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
#5 among Country & regional suburbs
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 Profile — Australian 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
- RTA bond statistics — Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland) · Period: Mar 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
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 Map — Queensland 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
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Roadworks & transport
1 active roadworks / incidents
- RoadworksCapricorn Highway, n/a11 May 2026 – 31 Jul 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State 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 amenities — OpenStreetMap 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
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
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
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
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
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Heritage
1 state heritage place
- Emerald Railway Station ComplexState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Childcare
3 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
- Emerald Community KindergartenRetro Streetkindergarten
- kindergartenkindergarten
- kindergartenkindergarten
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · 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 overlays — State 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 features — OpenStreetMap 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 index — Suburb 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 services — OpenStreetMap · Updated on site
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site