QLD · Central Highlands Council
Est. population · Jun 2025
20,453
Growth (1 yr)
+0.5%
Growth (5 yr)
+4.3%
Median age
32
Median income
$2,202/wk
Employment rate
71.4%
University qualified
14.2%
Work from home
4.5%
Languages at home
9.1%non-English
Most common: Afrikaans, Tagalog, Filipino
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
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Suburb profile
Emerald is a regional town in Queensland, in Central Highlands Council. It is close to the Nogoa River and the Carnarvon Gorge.
Employment is a strong feature of the suburb, with employment 35% above the peer median. Health access is an exceptional strength, placing it among the highest-ranked regional towns. School access is exceptionally strong. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. The main trade-offs are higher crime and thinner local amenities, with local amenities 31% below the peer median.
Emerald is a better fit for people who value school access and employment more than peace and quiet.
Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.
Strengths and weaknesses
Regional town · compared with regional towns in Queensland (97)
Who it suits
Housing, growth and risk
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median house price
—
No data available
Median rent
$550/wk
Population (ERP)
20,453
+0.5% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
16.3%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#163
among Country & regional · Established
Crime rate
72nd
percentile in state (higher = more crime)
Pop. growth
28th
percentile in QLD
Rented dwellings
45%
2021 Census tenure
Advantage (IRSAD)
5/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
27th
percentile among schools with ICSEA
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Data sources & freshness
Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)
Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band
Data sources & freshness
Estimated resident population
20,453(June 2025)
+0.5% annual · +4.3% over 5 years · 28th percentile in QLD
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.
The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~20,700), extrapolated at +0.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)
Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus
Data sources & freshness
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
14.2% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Queensland. 24.6% have a trade or vocational qualification.
Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).
| Measure | Definition |
|---|---|
| University qualified | Bachelor degree or higher |
| Diploma qualified | Advanced Diploma / Diploma |
| Trade / vocational | Certificate III + IV |
| Year 12 | Year 12 as highest attainment |
| Below Year 12 | Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below |
People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)
University qualifications from the 2021 Census
Data sources & freshness
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
87th percentile in QLD · +17% vs Australia
85th percentile in QLD · +10% vs Australia
62nd percentile in QLD · -13% vs Australia
31st percentile in QLD · -9% vs Australia
9th percentile in QLD · -33% vs Australia
Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 4720 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.
Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in QLD, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.
Data sources & freshness
5.4% of employed residents work in agriculture, forestry and fishing, 2.3× the Australian share (2.3%) — compared with 2.5% across Queensland.
44th percentile in QLD · +135% vs Australia
Postcode 4720
2021 Census G56, residents employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Counts below 10 are not shown.
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census General Community Profile tables G54 (industry of employment) and G56 (industry by occupation), Statistical Area Level (suburb), place of usual residence. Figures are residents’ main job in the week before Census night — not jobs located in the suburb. Agriculture, forestry and fishing is the 1-digit ANZSIC division; grape growing and other 3- and 4-digit industries are not in this datapack. The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Plant and animal cultivation in postcode 4720 (Northern and Regional Australia) may count as specified work for Working Holiday Maker visas (subclasses 417 and 462). This is a postcode rule from the Home Affairs instruments — not evidence that seasonal jobs exist here, and not a count of WHM residents. Home Affairs specified work · LIN 22/012 · LIN 22/013. Compilation used: 5 April 2025.
Jobs and Skills Australia NERO modelled estimates for Central Queensland (SA4 308), 2026-08. These figures describe the broader region, not this suburb, and occupations are not added together.
Central Queensland is a Statistical Area Level 4. Fruit, nut and vegetable workers are not published separately in NERO (they sit under ANZSCO 8412). Jobs and Skills Australia warns not to sum occupations or geographies. NERO data. Nowcast of Employment by Region and Occupation, Jobs and Skills Australia, Commonwealth of Australia. CC BY 4.0.
Census employed residents counted in G54: 7,963 · AFF share +116% vs the state.
Data sources & freshness
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
9.1% speak a language other than English at home; 16% born overseas
Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).
49.9%Most common religion · Christianity
Christianity is the most common response at 49.9%, while 36.9% reported no religion.
| Measure | Suburb | State |
|---|---|---|
| No religion | 36.9% | 40.7% |
| Christianity | 49.9% | 45.7% |
| Other / not stated | 13.2% | 13.6% |
| Denomination | Suburb | State |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 21.8% | 18.6% |
| Anglican | 10.6% | 11.3% |
| Christian (not further defined) | 5% | 3.1% |
| Uniting Church | 4.6% | 3.6% |
| Presbyterian and Reformed | 2% | 2.1% |
2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.
Data sources & freshness
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 4720, which is shared with other suburbs.
Reported offences are running higher than the same point last year.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates
Data sources & freshness
Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.
Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)
Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts
Data sources & freshness
3 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)
Childcare centres per 1,000 residents
Data sources & freshness
11 mapped amenities
1 caravan parks · 4 campgrounds
43 Roberts Street, Emerald
64 Opal Street
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
4 named sporting clubs in this suburb
Tennis · +61 7 4982 0622
Lawn Bowls
Golf · +61 7 4982 1274
Golf
Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.
Data sources & freshness
27 parks and public open space in this suburb
Data sources & freshness
Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)
Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000
Data sources & freshness
GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).
Australian Government–subsidised services from the AIHW GEN list (30 June 2025), assigned to this suburb by location.
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)
Hospitals, GPs and aged care
Data sources & freshness
Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.
For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.
Data sources & freshness
Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
1 heritage place
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)
Heritage listings as established streetscape
Data sources & freshness
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping. Flood cover uses floodplain overlay polygons against the suburb boundary where published.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Bushfire and flood hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
Two-party preferred (2025)
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 98.3 km away).
4.2 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -4.1 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.
Data sources & freshness
ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.
IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.
A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)
Data sources & freshness
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.