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Mount Low vs Shaw

Suburb / Locality comparison ≈ 5.7 km apart · Mount Low profile · Shaw profile

Mount Low Shaw

Mount Low and Shaw are neighbouring areas in Townsville with very different profiles. Shaw is much more transient and accessible, with 61.1% of people moving there in the last five years and a far higher share of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport (85.6% compared to 36.9% in Mount Low). Shaw also has a higher proportion of renters (49.7% versus 35.3%) and more university-qualified adults (23.0% versus 14.5%). In contrast, Mount Low has more children under 15 (28.5%) and a higher share of households earning $3,000 or more a week (24.3%).

Everyday life in both places shares many similarities, including very similar typical weekly personal and family incomes and nearly identical monthly home-loan payments. Both areas also have roughly the same percentage of people aged 65 and over and a similar share of volunteers. While Shaw is currently more walkable and has more people born overseas, Mount Low has a larger First Nations population with a much younger typical age of 15.

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Where they differ most

Population: 4,728 larger in Mount Low PT commute: 1.0 pts higher in Mount Low Renting: 14.3 pts higher in Shaw Recent movers: 11.5 pts higher in Shaw Living alone: 9.7 pts higher in Shaw

Demographics & Identity

Population in Mount Lowin Shaw +4,728 larger in Mount Low gap widening
5,488 86th pct 760 71st pct
Median age in Mount Lowin Shaw +1 yrs older in Mount Low gap narrowing
29 yrs 4th pct 28 yrs 2nd pct
First Nations in Mount Lowin Shaw +0.2 pts higher in Mount Low gap steady
6.6% 80th pct 6.3% 79th pct
Aged 65+ in Mount Lowin Shaw +0.8 pts higher in Shaw gap narrowing
6.0% 9th pct 6.7% 10th pct
Under 15 in Mount Lowin Shaw +3.4 pts higher in Mount Low gap narrowing
28.5% 93rd pct 25.1% 88th pct
De facto in Mount Lowin Shaw +3.7 pts higher in Shaw gap widening
19.7% 87th pct 23.4% 92nd pct

Age structure

35.9% Young adults (25–44) +1.8 pts ▸ 37.6%
28.5% Children (0–14) ◂ +3.4 pts 25.1%
17.4% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +0.6 pts 16.8%
12.4% Youth (15–24) +2.1 pts ▸ 14.5%
6.0% Seniors (65+) +0.8 pts ▸ 6.7%

Marital status

46.8% Married ◂ +5.0 pts 41.8%
40.7% Never married +4.0 pts ▸ 44.8%
6.6% Divorced +1.9 pts ▸ 8.5%
4.1% Separated +0.2 pts ▸ 4.2%
1.7% Widowed +0.2 pts ▸ 1.9%

Age & sex structure

Mount Low Shaw

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Mount Lowin Shaw +9.1 pts higher in Shaw gap steady
8.7% 37th pct 17.8% 73rd pct

Country of birth

85.9% Australia ◂ +7.8 pts 78.0%
0.3% Philippines +3.7 pts ▸ 4.1%
1.9% England +1.2 pts ▸ 3.0%
2.3% New Zealand +0.3 pts ▸ 2.6%
0.2% India +1.0 pts ▸ 1.2%
0.4% South Africa +0.8 pts ▸ 1.2%
0.0% Nepal +0.4 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.2% Italy ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%
0.1% Vietnam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.0% China even 0.0%

Ancestry

45.6% Australian ◂ +4.9 pts 40.8%
39.4% English ◂ +2.1 pts 37.4%
11.1% Scottish ◂ +0.8 pts 10.3%
11.0% Irish ◂ +0.8 pts 10.1%
6.2% Italian ◂ +3.7 pts 2.5%
0.6% Filipino +5.6 pts ▸ 6.2%
5.0% German +0.3 pts ▸ 5.3%
1.7% Dutch even 1.7%
0.3% Indian +1.1 pts ▸ 1.4%
0.5% Greek +0.8 pts ▸ 1.3%
0.8% Chinese ◂ +0.4 pts 0.4%
0.2% Vietnamese ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%

Language

Other language in Mount Lowin Shaw +8.3 pts higher in Shaw gap widening
3.4% 49th pct 11.7% 78th pct
Limited English in Mount Lowin Shaw +0.2 pts higher in Shaw gap steady
0.3% 65th pct 0.5% 70th pct

Language used at home

91.0% English only ◂ +7.8 pts 83.2%
0.1% Tagalog +2.3 pts ▸ 2.4%
0.1% Punjabi +1.3 pts ▸ 1.4%
0.1% Greek +0.3 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.2% Italian ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%
0.1% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Arabic ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.0% Mandarin even 0.0%
0.0% Cantonese even 0.0%
0.0% Hindi even 0.0%

Religion

No religion in Mount Lowin Shaw +6.6 pts higher in Mount Low gap widening
47.7% 73rd pct 41.1% 51st pct

Religious affiliation

47.7% No religion ◂ +6.6 pts 41.1%
44.1% Christianity +3.5 pts ▸ 47.6%
7.2% Not stated ◂ +0.1 pts 7.1%
0.5% Other religions +1.6 pts ▸ 2.1%
0.1% Hinduism +0.8 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.4% Buddhism ◂ +0.4 pts 0.0%
0.0% Islam even 0.0%
0.0% Judaism even 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Mount Lowin Shaw +7.2 pts higher in Shaw gap narrowing
58.2% 77th pct 65.5% 87th pct
Bachelor+ in Mount Lowin Shaw +8.5 pts higher in Shaw gap widening
14.5% 49th pct 23.0% 74th pct
Schools/1k kids in Mount Lowin Shaw
— 10.47 75th pct
Schools ≤3 km in Mount Lowin Shaw +6 more in Shaw
5 73rd pct 11 81st pct
Avg size in Mount Lowin Shaw +182 larger in Mount Low
853 98th pct 671 89th pct
ICSEA in Mount Lowin Shaw even
971 38th pct 969 37th pct

Highest year of school

58.2% Year 12 +7.2 pts ▸ 65.5%
20.8% Year 10 ◂ +5.5 pts 15.3%
8.9% Year 11 ◂ +0.6 pts 8.4%
5.5% Year 9 or below ◂ +1.7 pts 3.8%

Highest qualification level

46.9% Certificate III / IV ◂ +11.8 pts 35.2%
17.2% Bachelor degree +10.3 pts ▸ 27.4%
14.1% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +1.6 pts 12.5%
1.9% Postgraduate degree +3.1 pts ▸ 5.0%
3.5% Graduate diploma / certificate +0.1 pts ▸ 3.6%
2.9% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.2 pts 2.8%

Field of qualification

20.3% Engineering & related ◂ +6.5 pts 13.9%
10.6% Health +8.2 pts ▸ 18.8%
16.4% Management & commerce +2.4 pts ▸ 18.8%
12.1% Society & culture ◂ +0.5 pts 11.6%
8.3% Education +0.3 pts ▸ 8.6%
7.5% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +1.2 pts 6.4%
6.6% Architecture & building ◂ +4.1 pts 2.5%
1.9% Natural & physical sciences +1.2 pts ▸ 3.0%
1.1% Agriculture & environment +0.6 pts ▸ 1.7%
1.5% Creative arts ◂ +0.6 pts 0.8%
1.2% Information technology +0.2 pts ▸ 1.4%

Income

Personal income in Mount Lowin Shaw +$67 higher in Shaw gap widening
$1,052 86th pct $1,119 88th pct
Household income in Mount Lowin Shaw +$243 higher in Mount Low gap widening
$2,259 86th pct $2,016 76th pct
Family income in Mount Lowin Shaw +$80 higher in Mount Low gap narrowing
$2,353 76th pct $2,273 72nd pct
High earners in Mount Lowin Shaw +1.3 pts higher in Mount Low gap narrowing
12.1% 70th pct 10.8% 64th pct
High-income homes in Mount Lowin Shaw +5.2 pts higher in Mount Low gap steady
24.3% 72nd pct 19.0% 59th pct

Household income distribution

40.7% $1,500–$2,999 +3.1 pts ▸ 43.9%
18.8% $650–$1,499 +5.3 pts ▸ 24.1%
16.0% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +4.4 pts 11.6%
5.4% Under $650 +3.4 pts ▸ 8.8%
8.3% $4,000 or more ◂ +0.8 pts 7.5%

Personal income distribution

39.3% $650–$1,499 +5.3 pts ▸ 44.6%
26.9% Under $650 ◂ +3.2 pts 23.7%
24.3% $1,500–$2,999 +1.4 pts ▸ 25.7%
2.5% $3,000 or more ◂ +0.2 pts 2.3%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Mount Lowin Shaw +2.5 pts higher in Mount Low
24.9% 30th pct 22.4% 21st pct
Mental health in Mount Lowin Shaw +1.5 pts higher in Mount Low
10.3% 71st pct 8.8% 57th pct
Needs assistance in Mount Lowin Shaw +0.8 pts higher in Mount Low gap steady
4.0% 42nd pct 3.2% 33rd pct

Long-term health conditions reported

10.3% Mental health ◂ +1.5 pts 8.8%
7.1% Other condition +2.4 pts ▸ 9.5%
8.7% Asthma ◂ +0.9 pts 7.8%
5.8% Arthritis +0.2 pts ▸ 6.1%
2.7% Diabetes even 2.6%
2.2% Heart disease ◂ +0.8 pts 1.4%
1.6% Cancer even 1.6%
1.3% Lung condition ◂ +0.9 pts 0.4%
0.2% Dementia +0.3 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.5% Stroke ◂ +0.5 pts 0.0%

Number of long-term health conditions

66.1% None +3.0 pts ▸ 69.1%
18.8% One condition ◂ +1.6 pts 17.2%
4.2% Two conditions +0.5 pts ▸ 4.7%
1.9% Three or more ◂ +1.0 pts 0.9%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Mount Lowin Shaw +1.0 pts higher in Mount Low gap steady
10.9% 15th pct 9.9% 13th pct
Unpaid carers in Mount Lowin Shaw +1.1 pts higher in Mount Low gap steady
10.5% 28th pct 9.4% 22nd pct
Unpaid child care in Mount Lowin Shaw +4.7 pts higher in Mount Low gap narrowing
40.5% 94th pct 35.8% 88th pct
Defence service in Mount Lowin Shaw +4.6 pts higher in Shaw
9.9% 95th pct 14.5% 100th pct
Housework 15h+ in Mount Lowin Shaw +0.5 pts higher in Mount Low gap narrowing
21.4% 33rd pct 20.9% 31st pct

First Nations

First Nations people in Mount Lowin Shaw +312 larger in Mount Low
360 86th pct 48 77th pct
Median age in Mount Lowin Shaw +7 yrs older in Shaw
15 yrs 11th pct 22 yrs 33rd pct
Year 12 in Mount Lowin Shaw +6.5 pts higher in Mount Low
50.9% 73rd pct 44.4% 60th pct
Unemployment in Mount Lowin Shaw +6.5 pts higher in Mount Low
6.5% 32nd pct 0.0% 0th pct
Median income in Mount Lowin Shaw +$5 higher in Mount Low
$964 77th pct $959 76th pct
Household income in Mount Lowin Shaw +$380 higher in Mount Low
$2,172 68th pct $1,792 54th pct
Indigenous language in Mount Lowin Shaw +2.5 pts higher in Mount Low
2.5% 41st pct 0.0% 0th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Mount Lowin Shaw +0.5 larger in Mount Low gap widening
3.0 86th pct 2.5 50th pct
One-parent in Mount Lowin Shaw +5.5 pts higher in Shaw gap steady
14.7% 72nd pct 20.2% 87th pct
Living alone in Mount Lowin Shaw +9.7 pts higher in Shaw gap widening
11.7% 11th pct 21.4% 42nd pct

Family composition

66.4% Couples with children ◂ +15.3 pts 51.1%
18.2% Couples without children +10.7 pts ▸ 28.8%
14.7% One-parent families +5.5 pts ▸ 20.2%
0.7% Other families ◂ +0.2 pts 0.5%

Household size

29.9% 2 people +10.2 pts ▸ 40.1%
23.2% 3 people ◂ +4.1 pts 19.0%
22.6% 4 people ◂ +10.0 pts 12.6%
11.7% 1 person +9.7 pts ▸ 21.4%
8.5% 5 people ◂ +4.1 pts 4.4%
4.2% 6 or more ◂ +2.5 pts 1.7%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Mount Lowin Shaw +$48 higher in Mount Low gap widening
$370 76th pct $322 63rd pct
Mortgage in Mount Lowin Shaw even gap narrowing
$1,733 57th pct $1,733 57th pct
People / bedroom in Mount Lowin Shaw +0.10 higher in Mount Low gap steady
0.80 43rd pct 0.70 14th pct
Renting in Mount Lowin Shaw +14.3 pts higher in Shaw gap steady
35.3% 86th pct 49.7% 92nd pct
Owned outright in Mount Lowin Shaw +4.5 pts higher in Mount Low gap steady
12.6% 4th pct 8.2% 1st pct
Separate houses in Mount Lowin Shaw +4.3 pts higher in Mount Low gap narrowing
97.5% 55th pct 93.2% 40th pct
3+ bedrooms in Mount Lowin Shaw +6.2 pts higher in Mount Low gap narrowing
96.6% 93rd pct 90.5% 79th pct

How homes are owned or rented

50.5% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +11.4 pts 39.1%
35.3% Rented +14.3 pts ▸ 49.7%
12.6% Owned outright ◂ +4.5 pts 8.2%
0.2% Other tenure +1.5 pts ▸ 1.7%
0.9% Not stated +0.8 pts ▸ 1.7%

Types of homes

97.5% Separate house ◂ +4.3 pts 93.2%
2.5% Townhouse / semi-detached +0.6 pts ▸ 3.1%
0.0% Other dwelling +1.0 pts ▸ 1.0%
0.0% Flat or apartment even 0.0%

Bedrooms per home

63.6% 4 bedrooms ◂ +15.7 pts 48.0%
26.1% 3 bedrooms +16.4 pts ▸ 42.5%
6.9% 5 or more ◂ +6.9 pts 0.0%
1.3% 2 bedrooms +3.8 pts ▸ 5.1%
0.0% 1 bedroom +1.7 pts ▸ 1.7%
0.0% Studio / none even 0.0%

Weekly rent distribution

72.4% $350–$549 ◂ +27.2 pts 45.2%
23.1% $200–$349 +24.9 pts ▸ 47.9%
2.3% $550–$749 ◂ +2.3 pts 0.0%
0.6% Under $200 ◂ +0.6 pts 0.0%
0.0% $750 or more even 0.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

43.5% $1,000–$1,799 +4.4 pts ▸ 47.8%
38.5% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +5.4 pts 33.0%
6.7% $3,000 or more +0.3 pts ▸ 7.0%
6.4% Under $1,000 ◂ +3.8 pts 2.6%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Mount Lowin Shaw +1.0 pts higher in Shaw gap steady
0.8% 48th pct 1.7% 54th pct
Work from home in Mount Lowin Shaw +1.0 pts higher in Shaw gap steady
4.3% 9th pct 5.3% 11th pct
PT commute in Mount Lowin Shaw +1.0 pts higher in Mount Low gap steady
1.0% 72nd pct 0.0% 0th pct
PT stops in Mount Lowin Shaw +13 more in Mount Low
16 86th pct 3 72nd pct
Stops/1k in Mount Lowin Shaw +1.03 more in Shaw
2.92 69th pct 3.95 73rd pct
Departures/1k in Mount Lowin Shaw +188.4 more in Shaw
127.4 71st pct 315.8 75th pct
PT routes in Mount Lowin Shaw +1 more in Mount Low
2 75th pct 1 71st pct
Stop walk in Mount Lowin Shaw +2 longer in Shaw
16 54th pct 18 57th pct

How people get to work

75.1% Car (driver) ◂ +0.1 pts 75.0%
4.3% Worked at home +1.0 pts ▸ 5.3%
4.5% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.8 pts 3.7%
1.0% Bus ◂ +1.0 pts 0.0%
0.3% Walked +0.4 pts ▸ 0.7%
0.2% Bicycle ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%
0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

51.0% 2 vehicles ◂ +1.7 pts 49.3%
21.8% 1 vehicle +13.1 pts ▸ 35.0%
17.4% 3 vehicles ◂ +4.8 pts 12.6%
9.2% 4 or more ◂ +5.0 pts 4.2%
0.8% No vehicle +1.0 pts ▸ 1.7%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Mount Lowin Shaw +11.5 pts higher in Shaw gap narrowing
49.6% 90th pct 61.1% 98th pct
Recent arrivals in Mount Lowin Shaw +4.7 pts higher in Shaw gap narrowing
7.1% 52nd pct 11.9% 71st pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Mount Lowin Shaw +1.6 pts higher in Mount Low gap steady
4.0% 57th pct 2.5% 40th pct
Participation in Mount Lowin Shaw +2.8 pts higher in Shaw gap narrowing
76.5% 91st pct 79.3% 94th pct
Full-time in Mount Lowin Shaw +2.5 pts higher in Shaw gap widening
66.3% 82nd pct 68.8% 87th pct

Industries people work in

15.8% Health care & social assistance +4.6 pts ▸ 20.4%
11.5% Public administration & safety +6.4 pts ▸ 17.9%
11.1% Construction ◂ +4.2 pts 6.9%
8.8% Retail trade +0.6 pts ▸ 9.4%
8.5% Education & training ◂ +0.9 pts 7.6%
5.5% Accommodation & food +0.7 pts ▸ 6.2%
5.1% Manufacturing ◂ +2.8 pts 2.3%
5.1% Transport & warehousing ◂ +1.2 pts 3.9%
3.9% Professional & technical +1.2 pts ▸ 5.0%
4.9% Mining ◂ +2.6 pts 2.3%
4.7% Other services ◂ +3.3 pts 1.4%
2.7% Wholesale trade ◂ +0.9 pts 1.8%

Occupations people work in

14.7% Professionals +7.6 pts ▸ 22.2%
17.8% Technicians & trades ◂ +5.4 pts 12.4%
15.0% Community & personal service +2.2 pts ▸ 17.2%
15.0% Clerical & administrative ◂ +1.9 pts 13.1%
9.9% Managers +0.4 pts ▸ 10.3%
8.7% Sales workers +0.9 pts ▸ 9.6%
9.0% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +3.1 pts 6.0%
8.5% Labourers ◂ +3.4 pts 5.0%

Walkability

Walk score in Mount Lowin Shaw +0.9 higher in Shaw
1.6 63rd pct 2.5 69th pct
Types ≤15 min in Mount Lowin Shaw +0.7 more in Shaw
1.6 63rd pct 2.3 67th pct
15-min city in Mount Lowin Shaw +3.9 pts higher in Mount Low
4.9% 61st pct 1.0% 58th pct
Walk to shops in Mount Lowin Shaw +4.6 pts higher in Mount Low
5.1% 61st pct 0.6% 58th pct
Walk to transit in Mount Lowin Shaw +48.7 pts higher in Shaw
36.9% 69th pct 85.6% 83rd pct
Walk to school in Mount Lowin Shaw +35.0 pts higher in Shaw
6.1% 59th pct 41.1% 72nd pct
Walk to a park in Mount Lowin Shaw +11.0 pts higher in Shaw
83.2% 76th pct 94.2% 83rd pct
Walk to health in Mount Lowin Shaw even
0.0% 0th pct 0.0% 0th pct
Amenities/1k in Mount Lowin Shaw +7.8 more in Shaw
4.0 26th pct 11.8 46th pct
Intersections/km² in Mount Lowin Shaw +3 higher in Mount Low
37 76th pct 34 76th pct
Mean slope in Mount Lowin Shaw +0.3 pts higher in Shaw
2.6% 6th pct 2.8% 10th pct

Compare Mount Low with nearby areas

Deeragun Bushland Beach Burdell Beach Holm Jensen Shaw Bohle Yabulu

Compare Shaw with nearby areas

Cosgrove Deeragun Bohle Plains Burdell Bohle Mount Louisa Kirwan Mount St John

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Mount Low vs Shaw [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sal/SAL31986/mount-low/vs/SAL32547/shaw