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Emerald vs Hervey Bay

Urban Area comparison ≈ 509 km apart · Emerald profile · Hervey Bay profile

Emerald Hervey Bay

Hervey Bay and Emerald are two very different Queensland towns. Hervey Bay is much older, with a typical resident aged 51 and 31.9% of the population aged 65 and over. In contrast, Emerald is far younger, where the typical resident is just 32 and children under 15 make up 25.2% of the area. These differences extend to wealth and housing; typical weekly household incomes are far higher in Emerald at $2,190 compared to $1,083 in Hervey Bay, while Hervey Bay has a much higher share of homes owned outright at 43.3%.

Both areas share a similar proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents, at around 5%. They also both have very few homes within walking distance of public transport. Since 2011, the gaps between them have grown in many areas. The age difference has widened significantly, with the typical resident in Hervey Bay now 19 years older than those in Emerald, compared to a 4-year gap a decade ago. Similarly, the gap in typical weekly household income has increased from $461 to $1,107.

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Where they differ most

Population: 43,633 larger in Hervey Bay Median age: 19 yrs older in Hervey Bay Owned outright: 27.6 pts higher in Hervey Bay Participation: 30.1 pts higher in Emerald Aged 65+: 25.0 pts higher in Hervey Bay

Demographics & Identity

Population in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +43,633 larger in Hervey Bay gap widening
14,089 14th pct 57,722 65th pct
Median age in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +19 yrs older in Hervey Bay gap widening
32 yrs 0th pct 51 yrs 91st pct
First Nations in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +0.4 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
5.2% 47th pct 4.8% 43rd pct
Aged 65+ in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +25.0 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap widening
7.0% 0th pct 31.9% 93rd pct
Under 15 in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +9.8 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
25.2% 100th pct 15.4% 11th pct
De facto in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +5.6 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
16.6% 90th pct 11.0% 14th pct

Age structure

7.0% Seniors (65+) +25.0 pts ▸ 31.9%
31.6% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +13.6 pts 18.0%
22.7% Older adults (45–64) +3.0 pts ▸ 25.7%
25.2% Children (0–14) ◂ +9.8 pts 15.4%
13.4% Youth (15–24) ◂ +4.5 pts 8.9%

Marital status

47.0% Married +0.8 pts ▸ 47.8%
39.3% Never married ◂ +12.2 pts 27.1%
7.4% Divorced +5.0 pts ▸ 12.5%
2.5% Widowed +5.7 pts ▸ 8.2%
3.7% Separated +0.6 pts ▸ 4.3%

Age & sex structure

Emerald Hervey Bay

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +3.6 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap steady
14.8% 62nd pct 18.4% 78th pct

Country of birth

76.9% Australia ◂ +1.4 pts 75.5%
1.1% England +4.6 pts ▸ 5.7%
4.1% New Zealand ◂ +0.5 pts 3.5%
1.8% Philippines ◂ +1.0 pts 0.8%
1.5% South Africa ◂ +0.8 pts 0.7%
0.8% India ◂ +0.3 pts 0.5%
0.4% China ◂ +0.2 pts 0.2%
0.2% Vietnam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.0% Italy +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.1% Nepal even 0.1%

Ancestry

37.2% English +8.2 pts ▸ 45.3%
38.6% Australian ◂ +1.6 pts 37.0%
10.9% Scottish +0.2 pts ▸ 11.1%
11.0% Irish ◂ +0.5 pts 10.5%
6.4% German +0.7 pts ▸ 7.1%
2.1% Filipino ◂ +1.0 pts 1.1%
2.0% Italian ◂ +0.1 pts 2.0%
1.4% Dutch +0.2 pts ▸ 1.6%
1.3% Chinese ◂ +0.4 pts 0.9%
0.9% Indian ◂ +0.2 pts 0.7%
0.5% Greek ◂ +0.1 pts 0.3%
0.2% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%

Language

Other language in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +3.2 pts higher in Emerald gap steady
8.2% 64th pct 5.1% 29th pct
Limited English in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +0.6 pts higher in Emerald gap steady
1.0% 70th pct 0.4% 19th pct

Language used at home

83.0% English only +6.1 pts ▸ 89.1%
0.7% Mandarin ◂ +0.4 pts 0.3%
0.7% Tagalog ◂ +0.5 pts 0.2%
0.4% Punjabi ◂ +0.3 pts 0.1%
0.3% Hindi ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.2% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.1% Italian +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%
0.0% Arabic +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%
0.1% Greek ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.1% Cantonese even 0.1%

Religion

No religion in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +3.4 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
38.0% 27th pct 41.3% 43rd pct

Religious affiliation

49.1% Christianity ◂ +0.7 pts 48.4%
38.0% No religion +3.4 pts ▸ 41.3%
10.1% Not stated ◂ +2.1 pts 8.0%
0.9% Buddhism even 0.9%
0.8% Hinduism ◂ +0.3 pts 0.5%
0.7% Other religions ◂ +0.2 pts 0.5%
0.5% Islam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%
0.0% Judaism +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +13.0 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
53.8% 82nd pct 40.7% 31st pct
Bachelor+ in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +1.1 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
14.2% 42nd pct 13.0% 29th pct

Highest year of school

53.8% Year 12 ◂ +13.0 pts 40.7%
21.9% Year 10 +8.0 pts ▸ 29.9%
6.2% Year 9 or below +7.2 pts ▸ 13.4%
7.7% Year 11 +0.5 pts ▸ 8.2%

Highest qualification level

40.2% Certificate III / IV ◂ +2.2 pts 38.0%
16.7% Bachelor degree ◂ +0.6 pts 16.2%
11.4% Advanced diploma / diploma +3.9 pts ▸ 15.2%
3.5% Postgraduate degree +0.3 pts ▸ 3.9%
3.7% Certificate I / II ◂ +1.0 pts 2.7%
2.9% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +0.1 pts 2.8%

Field of qualification

23.9% Engineering & related ◂ +8.9 pts 15.0%
14.2% Management & commerce +0.2 pts ▸ 14.4%
7.6% Society & culture +4.9 pts ▸ 12.5%
7.3% Health +5.1 pts ▸ 12.5%
9.2% Education ◂ +0.4 pts 8.8%
6.1% Food, hospitality & personal services +0.7 pts ▸ 6.8%
4.3% Architecture & building +1.8 pts ▸ 6.1%
3.4% Agriculture & environment ◂ +1.7 pts 1.7%
1.1% Creative arts +0.7 pts ▸ 1.9%
1.3% Natural & physical sciences even 1.3%
1.0% Information technology +0.2 pts ▸ 1.3%

Income

Personal income in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +$481 higher in Emerald gap widening
$1,033 93rd pct $552 2nd pct
Household income in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +$1,107 higher in Emerald gap widening
$2,190 91st pct $1,083 5th pct
Family income in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +$1,198 higher in Emerald gap widening
$2,510 91st pct $1,312 2nd pct
High earners in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +13.0 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
18.2% 94th pct 5.2% 12th pct
High-income homes in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +18.4 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
27.6% 89th pct 9.2% 11th pct

Household income distribution

19.9% $650–$1,499 +17.5 pts ▸ 37.4%
33.3% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +10.9 pts 22.4%
8.1% Under $650 +14.8 pts ▸ 22.9%
14.1% $4,000 or more ◂ +10.1 pts 4.0%
13.5% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +8.4 pts 5.1%

Personal income distribution

28.8% Under $650 +23.8 pts ▸ 52.5%
30.9% $650–$1,499 ◂ +3.3 pts 27.6%
22.4% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +12.5 pts 9.9%
7.4% $3,000 or more ◂ +5.7 pts 1.7%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +18.3 pts higher in Hervey Bay
21.5% 7th pct 39.8% 94th pct
Mental health in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +4.8 pts higher in Hervey Bay
7.5% 13th pct 12.3% 85th pct
Needs assistance in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +7.2 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap widening
3.5% 7th pct 10.8% 98th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

4.6% Arthritis +11.6 pts ▸ 16.2%
7.5% Mental health +4.8 pts ▸ 12.3%
5.7% Other condition +5.0 pts ▸ 10.7%
7.9% Asthma +1.9 pts ▸ 9.8%
2.2% Heart disease +5.3 pts ▸ 7.5%
3.0% Diabetes +3.8 pts ▸ 6.8%
1.8% Cancer +3.3 pts ▸ 5.1%
1.2% Lung condition +3.8 pts ▸ 5.0%
0.4% Stroke +1.5 pts ▸ 1.9%
0.2% Dementia +1.2 pts ▸ 1.3%

Number of long-term health conditions

66.6% None ◂ +15.1 pts 51.6%
16.0% One condition +7.0 pts ▸ 23.0%
3.9% Two conditions +6.0 pts ▸ 9.9%
1.6% Three or more +5.4 pts ▸ 7.0%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +4.8 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
17.3% 76th pct 12.5% 12th pct
Unpaid carers in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +6.3 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap widening
8.0% 5th pct 14.2% 87th pct
Unpaid child care in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +13.1 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
33.2% 100th pct 20.2% 4th pct
Defence service in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +3.4 pts higher in Hervey Bay
2.1% 9th pct 5.5% 90th pct
Housework 15h+ in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +3.7 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
19.6% 21st pct 23.3% 76th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +0.4 larger in Emerald gap widening
2.7 93rd pct 2.3 14th pct
One-parent in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +5.3 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap widening
12.8% 11th pct 18.1% 71st pct
Living alone in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +4.3 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
23.4% 10th pct 27.6% 38th pct

Family composition

64.0% Couples with children ◂ +22.7 pts 41.3%
22.3% Couples without children +17.2 pts ▸ 39.5%
12.8% One-parent families +5.3 pts ▸ 18.1%
1.0% Other families +0.1 pts ▸ 1.1%

Household size

31.3% 2 people +11.6 pts ▸ 42.9%
23.4% 1 person +4.3 pts ▸ 27.6%
17.1% 4 people ◂ +7.4 pts 9.7%
15.1% 3 people ◂ +2.5 pts 12.6%
8.8% 5 people ◂ +4.4 pts 4.5%
4.2% 6 or more ◂ +1.6 pts 2.6%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +$35 higher in Hervey Bay gap widening
$300 48th pct $335 66th pct
Mortgage in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +$192 higher in Emerald gap narrowing
$1,600 60th pct $1,408 36th pct
People / bedroom in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +0.10 higher in Emerald gap widening
0.80 57th pct 0.70 0th pct
Renting in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +17.0 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
44.7% 93rd pct 27.7% 33rd pct
Owned outright in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +27.6 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap widening
15.7% 2nd pct 43.3% 89th pct
Separate houses in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +2.5 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
79.6% 28th pct 82.2% 38th pct
3+ bedrooms in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +5.9 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
84.2% 93rd pct 78.4% 55th pct

How homes are owned or rented

44.7% Rented ◂ +17.0 pts 27.7%
15.7% Owned outright +27.6 pts ▸ 43.3%
36.7% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +12.1 pts 24.6%
1.6% Other tenure +1.0 pts ▸ 2.5%
1.4% Not stated +0.5 pts ▸ 1.9%

Types of homes

79.6% Separate house +2.5 pts ▸ 82.2%
10.5% Townhouse / semi-detached +1.9 pts ▸ 12.5%
8.4% Flat or apartment ◂ +5.4 pts 3.0%
0.5% Other dwelling +1.3 pts ▸ 1.8%

Bedrooms per home

41.6% 4 bedrooms ◂ +7.3 pts 34.3%
34.8% 3 bedrooms +4.3 pts ▸ 39.0%
11.0% 2 bedrooms +5.1 pts ▸ 16.2%
7.9% 5 or more ◂ +2.8 pts 5.1%
2.3% 1 bedroom +0.8 pts ▸ 3.1%
0.5% Studio / none +0.1 pts ▸ 0.6%

Weekly rent distribution

41.9% $200–$349 +1.2 pts ▸ 43.1%
33.7% $350–$549 +8.4 pts ▸ 42.1%
18.2% Under $200 ◂ +8.5 pts 9.7%
1.9% $550–$749 ◂ +0.2 pts 1.7%
0.1% $750 or more +0.2 pts ▸ 0.3%

Monthly mortgage distribution

39.8% $1,000–$1,799 +6.3 pts ▸ 46.1%
29.4% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +8.7 pts 20.7%
16.6% Under $1,000 +5.4 pts ▸ 22.0%
8.6% $3,000 or more ◂ +3.6 pts 5.0%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +2.8 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap steady
3.5% 10th pct 6.3% 52nd pct
Work from home in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +3.0 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap steady
3.9% 12th pct 6.9% 39th pct
PT commute in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +3.8 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
4.2% 97th pct 0.4% 32nd pct

How people get to work

66.8% Car (driver) +2.2 pts ▸ 69.0%
3.9% Worked at home +3.0 pts ▸ 6.9%
6.7% Car (passenger) ◂ +0.8 pts 5.8%
4.2% Bus ◂ +3.8 pts 0.3%
3.0% Walked ◂ +0.9 pts 2.2%
0.7% Bicycle +0.2 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

32.5% 1 vehicle +10.8 pts ▸ 43.3%
40.5% 2 vehicles ◂ +6.0 pts 34.5%
15.4% 3 vehicles ◂ +4.7 pts 10.7%
8.3% 4 or more ◂ +3.0 pts 5.3%
3.5% No vehicle +2.8 pts ▸ 6.3%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +2.7 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
49.5% 93rd pct 46.7% 88th pct
Recent arrivals in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +11.4 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
18.6% 77th pct 7.2% 15th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +4.7 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap widening
3.3% 11th pct 8.0% 97th pct
Participation in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +30.1 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
73.7% 100th pct 43.6% 2nd pct
Full-time in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +12.2 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
66.2% 91st pct 54.0% 20th pct

Industries people work in

7.8% Health care & social assistance +16.2 pts ▸ 24.0%
18.7% Mining ◂ +17.2 pts 1.5%
10.8% Retail trade +0.8 pts ▸ 11.6%
7.0% Accommodation & food +2.4 pts ▸ 9.4%
9.1% Education & training +0.1 pts ▸ 9.1%
6.7% Construction +2.5 pts ▸ 9.1%
5.3% Public administration & safety +0.3 pts ▸ 5.7%
5.1% Other services ◂ +0.8 pts 4.3%
4.4% Agriculture, forestry & fishing ◂ +3.5 pts 0.9%
4.3% Transport & warehousing ◂ +1.2 pts 3.1%
3.6% Wholesale trade ◂ +2.3 pts 1.3%
2.7% Manufacturing +0.9 pts ▸ 3.6%

Occupations people work in

14.0% Professionals +5.1 pts ▸ 19.0%
18.5% Technicians & trades ◂ +4.8 pts 13.7%
8.4% Community & personal service +9.7 pts ▸ 18.0%
14.9% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +9.5 pts 5.4%
11.5% Labourers ◂ +0.4 pts 11.1%
10.9% Clerical & administrative even 10.8%
9.7% Sales workers +0.9 pts ▸ 10.7%
10.2% Managers ◂ +0.9 pts 9.3%

Walkability

Walk score in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +0.8 higher in Emerald
3.8 21st pct 3.0 10th pct
Types ≤15 min in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +0.8 more in Emerald
4.1 28th pct 3.3 11th pct
15-min city in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +17.2 pts higher in Emerald
49.6% 40th pct 32.4% 9th pct
Walk to shops in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +7.3 pts higher in Hervey Bay
46.7% 28th pct 54.0% 49th pct
Walk to transit in Emeraldin Hervey Bay even
0.0% 0th pct 0.0% 0th pct
Walk to school in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +26.3 pts higher in Emerald
77.2% 83rd pct 50.9% 24th pct
Walk to a park in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +6.6 pts higher in Emerald
92.7% 70th pct 86.1% 39th pct
Walk to health in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +18.2 pts higher in Emerald
36.5% 35th pct 18.3% 9th pct
Amenities/1k in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +6.1 more in Emerald
11.0 14th pct 4.9 0th pct
Intersections/km² in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +8 higher in Hervey Bay
49 86th pct 56 89th pct
Mean slope in Emeraldin Hervey Bay +1.3 pts higher in Hervey Bay
3.0% 10th pct 4.3% 33rd pct

Compare Emerald with nearby areas

Rockhampton Yeppoon Mackay Not in any Significant Urban Area Gladstone Airlie Beach - Cannonvale Bundaberg Townsville Kingaroy Maryborough Hervey Bay Gympie

Compare Hervey Bay with nearby areas

Maryborough Bundaberg Gympie Sunshine Coast Kingaroy Gladstone Brisbane Toowoomba Gold Coast - Tweed Heads Yeppoon Warwick Rockhampton

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Emerald vs Hervey Bay [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sua/3005/emerald/vs/3009/hervey-bay