Cairns in Douglas +679.1 more in Cairns

679.1 75th pct 0.0 0th pct

PT routes in Cairns in Douglas +22 more in Cairns

22 72nd pct 0 0th pct

Stop walk in Cairns in Douglas

64 88th pct —

How people get to work

58.1% Car (driver) ◂ +2.0 pts 56.1%

11.8% Worked at home ◂ +0.7 pts 11.1%

2.5% Walked +4.4 pts ▸ 6.9%

5.0% Car (passenger) even 5.0%

1.1% Bicycle +1.1 pts ▸ 2.2%

1.0% Bus even 1.0%

0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

37.7% 1 vehicle +3.1 pts ▸ 40.8%

38.2% 2 vehicles ◂ +1.1 pts 37.2%

11.9% 3 vehicles ◂ +0.4 pts 11.5%

6.4% No vehicle ◂ +1.3 pts 5.1%

5.8% 4 or more ◂ +0.3 pts 5.5%

Migration & Movement

Jobs & Industry

Industries people work in

9.9% Accommodation & food +13.4 pts ▸ 23.4%

18.1% Health care & social assistance ◂ +9.3 pts 8.8%

9.7% Retail trade ◂ +0.2 pts 9.5%

8.9% Education & training ◂ +2.9 pts 6.0%

8.7% Construction ◂ +1.2 pts 7.4%

7.3% Public administration & safety ◂ +2.6 pts 4.7%

3.6% Administrative & support +2.9 pts ▸ 6.6%

5.6% Transport & warehousing +0.2 pts ▸ 5.8%

4.7% Professional & technical ◂ +1.0 pts 3.7%

4.5% Other services ◂ +0.9 pts 3.6%

3.6% Manufacturing +0.2 pts ▸ 3.8%

1.6% Agriculture, forestry & fishing +1.9 pts ▸ 3.5%

Occupations people work in

20.4% Professionals ◂ +7.8 pts 12.6%

14.9% Community & personal service +1.1 pts ▸ 16.0%

15.0% Technicians & trades +1.0 pts ▸ 16.0%

9.9% Labourers +4.8 pts ▸ 14.7%

11.1% Managers +2.6 pts ▸ 13.6%

12.0% Clerical & administrative ◂ +2.3 pts 9.6%

9.4% Sales workers +0.3 pts ▸ 9.8%

5.6% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +0.6 pts 5.0%

Economy & Advantage

IRSAD decile in Cairns in Douglas +2 higher in Cairns

7 64th pct 5 43rd pct

IRSD decile in Cairns in Douglas even

6 57th pct 6 57th pct

IER decile in Cairns in Douglas even

4 36th pct 4 36th pct

IEO decile in Cairns in Douglas +2 higher in Cairns

7 64th pct 5 43rd pct

IRSAD score in Cairns in Douglas +22 higher in Cairns

966 60th pct 944 42nd pct

ERP in Cairns in Douglas +166,165 higher in Cairns

179,334 86th pct 13,169 49th pct

Growth in Cairns in Douglas +0.1 pts higher in Cairns

6.0% 70th pct 5.9% 69th pct

Businesses in Cairns in Douglas +13,693 higher in Cairns

15,166 86th pct 1,473 51st pct

Approvals in Cairns in Douglas +652 higher in Cairns

699 86th pct 47 48th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Cairns in Douglas +270 higher in Douglas

2,830 100th pct 3,100 100th pct

Max temp in Cairns in Douglas +2.0 higher in Douglas

28.0 77th pct 30.0 86th pct

Min temp in Cairns in Douglas +3.2 higher in Douglas

18.7 91st pct 22.0 99th pct

Crime & Safety

Crime rate in Cairns in Douglas +7,727 higher in Cairns

20,712 87th pct 12,985 75th pct

Assault/100k in Cairns in Douglas +615 higher in Cairns

2,398 86th pct 1,783 79th pct

Sexual/100k in Cairns in Douglas +165 higher in Cairns

327 68th pct 162 25th pct

Robbery/100k in Cairns in Douglas +115 higher in Cairns

123 95th pct 8 12th pct

Burglary/100k in Cairns in Douglas +989 higher in Cairns

1,880 93rd pct 892 79th pct

Theft/100k in Cairns in Douglas +2,039 higher in Cairns

4,025 97th pct 1,986 74th pct

Vehicle theft/100k in Cairns in Douglas +402 higher in Cairns

653 78th pct 251 33rd pct

Property damage/100k in Cairns in Douglas +531 higher in Cairns

1,544 86th pct 1,013 71st pct

Drugs/100k in Cairns in Douglas +1,143 higher in Cairns

2,230 88th pct 1,086 76th pct

5-yr change in Cairns in Douglas +17.5 pts higher in Cairns

47.0% 88th pct 29.5% 76th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Cairns in Douglas +2.6 higher in Cairns

5.4 76th pct 2.8 25th pct

Types ≤15 min in Cairns in Douglas +2.3 more in Cairns

5.0 73rd pct 2.7 20th pct

15-min city in Cairns in Douglas +33.6 pts higher in Cairns

62.0% 73rd pct 28.4% 17th pct

Walk to shops in Cairns in Douglas +30.5 pts higher in Cairns

63.8% 74th pct 33.4% 25th pct

Walk to transit in Cairns in Douglas +79.7 pts higher in Cairns

79.7% 75th pct 0.0% 0th pct

Walk to school in Cairns in Douglas +45.9 pts higher in Cairns

61.0% 61st pct 15.2% 7th pct

Walk to a park in Cairns in Douglas +13.1 pts higher in Cairns

91.0% 75th pct 77.9% 61st pct

Walk to health in Cairns in Douglas +12.9 pts higher in Cairns

42.1% 58th pct 29.1% 33rd pct

Amenities/1k in Cairns in Douglas +11.4 more in Douglas

12.8 22nd pct 24.2 63rd pct

Intersections/km² in Cairns in Douglas +10 higher in Cairns

11 72nd pct 1 43rd pct

Mean slope in Cairns in Douglas +0.4 pts higher in Douglas

5.6% 65th pct 6.0% 70th pct

Compare Cairns with nearby areas

Yarrabah Cassowary Coast Tablelands Douglas Wujal Wujal Hinchinbrook Palm Island Hope Vale

Compare Douglas with nearby areas

Wujal Wujal Yarrabah Hope Vale Cairns Mareeba Tablelands Cassowary Coast Hinchinbrook

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Cairns vs Douglas [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/lga/LGA32080/cairns/vs/LGA32810/douglas