CensusAtlas

Townsville · Urban Centre

Education & Qualifications in Townsville

How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.

Over a third of Townsville adults hold a Certificate III or IV, reflecting a strong focus on trade and technical skills. While qualification levels have climbed over the last decade, the city's figures for degree holders and school completion remain well below the national average.

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📍 Townsville, Urban Centre

Where Townsville sits — Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

18.5% ▲ +28.5%

All urban centre areas, 2021. The marker is Townsville — higher than 78% of areas.

Townsville18.5%
4814, QLD 20.0%
Queensland 21.9%
Australia 26.3%

Schooling

Highest year of school completed.

Year 12 completion rose 6.8 points since 2011 to reach 55.0%. While this is much higher than most similar areas, it remains a little below the Queensland figure and well below the Australian average.

Completed Year 12

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55.0% ▲ +14.1%

Higher than 88% of urban centre areas.

Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.

Highest year of school

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In Townsville, Year 12 is the majority at 60%; Year 10 is next at 23%.

Year 12 55.0% Year 10 21.3% Year 9 or below 7.9% Year 11 7.1%

Qualifications

Post-school qualifications and degrees.

Adults with a bachelor degree or higher make up 18.5% of the population, which is much higher than most similar areas. This figure rose 4.1 points since 2011, though it is still well below both the state and national averages.

Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

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18.5% ▲ +28.5%

Higher than 78% of urban centre areas.

Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).

Highest qualification level

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In Townsville, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 42%, followed by Bachelor degree (27%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (17%).

Certificate III / IV 34.2% Bachelor degree 21.6% Advanced diploma / diploma 13.6% Postgraduate degree 5.9% Graduate diploma / certificate 3.3% Certificate I / II 2.6%

Field of study

What people studied.

The most common fields of study in Townsville are Engineering and related topics at 15.5%, followed closely by Management and commerce at 15.0%.

Sources

  • Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).

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Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Townsville [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ucl/UCL303003/townsville/topic/education