48.1% ▲ +63.2%
Higher than 68% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 29.5%
- 2016: 31.8%
- 2021: 48.1%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Mackay · Urban Area
Education & Qualifications in Mackay
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Engineering and related degrees are the most common qualification in Mackay, where 22.4% of qualified residents studied this field. While more people have finished school and earned degrees than a decade ago, the city still trails the national average for higher education. Most adults have a trade certificate rather than a university degree.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Nearly half of residents, or 48.1%, have completed Year 12, which is higher than most similar areas. This figure rose by 19 percentage points since 2011, though it remains far below the Australian average of 58.8%.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Mackay, Year 12 is the majority at 54%; Year 10 is next at 28%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
Typical adults in Mackay are more likely to hold a Certificate III or IV (40.1%) than a university degree. Only 14.2% hold a bachelor degree or higher, a figure that is well below the Queensland average of 21.9%.
14.2% ▲ +104.0%
Lower than 58% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 7.0%
- 2016: 7.5%
- 2021: 14.2%
Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).
Highest qualification level
View on map →In Mackay, Certificate III / IV is the majority at 51%; Bachelor degree is next at 22%.
Field of study
What people studied.
The local workforce is heavily skilled in technical and business fields, with 22.4% of qualifications in engineering and 14.2% in management and commerce. Health and society and culture follow at 10.3% and 8.8% respectively.
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Mackay
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Mackay [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sua/3011/mackay/topic/education