Urban Centre · Area profile
Picnic Bay
1 km²
Far older than most areas, Picnic Bay is a small community where the typical resident is 58. It has a distinct character as a retirement-leaning hub, with over 32% of people aged 65 and over and very few children. This shift is clear, as the number of children under 15 has fallen by 15 points since 2011. While the population has grown by 53% over the decade, it remains a place of small households and a high proportion of people living alone.
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The typical resident is 58, making the area far older than both Queensland and Australia. Seniors aged 65 and over make up 32.4% of the population, which is 15 points above the state and national figures.
A growing number of people were born overseas, which rose 16 points since 2011 to reach 20.1%. English ancestry is the most common at 45.2%, followed by Australian at 27.2%.
English is the primary language for 83.8% of residents. While 5.0% of people use another language at home, which is higher than most similar areas, this is still well below the Queensland figure of 13.2%.
The area has a high proportion of people with no religion at 45.4%, which is well above the national figure. This has seen a significant increase of 25 points since 2011.
Education levels have risen, with the number of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher climbing 11 points since 2011 to 18.0%. Those who completed Year 12 also rose by 21 points to 45.8%.
Incomes are generally much lower than the national figure, with a typical household earning $880 a week. Only 7.6% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly, which is far below the 22.6% seen across Australia.
About 30% of residents have a long-term health condition, with arthritis being the most common. Mental health conditions are reported at 7.3%, which is much lower than most similar areas.
Unpaid care for children is very low at 14.3% compared to the national figure of 26.3%, consistent with the small number of children in the area. Notably, 6.1% of residents served in the Defence Force, well above the national average.
Living alone is very common here, with 48% of people in single-person households, far above the national figure of 25.6%. This contributes to a low average of 1.8 people per home.
Rental properties are much more common than in most areas, making up 35.7% of homes. While 36.8% of homes are owned outright, the area has far fewer large homes, with only 42.7% having three or more bedrooms.
A high number of homes have no motor vehicle at 17.0%, well above the national figure of 7.4%. Working from home is also common, accounting for 15.0% of commutes.
The community is quite mobile, with 43.5% of people moving in the last five years. There has been a sharp increase in recent overseas arrivals, which rose 27 points since 2016 to 27.3%.
The workforce is much smaller than in other areas, with only 43.8% of adults working or looking for work. Many residents work in accommodation and food services, which accounts for 21.8% of jobs.
The area is mostly car-dependent with a walkability score of 2.7. While almost every home is within a 15-minute walk of a park, none are within a similar distance of groceries, health services, or schools.