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Northern Highlands vs Longreach

Statistical Area 2 (SA2) comparison ≈ 348 km apart · Northern Highlands profile · Longreach profile

Northern Highlands Longreach

Longreach and Northern Highlands are both sparsely populated Queensland areas with significant land sizes. Longreach is more walkable, with 65.8% of homes within a 15-minute walk of a park compared to 49.6% in Northern Highlands. There are also more people working from home in Northern Highlands, at 23.7%, while Longreach sits well below at 11.8%. A notable difference is seen among First Nations residents, who are far younger in Longreach (typical age 20) than in Northern Highlands (typical age 29).

Since 2011, the two areas have tracked in different directions across several measures. The gap in the share of people working from home has widened, while the difference in typical weekly rents has narrowed. Despite these shifts, they share many similarities; both have the same proportion of children under 15 (18.7%) and nearly identical typical weekly household incomes, with Longreach at $1,561 and Northern Highlands at $1,502.

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Where they differ most

Mortgage: $368 higher in Longreach Work from home: 11.8 pts higher in Northern Highlands Separate houses: 8.9 pts higher in Longreach Rent: $50 higher in Longreach PT commute: 1.0 pts higher in Northern Highlands

Demographics & Identity

Population in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +552 larger in Longreach gap steady
3,095 12th pct 3,647 14th pct
Median age in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +2 yrs older in Longreach gap narrowing
38 yrs 43rd pct 40 yrs 52nd pct
First Nations in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +2.3 pts higher in Northern Highlands gap steady
8.4% 87th pct 6.1% 82nd pct
Aged 65+ in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.6 pts higher in Longreach gap narrowing
17.1% 48th pct 17.7% 52nd pct
Under 15 in Northern Highlandsin Longreach even gap narrowing
18.7% 59th pct 18.7% 59th pct
De facto in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.5 pts higher in Northern Highlands gap narrowing
14.5% 77th pct 14.1% 74th pct

Age structure

26.5% Older adults (45–64) +0.7 pts ▸ 27.1%
26.7% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +1.1 pts 25.6%
18.7% Children (0–14) even 18.7%
17.1% Seniors (65+) +0.6 pts ▸ 17.7%
10.7% Youth (15–24) +0.4 pts ▸ 11.1%

Marital status

47.1% Married ◂ +1.6 pts 45.4%
35.2% Never married +2.2 pts ▸ 37.4%
8.6% Divorced +0.2 pts ▸ 8.8%
6.0% Widowed ◂ +0.9 pts 5.2%
3.1% Separated even 3.0%

Age & sex structure

Northern Highlands Longreach

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +2.7 pts higher in Longreach gap widening
5.0% 0th pct 7.7% 8th pct

Country of birth

79.5% Australia +0.1 pts ▸ 79.7%
1.1% New Zealand +0.9 pts ▸ 2.0%
1.0% England +0.5 pts ▸ 1.5%
0.2% Philippines +0.3 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.2% South Africa +0.2 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.3% India ◂ +0.1 pts 0.2%
0.0% China +0.3 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.0% Nepal +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%
0.0% Vietnam even 0.0%
0.0% Italy even 0.0%

Ancestry

40.5% Australian ◂ +0.6 pts 40.0%
36.5% English +1.6 pts ▸ 38.1%
11.9% Irish even 11.8%
10.4% Scottish +0.5 pts ▸ 10.9%
4.9% German +1.1 pts ▸ 6.0%
2.1% Italian ◂ +0.8 pts 1.4%
0.7% Chinese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.6%
0.3% Filipino +0.4 pts ▸ 0.7%
0.5% Dutch even 0.5%
0.4% Indian ◂ +0.2 pts 0.2%
0.1% Greek +0.2 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.0% Vietnamese even 0.0%

Language

Other language in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1.7 pts higher in Longreach gap widening
1.7% 0th pct 3.4% 13th pct
Limited English in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.2 pts higher in Longreach gap steady
0.1% 5th pct 0.3% 16th pct

Language used at home

82.9% English only +1.3 pts ▸ 84.2%
0.0% Tagalog +0.3 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.0% Mandarin +0.2 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.0% Punjabi +0.2 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.2% Cantonese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.1% Hindi ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.0% Arabic even 0.0%
0.0% Vietnamese even 0.0%
0.0% Greek even 0.0%
0.0% Italian even 0.0%

Religion

No religion in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1.2 pts higher in Longreach gap steady
27.7% 14th pct 28.9% 16th pct

Religious affiliation

54.6% Christianity +2.1 pts ▸ 56.7%
27.7% No religion +1.2 pts ▸ 28.9%
16.6% Not stated ◂ +3.2 pts 13.3%
0.4% Hinduism ◂ +0.1 pts 0.3%
0.3% Islam ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%
0.2% Other religions even 0.3%
0.2% Buddhism even 0.2%
0.0% Judaism even 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +6.3 pts higher in Longreach gap narrowing
39.2% 16th pct 45.5% 30th pct
Bachelor+ in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +4.8 pts higher in Longreach gap steady
9.4% 9th pct 14.2% 28th pct
Schools in Northern Highlandsin Longreach even
6 71st pct 6 71st pct
Schools/1k kids in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1.55 more in Northern Highlands
10.36 100th pct 8.81 96th pct
Schools ≤3 km in Northern Highlandsin Longreach even
6 12th pct 6 12th pct
Students in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +350 more in Longreach
319 10th pct 669 25th pct
Avg size in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +58 larger in Longreach
53 1st pct 112 10th pct
ICSEA in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +45 higher in Longreach
911 11th pct 957 22nd pct

Highest year of school

39.2% Year 12 +6.3 pts ▸ 45.5%
24.9% Year 10 ◂ +2.5 pts 22.5%
12.3% Year 9 or below ◂ +1.7 pts 10.6%
5.6% Year 11 +0.6 pts ▸ 6.2%

Highest qualification level

32.4% Certificate III / IV ◂ +0.5 pts 31.9%
13.5% Bachelor degree +3.3 pts ▸ 16.8%
10.3% Advanced diploma / diploma +3.1 pts ▸ 13.4%
1.4% Graduate diploma / certificate +1.7 pts ▸ 3.0%
2.0% Postgraduate degree +1.0 pts ▸ 3.0%
2.6% Certificate I / II +0.1 pts ▸ 2.7%

Field of qualification

14.7% Engineering & related ◂ +3.5 pts 11.2%
9.6% Management & commerce +2.7 pts ▸ 12.3%
8.8% Health +1.8 pts ▸ 10.6%
7.7% Society & culture +1.1 pts ▸ 8.8%
7.3% Education +1.3 pts ▸ 8.5%
8.0% Agriculture & environment ◂ +2.0 pts 6.1%
2.7% Food, hospitality & personal services +4.1 pts ▸ 6.8%
4.1% Architecture & building +0.5 pts ▸ 4.6%
1.0% Creative arts +0.5 pts ▸ 1.5%
0.8% Natural & physical sciences +0.3 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.4% Information technology +0.5 pts ▸ 0.9%

Income

Personal income in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +$24 higher in Longreach gap steady
$914 69th pct $938 72nd pct
Household income in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +$59 higher in Longreach gap narrowing
$1,502 35th pct $1,561 39th pct
Family income in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +$165 higher in Longreach gap narrowing
$1,929 40th pct $2,094 51st pct
High earners in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1.1 pts higher in Longreach gap narrowing
8.0% 34th pct 9.1% 41st pct
High-income homes in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.5 pts higher in Longreach gap steady
14.6% 31st pct 15.1% 32nd pct

Household income distribution

28.8% $1,500–$2,999 +1.7 pts ▸ 30.5%
26.7% $650–$1,499 ◂ +0.9 pts 25.8%
16.3% Under $650 even 16.3%
7.9% $3,000–$3,999 +1.0 pts ▸ 8.9%
6.7% $4,000 or more ◂ +0.5 pts 6.2%

Personal income distribution

34.9% $650–$1,499 ◂ +0.2 pts 34.8%
27.6% Under $650 +0.2 pts ▸ 27.8%
14.7% $1,500–$2,999 +3.1 pts ▸ 17.8%
3.5% $3,000 or more ◂ +0.9 pts 2.6%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +2.5 pts higher in Longreach
23.9% 24th pct 26.4% 39th pct
Mental health in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +2.9 pts higher in Longreach
4.8% 10th pct 7.7% 36th pct
Needs assistance in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1.5 pts higher in Longreach gap widening
3.5% 15th pct 5.0% 43rd pct

Long-term health conditions reported

8.0% Asthma ◂ +0.4 pts 7.5%
4.8% Mental health +2.9 pts ▸ 7.7%
6.9% Arthritis +0.2 pts ▸ 7.2%
4.9% Other condition +2.1 pts ▸ 7.0%
4.4% Diabetes +0.3 pts ▸ 4.7%
4.2% Heart disease ◂ +0.1 pts 4.1%
2.6% Cancer +0.1 pts ▸ 2.7%
1.7% Lung condition +0.2 pts ▸ 1.8%
0.3% Dementia +1.1 pts ▸ 1.4%
1.1% Stroke ◂ +0.1 pts 0.9%

Number of long-term health conditions

57.0% None +1.3 pts ▸ 58.4%
16.7% One condition +1.3 pts ▸ 18.0%
5.0% Two conditions +0.5 pts ▸ 5.5%
2.3% Three or more +0.7 pts ▸ 3.0%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +2.8 pts higher in Longreach gap widening
24.1% 92nd pct 26.9% 97th pct
Unpaid carers in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.5 pts higher in Longreach gap steady
9.1% 13th pct 9.6% 16th pct
Unpaid child care in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1.5 pts higher in Longreach gap narrowing
21.3% 19th pct 22.9% 27th pct
Defence service in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.2 pts higher in Longreach
2.2% 32nd pct 2.4% 37th pct
Housework 15h+ in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.1 pts higher in Northern Highlands gap narrowing
17.1% 17th pct 17.0% 17th pct

First Nations

First Nations people in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +37 larger in Northern Highlands
260 61st pct 223 57th pct
Median age in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +9 yrs older in Northern Highlands
29 yrs 81st pct 20 yrs 14th pct
Year 12 in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +6.8 pts higher in Longreach
36.4% 32nd pct 43.2% 49th pct
Unemployment in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.1 pts higher in Longreach
9.3% 46th pct 9.5% 46th pct
Median income in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +$47 higher in Longreach
$638 50th pct $685 59th pct
Household income in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +$15 higher in Longreach
$1,360 27th pct $1,375 29th pct
Indigenous language in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1.2 pts higher in Longreach
1.5% 17th pct 2.7% 26th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.1 larger in Northern Highlands gap steady
2.4 36th pct 2.3 29th pct
One-parent in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +2.6 pts higher in Longreach gap narrowing
11.6% 36th pct 14.2% 59th pct
Living alone in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.3 pts higher in Longreach gap steady
32.5% 82nd pct 32.7% 83rd pct

Family composition

54.7% Couples with children ◂ +2.7 pts 52.0%
33.2% Couples without children ◂ +0.6 pts 32.6%
11.6% One-parent families +2.6 pts ▸ 14.2%
0.6% Other families +1.1 pts ▸ 1.7%

Household size

34.1% 2 people +2.3 pts ▸ 36.4%
32.5% 1 person +0.3 pts ▸ 32.7%
10.5% 3 people +2.9 pts ▸ 13.4%
12.2% 4 people ◂ +3.0 pts 9.2%
7.0% 5 people ◂ +1.5 pts 5.5%
3.6% 6 or more ◂ +1.1 pts 2.5%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +$50 higher in Longreach gap narrowing
$150 0th pct $200 7th pct
Mortgage in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +$368 higher in Longreach gap narrowing
$715 0th pct $1,083 7th pct
People / bedroom in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.10 higher in Northern Highlands gap widening
0.80 29th pct 0.70 0th pct
Renting in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +7.9 pts higher in Longreach gap widening
27.6% 52nd pct 35.5% 72nd pct
Owned outright in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +7.3 pts higher in Northern Highlands gap narrowing
39.8% 74th pct 32.5% 50th pct
Separate houses in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +8.9 pts higher in Longreach gap widening
79.3% 40th pct 88.2% 59th pct
3+ bedrooms in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1.0 pts higher in Longreach gap narrowing
73.5% 34th pct 74.5% 37th pct

How homes are owned or rented

39.8% Owned outright ◂ +7.3 pts 32.5%
27.6% Rented +7.9 pts ▸ 35.5%
20.1% Owned with a mortgage +3.0 pts ▸ 23.1%
10.2% Other tenure ◂ +4.0 pts 6.3%
3.0% Not stated ◂ +0.7 pts 2.3%

Types of homes

79.3% Separate house +8.9 pts ▸ 88.2%
8.4% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +3.8 pts 4.6%
1.0% Other dwelling +1.9 pts ▸ 2.8%
0.3% Flat or apartment +2.2 pts ▸ 2.5%

Bedrooms per home

41.3% 3 bedrooms +0.3 pts ▸ 41.6%
20.2% 4 bedrooms +3.5 pts ▸ 23.7%
16.5% 2 bedrooms +1.3 pts ▸ 17.7%
12.0% 5 or more ◂ +2.7 pts 9.2%
6.7% 1 bedroom ◂ +2.7 pts 4.0%
0.9% Studio / none +0.1 pts ▸ 1.0%

Weekly rent distribution

60.4% Under $200 ◂ +16.1 pts 44.3%
19.8% $200–$349 +21.4 pts ▸ 41.2%
1.1% $350–$549 +6.5 pts ▸ 7.6%
1.1% $750 or more ◂ +1.1 pts 0.0%
0.0% $550–$749 even 0.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

54.4% Under $1,000 ◂ +15.0 pts 39.4%
19.4% $1,000–$1,799 +21.2 pts ▸ 40.6%
8.3% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +0.2 pts 8.1%
5.8% $3,000 or more ◂ +2.3 pts 3.5%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1.2 pts higher in Longreach gap steady
5.1% 52nd pct 6.3% 61st pct
Work from home in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +11.8 pts higher in Northern Highlands gap widening
23.7% 73rd pct 11.8% 39th pct
PT commute in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1.0 pts higher in Northern Highlands gap narrowing
1.0% 33rd pct 0.0% 0th pct
PT stops in Northern Highlandsin Longreach even
0 0th pct 0 0th pct
Stops/1k in Northern Highlandsin Longreach even
0.00 0th pct 0.00 0th pct
Departures/1k in Northern Highlandsin Longreach even
0.0 0th pct 0.0 0th pct
PT routes in Northern Highlandsin Longreach even
0 0th pct 0 0th pct

How people get to work

46.3% Car (driver) +14.4 pts ▸ 60.7%
23.7% Worked at home ◂ +11.8 pts 11.8%
12.5% Walked ◂ +2.8 pts 9.7%
2.9% Car (passenger) +2.1 pts ▸ 5.0%
0.6% Bicycle +0.8 pts ▸ 1.5%
0.7% Bus ◂ +0.7 pts 0.0%
0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

32.4% 1 vehicle +4.4 pts ▸ 36.8%
32.3% 2 vehicles +1.1 pts ▸ 33.4%
15.8% 4 or more ◂ +5.6 pts 10.2%
14.2% 3 vehicles ◂ +1.2 pts 13.0%
5.1% No vehicle +1.2 pts ▸ 6.3%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +4.5 pts higher in Longreach gap narrowing
33.7% 32nd pct 38.2% 51st pct
Recent arrivals in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.3 pts higher in Northern Highlands gap narrowing
17.5% 76th pct 17.2% 75th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.2 pts higher in Northern Highlands gap steady
2.1% 0th pct 1.8% 0th pct
Participation in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.7 pts higher in Longreach gap steady
64.9% 65th pct 65.6% 69th pct
Full-time in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +4.1 pts higher in Northern Highlands gap widening
75.0% 100th pct 70.9% 98th pct

Industries people work in

37.2% Agriculture, forestry & fishing ◂ +22.3 pts 14.9%
4.8% Health care & social assistance +9.3 pts ▸ 14.1%
14.0% Public administration & safety ◂ +3.5 pts 10.4%
6.1% Education & training +2.9 pts ▸ 8.9%
6.8% Construction +1.2 pts ▸ 8.0%
6.0% Retail trade +0.8 pts ▸ 6.8%
4.4% Accommodation & food +1.7 pts ▸ 6.1%
4.8% Transport & warehousing ◂ +0.9 pts 3.9%
2.1% Other services +2.6 pts ▸ 4.7%
0.9% Administrative & support +2.2 pts ▸ 3.2%
1.3% Manufacturing +1.6 pts ▸ 2.9%
1.7% Professional & technical +0.8 pts ▸ 2.5%

Occupations people work in

27.9% Managers ◂ +9.0 pts 18.9%
19.4% Labourers ◂ +5.7 pts 13.7%
8.7% Professionals +6.2 pts ▸ 14.9%
10.8% Technicians & trades +2.4 pts ▸ 13.3%
8.6% Clerical & administrative +4.2 pts ▸ 12.9%
6.9% Community & personal service +5.2 pts ▸ 12.1%
9.4% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +3.5 pts 6.0%
4.7% Sales workers +1.3 pts ▸ 6.0%

Economy & Advantage

IRSAD decile in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1 higher in Longreach
4 36th pct 5 43rd pct
IRSD decile in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1 higher in Longreach
4 36th pct 5 43rd pct
IER decile in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1 higher in Northern Highlands
5 43rd pct 4 36th pct
IEO decile in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +2 higher in Longreach
3 29th pct 5 43rd pct
IRSAD score in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +15 higher in Longreach
961 35th pct 976 41st pct
ERP in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +558 higher in Longreach
3,183 11th pct 3,741 13th pct
Growth in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.4 pts higher in Northern Highlands
1.8% 26th pct 1.4% 22nd pct
Businesses in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +244 higher in Northern Highlands
882 48th pct 638 34th pct

Environment & Climate

Rainfall in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +127 higher in Northern Highlands
508 11th pct 380 5th pct
Max temp in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1.7 higher in Northern Highlands
34.8 100th pct 33.1 99th pct
Min temp in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +1.5 higher in Northern Highlands
17.3 89th pct 15.8 86th pct

Walkability

Walk score in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.5 higher in Longreach
2.6 17th pct 3.2 21st pct
Types ≤15 min in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.8 more in Longreach
3.0 20th pct 3.8 28th pct
15-min city in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +12.7 pts higher in Longreach
37.8% 27th pct 50.5% 38th pct
Walk to shops in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +6.3 pts higher in Northern Highlands
40.7% 30th pct 34.4% 24th pct
Walk to transit in Northern Highlandsin Longreach even
0.0% 0th pct 0.0% 0th pct
Walk to school in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +19.3 pts higher in Longreach
41.0% 24th pct 60.3% 38th pct
Walk to a park in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +16.2 pts higher in Longreach
49.6% 14th pct 65.8% 21st pct
Walk to health in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +17.5 pts higher in Longreach
40.5% 45th pct 58.0% 60th pct
Amenities/1k in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +12.0 more in Northern Highlands
43.0 86th pct 31.0 86th pct
Intersections/km² in Northern Highlandsin Longreach even
0 0th pct 0 0th pct
Mean slope in Northern Highlandsin Longreach +0.0 pts higher in Northern Highlands
2.7% 5th pct 2.6% 4th pct

Compare Northern Highlands with nearby areas

Croydon - Etheridge Mount Isa Dalrymple Longreach Mount Isa Surrounds Charters Towers Herberton Far Central West

Compare Longreach with nearby areas

Barcaldine - Blackall Northern Highlands Clermont Far Central West Charleville Far South West Central Highlands - West Dalrymple

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Northern Highlands vs Longreach [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sa2/315021407/northern-highlands/vs/315031412/longreach