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Moreton Bay vs Sunshine Coast

Name: Moreton Bay vs Sunshine Coast — 2021 Census comparison
Creator: Australian Bureau of Statistics
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Council (LGA) comparison ≈ 50 km apart · Moreton Bay profile · Sunshine Coast profile

Moreton Bay Sunshine Coast

Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast are both large Queensland regions, but they offer different living environments. Moreton Bay is more connected and accessible, with a drive time to the city of 45 minutes compared to 78 minutes for Sunshine Coast. It also has far more public transport stops (1,325 vs 791) and more homes within a 15-minute walk of a school (65.1% vs 51.8%). In contrast, Sunshine Coast has a noticeably older population, with a typical resident aged 43 and 21.7% of people aged 65 and over, compared to 39 years and 17.7% in Moreton Bay.

The gap in university qualifications has widened since 2016, with 21.5% of adults in Sunshine Coast holding a bachelor degree or higher compared to 17.1% in Moreton Bay. Despite this, the two areas share many everyday similarities, including nearly identical typical weekly household incomes of around $1,600 and similar proportions of people born overseas. Both regions have seen a high number of people move in over the last five years, with Moreton Bay at 44.5% and Sunshine Coast at 48.3%.

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Where they differ most

3+ bedrooms: 7.8 pts higher in Moreton Bay Separate houses: 8.1 pts higher in Moreton Bay Full-time: 6.1 pts higher in Moreton Bay Population: 133,799 larger in Moreton Bay Median age: 4 yrs older in Sunshine Coast

Demographics & Identity

Population in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +133,799 larger in Moreton Bay gap steady

476,340 90th pct 342,541 89th pct

Median age in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +4 yrs older in Sunshine Coast gap narrowing

39 yrs 33rd pct 43 yrs 57th pct

Age structure

25.0% Older adults (45–64) +1.6 pts ▸ 26.6%

25.4% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +2.0 pts 23.4%

17.7% Seniors (65+) +4.0 pts ▸ 21.7%

19.8% Children (0–14) ◂ +2.5 pts 17.4%

12.0% Youth (15–24) ◂ +1.1 pts 10.9%

Marital status

47.1% Married +1.5 pts ▸ 48.6%

34.0% Never married ◂ +2.4 pts 31.7%

10.0% Divorced +0.9 pts ▸ 10.9%

4.9% Widowed +0.5 pts ▸ 5.4%

3.9% Separated ◂ +0.5 pts 3.4%

Age & sex structure

Moreton Bay Sunshine Coast

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Country of birth

74.7% Australia ◂ +0.4 pts 74.3%

4.7% England +1.2 pts ▸ 5.9%

4.9% New Zealand ◂ +0.6 pts 4.3%

1.2% South Africa even 1.2%

1.1% Philippines ◂ +0.6 pts 0.5%

1.1% India ◂ +0.4 pts 0.7%

0.3% China ◂ +0.1 pts 0.2%

0.1% Nepal +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%

0.2% Italy even 0.2%

0.1% Vietnam even 0.1%

Ancestry

42.1% English +3.5 pts ▸ 45.6%

37.2% Australian ◂ +1.7 pts 35.5%

11.0% Irish +1.5 pts ▸ 12.5%

10.8% Scottish +1.5 pts ▸ 12.3%

6.0% German +0.6 pts ▸ 6.6%

2.5% Italian +0.2 pts ▸ 2.6%

1.8% Dutch +0.2 pts ▸ 2.0%

1.6% Filipino ◂ +0.9 pts 0.7%

1.6% Indian ◂ +0.7 pts 0.9%

1.4% Chinese ◂ +0.4 pts 1.0%

0.4% Greek +0.1 pts ▸ 0.5%

0.2% Vietnamese even 0.2%

Language

Language used at home

86.7% English only +2.1 pts ▸ 88.8%

0.6% Punjabi ◂ +0.3 pts 0.3%

0.5% Mandarin ◂ +0.2 pts 0.3%

0.4% Tagalog ◂ +0.3 pts 0.2%

0.4% Hindi ◂ +0.3 pts 0.1%

0.2% Italian even 0.3%

0.2% Arabic ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%

0.2% Cantonese even 0.1%

0.1% Vietnamese even 0.1%

0.1% Greek even 0.1%

Religion

Religious affiliation

44.2% No religion +2.5 pts ▸ 46.7%

45.9% Christianity ◂ +2.3 pts 43.6%

6.7% Not stated +0.5 pts ▸ 7.1%

1.1% Hinduism ◂ +0.4 pts 0.7%

0.8% Buddhism +0.2 pts ▸ 1.0%

0.9% Other religions ◂ +0.4 pts 0.5%

0.4% Islam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.2%

0.1% Judaism even 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Schools in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +28 more in Moreton Bay

109 89th pct 81 88th pct

Schools/1k kids in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +0.21 more in Sunshine Coast

1.15 0th pct 1.36 5th pct

Students in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +21,832 more in Moreton Bay

78,404 90th pct 56,572 89th pct

Avg size in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +21 larger in Moreton Bay

719 98th pct 698 97th pct

ICSEA in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +44 higher in Sunshine Coast

1,005 70th pct 1,050 82nd pct

Highest year of school

54.4% Year 12 +2.0 pts ▸ 56.4%

23.9% Year 10 ◂ +1.2 pts 22.7%

8.7% Year 9 or below ◂ +1.8 pts 6.9%

7.2% Year 11 +0.4 pts ▸ 7.6%

Highest qualification level

36.2% Certificate III / IV ◂ +4.2 pts 32.0%

20.0% Bachelor degree +3.2 pts ▸ 23.2%

17.2% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +0.4 pts 16.8%

4.9% Postgraduate degree +1.3 pts ▸ 6.3%

3.3% Graduate diploma / certificate +0.3 pts ▸ 3.7%

2.6% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.6 pts 2.0%

Field of qualification

18.7% Management & commerce ◂ +1.7 pts 17.0%

15.4% Engineering & related ◂ +2.1 pts 13.3%

10.5% Health +2.4 pts ▸ 12.9%

12.9% Society & culture ◂ +1.3 pts 11.6%

8.1% Education +1.2 pts ▸ 9.3%

6.4% Architecture & building +1.1 pts ▸ 7.5%

6.0% Food, hospitality & personal services +0.1 pts ▸ 6.1%

2.9% Creative arts +0.6 pts ▸ 3.5%

2.6% Information technology ◂ +1.0 pts 1.6%

1.7% Agriculture & environment +0.5 pts ▸ 2.2%

1.9% Natural & physical sciences +0.2 pts ▸ 2.1%

Income

Personal income in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +$6 higher in Moreton Bay gap narrowing

$761 54th pct $755 53rd pct

Household income in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +$53 higher in Moreton Bay gap narrowing

$1,648 69th pct $1,595 65th pct

Family income in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +$37 higher in Moreton Bay gap narrowing

$1,957 63rd pct $1,920 61st pct

Household income distribution

31.1% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +1.1 pts 30.0%

28.3% $650–$1,499 +0.3 pts ▸ 28.6%

14.7% Under $650 +0.7 pts ▸ 15.4%

10.0% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +0.9 pts 9.2%

8.9% $4,000 or more +0.1 pts ▸ 9.1%

Personal income distribution

41.1% Under $650 ◂ +0.3 pts 40.9%

33.2% $650–$1,499 ◂ +0.1 pts 33.2%

16.3% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +0.8 pts 15.5%

3.0% $3,000 or more +0.7 pts ▸ 3.7%

Health & Disability

Long-term health conditions reported

11.6% Mental health ◂ +2.2 pts 9.4%

10.3% Arthritis +0.2 pts ▸ 10.5%

9.9% Other condition ◂ +1.2 pts 8.7%

9.9% Asthma ◂ +1.7 pts 8.1%

5.2% Diabetes ◂ +1.5 pts 3.7%

4.8% Heart disease ◂ +0.2 pts 4.7%

3.5% Cancer +0.3 pts ▸ 3.8%

2.6% Lung condition ◂ +0.4 pts 2.2%

1.0% Stroke +0.1 pts ▸ 1.1%

0.8% Dementia +0.2 pts ▸ 0.9%

Number of long-term health conditions

59.5% None +2.1 pts ▸ 61.6%

21.3% One condition ◂ +1.2 pts 20.1%

7.4% Two conditions ◂ +0.8 pts 6.6%

4.1% Three or more ◂ +0.7 pts 3.4%

Community Participation

First Nations

First Nations people in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +10,284 larger in Moreton Bay

18,616 97th pct 8,332 90th pct

Median age in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +1 yrs older in Sunshine Coast

22 yrs 21st pct 23 yrs 29th pct

Median income in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +$40 higher in Sunshine Coast

$613 66th pct $653 74th pct

Household income in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +$147 higher in Sunshine Coast

$1,638 71st pct $1,785 79th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +0.1 larger in Moreton Bay gap narrowing

2.6 79th pct 2.5 71st pct

Family composition

56.1% Couples with children ◂ +2.9 pts 53.2%

26.7% Couples without children +5.5 pts ▸ 32.2%

16.3% One-parent families ◂ +2.5 pts 13.8%

0.9% Other families ◂ +0.1 pts 0.8%

Household size

34.9% 2 people +3.3 pts ▸ 38.2%

22.0% 1 person +1.5 pts ▸ 23.5%

16.4% 3 people ◂ +1.3 pts 15.1%

16.0% 4 people ◂ +1.3 pts 14.7%

6.8% 5 people ◂ +1.0 pts 5.9%

3.8% 6 or more ◂ +1.2 pts 2.6%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +$80 higher in Sunshine Coast gap widening

$360 79th pct $440 90th pct

Mortgage in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +$138 higher in Sunshine Coast gap widening

$1,777 73rd pct $1,915 79th pct

People / bedroom in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast even gap steady

0.80 43rd pct 0.80 43rd pct

How homes are owned or rented

37.9% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +3.4 pts 34.5%

28.0% Owned outright +5.9 pts ▸ 33.9%

31.1% Rented ◂ +3.9 pts 27.3%

1.7% Other tenure +1.2 pts ▸ 2.9%

1.3% Not stated +0.1 pts ▸ 1.4%

Types of homes

81.1% Separate house ◂ +8.1 pts 73.1%

13.3% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +0.3 pts 13.0%

4.7% Flat or apartment +8.1 pts ▸ 12.8%

0.7% Other dwelling +0.1 pts ▸ 0.8%

Bedrooms per home

38.4% 3 bedrooms ◂ +0.8 pts 37.6%

38.3% 4 bedrooms ◂ +6.1 pts 32.2%

10.8% 2 bedrooms +6.8 pts ▸ 17.5%

8.3% 5 or more ◂ +0.9 pts 7.4%

2.7% 1 bedroom +0.7 pts ▸ 3.5%

0.3% Studio / none +0.2 pts ▸ 0.5%

Weekly rent distribution

52.6% $350–$549 +1.6 pts ▸ 54.1%

32.4% $200–$349 ◂ +16.2 pts 16.2%

4.1% $550–$749 +12.0 pts ▸ 16.0%

7.5% Under $200 ◂ +0.1 pts 7.4%

0.7% $750 or more +2.6 pts ▸ 3.2%

Monthly mortgage distribution

36.5% $1,800–$2,999 +1.4 pts ▸ 37.9%

34.5% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +6.1 pts 28.4%

13.3% Under $1,000 +0.7 pts ▸ 14.0%

10.3% $3,000 or more +3.0 pts ▸ 13.3%

Transport & Vehicles

PT stops in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +534 more in Moreton Bay

1,325 88th pct 791 86th pct

Stops/1k in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +0.47 more in Moreton Bay

2.78 44th pct 2.31 40th pct

Departures/1k in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +35.0 more in Sunshine Coast

479.7 72nd pct 514.7 72nd pct

PT routes in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +64 more in Moreton Bay

115 88th pct 51 86th pct

Stop walk in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast

54 81st pct —

Drive to city in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +33 longer in Sunshine Coast

45 46th pct 78 60th pct

How people get to work

60.5% Car (driver) +2.1 pts ▸ 62.6%

14.4% Worked at home +0.2 pts ▸ 14.6%

4.3% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.5 pts 3.9%

2.2% Train ◂ +2.0 pts 0.2%

1.2% Walked +0.8 pts ▸ 2.0%

0.3% Bicycle +0.5 pts ▸ 0.7%

0.4% Bus +0.3 pts ▸ 0.7%

Motor vehicles per home

38.9% 2 vehicles +0.9 pts ▸ 39.8%

34.1% 1 vehicle +1.1 pts ▸ 35.2%

14.0% 3 vehicles ◂ +0.6 pts 13.4%

8.4% 4 or more ◂ +0.7 pts 7.7%

4.6% No vehicle ◂ +0.6 pts 3.9%

Migration & Movement

Jobs & Industry

Industries people work in

16.1% Health care & social assistance +1.9 pts ▸ 18.0%

10.7% Construction +1.4 pts ▸ 12.1%

10.1% Retail trade ◂ +0.3 pts 9.8%

8.1% Education & training +0.7 pts ▸ 8.8%

6.2% Accommodation & food +2.1 pts ▸ 8.3%

6.5% Public administration & safety ◂ +2.6 pts 3.9%

6.2% Manufacturing ◂ +1.5 pts 4.6%

5.7% Professional & technical +0.4 pts ▸ 6.1%

5.8% Transport & warehousing ◂ +2.7 pts 3.1%

4.2% Other services ◂ +0.2 pts 4.0%

3.3% Administrative & support +0.1 pts ▸ 3.5%

2.7% Finance & insurance +0.2 pts ▸ 2.9%

Occupations people work in

17.9% Professionals +3.2 pts ▸ 21.1%

14.7% Technicians & trades +0.4 pts ▸ 15.2%

14.1% Clerical & administrative ◂ +2.0 pts 12.1%

13.3% Community & personal service +0.1 pts ▸ 13.4%

11.4% Managers +0.9 pts ▸ 12.3%

10.5% Labourers ◂ +0.7 pts 9.7%

9.1% Sales workers +0.4 pts ▸ 9.5%

7.1% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +2.2 pts 4.9%

Economy & Advantage

IRSAD decile in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +1 higher in Sunshine Coast

7 64th pct 8 71st pct

IRSD decile in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +1 higher in Sunshine Coast

7 64th pct 8 71st pct

IER decile in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +1 higher in Sunshine Coast

8 71st pct 9 86th pct

IEO decile in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +2 higher in Sunshine Coast

6 57th pct 8 71st pct

IRSAD score in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +31 higher in Sunshine Coast

970 63rd pct 1,001 76th pct

ERP in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +150,488 higher in Moreton Bay

532,445 90th pct 381,957 89th pct

Growth in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +0.3 pts higher in Sunshine Coast

9.9% 87th pct 10.2% 88th pct

Businesses in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +5,652 higher in Sunshine Coast

33,587 88th pct 39,239 89th pct

Approvals in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +1,586 higher in Moreton Bay

4,806 95th pct 3,220 91st pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +283 higher in Sunshine Coast

1,328 88th pct 1,611 93rd pct

Max temp in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +1.4 higher in Moreton Bay

27.1 73rd pct 25.7 65th pct

Min temp in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +0.5 higher in Moreton Bay

15.4 82nd pct 14.8 79th pct

Crime & Safety

Crime rate in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +2,175 higher in Moreton Bay

9,369 57th pct 7,194 40th pct

Assault/100k in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +242 higher in Moreton Bay

774 36th pct 532 18th pct

Sexual/100k in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +74 higher in Moreton Bay

219 42nd pct 145 19th pct

Robbery/100k in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +10 higher in Moreton Bay

38 71st pct 28 58th pct

Burglary/100k in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +57 higher in Moreton Bay

439 41st pct 382 34th pct

Theft/100k in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +414 higher in Moreton Bay

2,429 86th pct 2,015 75th pct

Vehicle theft/100k in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +22 higher in Moreton Bay

210 25th pct 188 20th pct

Property damage/100k in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +107 higher in Moreton Bay

654 42nd pct 546 32nd pct

Drugs/100k in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +580 higher in Moreton Bay

1,314 80th pct 735 66th pct

5-yr change in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +7.0 pts higher in Sunshine Coast

13.1% 58th pct 20.0% 66th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +0.3 higher in Moreton Bay

5.1 74th pct 4.8 72nd pct

Types ≤15 min in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +0.3 more in Moreton Bay

4.9 72nd pct 4.6 66th pct

15-min city in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +7.0 pts higher in Moreton Bay

59.8% 71st pct 52.8% 58th pct

Walk to shops in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +9.2 pts higher in Moreton Bay

65.2% 75th pct 56.0% 64th pct

Walk to transit in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +4.9 pts higher in Moreton Bay

72.9% 71st pct 68.1% 67th pct

Walk to school in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +13.3 pts higher in Moreton Bay

65.1% 67th pct 51.8% 45th pct

Walk to a park in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +4.0 pts higher in Moreton Bay

90.2% 74th pct 86.2% 69th pct

Walk to health in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +1.5 pts higher in Sunshine Coast

44.7% 62nd pct 46.2% 64th pct

Amenities/1k in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +1.6 more in Sunshine Coast

10.8 12th pct 12.4 19th pct

Intersections/km² in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +11 higher in Moreton Bay

29 74th pct 18 73rd pct

Mean slope in Moreton Bay in Sunshine Coast +1.7 pts higher in Sunshine Coast

4.9% 53rd pct 6.6% 76th pct

Compare Moreton Bay with nearby areas

Brisbane Sunshine Coast Somerset Ipswich Logan Redland Noosa Lockyer Valley

Compare Sunshine Coast with nearby areas

Noosa Moreton Bay Somerset Gympie Brisbane Ipswich Redland Cherbourg

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Moreton Bay vs Sunshine Coast [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/lga/LGA35010/moreton-bay/vs/LGA36720/sunshine-coast