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This analysis uses ABS Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2) boundaries, which can materially differ from Suburbs and Localities (SAL) even when sharing similar names.
SA2 boundaries are defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and are designed to represent communities for statistical reporting (e.g., census and ERP).
Suburbs and Localities (SAL) represent commonly-used suburb/locality names (postal-style areas) and may use different geographic boundaries. For comprehensive analysis, consider reviewing both boundary types if available.
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ABS ERP | -- people | --
2021 Census | -- people
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Bribie Island has an estimated 22,219 residents, up from 20,612 at the 2021 Census — a change of 1,607 people, or 7.8%. Growth has averaged 1.8% a year over five years. 333 new addresses have been validated here since Census night. Interstate and internal migration accounts for 65.8% of that increase. That puts 153 residents on each square kilometre. Population is estimated from ABS Estimated Resident Population releases and GNAF address data, re-based from the 2021 Census and updated annually.
Detail
As of Aug 2026, demographic analysis from AreaSearch places the population of Bribie Island at roughly 22,219 residents. This reflects an expansion of 1,607 people (7.8%) compared to the 20,612 people recorded during the 2021 Census. This growth is calculated using the June 2025 ABS estimated resident population benchmark of 22,215 alongside 333 validated new addresses registered following the Census. With 152 persons per square kilometer, the locality maintains a low-density living environment with substantial open space that could support further residential expansion. Over the last ten years, Bribie Island has recorded steady demographic expansion with a 1.9% compound annual growth rate, exceeding the broader SA3 area.
The primary catalyst for local demographic expansion has been net interstate migration, which accounted for approximately 65.8% of aggregate population additions across recent periods. Projections utilised by AreaSearch incorporate the 2024 ABS/Geoscience Australia dataset using 2022 as its baseline. When evaluating areas lacking coverage or extending beyond 2032, models draw upon the Queensland State Government SA2 series published in 2023 from 2021 baseline data. Because age breakdowns are omitted in state-level models, proportional adjustments are calibrated using the 2023 ABS Greater Capital Region series (based on 2022 data) across individual age segments. Looking forward, demographic gains are projected to track marginally beneath the nationwide median, with the locality forecast to expand by 1,665 persons by 2041 according to recent annual ERP data, representing a cumulative increase of 7.5% across the 16 years.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
403 new dwellings have been approved in Bribie Island over the past five years, an average of 80 a year. That places the area in the 68th percentile for residential development activity nationally, about 4 approvals per 1,000 residents a year. Of the 70 dwellings approved in the latest reporting year, 94% were detached houses and the rest townhouses or apartments. Figures come from ABS building approvals aggregated to this SA2 boundary and are updated monthly as the ABS releases them.
Detail
Residential building approvals across Bribie Island have averaged approximately 80 dwellings annually, representing 403 homes over the last 5 financial years. Between FY-22 and FY-26, the area absorbed an average of 4.7 people per year for every home constructed, pointing to an environment where underlying demand substantially outpaces building activity. Such imbalances commonly drive price appreciation and heighten buyer competition, with new residential projects reflecting an average building cost of $475,000. Additionally, commercial development approvals reached $8.1 million during this financial year, underlining the district's predominantly residential character. On a per-person basis, dwelling approval activity on Bribie Island closely mirrors Greater Brisbane, fostering steady market conditions consistent with surrounding regional benchmarks.
Approved residential construction is heavily weighted toward detached houses at 94.0%, with townhouses or apartments making up 6.0%, reinforcing the traditional low-density suburban landscape favored by buyers seeking standalone family properties. This emphasis on detached houses exceeds existing housing stock proportions (73.0% at Census), highlighting sustained demand for detached family residences despite broader urban consolidation trends. Furthermore, a ratio of 495 people per approved dwelling highlights the restrained pace of local construction activity. Long-term forecasts indicate that Bribie Island is on track to add 1,661 residents by 2041, based on the latest quarterly calculations from AreaSearch. If existing construction patterns continue, future residential additions appear capable of accommodating this influx, creating favorable purchasing conditions and potentially opening opportunities for population gains beyond current projections.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Development applications around Bribie Island
Loading development applications…
| Lodged | Address | Description | Type | Distance | Status |
|---|
SOURCE: Planning portals and council registers, compiled by AreaSearch. Distance & bearing measured from the suburb midpoint.
AreaSearch tracks 13 current infrastructure and development projects inside Bribie Island, worth an estimated $4.28 billion. A further 157 sit in the immediately surrounding suburbs, taking the tracked pipeline within reach of the area to $32.7 billion. 62 are already under construction and 80 are due for completion within three years. The pipeline spans residential development, transport & logistics and communities, precincts & urban renewal. Records are compiled from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, council planning portals and public announcements, reviewed and updated daily, then ranked by proximity, construction stage, completion horizon and project scale.
Detail
Local infrastructure investments, major developments, and strategic urban planning exert a powerful influence on community performance. AreaSearch has pinpointed 14 key projects expected to shape the local catchment. Notable undertakings include the Bribie Island Retiree Resort (Sundale), Sunderland Drive Residential Estate (Pacific Harbour), Bongaree Village Shopping Centre Expansion, and Bribie Island Central.
Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.
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Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
Bribie Island Retirement Community
New 5 storey retirement living community by Sundale comprising 84 independent living units with coastal views, shared lounges, landscaped gardens and onsite community facilities designed for seniors.
Sunderland Drive Residential Estate (Pacific Harbour)
Premium waterfront and canal-front land release within the larger Pacific Harbour masterplanned community on Bribie Island, QLD. Offers large residential lots with direct water access and golf course frontage.
Pacific Harbour Bribie Island
Masterplanned waterfront residential community on Bribie Island delivering around 2,000 house and land lots across canal, golf and lakeside precincts, anchored by the Pacific Harbour Golf and Country Club. The Golf Course Precinct is now 95% sold out with only a handful of lots remaining, while the Palm Cove canal precinct continues to offer registered waterfront lots from $1.2M. Community build-out is expected to be complete by December 2026.
Bongaree Village Shopping Centre Expansion
Council-led upgrade and expansion of the Bongaree Village Shopping Precinct on Bribie Island, delivering additional small format retail tenancies, upgraded streetscape and public realm, improved pedestrian links and foreshore connections, and reconfigured parking as part of the Bongaree Village master plan and wider investment in the City of Moreton Bay coastal villages.
Bribie Island Central
Bribie Island Central is an established Woolworths and Target anchored convenience shopping centre in Bongaree, with about 32 specialty stores and centre services for the Bribie Island community. No official evidence was found confirming a current Coles-anchored redevelopment at the Banksia Beach address in the original record.
Moreton Bay Rail Link Stage 2
The Moreton Bay Rail Link Stage 2 remains a long-term strategic proposal to extend the heavy rail line from Kippa-Ring to Bribie Island. As of early 2026, the corridor is primarily in the planning and protection phase. Immediate infrastructure priority has shifted to the $757 million Bribie Island Bridge duplication and the Caboolture-Bribie Island Road Upgrade Program. While the rail extension is not yet funded for construction, the Bribie Island Bridge duplication is currently in the detailed design phase, featuring a new bridge for eastbound traffic and a dedicated active transport path, with the existing bridge to be repurposed for westbound traffic.
Solana Bribie Island Lifestyle Resort
Large-scale over-50s land lease community with 320 independent living units, a Livewell Centre featuring a clubhouse, indoor and outdoor pools, bowling green, and other resort facilities. The resort is fully tenanted and homes are sold out, with resales only.
Solana Bribie Island Lifestyle Resort
Completed over 50s lifestyle resort on Bribie Island comprising around 200 single level homes and a central Livewell Centre with indoor and outdoor pools, bowling green, tennis court, gym, cinema and community hall, located a short walk from Bribie Island Shopping Centre and the local transport hub. New home builds are sold out and the community now operates as an established resort with resales only. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0} :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1} :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
7,438 residents of Bribie Island are employed, from a labour force of 7,781. Unemployment sits at 4.4%, with participation at 37.9%. Weighted for its industry mix, the area's sectors are forecast to grow about 6.5% nationally over five years. That reflects industry composition only and makes no allowance for local population growth. Unemployment and labour force come from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, updated quarterly; the industry and occupation profile is from the 2021 Census.
Detail
The local labour market on Bribie Island features an even distribution across white and blue collar occupations in various industries, recording an unemployment rate of 4.4% alongside an estimated 4.5% job growth over the preceding year. As of March 2026, employed residents numbered 7,438. While local unemployment sits close to the Greater Brisbane benchmark of 4.3%, workforce participation is notably subdued at 37.9% compared to 70.1% across Greater Brisbane. Census records indicated that 18.0% of local workers performed their duties from home, though figures may reflect prevailing Covid-19 restrictions at the time.
Resident employment is primarily clustered across health care & social assistance, construction, and retail trade. The local economy exhibits particular concentration in construction, where the workforce concentration is 1.4 times that of the wider region. Conversely, professional & technical roles account for only 5.7% of resident employment, trailing the 8.9% observed across Greater Brisbane. Comparing resident workers against the local Census working population indicates a constrained volume of local employment opportunities within the immediate area. Analysing SALM and ABS statistics over the twelve months to March 2026 shows local employment expanding by 4.5% alongside a 5.0% expansion in the labour force, which pushed the unemployment rate up by 0.4 percentage points. Across Greater Brisbane over the same timeframe, employment climbed 3.2%, the labour force grew 3.4%, and unemployment ticked up 0.1 percentage points. Looking ahead, national forecasts released in Mar-26 by Jobs and Skills Australia provide insight into potential future hiring trends. When mapped against the local industry profile over five- and ten-year horizons, these forecasts illustrate prospective labor demand. Nationwide employment is expected to increase by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, with sector-specific variation. Applying these sectoral trajectories to the local occupational baseline suggests Bribie Island employment could expand by 6.5% over five years and 13.5% over ten years (note that this represents a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not incorporate local population projections).
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Median household income in Bribie Island is $961 a week (about $50,000 a year), with median personal income at $529 a week. ATO records put median taxable income at $41,939 a year against an average of $57,471. Household income is from the 2021 Census; taxable income is from ATO Taxation Statistics for the latest financial year available, indexed forward using the ABS Wage Price Index.
Detail
According to postcode-based ATO tax statistics compiled by AreaSearch for financial year 2023, personal earnings in the Bribie Island SA2 sit lower than national standards, recording a median income of $41,939 and an average income of $57,471. In comparison, Greater Brisbane posted a median income of $58,236 and an average income of $72,799. Adjusting for an 11.36% rise in the Wage Price Index since financial year 2023, estimated earnings stand at roughly $46,703 (median) and $64,000 (average) as of March 2026. Data from the 2021 Census shows local household, family, and individual incomes tracking between the 2nd and 5th percentiles nationally.
Looking at income distributions, 33.1% of residents (7,354 individuals) fall into the $400 - 799 weekly earnings bracket, contrasting with broader regional trends where 33.3% earn between $1,500 - 2,999. Household budgets remain constrained, with 41.5% managing on weekly incomes under $800. Housing affordability is particularly tight, leaving residents with 83.8% of income after shelter costs, placing the area in the 4th percentile.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Bribie Island had 9,553 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, 73% detached houses and 6% apartments. 20% are owned with a mortgage, 24% rented and 56% owned outright. At that Census the median rent was $335 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,647 a month. Rent absorbs 34.9% of household income here and mortgage repayments 39.6%. Dwelling stock, tenure and housing costs are 2021 Census measures — the only source that counts dwellings at this boundary size.
Detail
According to the latest Census, the local housing mix on Bribie Island comprised 73.2% houses and 26.8% other dwellings (including semi-detached properties, apartments, and 'other' dwellings), aligning closely with Brisbane metro at 73.5% houses and 26.5% other dwellings. Outright home ownership was substantially higher on Bribie Island at 56.3%, while remaining properties were either held under a mortgage (20.2%) or occupied by tenants (23.6%). Median monthly mortgage costs sat well below the Brisbane metro benchmark at $1,647 compared to $1,863, while median weekly rent stood at $335 against $380 regionally.
Relative to national figures, local mortgage payments remain noticeably lower than the Australian average of $1,863, and weekly rents are well below the nationwide benchmark of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Bribie Island counted 9,553 households at the 2021 Census, an estimated 10,298 today, averaging 2.0 people each. 13% are couples with children, fewer than in 96% of areas nationally, against 43% couples without children. 32% of households are people living alone, and families average 2.0 children. Household and family composition is measured only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Family households constitute the majority of local living arrangements at 64.9%, consisting of couples without children (43.4%), couples with children (12.5%), and single parent families (8.3%). Non-family living arrangements account for the remaining 35.1%, driven by lone person households at 32.4% and group households at 2.7%. With a median household size of 2.0 people, average occupancy is more compact than the Greater Brisbane benchmark of 2.6.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
15.6% of adults in Bribie Island hold a university qualification, including 10.8% with a bachelor degree and 2.9% with postgraduate qualifications, lower than 76% of areas nationally. A further 28.7% hold a vocational qualification. 3 schools serve the area, with 2,456 enrolment places and an average ICSEA of 974 against a national benchmark of 1,000. Qualifications come from the 2021 Census; school enrolments, ICSEA and results come from ACARA's current release.
Detail
Educational attainment profiles indicate that tertiary qualification rates on Bribie Island stand at 15.6%, tracking noticeably behind the Greater Brisbane average of 30.5%. Attainment is led by Bachelor degrees at 10.8%, with postgraduate qualifications accounting for 2.9% and graduate diplomas representing 1.9%. Vocational and trade training is widely held across the community, with 40.7% of individuals aged 15+ possessing technical credentials, split between certificates (28.7%) and advanced diplomas (12.0%). Total enrollment across educational institutions represents 17.3% of the resident population. Within this cohort, secondary education accounts for 6.3%, primary education comprises 6.1%, and tertiary studies represent 1.8%.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Getting around Bribie Island means driving: households keep an average of 1.1 vehicles, and no scheduled public transport appears in the current timetable feeds. Service data is built from operators' published GTFS timetables; vehicle ownership is from the 2021 Census.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
51.0% of residents in Bribie Island report no long-term health condition, a less healthy profile than 84% of areas nationally. 10.6% need daily assistance with core activities, and 47.6% hold private health cover. The standardised death rate runs at 4.8 per 1,000 residents. Health conditions, assistance needs and insurance are 2021 Census measures; the death rate comes from current ABS releases.
Detail
Health indicators compiled by AreaSearch highlight notable community health considerations on Bribie Island, reflected across mortality figures and elevated chronic illness rates among younger and older demographics alike. Private health insurance membership is comparatively low, covering roughly 48% of residents (~10,576 people), trailing the Greater Brisbane average of 55.8% as well as the national rate of 55.7%. Arthritis and mental health conditions represent the most prevalent diagnoses locally, affecting 15.4% and 8.5% of the population, respectively, while 51.0% of residents reported having no medical conditions compared to 69.2% across Greater Brisbane.
Working-age residents experience heightened rates of chronic illness. Seniors aged 65 and over make up 50.3% of the community (11,173 people), substantially exceeding the 15.0% share recorded across Greater Brisbane, with older residents experiencing health outcomes broadly consistent with broader national trends.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Bribie Island is largely Australian-born, at 76.7% of residents, with 4.0% speaking a language other than English at home. The largest reported ancestries are English (36.0%) and Australian (24.6%). Ancestry, language and country of birth are counted only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Bribie Island exhibits relatively low cultural diversity compared to wider benchmarks, with 76.7% of residents born in Australia, 89.2% holding citizenship, and 96.0% speaking exclusively English at home. Christianity represents the leading religious affiliation, accounting for 59.2% of the local population compared to 47.8% across Greater Brisbane. Regarding ancestral heritage based on parental birthplace, English represents the most common background at 36.0% of the population, notably above the regional rate of 26.8%, followed by Australian at 24.6% and Irish at 9.7%. Other distinct cultural backgrounds include Scottish at 9.6% (compared to 7.4% regionally), German at 4.9% (against 4.2%), and Welsh at 0.8% (versus 0.5%).
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
The median resident of Bribie Island is 63, older than 99% of areas nationally. 10.7% of residents are aged 15 to 34. Age cohorts are not raw Census counts: the Census split is re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections.
Detail
Bribie Island has a significantly mature demographic profile relative to the broader region. As of August 2026 estimates, retiree and elderly cohorts (65+) make up 50.3% of the population, compared to 15.0% across Greater Brisbane, whereas young to middle aged adults (25 - 44) account for only 9.3% versus 30.6% regionally. The estimated median age stands at 63, matching the 2021 Census figure and sitting 27 years above the Greater Brisbane Census benchmark of 36, as well as exceeding the national median of 38 at that Census. Since that Census, the proportion of residents in retiree and elderly cohorts has expanded from 45.9% to an estimated 50.3%.
Looking forward to 2041, senior cohorts are projected to drive the bulk of local expansion, increasing by 3,631 residents (32%) to reach 14,805, while numbers of children and young adults along with young to middle aged adults are expected to decrease.
Frequently Asked Questions - Age
Data & MethodBoundaries, Sources & Method for Bribie Island
9 of 14 data sections on this page were updated within the last 12 months — the newest current to Sep 2026.
Everything is aggregated to the SA2 boundary shown above, on a 2021 Census baseline. Only 3 sections — housing, households and cultural diversity — still wait on the 2026 Census.
The ledger — source, cycle and currency by section
| Section | Source & update cycle | Currency |
|---|---|---|
| Updated within the last 12 months 9 sections | ||
| Population | ABS, GNAF, Geoscience Australia Annual (ABS ERP) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release) and updated with new dwellings from GNAF address data. Current to Aug 2026, with the 2021 Census supplying the small-area baseline. | ||
| Age profile | ABS, Geoscience Australia, State governments Annual | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Age cohorts are re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections, current to Aug 2026. Each cohort is held as a Census baseline and a current estimate. | ||
| Development & approvals | ABS, GNAF Monthly (ABS approvals) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · Jul 2026 baseline |
| Property sales & rents | Valuer General, Rental Board, ABS Weekly sales, quarterly rents | Sep 2026 this month all 21 measures |
| Sales from the state Valuer General register, refreshed weekly, and rents from quarterly rental bond lodgements. Both are read live each time this page loads, current to Sep 2026. | ||
| Infrastructure projects | Infrastructure Australia, State agencies, Local governments Daily | Aug 2026 last month all 13 projects tracked here |
| Project pipeline maintained continuously from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, local government and public announcements. Records are added and revised daily; this area was last updated Aug 2026. | ||
| Employment | ABS, DEWR, JSA Quarterly (ABS SALM) | Mar 2026 6 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Unemployment and labour force from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, current to Mar 2026. The growth outlook applies Department of Employment (now Jobs and Skills Australia) forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to the local industry mix, so it measures sector composition rather than local expansion and makes no allowance for population growth. Job demand comes from the same agency via its Internet Vacancy Index; industry and occupation structure from the 2021 Census. | ||
| Education | ABS, ACARA Annual (ACARA) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Transport | ABS, State Transport Departments Each timetable release | Jul 2026 2 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Services & amenities | Provider directories, ACECQA Continuous | Jul 2026 2 months ago all 14 measures |
| Annual and financial-year sources 2 sections | ||
| Income | ABS, ATO Annual (ATO) | FY 2023 3 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| ATO taxable income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index. Census household income provides the distribution detail. | ||
| Health | ABS, ATO Annual | 2024 2 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Census-measured — next update: 2026 Census 3 sections No more current small-area source exists for these, so they are labelled as Census-measured rather than implied to be current. | ||
| Housing | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 30 measures |
| Households | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 18 measures |
| Cultural diversity | ABS, Geoscience Australia 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 44 measures |
"Currency" is the most recent release feeding that section. Where the Census supplies the structural baseline underneath a current headline figure, the row says so.
How the numbers are built
Population
The Census provides the small-area baseline, aggregated from mesh blocks to this boundary. It is then re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release), and new dwellings built since Census night are counted from address data — 333 validated new addresses here. The headline figure is therefore a current estimate for Aug 2026, not a 2021 count (20,612 at the 2021 Census → 22,219 now). Annual growth rates are compound (CAGR), not simple averages.
Age profile
Cohort shares are not raw Census counts. Every cohort is held as a pair — the Census baseline and a current estimate — and the split is re-based using ERP and state population projections, current to Aug 2026. Median age is the Census median plus modelled change since. Charts that show both are labelled "2021 Census vs Current Estimate".
Property sales
Sourced from the state valuation authority's sales register — current, not Census, and refreshed weekly. Medians are calculated from settled transactions in the period shown; periods with very low transaction counts are flagged or suppressed, because a handful of sales can move a median substantially.
Rents
Derived from state rental bond lodgement data, by dwelling type and bedroom count. Bonds are lodged at the start of a new tenancy, so this reflects new lettings, not the whole rented stock.
Development & infrastructure
Building approvals come from current ABS releases; development applications are collected from council and state planning portals; the infrastructure pipeline is compiled from Infrastructure Australia and local government sources. Applications are matched to this boundary by address or coordinates, so very recent lodgements may not yet appear.
Employment & income
Industry and occupation structure comes from the Census, but the headline labour-market indicators do not. Unemployment and labour force are derived from ABS Small Area Labour Markets (quarterly). The employment outlook applies Department of Employment forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to this area's own industry mix (the agency is now Jobs and Skills Australia), as does the Internet Vacancy Index used for job demand. Because it is weighted on industry composition alone, that outlook carries no allowance for local population growth — in fast-growing areas the real rise in local jobs will typically be higher. Income combines Census household income with ATO taxable-income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index.
Education, transport & amenities
School enrolments, ICSEA and performance come from ACARA's current release, not the Census. Public transport stops and service frequency are derived from GTFS timetable feeds published by state transport departments. Services and amenities are proximity and count scores built from provider directories, refreshed on their own cycle. The Census contributes only the travel-to-work and qualification measures.
Rankings and benchmarks. Where we rank this area, the comparison set is every area of the same boundary type — suburbs against suburbs, SA2s against SA2s. Benchmarks compare this area against its greater capital city region and the national figure for the same measure and period.
Limits worth knowing. Small areas carry larger error margins, and the ABS introduces small random adjustments to Census counts to protect confidentiality — so totals may not sum exactly. Estimates re-based from regional data describe the area's expected trajectory, not a direct count of it. Figures are indicative for research and are not financial, planning or valuation advice.
Cross-check us. The Census baseline for this boundary is at ABS 2021 Census QuickStats (313011363). QuickStats reports 2021 only — the figures on this page are more current wherever the ledger shows a later date.