Urban Centre · Area profile
Yarrabah
1 km²
An overwhelming 96.8% of people in Yarrabah are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, making it a community with a very strong cultural identity. It is a remarkably young place, where the typical resident is just 25 and children under 15 make up 31% of the population. This youthful profile helps explain why households are so large and why so many people are caring for children. While the population shrank by about half since 2016, the area remains a distinct hub of Indigenous heritage in Queensland.
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Yarrabah is far younger than the national figure, with only 5.4% of residents aged 65 or over. De facto relationships are well above the state average at 22.8%, and nearly 80% of residents have never been married.
The community is almost entirely born in Australia, with only 0.2% of people born overseas, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%.
Language diversity has risen sharply, with 84.6% of people now using another language at home, up from 11.8% in 2016. This is far above the 22.3% national average.
Religious affiliation is high, with 85.5% of people identifying as Christian. The 11.4% who have no religion is far below the national figure of 38.9%.
Educational attainment is much lower than in most areas, with only 29.1% of residents completing Year 12 and just 3.2% holding a bachelor degree or higher.
Typical weekly personal incomes are among the lowest at $335, far below the national figure of $805. Most households earn less than $1,500 a week, and only 5% earn $3,000 or more.
The area reports a lower rate of long-term health conditions (21.2%) and mental health conditions (2.8%) than the state and national averages.
Unpaid care is common, with 47.8% of people caring for children, far above the national figure of 26.3%. However, volunteering is well below the national average at 6.4%.
Homes are very crowded, with an average of 4.7 people per home, far above the national figure of 2.5. One-parent families are also very common at 41.3%.
Rental is the primary tenure, with 91.3% of households renting, while only 2.9% own their home outright. Typical weekly rent is much lower than most areas at $140.
Many households lack a car, with 28% having no motor vehicle, far above the national figure of 7.4%. About 14.7% of workers walk to their jobs.
The population is very stable, with only 12.1% of people moving in the last five years, far below the national figure of 40.7%.
The unemployment rate is among the highest at 38.8%, and only 35.6% of adults are working or looking for work, which is far below the national figure of 61.1%.
The area is highly car-dependent with a walkability score of 1.1. While 95% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of a school, no homes are within that distance of groceries or health services.