Urban Centre · Area profile
Palmwoods
7 km²
A high proportion of people with no religion defines Palmwoods, where 47.6% of residents identify as non-religious. This Sunshine Coast community is noticeably older than the national average, though it has seen a steady increase in children under 15 since 2011. It is a place of large family homes and shifting demographics, having lost about 26% of its population over the last decade. Despite this shrink, the area remains a popular choice for newcomers, with nearly half the population moving here in the last five years.
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The typical resident is 42, making the area noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Seniors aged 65 and over make up 20.9% of the population, which is well above the Queensland average.
English and Australian ancestries are most common, although the proportion of people born overseas has fallen significantly since 2011 to 17.5%. This figure is now far below the national average.
English is the dominant language, spoken by 91.9% of the community. Only 3.9% of people use another language at home, which is far below the national figure of 22.3%.
People with no religion make up 47.6% of the community, a figure that rose 19 points since 2011 and is well above the national average.
The area is well-qualified, with a much higher share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher (20.3%) and completing Year 12 (54.7%) compared to similar areas.
Typical weekly household income is $1,649, which is about the same as the national figure. However, the number of households earning $3,000 or more a week has risen sharply since 2011.
Health needs are higher than in most areas, with 7.3% of people needing help with daily activities and 32.1% living with a long-term health condition.
Participation in unpaid care is a little above the state average, with 13.3% of people providing care and 27.7% caring for children.
Families with children are common, and homes are larger than usual with an average of 2.6 people per household. Only 22.3% of people live alone, which is well below the national figure.
Homes here are typically large, with 84.8% having three or more bedrooms. While separate houses are far more common than in the state average, typical weekly rents have risen to $430.
Most people rely on cars, with 66% driving to work and only 0.8% using public transport. Working from home is more common here than in similar areas at 12.8%.
The area has seen high movement, with 46.2% of residents moving in the last five years. This is well above the national average of 40.7%.
About 60.6% of adults are working or looking for work, and the unemployment rate of 4.2% is a little below the state average. Many residents work in health care, construction, and retail.
The area is somewhat walkable, with a high number of parks and public transport stops within a short walk. However, far fewer homes have a full '15-minute-city' walkshed compared to the state average.