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Emerald vs Mount Isa

Urban Area comparison ≈ 945 km apart · Emerald profile · Mount Isa profile

Emerald Mount Isa

Mount Isa and Emerald are two regional Queensland hubs separated by nearly 1,000 kilometres. They differ most in their populations and layouts; Mount Isa has a far higher share of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (21.4% compared to 5.2% in Emerald) and a higher rate of one-parent families. Emerald is more walkable, with 49.6% of homes within a 15-minute walk of the town centre, while only 23.7% of homes in Mount Isa share this convenience. Emerald also has far more large homes, with 84.2% having three or more bedrooms, compared to 71.4% in Mount Isa.

Both areas sit close to the national figure for the share of people who volunteer. They also share very similar typical weekly household incomes, with Mount Isa at $2,236 and Emerald at $2,190. While they remain similar in these respects, other gaps have grown since 2011, such as the difference in the number of people who have completed Year 12 and the share of the population identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

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Where they differ most

PT commute: 3.9 pts higher in Emerald 3+ bedrooms: 12.9 pts higher in Emerald No car: 4.1 pts higher in Mount Isa One-parent: 6.1 pts higher in Mount Isa First Nations: 16.2 pts higher in Mount Isa

Demographics & Identity

Population in Emeraldin Mount Isa +4,228 larger in Mount Isa gap narrowing
14,089 14th pct 18,317 29th pct
Median age in Emeraldin Mount Isa +1 yrs older in Emerald gap steady
32 yrs 0th pct 31 yrs 0th pct
First Nations in Emeraldin Mount Isa +16.2 pts higher in Mount Isa gap widening
5.2% 47th pct 21.4% 100th pct
Aged 65+ in Emeraldin Mount Isa +1.1 pts higher in Mount Isa gap narrowing
7.0% 0th pct 8.1% 2nd pct
Under 15 in Emeraldin Mount Isa +1.6 pts higher in Emerald gap steady
25.2% 100th pct 23.6% 97th pct
De facto in Emeraldin Mount Isa +2.5 pts higher in Mount Isa gap steady
16.6% 90th pct 19.1% 95th pct

Age structure

31.6% Young adults (25–44) +0.7 pts ▸ 32.3%
25.2% Children (0–14) ◂ +1.6 pts 23.6%
22.7% Older adults (45–64) ◂ +0.3 pts 22.4%
13.4% Youth (15–24) +0.2 pts ▸ 13.6%
7.0% Seniors (65+) +1.1 pts ▸ 8.1%

Marital status

39.3% Never married +9.3 pts ▸ 48.6%
47.0% Married ◂ +9.9 pts 37.1%
7.4% Divorced even 7.5%
3.7% Separated ◂ +0.3 pts 3.4%
2.5% Widowed +0.8 pts ▸ 3.4%

Age & sex structure

Emerald Mount Isa

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Emeraldin Mount Isa +1.7 pts higher in Mount Isa gap narrowing
14.8% 62nd pct 16.5% 72nd pct

Country of birth

76.9% Australia ◂ +2.8 pts 74.1%
4.1% New Zealand +0.2 pts ▸ 4.3%
1.8% Philippines +1.0 pts ▸ 2.7%
1.5% South Africa ◂ +0.4 pts 1.1%
1.1% England +0.1 pts ▸ 1.2%
0.8% India +0.1 pts ▸ 0.8%
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

38.6% Australian ◂ +5.2 pts 33.4%
37.2% English ◂ +8.7 pts 28.5%
11.0% Irish ◂ +2.1 pts 8.9%
10.9% Scottish ◂ +3.7 pts 7.2%
6.4% German ◂ +2.0 pts 4.4%
2.1% Filipino +1.8 pts ▸ 3.9%
2.0% Italian +0.6 pts ▸ 2.6%
1.4% Dutch ◂ +0.3 pts 1.1%
1.3% Chinese +0.1 pts ▸ 1.4%
0.9% Indian +0.1 pts ▸ 0.9%
0.5% Greek ◂ +0.1 pts 0.3%
0.2% Vietnamese even 0.2%

Language

Other language in Emeraldin Mount Isa +1.6 pts higher in Mount Isa gap widening
8.2% 64th pct 9.8% 73rd pct
Limited English in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.3 pts higher in Emerald gap steady
1.0% 70th pct 0.7% 49th pct

Language used at home

83.0% English only ◂ +2.6 pts 80.4%
0.7% Tagalog +0.3 pts ▸ 1.0%
0.7% Mandarin ◂ +0.4 pts 0.3%
0.4% Punjabi ◂ +0.1 pts 0.3%
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% Greek even 0.1%
0.1% Cantonese even 0.1%
0.0% Arabic +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%

Religion

No religion in Emeraldin Mount Isa +2.9 pts higher in Mount Isa gap narrowing
38.0% 27th pct 40.9% 41st pct

Religious affiliation

49.1% Christianity ◂ +3.4 pts 45.7%
38.0% No religion +2.9 pts ▸ 40.9%
10.1% Not stated +1.0 pts ▸ 11.1%
0.9% Buddhism ◂ +0.3 pts 0.6%
0.8% Hinduism ◂ +0.2 pts 0.6%
0.7% Other religions ◂ +0.1 pts 0.6%
0.5% Islam even 0.4%
0.0% Judaism even 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Emeraldin Mount Isa +4.1 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
53.8% 82nd pct 49.7% 73rd pct
Bachelor+ in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.4 pts higher in Mount Isa gap steady
14.2% 42nd pct 14.5% 45th pct

Highest year of school

53.8% Year 12 ◂ +4.1 pts 49.7%
21.9% Year 10 ◂ +0.5 pts 21.4%
6.2% Year 9 or below +3.3 pts ▸ 9.5%
7.7% Year 11 ◂ +0.1 pts 7.5%

Highest qualification level

40.2% Certificate III / IV ◂ +1.2 pts 39.1%
16.7% Bachelor degree +0.7 pts ▸ 17.5%
11.4% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +1.4 pts 9.9%
3.5% Postgraduate degree +0.9 pts ▸ 4.4%
3.7% Certificate I / II ◂ +1.1 pts 2.6%
2.9% Graduate diploma / certificate ◂ +0.3 pts 2.6%

Field of qualification

23.9% Engineering & related +0.8 pts ▸ 24.7%
14.2% Management & commerce ◂ +2.5 pts 11.7%
7.3% Health +2.5 pts ▸ 9.8%
9.2% Education ◂ +1.4 pts 7.8%
7.6% Society & culture +1.2 pts ▸ 8.8%
6.1% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +1.5 pts 4.6%
4.3% Architecture & building ◂ +0.3 pts 4.0%
3.4% Agriculture & environment ◂ +2.2 pts 1.2%
1.3% Natural & physical sciences +0.3 pts ▸ 1.6%
1.1% Creative arts ◂ +0.1 pts 1.0%
1.0% Information technology +0.1 pts ▸ 1.1%

Income

Personal income in Emeraldin Mount Isa +$125 higher in Mount Isa gap narrowing
$1,033 93rd pct $1,158 98th pct
Household income in Emeraldin Mount Isa +$46 higher in Mount Isa gap narrowing
$2,190 91st pct $2,236 92nd pct
Family income in Emeraldin Mount Isa +$142 higher in Mount Isa gap narrowing
$2,510 91st pct $2,652 93rd pct
High earners in Emeraldin Mount Isa +2.6 pts higher in Mount Isa gap narrowing
18.2% 94th pct 20.8% 98th pct
High-income homes in Emeraldin Mount Isa +2.2 pts higher in Mount Isa gap narrowing
27.6% 89th pct 29.9% 91st pct

Household income distribution

33.3% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +1.5 pts 31.8%
19.9% $650–$1,499 ◂ +2.8 pts 17.2%
13.5% $3,000–$3,999 +1.5 pts ▸ 15.0%
14.1% $4,000 or more +0.7 pts ▸ 14.8%
8.1% Under $650 +3.0 pts ▸ 11.1%

Personal income distribution

30.9% $650–$1,499 ◂ +5.0 pts 25.9%
22.4% $1,500–$2,999 +6.9 pts ▸ 29.3%
28.8% Under $650 ◂ +0.5 pts 28.2%
7.4% $3,000 or more ◂ +2.1 pts 5.3%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.8 pts higher in Emerald
21.5% 7th pct 20.7% 5th pct
Mental health in Emeraldin Mount Isa +2.0 pts higher in Emerald
7.5% 13th pct 5.5% 3rd pct
Needs assistance in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.2 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
3.5% 7th pct 3.3% 5th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

7.9% Asthma ◂ +0.8 pts 7.0%
7.5% Mental health ◂ +2.0 pts 5.5%
5.7% Other condition ◂ +0.4 pts 5.3%
3.0% Diabetes +1.7 pts ▸ 4.7%
4.6% Arthritis ◂ +0.2 pts 4.4%
2.2% Heart disease +0.8 pts ▸ 3.0%
1.8% Cancer ◂ +0.2 pts 1.5%
1.2% Lung condition even 1.2%
0.4% Stroke +0.1 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.2% Dementia +0.3 pts ▸ 0.4%

Number of long-term health conditions

66.6% None ◂ +0.1 pts 66.5%
16.0% One condition ◂ +1.2 pts 14.8%
3.9% Two conditions +0.2 pts ▸ 4.0%
1.6% Three or more +0.3 pts ▸ 1.8%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Emeraldin Mount Isa +3.5 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
17.3% 76th pct 13.8% 28th pct
Unpaid carers in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.8 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
8.0% 5th pct 7.2% 2nd pct
Unpaid child care in Emeraldin Mount Isa +4.1 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
33.2% 100th pct 29.1% 88th pct
Defence service in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.6 pts higher in Mount Isa
2.1% 9th pct 2.8% 27th pct
Housework 15h+ in Emeraldin Mount Isa +2.1 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
19.6% 21st pct 17.5% 8th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.1 larger in Emerald gap steady
2.7 93rd pct 2.6 86th pct
One-parent in Emeraldin Mount Isa +6.1 pts higher in Mount Isa gap widening
12.8% 11th pct 18.9% 79th pct
Living alone in Emeraldin Mount Isa +4.7 pts higher in Mount Isa gap steady
23.4% 10th pct 28.1% 45th pct

Family composition

64.0% Couples with children ◂ +6.4 pts 57.5%
22.3% Couples without children ◂ +0.1 pts 22.2%
12.8% One-parent families +6.1 pts ▸ 18.9%
1.0% Other families +0.4 pts ▸ 1.4%

Household size

31.3% 2 people ◂ +0.5 pts 30.8%
23.4% 1 person +4.7 pts ▸ 28.1%
17.1% 4 people ◂ +2.9 pts 14.3%
15.1% 3 people ◂ +0.4 pts 14.7%
8.8% 5 people ◂ +1.6 pts 7.2%
4.2% 6 or more +0.7 pts ▸ 4.9%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Emeraldin Mount Isa +$25 higher in Emerald gap steady
$300 48th pct $275 31st pct
Mortgage in Emeraldin Mount Isa +$54 higher in Emerald gap narrowing
$1,600 60th pct $1,546 52nd pct
People / bedroom in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.10 higher in Mount Isa gap steady
0.80 57th pct 0.90 100th pct
Renting in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.9 pts higher in Mount Isa gap steady
44.7% 93rd pct 45.6% 94th pct
Owned outright in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.5 pts higher in Mount Isa gap narrowing
15.7% 2nd pct 16.2% 2nd pct
Separate houses in Emeraldin Mount Isa +4.6 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
79.6% 28th pct 75.1% 19th pct
3+ bedrooms in Emeraldin Mount Isa +12.9 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
84.2% 93rd pct 71.4% 14th pct

How homes are owned or rented

44.7% Rented +0.9 pts ▸ 45.6%
36.7% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +6.7 pts 30.0%
15.7% Owned outright +0.5 pts ▸ 16.2%
1.4% Not stated +3.0 pts ▸ 4.4%
1.6% Other tenure +2.1 pts ▸ 3.7%

Types of homes

79.6% Separate house ◂ +4.6 pts 75.1%
10.5% Townhouse / semi-detached +5.3 pts ▸ 15.9%
8.4% Flat or apartment ◂ +4.1 pts 4.2%
0.5% Other dwelling +3.7 pts ▸ 4.1%

Bedrooms per home

34.8% 3 bedrooms +13.0 pts ▸ 47.8%
41.6% 4 bedrooms ◂ +22.2 pts 19.4%
11.0% 2 bedrooms +5.8 pts ▸ 16.8%
7.9% 5 or more ◂ +3.7 pts 4.2%
2.3% 1 bedroom +4.6 pts ▸ 6.9%
0.5% Studio / none ◂ +0.2 pts 0.4%

Weekly rent distribution

41.9% $200–$349 ◂ +10.6 pts 31.3%
33.7% $350–$549 ◂ +4.3 pts 29.4%
18.2% Under $200 +10.6 pts ▸ 28.8%
1.9% $550–$749 +3.0 pts ▸ 4.9%
0.1% $750 or more +0.3 pts ▸ 0.5%

Monthly mortgage distribution

39.8% $1,000–$1,799 +1.3 pts ▸ 41.1%
29.4% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +2.1 pts 27.4%
16.6% Under $1,000 +0.4 pts ▸ 17.0%
8.6% $3,000 or more ◂ +1.8 pts 6.8%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Emeraldin Mount Isa +4.1 pts higher in Mount Isa gap steady
3.5% 10th pct 7.6% 83rd pct
Work from home in Emeraldin Mount Isa +1.9 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
3.9% 12th pct 2.0% 0th pct
PT commute in Emeraldin Mount Isa +3.9 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
4.2% 97th pct 0.2% 11th pct

How people get to work

66.8% Car (driver) +3.7 pts ▸ 70.5%
6.7% Car (passenger) +1.0 pts ▸ 7.7%
3.0% Walked +1.2 pts ▸ 4.2%
4.2% Bus ◂ +3.9 pts 0.2%
3.9% Worked at home ◂ +1.9 pts 2.0%
0.7% Bicycle +0.2 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

40.5% 2 vehicles ◂ +1.3 pts 39.1%
32.5% 1 vehicle +1.7 pts ▸ 34.1%
15.4% 3 vehicles ◂ +2.9 pts 12.6%
8.3% 4 or more ◂ +1.7 pts 6.5%
3.5% No vehicle +4.1 pts ▸ 7.6%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Emeraldin Mount Isa +5.9 pts higher in Emerald gap widening
49.5% 93rd pct 43.5% 74th pct
Recent arrivals in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.1 pts higher in Emerald gap narrowing
18.6% 77th pct 18.5% 77th pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.9 pts higher in Mount Isa gap steady
3.3% 11th pct 4.2% 31st pct
Participation in Emeraldin Mount Isa +5.2 pts higher in Emerald gap steady
73.7% 100th pct 68.5% 97th pct
Full-time in Emeraldin Mount Isa +7.0 pts higher in Mount Isa gap widening
66.2% 91st pct 73.2% 100th pct

Industries people work in

18.7% Mining +11.8 pts ▸ 30.5%
7.8% Health care & social assistance +4.8 pts ▸ 12.6%
10.8% Retail trade ◂ +3.3 pts 7.5%
9.1% Education & training ◂ +0.6 pts 8.4%
7.0% Accommodation & food ◂ +1.0 pts 6.0%
5.3% Public administration & safety +1.4 pts ▸ 6.8%
6.7% Construction ◂ +2.5 pts 4.2%
5.1% Other services ◂ +1.0 pts 4.0%
4.4% Agriculture, forestry & fishing ◂ +4.1 pts 0.3%
4.3% Transport & warehousing ◂ +1.0 pts 3.3%
3.6% Wholesale trade ◂ +1.6 pts 2.0%
3.2% Professional & technical ◂ +1.6 pts 1.6%

Occupations people work in

18.5% Technicians & trades +2.5 pts ▸ 21.0%
14.0% Professionals +3.4 pts ▸ 17.3%
14.9% Machinery operators & drivers +0.4 pts ▸ 15.3%
11.5% Labourers ◂ +2.6 pts 8.9%
10.9% Clerical & administrative +0.2 pts ▸ 11.0%
8.4% Community & personal service +1.9 pts ▸ 10.2%
10.2% Managers ◂ +2.6 pts 7.6%
9.7% Sales workers ◂ +3.2 pts 6.5%

Walkability

Walk score in Emeraldin Mount Isa +1.1 higher in Emerald
3.8 21st pct 2.7 6th pct
Types ≤15 min in Emeraldin Mount Isa +1.1 more in Emerald
4.1 28th pct 3.0 7th pct
15-min city in Emeraldin Mount Isa +25.8 pts higher in Emerald
49.6% 40th pct 23.7% 0th pct
Walk to shops in Emeraldin Mount Isa +20.2 pts higher in Emerald
46.7% 28th pct 26.5% 0th pct
Walk to transit in Emeraldin Mount Isa even
0.0% 0th pct 0.0% 0th pct
Walk to school in Emeraldin Mount Isa +5.2 pts higher in Mount Isa
77.2% 83rd pct 82.4% 92nd pct
Walk to a park in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.2 pts higher in Mount Isa
92.7% 70th pct 92.9% 71st pct
Walk to health in Emeraldin Mount Isa +14.1 pts higher in Emerald
36.5% 35th pct 22.4% 11th pct
Amenities/1k in Emeraldin Mount Isa +5.4 more in Emerald
11.0 14th pct 5.6 0th pct
Intersections/km² in Emeraldin Mount Isa +22 higher in Emerald
49 86th pct 27 64th pct
Mean slope in Emeraldin Mount Isa +0.8 pts higher in Mount Isa
3.0% 10th pct 3.8% 24th 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 Mount Isa with nearby areas

Not in any Significant Urban Area Alice Springs Not in any Significant Urban Area Cairns Townsville Emerald Airlie Beach - Cannonvale Not in any Significant Urban Area Mackay Rockhampton Broken Hill Yeppoon

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Emerald vs Mount Isa [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sua/3005/emerald/vs/3013/mount-isa