Urban Centre · Area profile
Palm Island
56 km²
The population of Palm Island has shrunk by 51% since 2011, leaving a community of 2,098 people. It is a very young place where the typical resident is just 26, and over 91% of the population are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. With more than 31% of residents being children, the community is far younger than the national average. This is a place of stark contrasts, where high rates of rental living and low incomes sit alongside a strong presence of young families.
Explore Palm Island by topic
The community is far younger than the national average, with 31.4% of people under 15 and only 5.1% aged 65 or over. A large proportion of adults are in de facto relationships, at 29.1%, which is far above the national figure.
Almost everyone here was born in Australia, with 93.9% of the population being Australian-born. Only 1.7% of residents were born overseas, a figure that has fallen since 2011.
Language diversity has risen sharply, with 40.7% of people now using another language at home, compared to just 3.3% in 2011. However, the proportion of people who speak little or no English remains low at 2.7%.
Religious affiliation is high, with 76.2% of people identifying as Christian. This means far fewer people here identify as having no religion (16.5%) compared to the national figure of 38.9%.
Educational attainment is much lower than in most areas, with only 26.4% of people completing Year 12 and 4.3% holding a bachelor degree or higher. These figures have barely changed since 2011.
Incomes are among the lowest in the country, with a typical weekly family income of $898. Very few households earn $3,000 or more a week (6.5%), which is far below the national average.
Residents report fewer long-term health conditions than most areas, with only 15.1% having one, and only 2.2% reporting a mental health condition.
Caring for children is common, with 33% of people providing unpaid childcare. Conversely, volunteering has fallen since 2011 and is now well below the national figure at 4.7%.
Homes are crowded, with an average of 3.7 people per home and 24.4% of households containing six or more people. One-parent families make up 38.7% of the community, which is far above the national average.
Rental living is the norm here, with 92.5% of homes being rented and outright ownership falling to just 1.4%. Weekly rents are very low at $125, though the typical monthly home-loan payment is well above the national average.
Nearly half of all homes (49.5%) have no motor vehicle, a figure that has risen 44 points since 2011. Because of this, walking is a major way to get to work for 32.7% of employees.
The population is very stable, with only 14.1% of people moving in the last five years, which is far below the national figure. However, recent arrivals from overseas make up 25.7% of the population.
Only 26.7% of adults are working or looking for work, and the unemployment rate is much higher than most areas at 9.8%. Many who are employed work in health and social assistance or education.
The area has very few walkable amenities, with no homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries or public transport. Most residents can walk to a school or health service, but parks are rare.