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Hervey Bay vs River Heads

Urban Centre comparison ≈ 16 km apart · Hervey Bay profile · River Heads profile

Hervey Bay River Heads

Hervey Bay and River Heads are nearby Queensland areas with very different layouts. Hervey Bay is a larger hub where 54% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries and 86.1% are near a park. It is mostly car-dependent, but far more walkable than River Heads, which is car-dependent and has no homes within a 15-minute walk of a school. Housing also differs; River Heads has far more separate houses at 97.2%, while Hervey Bay has a higher share of renters at 27.7%.

Daily life is similar in both places, with typical weekly personal incomes around $540 to $550 and similar proportions of people born overseas. Both areas have a population far older than the national figure, though residents are noticeably older in River Heads, where the typical age is 54. While the gap in typical age has narrowed since 2011, the difference in home ownership has also shifted, with the gap in outright ownership narrowing to 3.9%.

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Where they differ most

Population: 55,678 larger in Hervey Bay Separate houses: 15.1 pts higher in River Heads No car: 5.6 pts higher in Hervey Bay Renting: 11.5 pts higher in Hervey Bay People / bedroom: 0.10 higher in River Heads

Demographics & Identity

Population in Hervey Bayin River Heads +55,678 larger in Hervey Bay gap steady
57,722 86th pct 2,044 72nd pct
Median age in Hervey Bayin River Heads +3 yrs older in River Heads gap narrowing
51 yrs 71st pct 54 yrs 80th pct
First Nations in Hervey Bayin River Heads +0.8 pts higher in River Heads gap narrowing
4.8% 53rd pct 5.5% 59th pct
Aged 65+ in Hervey Bayin River Heads +5.2 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap steady
31.9% 80th pct 26.7% 65th pct
Under 15 in Hervey Bayin River Heads +2.3 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
15.4% 32nd pct 13.1% 19th pct
De facto in Hervey Bayin River Heads +1.7 pts higher in River Heads gap steady
11.0% 26th pct 12.7% 46th pct

Age structure

25.7% Older adults (45–64) +9.9 pts ▸ 35.6%
31.9% Seniors (65+) ◂ +5.2 pts 26.7%
18.0% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +1.3 pts 16.7%
15.4% Children (0–14) ◂ +2.3 pts 13.1%
8.9% Youth (15–24) ◂ +0.5 pts 8.5%

Marital status

47.8% Married +6.5 pts ▸ 54.3%
27.1% Never married ◂ +2.5 pts 24.7%
12.5% Divorced ◂ +0.3 pts 12.2%
8.2% Widowed ◂ +3.8 pts 4.4%
4.3% Separated ◂ +0.1 pts 4.2%

Age & sex structure

Hervey Bay River Heads

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

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Hervey Bayin River Heads +0.5 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
18.4% 87th pct 17.9% 86th pct

Country of birth

75.5% Australia +2.6 pts ▸ 78.0%
5.7% England ◂ +0.1 pts 5.6%
3.5% New Zealand +0.9 pts ▸ 4.5%
0.8% Philippines +0.2 pts ▸ 1.0%
0.7% South Africa +0.1 pts ▸ 0.7%
0.5% India ◂ +0.5 pts 0.0%
0.2% China +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.2% Italy ◂ +0.2 pts 0.0%
0.1% Nepal ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Vietnam ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Ancestry

45.3% English +2.7 pts ▸ 48.0%
37.0% Australian +1.0 pts ▸ 38.1%
11.1% Scottish +1.4 pts ▸ 12.4%
10.5% Irish +1.1 pts ▸ 11.5%
7.1% German ◂ +0.3 pts 6.8%
1.6% Dutch +1.1 pts ▸ 2.7%
2.0% Italian ◂ +0.1 pts 1.9%
1.1% Filipino +0.6 pts ▸ 1.6%
0.9% Chinese ◂ +0.4 pts 0.5%
0.7% Indian ◂ +0.4 pts 0.2%
0.3% Greek +0.1 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.1% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Language

Other language in Hervey Bayin River Heads +1.7 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap steady
5.1% 67th pct 3.4% 45th pct
Limited English in Hervey Bayin River Heads +0.1 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap steady
0.4% 60th pct 0.3% 56th pct

Language used at home

89.1% English only +4.5 pts ▸ 93.6%
0.3% Mandarin +0.1 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.2% Tagalog even 0.2%
0.1% Greek +0.1 pts ▸ 0.1%
0.1% Punjabi ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Italian ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Hindi ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Arabic ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Cantonese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Religion

No religion in Hervey Bayin River Heads +3.6 pts higher in River Heads gap steady
41.3% 46th pct 44.9% 59th pct

Religious affiliation

48.4% Christianity +0.4 pts ▸ 48.8%
41.3% No religion +3.6 pts ▸ 44.9%
8.0% Not stated ◂ +2.7 pts 5.3%
0.9% Buddhism ◂ +0.2 pts 0.6%
0.5% Other religions even 0.5%
0.5% Hinduism ◂ +0.5 pts 0.0%
0.4% Islam ◂ +0.4 pts 0.0%
0.1% Judaism ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Hervey Bayin River Heads +1.8 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
40.7% 57th pct 39.0% 51st pct
Bachelor+ in Hervey Bayin River Heads +1.4 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
13.0% 60th pct 11.7% 52nd pct

Highest year of school

40.7% Year 12 ◂ +1.8 pts 39.0%
29.9% Year 10 +4.1 pts ▸ 34.0%
13.4% Year 9 or below ◂ +0.7 pts 12.7%
8.2% Year 11 +1.2 pts ▸ 9.4%

Highest qualification level

38.0% Certificate III / IV +10.3 pts ▸ 48.2%
16.2% Bachelor degree ◂ +4.6 pts 11.6%
15.2% Advanced diploma / diploma ◂ +0.9 pts 14.4%
3.9% Postgraduate degree +0.3 pts ▸ 4.2%
2.8% Graduate diploma / certificate +0.7 pts ▸ 3.5%
2.7% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.2 pts 2.5%

Field of qualification

15.0% Engineering & related +4.5 pts ▸ 19.5%
14.4% Management & commerce +0.6 pts ▸ 15.0%
12.5% Society & culture ◂ +0.4 pts 12.1%
12.5% Health ◂ +0.2 pts 12.2%
8.8% Education ◂ +0.7 pts 8.1%
6.1% Architecture & building +1.9 pts ▸ 8.1%
6.8% Food, hospitality & personal services ◂ +0.3 pts 6.5%
1.9% Creative arts +0.4 pts ▸ 2.3%
1.7% Agriculture & environment +0.5 pts ▸ 2.2%
1.3% Information technology +0.4 pts ▸ 1.7%
1.3% Natural & physical sciences ◂ +0.5 pts 0.8%

Income

Personal income in Hervey Bayin River Heads +$9 higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
$552 27th pct $543 25th pct
Household income in Hervey Bayin River Heads +$160 higher in River Heads gap narrowing
$1,083 32nd pct $1,243 48th pct
Family income in Hervey Bayin River Heads +$35 higher in River Heads gap narrowing
$1,312 26th pct $1,347 29th pct
High earners in Hervey Bayin River Heads +0.6 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
5.2% 39th pct 4.6% 32nd pct
High-income homes in Hervey Bayin River Heads +0.8 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
9.2% 42nd pct 8.4% 37th pct

Household income distribution

37.4% $650–$1,499 ◂ +1.1 pts 36.4%
22.4% $1,500–$2,999 +5.9 pts ▸ 28.3%
22.9% Under $650 ◂ +3.6 pts 19.3%
5.1% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +0.2 pts 4.9%
4.0% $4,000 or more ◂ +0.6 pts 3.4%

Personal income distribution

52.5% Under $650 +2.0 pts ▸ 54.5%
27.6% $650–$1,499 +2.2 pts ▸ 29.7%
9.9% $1,500–$2,999 +0.3 pts ▸ 10.2%
1.7% $3,000 or more +0.1 pts ▸ 1.9%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Hervey Bayin River Heads +3.4 pts higher in River Heads
39.8% 83rd pct 43.2% 91st pct
Mental health in Hervey Bayin River Heads +3.6 pts higher in River Heads
12.3% 80th pct 15.9% 98th pct
Needs assistance in Hervey Bayin River Heads +0.3 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap steady
10.8% 89th pct 10.4% 87th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

16.2% Arthritis +0.5 pts ▸ 16.6%
12.3% Mental health +3.6 pts ▸ 15.9%
10.7% Other condition +1.5 pts ▸ 12.3%
9.8% Asthma +0.9 pts ▸ 10.7%
7.5% Heart disease ◂ +0.1 pts 7.4%
6.8% Diabetes ◂ +0.1 pts 6.8%
5.1% Cancer +0.1 pts ▸ 5.2%
5.0% Lung condition ◂ +0.3 pts 4.7%
1.9% Stroke ◂ +0.3 pts 1.7%
1.3% Dementia ◂ +0.6 pts 0.7%

Number of long-term health conditions

51.6% None ◂ +0.6 pts 51.0%
23.0% One condition +2.6 pts ▸ 25.6%
9.9% Two conditions +0.8 pts ▸ 10.7%
7.0% Three or more even 6.9%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Hervey Bayin River Heads +0.1 pts higher in River Heads gap narrowing
12.5% 20th pct 12.6% 21st pct
Unpaid carers in Hervey Bayin River Heads +1.1 pts higher in River Heads gap steady
14.2% 67th pct 15.4% 80th pct
Unpaid child care in Hervey Bayin River Heads +2.2 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
20.2% 28th pct 17.9% 18th pct
Defence service in Hervey Bayin River Heads +1.2 pts higher in River Heads
5.5% 84th pct 6.7% 91st pct
Housework 15h+ in Hervey Bayin River Heads +3.8 pts higher in River Heads gap steady
23.3% 43rd pct 27.1% 75th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Hervey Bayin River Heads +0.1 larger in River Heads gap narrowing
2.3 43rd pct 2.4 57th pct
One-parent in Hervey Bayin River Heads +4.7 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap steady
18.1% 68th pct 13.4% 39th pct
Living alone in Hervey Bayin River Heads +8.5 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap widening
27.6% 44th pct 19.1% 21st pct

Family composition

39.5% Couples without children +9.3 pts ▸ 48.8%
41.3% Couples with children ◂ +3.4 pts 37.9%
18.1% One-parent families ◂ +4.7 pts 13.4%
1.1% Other families ◂ +0.8 pts 0.2%

Household size

42.9% 2 people +8.7 pts ▸ 51.6%
27.6% 1 person ◂ +8.5 pts 19.1%
12.6% 3 people +0.7 pts ▸ 13.3%
9.7% 4 people ◂ +1.1 pts 8.6%
4.5% 5 people +0.5 pts ▸ 4.9%
2.6% 6 or more +0.4 pts ▸ 3.0%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Hervey Bayin River Heads +$15 higher in River Heads gap widening
$335 71st pct $350 75th pct
Mortgage in Hervey Bayin River Heads +$8 higher in Hervey Bay gap steady
$1,408 53rd pct $1,400 53rd pct
People / bedroom in Hervey Bayin River Heads +0.10 higher in River Heads gap widening
0.70 14th pct 0.80 57th pct
Renting in Hervey Bayin River Heads +11.5 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap widening
27.7% 68th pct 16.2% 33rd pct
Owned outright in Hervey Bayin River Heads +3.9 pts higher in River Heads gap narrowing
43.3% 62nd pct 47.1% 74th pct
Separate houses in Hervey Bayin River Heads +15.1 pts higher in River Heads gap narrowing
82.2% 14th pct 97.2% 71st pct
3+ bedrooms in Hervey Bayin River Heads +2.5 pts higher in River Heads gap widening
78.4% 54th pct 80.9% 63rd pct

How homes are owned or rented

43.3% Owned outright +3.9 pts ▸ 47.1%
24.6% Owned with a mortgage +10.7 pts ▸ 35.2%
27.7% Rented ◂ +11.5 pts 16.2%
2.5% Other tenure ◂ +1.2 pts 1.4%
1.9% Not stated ◂ +0.5 pts 1.4%

Types of homes

82.2% Separate house +15.1 pts ▸ 97.2%
12.5% Townhouse / semi-detached ◂ +11.7 pts 0.8%
3.0% Flat or apartment ◂ +3.0 pts 0.0%
1.8% Other dwelling ◂ +1.3 pts 0.5%

Bedrooms per home

39.0% 3 bedrooms +2.9 pts ▸ 42.0%
34.3% 4 bedrooms even 34.2%
16.2% 2 bedrooms ◂ +2.0 pts 14.2%
5.1% 5 or more ◂ +0.4 pts 4.7%
3.1% 1 bedroom ◂ +0.2 pts 2.9%
0.6% Studio / none ◂ +0.2 pts 0.4%

Weekly rent distribution

43.1% $200–$349 ◂ +2.5 pts 40.6%
42.1% $350–$549 ◂ +2.2 pts 39.8%
9.7% Under $200 ◂ +9.7 pts 0.0%
1.7% $550–$749 +3.8 pts ▸ 5.5%
0.3% $750 or more ◂ +0.3 pts 0.0%

Monthly mortgage distribution

46.1% $1,000–$1,799 ◂ +3.3 pts 42.8%
20.7% $1,800–$2,999 +3.7 pts ▸ 24.5%
22.0% Under $1,000 +1.0 pts ▸ 23.0%
5.0% $3,000 or more ◂ +1.4 pts 3.6%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Hervey Bayin River Heads +5.6 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap widening
6.3% 71st pct 0.6% 19th pct
Work from home in Hervey Bayin River Heads +4.2 pts higher in River Heads gap widening
6.9% 43rd pct 11.1% 67th pct
PT commute in Hervey Bayin River Heads +0.1 pts higher in River Heads gap narrowing
0.4% 64th pct 0.5% 67th pct

How people get to work

69.0% Car (driver) ◂ +4.0 pts 65.0%
6.9% Worked at home +4.2 pts ▸ 11.1%
5.8% Car (passenger) ◂ +1.1 pts 4.7%
2.2% Walked ◂ +0.8 pts 1.4%
0.9% Bicycle ◂ +0.9 pts 0.0%
0.3% Bus +0.2 pts ▸ 0.5%
0.0% Train even 0.0%

Motor vehicles per home

43.3% 1 vehicle ◂ +15.4 pts 27.9%
34.5% 2 vehicles +8.2 pts ▸ 42.7%
10.7% 3 vehicles +7.8 pts ▸ 18.5%
5.3% 4 or more +4.8 pts ▸ 10.1%
6.3% No vehicle ◂ +5.6 pts 0.6%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Hervey Bayin River Heads +7.8 pts higher in River Heads gap widening
46.7% 90th pct 54.5% 99th pct
Recent arrivals in Hervey Bayin River Heads +4.2 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
7.2% 61st pct 3.0% 41st pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Hervey Bayin River Heads +1.4 pts higher in River Heads gap narrowing
8.0% 81st pct 9.5% 86th pct
Participation in Hervey Bayin River Heads +5.0 pts higher in River Heads gap narrowing
43.6% 24th pct 48.6% 37th pct
Full-time in Hervey Bayin River Heads +1.2 pts higher in Hervey Bay gap narrowing
54.0% 38th pct 52.8% 32nd pct

Industries people work in

24.0% Health care & social assistance ◂ +2.3 pts 21.8%
11.6% Retail trade +1.1 pts ▸ 12.7%
9.4% Accommodation & food ◂ +1.6 pts 7.9%
9.1% Construction +0.2 pts ▸ 9.3%
9.1% Education & training ◂ +2.3 pts 6.9%
5.7% Public administration & safety +0.7 pts ▸ 6.4%
3.1% Transport & warehousing +1.9 pts ▸ 5.0%
3.6% Manufacturing +1.1 pts ▸ 4.7%
4.3% Other services +0.2 pts ▸ 4.5%
3.5% Professional & technical +0.3 pts ▸ 3.8%
3.2% Administrative & support ◂ +0.2 pts 3.1%
1.5% Mining +0.6 pts ▸ 2.0%

Occupations people work in

19.0% Professionals ◂ +4.9 pts 14.1%
18.0% Community & personal service ◂ +0.7 pts 17.3%
13.7% Technicians & trades +0.3 pts ▸ 14.0%
11.1% Labourers +2.5 pts ▸ 13.6%
10.8% Clerical & administrative +0.4 pts ▸ 11.2%
10.7% Sales workers ◂ +0.8 pts 9.9%
5.4% Machinery operators & drivers +4.2 pts ▸ 9.7%
9.3% Managers ◂ +1.4 pts 7.9%

Walkability

Walk score in Hervey Bayin River Heads +2.2 higher in Hervey Bay
3.0 31st pct 0.8 8th pct
Types ≤15 min in Hervey Bayin River Heads +2.5 more in Hervey Bay
3.3 32nd pct 0.7 7th pct
15-min city in Hervey Bayin River Heads +32.4 pts higher in Hervey Bay
32.4% 38th pct 0.0% 0th pct
Walk to shops in Hervey Bayin River Heads +37.8 pts higher in Hervey Bay
54.0% 46th pct 16.2% 33rd pct
Walk to transit in Hervey Bayin River Heads even
0.0% 0th pct 0.0% 0th pct
Walk to school in Hervey Bayin River Heads +50.9 pts higher in Hervey Bay
50.9% 37th pct 0.0% 0th pct
Walk to a park in Hervey Bayin River Heads +77.7 pts higher in Hervey Bay
86.1% 37th pct 8.4% 3rd pct
Walk to health in Hervey Bayin River Heads +2.0 pts higher in Hervey Bay
18.3% 49th pct 16.3% 48th pct
Amenities/1k in Hervey Bayin River Heads +1.9 more in Hervey Bay
4.9 10th pct 2.9 6th pct
Intersections/km² in Hervey Bayin River Heads +39 higher in Hervey Bay
56 77th pct 17 26th pct
Mean slope in Hervey Bayin River Heads +3.4 pts higher in River Heads
4.3% 45th pct 7.7% 82nd pct

Compare Hervey Bay with nearby areas

Sunshine Acres Booral Toogoom River Heads Burrum Heads - East Burrum Heads Burrum Heads - South Torbanlea

Compare River Heads with nearby areas

Booral Fraser Island Sunshine Acres Hervey Bay Maaroom Maryborough Aldershot Toogoom

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Hervey Bay vs River Heads [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/ucl/UCL311002/hervey-bay/vs/UCL315084/river-heads