QLD · Central Highlands (Qld) Council

Emerald (Qld), QLD, 4720

Current weather

18.3°CClear sky

70% humidity · 9.7 km/h wind · 24.6° / 12.6° today · 0 mm rain

Desirability index

97.9/100

#5 among Country & regional suburbs

How this score is calculated

Suburb snapshot

Emerald (Qld) is a mid-sized suburb in the Central Highlands (Qld) area, home to around 14,904 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 884 offences in Jan 2026 to Dec 2026 with falling year-on-year trends (-49%), roughly 59.3 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $550, 10 school and preschool sites in the area, and 1 active roadworks or transport incidents on nearby routes. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb and hospitals or GP clinics within the suburb.

Population

Population
14,904
Median age
32
Median household income / week
$2,202
Dwelling vacancy
16.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings
965 of 5,915
Median monthly mortgage
$1,647
Employment rate
71.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
405 / 499 / 396

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$550

Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Data sources & freshness

Crime & safety

Total offences (Jan 2026 to Dec 2026)
884
Against the person
208
Against property
296
Rate per 1,000 residents
59.3
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 72 residents
State safety percentile
9.1th (lower crime is better)
Year-on-year change
-48.8%

Most common offence types

  • Assault90
  • Drug Offences158
  • Good Order Offences104
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)140
  • Traffic And Related Offences150

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime MapQueensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Dec 2026; Jan 2026 to Dec 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates

Schools & preschools

Schools & preschools
10
Median school ICSEA (10 schools)
954
  • Capricornia School of Distance EducationCombined
  • Denison State SchoolPrimary
  • Emerald Christian CollegeCombined
  • Emerald North State SchoolPrimary
  • Emerald State High SchoolSecondary
  • Emerald State SchoolPrimary
  • Marist CollegeSecondary
  • Ontrack College EmeraldSpecial
  • St Brigid's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary
  • St Patrick's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary

Data sources & freshness

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • RoadworksCapricorn Highway, n/a11 May 2026 – 31 Jul 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closuresState road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported

Amenities

No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Parks & reserves

27 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Aid Street ParklandPark
  • Barry Slack ParkPark
  • Campbell Street ParklandPark
  • Centenary ParkPark
  • Emerald Botanic GardensPark
  • Emerald Botanical GardensPark
  • Gairi ParkPark
  • Hospital Road ParklandPark
  • Jacqueline Drive ParklandPark
  • Kipling ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
24
Emergency department
On site
  • 4Cyte Pathologydoctor
  • Alive Chiropracticalternative
  • CP Dental Emeralddentist
  • Central Highlands Dentaldentist
  • Clinicclinic
  • Construct Health Physiophysiotherapist
  • Crawford PodiatryHospital Roadpodiatrist
  • Direct Chemist OutletYamala Streetpharmacy
  • Doctordoctor
  • Emerald HospitalHospital Roadhospital

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
5/10
IRSD decile (2021)
6/10

SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.

Data sources & freshness

Heritage

1 state heritage place

  • Emerald Railway Station ComplexState heritage place

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage registerState heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site

Childcare

3 childcare services from OpenStreetMap

  • Emerald Community KindergartenRetro Streetkindergarten
  • kindergartenkindergarten
  • kindergartenkindergarten

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare servicesOpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlaysState government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
37
Parks (OSM)
30

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover featuresOpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability index

Desirability score
97.9/100
Cohort rank
#5 among Country & regional suburbs

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • Emerald Community KindergartenchildcareRetro Streetkindergarten
  • kindergartenchildcarekindergarten
  • kindergartenchildcarekindergarten
  • Emerald Railway Station ComplexheritageState heritage place
  • 4Cyte Pathologyhealthdoctor
  • Alive Chiropractichealthalternative
  • CP Dental Emeraldhealthdentist
  • Central Highlands Dentalhealthdentist
  • Clinichealthclinic
  • Construct Health Physiohealthphysiotherapist

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare servicesOpenStreetMap · Updated on site
  • Hospitals & clinicsOpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
  • State heritage registerState heritage authority · Updated on site