suburb.guide

QLD · Cairns Council

Whitfield, 4870

Est. population · Jun 2025

4,559

Growth (1 yr)

+0.1%

Growth (5 yr)

+0.7%

Median age

45

Median income

$1,681/wk

Employment rate

61.8%

University qualified

29.9%

Work from home

15.2%

Languages at home

11.8%non-English

Most common: Japanese, Australian Indigenous languages, Mandarin

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

42.9/100
Average

Top 45% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 87% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • Regional centre
What Whitfield is known for: Green suburb, Regional centre

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Whitfield, QLD suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Whitfield, QLD Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/qld/whitfield-qld

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Suburb profile

Whitfield is a major regional centre in Queensland, in Cairns Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development.

School ICSEA scores are a relative strength. University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group, placing it among the highest-ranked major regional centres, and working from home is more common than in comparable places, and socio-economic advantage sits well above the peer median. The clearer weaknesses are higher crime and thinner heritage listings, with heritage listings 50% below the peer median.

Whitfield is a better fit for people who value university qualifications and socio-economic advantage 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

Major regional centre · compared with major regional centres in Queensland (209)

Strengths

  • University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group
  • Working from home is more common than in comparable places
  • Socio-economic advantage sits well above the peer median
  • School ICSEA scores are a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Reported crime in the wider postcode 4870 is elevated relative to comparable places
  • Heritage listings are a relative weakness

What stands out

Nothing distinctive beyond the usual profile.

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • StudentsInsufficient data
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Whitfield compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$600/wk

Population (ERP)

4,559

+0.1% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

7.0%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#146

among Country & regional · Mature

Crime rate

95th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

23rd

percentile in QLD

Rented dwellings

31%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

7/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

45th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
42.9/100 — Average
State standing
Top 45% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
3657th in Australia
State rank
675th in QLD
Peer rank
#146 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#287 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
87%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$600

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

Population

Estimated resident population

4,559(June 2025)

+0.1% annual · +0.7% over 5 years · 23th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.1%
5-year growth
+0.7%
Change in 1 year
+3
Change in 5 years
+33
Growth rank in QLD
23th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

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 (~4,600), extrapolated at +0.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
4,262
Median age
45
Median household income / week
$1,681
Dwelling vacancy
7%
Unoccupied private dwellings
129 of 1,838
Median monthly mortgage
$1,733
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$340
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
33.9% / 35.2% / 31%
Employment rate
61.8%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
15.2% / 0.6% / 63.3%
Walked or cycled to work
3.2%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,345 / 327 / 23

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

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

29.9% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Queensland. 17.5% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified29.9% · 21.9% QLD
  • Diploma qualified10.2% · 9.4% QLD
  • Trade / vocational17.5% · 18.9% QLD
  • Year 12 or below42.4% · 49.8% QLD

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Health20.4%
  • Management and commerce18.5%
  • Engineering and related technologies15.1%
  • Society and culture12.8%
  • Education10.5%
  • Architecture and building6%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 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

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$56,584

56th percentile in QLD · -4% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$59,915

44th percentile in QLD · -8% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
12.0%

58th percentile in QLD · -13% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$52,539

24th percentile in QLD · -17% vs Australia

Residents with business income
10.0%

40th percentile in QLD · -4% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 4870 — 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.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
49,108
Taxpayers reporting net rent
5,781
Median net rent
$578
Taxpayers reporting business income
4,820
Taxable income vs state median
+2%
Salary / wages vs state median
-2%
Rental investment vs state median
+9%
Super vs state median
-24%
Business income vs state median
0%

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

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

11.8% speak a language other than English at home; 23.3% born overseas

Language at home
3,573 English only · 477 other
Non-English at home
11.8%
Born overseas
947 (23.3%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
263 (6.2%)
Australian citizens
3,773
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
17

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Japanese38 · 24.1%
  • Australian Indigenous languages13 · 8.2%
  • Mandarin13 · 8.2%
  • Punjabi13 · 8.2%
  • Cantonese11 · 7%
  • French10 · 6.3%
  • German10 · 6.3%
  • Italian10 · 6.3%

Religion

46.1%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 46.1%, while Christianity accounts for 43.4%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion46.1%40.7%
Christianity43.4%45.7%
Other / not stated10.5%13.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic20.3%18.6%
Anglican11.3%11.3%
Uniting Church3%3.6%
Presbyterian and Reformed2.3%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

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Crime & safety

Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 4870, which is shared with other suburbs.

Reported offences are running higher than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Sep 2026)
808
Against the person
211
Against property
366
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
236.9
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 20 residents
State crime-rate percentile
94.8th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+0.4%

Most common offence types

  • Assault96
  • Drug Offences125
  • Good Order Offences102
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)198
  • Unlawful Entry69

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Sep 2026; Jan 2026 to Sep 2026 · Updated · Calendar-year aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
995
Median ICSEA percentile
45th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
3
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
3
School list
  • Edge Hill State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1016 · 54th percentile · LBOTE 43% · 864 students · Top SEA quarter 23% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →
  • Whitfield State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 974 · 35th percentile · LBOTE 32% · 774 students · Top SEA quarter 14% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Cairns SHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Edge Hill SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Freshwater SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Redlynch State CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Trinity Bay SHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Whitfield SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment

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

Amenities

48 mapped amenities

1 restaurants · 1 cafes · 1 bakeries · 1 playgrounds

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life — 11 parks mapped in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
14/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.23
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.7
Parks per 1,000 residents
2.58
Food & drink(3)
  • Woodward St BakeryBakery
  • Cafe
  • Woodward Street PizzaRestaurant
Health & services(1)
  • Ulysses Vet ClinicVeterinary
Sport & outdoors(17)
  • Drinking water (5)
  • Mount Whitfield Conservation ParkNature reserve
  • Aumuller ParkPark
  • Bunny Jarrett ParkPark
  • Colin Penridge ParkPark
  • Jack Brennon ParkPark

    Nolan Street

  • Jean Moule ParkPark
  • Oribin ParkPark
  • Park (2)
  • Ross Allan ParkPark

    Greenslopes Street

  • Bolton Street PlaygroundPlayground
  • Sports field
Entertainment(2)
  • Viewpoint (2)
Transport(5)

5 bus stops

Other(6)
  • Bench (11)
  • Parking (4)
  • Picnic Table
  • Australia PostPost Box
  • Shelter (2)
  • TelstraTelephone

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

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

8 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Aumuller ParkPark
  • Bunny Jarrett ParkPark
  • Colin Penridge ParkPark
  • Engineers ParksPark
  • Jack Brennon ParkPark
  • Jean Moule ParkPark
  • Oribin ParkPark
  • Ross Allan ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
5.3%
Woodland / forest cover
4.2%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
17
Parks (OSM)
11
Typical summer maximum
31°C

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

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
Cairns North Community Health Facility (2.6 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0
Aged-care services
1
Residential aged-care places
130

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Aged-care services
  • Regis WhitfieldWHITFIELDResidential

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

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
92
Participants per 1,000 residents
20.2

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

Weather

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.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
31° / 25°
Rainfall
1,038 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
29° / 24°
Rainfall
925 mm · ~92 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
25° / 20°
Rainfall
164 mm · ~20 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
28° / 22°
Rainfall
188 mm · ~24 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Oribin StudioState heritage place

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

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

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Leichhardt
Member of Parliament
Matt SMITH (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
122,757
Turnout (2025)
83.0%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+9.5 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 43.9%Labor 56.1%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.0 km away).

Coalition 39.5%Labor 60.5%

4.5 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +8.9 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • BrinsmeadLabor 56.1% · Coalition 43.9% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
  • WhitfieldLabor 59.4% · Coalition 40.6% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
  • Edge HillLabor 64.3% · Coalition 35.7% TPP (2025)1.8 km away
  • StratfordLabor 61.1% · Coalition 38.9% TPP (2025)2.3 km away
  • FreshwaterLabor 59.3% · Coalition 40.7% TPP (2025)2.4 km away

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

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
7/10
IRSD decile (2021)
6/10

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).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

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

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Cairns Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.