Noosa Hinterland

The area is far older than the rest of the country, with 23.4% of people aged 65 and over, a figure that rose 3.6 points since 2016. Children under 15 make up 16.5% of the population, which is lower than most areas.

Most residents were born in Australia (74.8%), and those born overseas make up 19.2% of the population, which is well below the national figure. English is the most common ancestry at 46.6%.

English is the dominant language, with 90.5% of people using it at home. Only 3.8% use another language, a figure far below the national average of 22.3%.

More than half the population (51.3%) report having no religion, which is far above the national figure of 38.9% and rose 12 points since 2016.

About 19.8% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, which is well below the national figure. Year 12 completion rose 5.5 points since 2016 to reach 54.1%.

Typical weekly household income is $1,496, which is a little below the national figure. However, the proportion of households earning $3,000 or more a week rose 8 points since 2016 to 16.9%.

Long-term health conditions are reported by 29.1% of people, which is about the same as the state average. Arthritis is the most common condition at 10%.

This community is very active in unpaid work, with 29.4% of people doing 15 or more hours of housework weekly, well above the national figure. Volunteers make up 16.8% of the population.

First Nations residents are typically older than those in other areas, with a median age of 27. They have a very high Year 12 completion rate of 51.5%, far above the national average.

Homes here are slightly larger than average with 2.6 people per dwelling. One-parent families are much less common here than in most other areas, making up 11.3% of households.

The area is dominated by separate houses (95.8%), and 44.7% of homes are owned outright, which is far above the national figure. Renting is very uncommon at 12.7%.

Cars are essential here, as only 0.4% of people commute by public transport and 1.7% of homes have no vehicle. Working from home is more common than in the state average at 17.5%.

The population is relatively stable, with 39.5% of people moving in the last five years. Recent overseas arrivals are very low at 5%, well below the national figure.

Only 55% of adults are working or looking for work, which is well below the national average. Full-time employment fell 5.7 points since 2016 to 46.9%.

The population is continuing to grow, with an estimated 7% increase since the 2021 census.

The area is very wet compared to the rest of the state, with average annual rainfall of 1,487mm, and average maximum temperatures are much higher than most other areas.

The area is heavily car-dependent with a low walkability score of 1.8. Very few homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries (20.7%) or health services (16.1%).