Gympie - South

The area is significantly older than the state and national average, with 24.9% of residents aged 65 and over. While the number of children under 15 has fallen since 2011, the total population has grown to 7,561 people.

Most residents were born in Australia, and those born overseas make up just 10.0% of the population, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%. English and Australian are the most common ancestries.

English is the primary language for 92.2% of the community. Only 3.0% of people use another language at home, and very few speak little or no English, both of which are far below the national average.

About half of the population identifies as Christian, while 40.8% report no religion. The proportion of people with no religion has risen by 20 percentage points since 2011.

Educational qualifications are lower than in most areas, with only 11.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. While Year 12 completion has risen to 43.7% since 2011, this is still far below the Queensland average.

Typical weekly household incomes are $1,245, which is well below the state and national figures. Only 10.8% of households earn $3,000 or more per week, though this has risen since 2011.

Health challenges are common here; 36.2% of people have a long-term health condition, and 10.6% need help with daily activities, which is among the highest rates for similar areas.

Volunteering is more common than in most areas, with 16.8% of people participating. Unpaid care is also high, as 15.5% of residents provide unpaid care, well above the national figure.

First Nations residents make up a larger proportion of the population than in most similar areas. This group is noticeably younger than the wider community, with a typical age of 21.

One-parent families are much more common than in most areas at 17.7%. About a quarter of the population live alone, and most homes contain between two and three people.

The area is dominated by separate houses, and 88.1% of homes have three or more bedrooms. Home ownership is high, with 38.1% of homes owned outright, well above the state average.

Cars are essential here, as only 0.6% of people commute by public transport and a typical drive to the city takes 111 minutes. Most homes have at least one vehicle, and 38.4% have two.

The community has seen significant movement, with 44.6% of people moving house in the last five years. However, recent arrivals from overseas have fallen since 2011.

Working or looking for work is far less common here than in the state average, with only 51.1% of adults in the labour force. Health care, retail, and construction are the main industries.

The area ranks low for overall advantage and job skills compared to other areas. Despite this, population growth since 2021 has been very high at 19.4%.

The area receives high annual rainfall of 1,012mm, which is far above the Queensland average. Temperatures are generally milder than the state average.

The area is mostly car-dependent, with a low walkability score of 2.6. While many homes are near public transport, very few residents can walk to groceries or health services within 15 minutes.