Babinda
Statistical Area - sa2

Babinda has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

Babinda's population, as of August 2025, is approximately 4,807 people. This figure reflects an increase from the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 4,568 people. The increase of 239 people (5.2%) is inferred from the estimated resident population of 4,719 in June 2024 and an additional 89 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 7.2 persons per square kilometer. Over the past decade, Babinda has shown resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 0.9%, outperforming its SA3 area. Population growth was primarily driven by interstate migration, contributing approximately 65.1% of overall population gains.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered and years post-2032, Queensland State Government's SA2 area projections are used, released in 2023 based on 2021 data. These state projections do not provide age category splits, so AreaSearch applies proportional growth weightings inline with ABS Greater Capital Region projections for each age cohort. Looking ahead, Babinda is expected to experience a population increase just below the median of Australia's non-metropolitan areas by 2041, with an expected expansion of 394 persons and a total increase of 6.4% over the 17 years based on the latest population numbers.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within Babinda when compared nationally

Babinda has seen approximately 14 new homes approved annually. Development approval data is produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on a financial year basis, totalling 72 approvals across the past five financial years from FY-2021 to FY-2025, and one so far in FY-2026. On average, over these five years, 3.5 new residents were associated with each home built, indicating significant demand exceeding supply. New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $380,000, below regional norms, reflecting more affordable housing options for purchasers.

In FY-2026, there have been $933,000 in commercial approvals, suggesting minimal commercial development activity. Compared to the Rest of Queensland and nationally, Babinda shows approximately 75% of construction activity per person, placing it among the 54th percentile of areas assessed. This activity is below average nationally, reflecting the area's maturity and possible planning constraints. Recent building activity consists entirely of detached houses, preserving the area's low density nature with an emphasis on detached housing attracting space-seeking buyers.

The location has approximately 304 people per dwelling approval, indicating a low density market. By 2041, Babinda is projected to grow by 306 residents. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

Babinda has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 48thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch identified five projects potentially affecting this region. Key initiatives include Cairns Water Security Stage 1, Bruce Highway Cairns Southern Access Corridor Stage 3 - Edmonton to Gordonvale, Mount Peter Priority Development Area (Southern Growth Corridor), and Mount Peter Priority Development Area. The following list details those most relevant.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

Despite maintaining a low unemployment rate of 3.5%, Babinda has experienced recent job losses, resulting in a below average employment performance ranking when compared nationally

Babinda has a balanced workforce with both white and blue collar jobs, prominently featuring manufacturing and industrial sectors. Its unemployment rate is 3.5%.

As of June 2025, the area has 2,452 residents employed, with an unemployment rate at 0.4% below Rest of Qld's rate of 3.9%. Workforce participation in Babinda is somewhat lower than the regional average, at 57.1% compared to Rest of Qld's 59.1%. Major employment sectors include agriculture, forestry & fishing, health care & social assistance, and education & training. Agriculture, forestry & fishing shows notable concentration with employment levels at 3.9 times the regional average, while accommodation & food services have lower representation at 4.7% compared to the regional average of 8.3%.

Over the year to June 2025, labour force levels decreased by 1.5%, alongside a 2.7% decrease in employment, leading to a rise in unemployment by 1.1 percentage points. This contrasts with Rest of Qld's employment growth of 1.8% and labour force expansion of 2.0%. State-wide, Queensland saw employment contract by 0.23% (losing 8,070 jobs) as of Sep-25, with an unemployment rate of 4.2%, slightly better than the national rate of 4.5%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 suggest growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Babinda's employment mix indicates potential local growth of approximately 5.4% over five years and 12.0% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localized population projections.

Income figures position the area below 75% of locations analysed nationally by AreaSearch

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2022, Babinda had a median income among taxpayers of $43,723. The average income stood at $52,858. This is lower than the national average and compares to levels of $50,780 and $64,844 across Rest of Qld respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 11.71% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $48,843 (median) and $59,048 (average) as of March 2025. From the 2021 Census, household, family and personal incomes in Babinda all fall between the 22nd and 23rd percentiles nationally. Income analysis reveals 30.9% of the population (1,485 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 income range, mirroring the region where 31.7% occupy this bracket. While housing costs are modest with 88.2% of income retained, the total disposable income ranks at just the 28th percentile nationally.

Babinda is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

As evaluated at the Census in 2016, dwelling structures in Babinda comprised 96.0% houses and 4.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Non-Metro Qld's 87.1% houses and 12.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Babinda stood at 45.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 32.8% and rented ones at 21.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,367, higher than Non-Metro Qld's average of $1,300. Median weekly rent in Babinda was recorded at $240, compared to Non-Metro Qld's $250. Nationally, Babinda's median monthly mortgage repayment was significantly lower than the Australian average of $1,863, while median weekly rent was substantially below the national figure of $375.

Babinda has a typical household mix, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households account for 72.2% of all households, including 27.1% couples with children, 35.2% couples without children, and 8.8% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 27.8%, with lone person households at 26.1% and group households comprising 1.7% of the total. The median household size is 2.4 people, which matches the average for the Rest of Queensland.

Babinda faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area has university qualification rates of 14.4%, significantly lower than the Australian average of 30.4%. This presents both challenges and opportunities for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 10.9%, followed by graduate diplomas (2.0%) and postgraduate qualifications (1.5%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 43.9% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials - advanced diplomas (8.9%) and certificates (35.0%).

Educational participation is high, with 28.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes secondary education (11.3%), primary education (11.1%), and tertiary education (2.3%). There are seven schools operating within Babinda, educating approximately 425 students. The educational mix includes six primary schools and one K-12 school. School places per 100 residents (8.8) are below the regional average (14.9), indicating some students may attend schools in adjacent areas.

No public transport data available for this catchment area.

Health outcomes in Babinda are marginally below the national average with common health conditions slightly more prevalent than average across both younger and older age cohorts

Babinda's health indicators show below-average results, with common health conditions slightly more prevalent than average across both younger and older age groups. Private health cover is very low at approximately 47% of the total population (~2,244 people), compared to the national average of 55.3%.

The most common medical conditions are arthritis (9.4%) and mental health issues (7.0%). 69.3% of residents claim to be completely clear of medical ailments, slightly higher than the Rest of Qld's 68.1%. Babinda has a larger proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 26.2% (1,258 people), compared to Rest of Qld's 23.6%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, performing better than the general population in health metrics.

Babinda ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Babinda, found below average in cultural diversity, had 86.9% citizens, 87.3% born in Australia, and 93.3% speaking English only at home. Christianity dominated with 57.5%, compared to 59.2% regionally. Top ancestral groups were English (26.1%), Australian (24.8%), Irish (9.2%).

Italian was notably higher at 9.2% vs regional 7.5%. Maltese and Australian Aboriginal showed significant differences, being 1.1% vs 1.1% and 4.4% vs 11.3% respectively.

Babinda hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

Babinda's median age is 47 years, which is notably higher than Rest of Qld's 41 years and older than the national norm of 38 years. Compared to the Rest of Qld average, Babinda has a notably over-represented 65-74 cohort at 15.8%, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 8.1%. This concentration in the 65-74 age range is well above the national average of 9.4%. Between 2021 and present, the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 6.2% to 8.0%, while the 65 to 74 cohort increased from 14.7% to 15.8%. Conversely, the 5 to 14 age group declined from 12.5% to 11.2%, and the 45 to 54 age group dropped from 13.7% to 12.6%. Demographic modeling suggests that Babinda's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041. The 75 to 84 age cohort is projected to expand notably, growing by 176 people (46%) from 386 to 563. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups are expected to account for 62% of total population growth, reflecting Babinda's aging demographic profile. In contrast, population declines are projected for the 55 to 64 and 5 to 14 age cohorts.