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Emerald vs Mackay

Urban Area comparison ≈ 293 km apart · Emerald profile · Mackay profile

Emerald Mackay

Mackay and Emerald are both Queensland regional centres, but they differ in scale and layout. Mackay is more walkable, with a score of 5.2 (somewhat walkable) compared to Emerald's 3.8 (mostly car-dependent). This is seen in the distance to transport; 81.5% of Mackay homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport, while 0.0% of homes in Emerald are. Emerald has a younger population, with children under 15 making up 25.2% of residents compared to 20.1% in Mackay. Emerald also has a higher share of high-earners, with 27.6% of households earning $3,000 or more a week, whereas Mackay's figure is 21.6%.

Both areas sit close to the national figure for people born overseas, at 14.2% for Mackay and 14.8% for Emerald. They also share similar rates of university education and a nearly identical proportion of people who do not have a religion. While Emerald has seen a larger share of recent overseas arrivals and a higher percentage of people working or looking for work, some gaps are closing. The difference in the typical age of residents has narrowed to five years, and the gap in high-income earners has shrunk since 2011.

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Where they differ most

Population: 70,244 larger in Mackay Volunteering: 4.7 pts higher in Emerald Renting: 11.7 pts higher in Emerald Owned outright: 10.5 pts higher in Mackay Participation: 9.5 pts higher in Emerald

Demographics & Identity

Population in Emeraldin Mackay +70,244 larger in Mackay gap widening
14,089 14th pct 84,333 72nd pct
Median age in Emeraldin Mackay +5 yrs older in Mackay gap narrowing
32 yrs 0th pct 37 yrs 21st pct
First Nations in Emeraldin Mackay +1.5 pts higher in Mackay gap widening
5.2% 47th pct 6.7% 64th pct
Aged 65+ in Emeraldin Mackay +7.9 pts higher in Mackay gap narrowing
7.0% 0th pct 14.9% 16th pct
Under 15 in Emeraldin Mackay +5.1 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
25.2% 100th pct 20.1% 79th pct
De facto in Emeraldin Mackay +2.3 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
16.6% 90th pct 14.3% 80th pct

Age structure

31.6% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +4.3 pts 27.3%
22.7% Older adults (45–64) +2.9 pts ▸ 25.6%
25.2% Children (0–14) ◂ +5.1 pts 20.1%
7.0% Seniors (65+) +7.9 pts ▸ 14.9%
13.4% Youth (15–24) ◂ +1.2 pts 12.2%

Marital status

47.0% Married ◂ +2.8 pts 44.2%
39.3% Never married ◂ +2.4 pts 36.9%
7.4% Divorced +2.3 pts ▸ 9.8%
2.5% Widowed +2.5 pts ▸ 5.1%
3.7% Separated +0.3 pts ▸ 4.0%

Age & sex structure

Emerald Mackay

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Emeraldin Mackay +0.5 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
14.8% 62nd pct 14.2% 59th pct

Country of birth

76.9% Australia +0.6 pts ▸ 77.5%
4.1% New Zealand ◂ +1.5 pts 2.5%
1.8% Philippines +0.3 pts ▸ 2.1%
1.1% England +0.9 pts ▸ 2.0%
1.5% South Africa ◂ +0.2 pts 1.3%
0.8% India even 0.8%
0.4% China even 0.3%
0.2% Vietnam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.0% Italy +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.1% Nepal even 0.1%

Ancestry

38.6% Australian ◂ +2.2 pts 36.4%
37.2% English +1.0 pts ▸ 38.1%
11.0% Irish ◂ +0.3 pts 10.7%
10.9% Scottish ◂ +0.5 pts 10.4%
6.4% German ◂ +0.2 pts 6.1%
2.0% Italian +1.2 pts ▸ 3.2%
2.1% Filipino +0.6 pts ▸ 2.6%
1.4% Dutch +0.1 pts ▸ 1.4%
1.3% Chinese ◂ +0.1 pts 1.2%
0.9% Indian +0.2 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.5% Greek ◂ +0.2 pts 0.3%
0.2% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%

Language

Other language in Emeraldin Mackay +0.5 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
8.2% 64th pct 7.7% 61st pct
Limited English in Emeraldin Mackay +0.4 pts higher in Emerald gap steady
1.0% 70th pct 0.7% 42nd pct

Language used at home

83.0% English only +0.8 pts ▸ 83.8%
0.7% Tagalog +0.4 pts ▸ 1.1%
0.7% Mandarin ◂ +0.3 pts 0.4%
0.4% Punjabi ◂ +0.2 pts 0.2%
0.3% Hindi ◂ +0.1 pts 0.2%
0.2% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.1% Italian +0.1 pts ▸ 0.2%
0.1% Cantonese +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%
0.1% Greek ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.0% Arabic +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

Religion

No religion in Emeraldin Mackay +0.1 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
38.0% 27th pct 37.8% 27th pct

Religious affiliation

49.1% Christianity +0.9 pts ▸ 50.0%
38.0% No religion ◂ +0.1 pts 37.8%
10.1% Not stated ◂ +0.3 pts 9.8%
0.9% Buddhism ◂ +0.2 pts 0.7%
0.8% Hinduism even 0.8%
0.7% Other religions ◂ +0.2 pts 0.5%
0.5% Islam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%
0.0% Judaism even 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Emeraldin Mackay +5.7 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
53.8% 82nd pct 48.1% 68th pct
Bachelor+ in Emeraldin Mackay even gap narrowing
14.2% 42nd pct 14.2% 42nd pct

Highest year of school

53.8% Year 12 ◂ +5.7 pts 48.1%
21.9% Year 10 +3.0 pts ▸ 24.9%
6.2% Year 9 or below +3.0 pts ▸ 9.2%
7.7% Year 11 ◂ +0.2 pts 7.5%

Highest qualification level

40.2% Certificate III / IV ◂ +0.1 pts 40.1%
16.7% Bachelor degree +0.8 pts ▸ 17.5%
11.4% Advanced diploma / diploma +0.5 pts ▸ 11.9%
3.7% Certificate I / II ◂ +1.2 pts 2.5%
3.5% Postgraduate degree +0.1 pts ▸ 3.6%
2.9% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +0.3 pts 2.6%

Field of qualification

23.9% Engineering & related ◂ +1.6 pts 22.4%
14.2% Management & commerce even 14.2%
7.3% Health +3.0 pts ▸ 10.3%
9.2% Education ◂ +1.4 pts 7.8%
7.6% Society & culture +1.3 pts ▸ 8.8%
6.1% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +0.6 pts 5.6%
4.3% Architecture & building +1.2 pts ▸ 5.5%
3.4% Agriculture & environment ◂ +2.2 pts 1.2%
1.1% Creative arts +0.5 pts ▸ 1.6%
1.3% Natural & physical sciences +0.2 pts ▸ 1.5%
1.0% Information technology +0.1 pts ▸ 1.1%

Income

Personal income in Emeraldin Mackay +$147 higher in Emerald gap narrowing
$1,033 93rd pct $886 87th pct
Household income in Emeraldin Mackay +$356 higher in Emerald gap narrowing
$2,190 91st pct $1,834 85th pct
Family income in Emeraldin Mackay +$286 higher in Emerald gap narrowing
$2,510 91st pct $2,224 86th pct
High earners in Emeraldin Mackay +4.5 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
18.2% 94th pct 13.7% 85th pct
High-income homes in Emeraldin Mackay +6.0 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
27.6% 89th pct 21.6% 81st pct

Household income distribution

33.3% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +3.8 pts 29.5%
19.9% $650–$1,499 +2.5 pts ▸ 22.4%
8.1% Under $650 +6.7 pts ▸ 14.8%
14.1% $4,000 or more ◂ +3.6 pts 10.5%
13.5% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +2.4 pts 11.1%

Personal income distribution

28.8% Under $650 +5.7 pts ▸ 34.4%
30.9% $650–$1,499 ◂ +0.6 pts 30.2%
22.4% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +2.4 pts 20.0%
7.4% $3,000 or more ◂ +2.6 pts 4.8%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Emeraldin Mackay +5.4 pts higher in Mackay
21.5% 7th pct 26.9% 18th pct
Mental health in Emeraldin Mackay +0.9 pts higher in Mackay
7.5% 13th pct 8.4% 20th pct
Needs assistance in Emeraldin Mackay +1.8 pts higher in Mackay gap narrowing
3.5% 7th pct 5.3% 22nd pct

Long-term health conditions reported

7.5% Mental health +0.9 pts ▸ 8.4%
4.6% Arthritis +3.4 pts ▸ 7.9%
7.9% Asthma even 7.8%
5.7% Other condition +1.3 pts ▸ 7.0%
3.0% Diabetes +1.6 pts ▸ 4.6%
2.2% Heart disease +2.0 pts ▸ 4.2%
1.8% Cancer +0.9 pts ▸ 2.7%
1.2% Lung condition +0.6 pts ▸ 1.8%
0.4% Stroke +0.4 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.2% Dementia +0.6 pts ▸ 0.8%

Number of long-term health conditions

66.6% None ◂ +5.0 pts 61.6%
16.0% One condition +2.3 pts ▸ 18.3%
3.9% Two conditions +1.7 pts ▸ 5.5%
1.6% Three or more +1.5 pts ▸ 3.0%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Emeraldin Mackay +4.7 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
17.3% 76th pct 12.6% 14th pct
Unpaid carers in Emeraldin Mackay +2.2 pts higher in Mackay gap narrowing
8.0% 5th pct 10.2% 13th pct
Unpaid child care in Emeraldin Mackay +5.4 pts higher in Emerald gap steady
33.2% 100th pct 27.9% 79th pct
Defence service in Emeraldin Mackay +0.7 pts higher in Mackay
2.1% 9th pct 2.9% 32nd pct
Housework 15h+ in Emeraldin Mackay +0.6 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
19.6% 21st pct 18.9% 14th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Emeraldin Mackay +0.2 larger in Emerald gap narrowing
2.7 93rd pct 2.5 71st pct
One-parent in Emeraldin Mackay +2.9 pts higher in Mackay gap narrowing
12.8% 11th pct 15.8% 40th pct
Living alone in Emeraldin Mackay +2.5 pts higher in Mackay gap narrowing
23.4% 10th pct 25.9% 21st pct

Family composition

64.0% Couples with children ◂ +8.0 pts 55.9%
22.3% Couples without children +4.8 pts ▸ 27.1%
12.8% One-parent families +2.9 pts ▸ 15.8%
1.0% Other families +0.2 pts ▸ 1.2%

Household size

31.3% 2 people +3.2 pts ▸ 34.5%
23.4% 1 person +2.5 pts ▸ 25.9%
17.1% 4 people ◂ +2.5 pts 14.7%
15.1% 3 people +0.3 pts ▸ 15.4%
8.8% 5 people ◂ +2.3 pts 6.5%
4.2% 6 or more ◂ +1.1 pts 3.1%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Emeraldin Mackay +$49 higher in Mackay gap widening
$300 48th pct $349 71st pct
Mortgage in Emeraldin Mackay +$133 higher in Mackay gap narrowing
$1,600 60th pct $1,733 71st pct
People / bedroom in Emeraldin Mackay even gap steady
0.80 57th pct 0.80 57th pct
Renting in Emeraldin Mackay +11.7 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
44.7% 93rd pct 33.0% 68th pct
Owned outright in Emeraldin Mackay +10.5 pts higher in Mackay gap narrowing
15.7% 2nd pct 26.2% 14th pct
Separate houses in Emeraldin Mackay +1.5 pts higher in Mackay gap steady
79.6% 28th pct 81.2% 34th pct
3+ bedrooms in Emeraldin Mackay +4.8 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
84.2% 93rd pct 79.4% 67th pct

How homes are owned or rented

44.7% Rented ◂ +11.7 pts 33.0%
36.7% Owned with a mortgage even 36.6%
15.7% Owned outright +10.5 pts ▸ 26.2%
1.6% Other tenure +0.5 pts ▸ 2.1%
1.4% Not stated +0.7 pts ▸ 2.1%

Types of homes

79.6% Separate house +1.5 pts ▸ 81.2%
10.5% Townhouse / semi-detached +1.8 pts ▸ 12.3%
8.4% Flat or apartment ◂ +3.5 pts 4.8%
0.5% Other dwelling +0.8 pts ▸ 1.2%

Bedrooms per home

41.6% 4 bedrooms ◂ +8.9 pts 32.7%
34.8% 3 bedrooms +6.6 pts ▸ 41.3%
11.0% 2 bedrooms +3.3 pts ▸ 14.3%
7.9% 5 or more ◂ +2.5 pts 5.4%
2.3% 1 bedroom +1.5 pts ▸ 3.8%
0.5% Studio / none ◂ +0.1 pts 0.4%

Weekly rent distribution

33.7% $350–$549 +10.0 pts ▸ 43.7%
41.9% $200–$349 ◂ +6.9 pts 35.0%
18.2% Under $200 ◂ +5.1 pts 13.1%
1.9% $550–$749 +1.9 pts ▸ 3.8%
0.1% $750 or more +0.4 pts ▸ 0.5%

Monthly mortgage distribution

39.8% $1,000–$1,799 +0.5 pts ▸ 40.3%
29.4% $1,800–$2,999 +2.7 pts ▸ 32.1%
16.6% Under $1,000 ◂ +3.2 pts 13.4%
8.6% $3,000 or more ◂ +0.3 pts 8.3%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Emeraldin Mackay +1.6 pts higher in Mackay gap narrowing
3.5% 10th pct 5.1% 28th pct
Work from home in Emeraldin Mackay +0.3 pts higher in Mackay gap steady
3.9% 12th pct 4.2% 14th pct
PT commute in Emeraldin Mackay +2.8 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
4.2% 97th pct 1.4% 78th pct

How people get to work

66.8% Car (driver) +5.5 pts ▸ 72.3%
6.7% Car (passenger) ◂ +1.0 pts 5.6%
3.9% Worked at home +0.3 pts ▸ 4.2%
4.2% Bus ◂ +2.8 pts 1.4%
3.0% Walked ◂ +1.3 pts 1.7%
0.7% Bicycle even 0.6%
0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

40.5% 2 vehicles ◂ +0.9 pts 39.6%
32.5% 1 vehicle +1.6 pts ▸ 34.0%
15.4% 3 vehicles ◂ +1.2 pts 14.2%
8.3% 4 or more ◂ +1.2 pts 7.1%
3.5% No vehicle +1.6 pts ▸ 5.1%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Emeraldin Mackay +7.2 pts higher in Emerald gap steady
49.5% 93rd pct 42.2% 65th pct
Recent arrivals in Emeraldin Mackay +4.4 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
18.6% 77th pct 14.2% 55th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Emeraldin Mackay +0.8 pts higher in Mackay gap narrowing
3.3% 11th pct 4.2% 28th pct
Participation in Emeraldin Mackay +9.5 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
73.7% 100th pct 64.2% 86th pct
Full-time in Emeraldin Mackay +1.4 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
66.2% 91st pct 64.8% 88th pct

Industries people work in

18.7% Mining ◂ +7.7 pts 11.0%
7.8% Health care & social assistance +7.2 pts ▸ 15.0%
10.8% Retail trade ◂ +1.1 pts 9.7%
9.1% Education & training ◂ +1.6 pts 7.5%
6.7% Construction +1.6 pts ▸ 8.2%
7.0% Accommodation & food ◂ +0.4 pts 6.6%
2.7% Manufacturing +3.0 pts ▸ 5.7%
5.3% Public administration & safety ◂ +1.0 pts 4.3%
4.3% Transport & warehousing +1.0 pts ▸ 5.2%
5.1% Other services even 5.1%
3.2% Professional & technical +1.3 pts ▸ 4.5%
4.4% Agriculture, forestry & fishing ◂ +3.6 pts 0.8%

Occupations people work in

18.5% Technicians & trades +1.1 pts ▸ 19.6%
14.0% Professionals +2.8 pts ▸ 16.7%
14.9% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +3.8 pts 11.1%
10.9% Clerical & administrative +0.7 pts ▸ 11.6%
11.5% Labourers ◂ +1.4 pts 10.1%
8.4% Community & personal service +2.8 pts ▸ 11.2%
10.2% Managers ◂ +1.2 pts 9.0%
9.7% Sales workers ◂ +0.9 pts 8.9%

Walkability

Walk score in Emeraldin Mackay +1.5 higher in Mackay
3.8 21st pct 5.2 59th pct
Types ≤15 min in Emeraldin Mackay +0.9 more in Mackay
4.1 28th pct 5.0 60th pct
15-min city in Emeraldin Mackay +7.1 pts higher in Mackay
49.6% 40th pct 56.6% 57th pct
Walk to shops in Emeraldin Mackay +17.2 pts higher in Mackay
46.7% 28th pct 63.9% 75th pct
Walk to transit in Emeraldin Mackay +81.5 pts higher in Mackay
0.0% 0th pct 81.5% 44th pct
Walk to school in Emeraldin Mackay +12.6 pts higher in Emerald
77.2% 83rd pct 64.5% 52nd pct
Walk to a park in Emeraldin Mackay +3.8 pts higher in Mackay
92.7% 70th pct 96.5% 91st pct
Walk to health in Emeraldin Mackay +7.0 pts higher in Mackay
36.5% 35th pct 43.4% 61st pct
Amenities/1k in Emeraldin Mackay +3.3 more in Mackay
11.0 14th pct 14.3 46th pct
Intersections/km² in Emeraldin Mackay +6 higher in Emerald
49 86th pct 43 81st pct
Mean slope in Emeraldin Mackay +0.8 pts higher in Mackay
3.0% 10th pct 3.8% 25th 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 Mackay with nearby areas

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

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Emerald vs Mackay [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sua/3005/emerald/vs/3011/mackay