Brighton (Qld)
Statistical Area - sa2

An assessment of population growth drivers in Brighton reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

Brighton's (Qld) population is approximately 10,128 as of Aug 2025. This represents an increase of 464 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 9,664. The growth is inferred from ABS estimates: Brighton had an estimated resident population of 10,113 in June 2024 and 11 new addresses were validated after the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 1,560 persons per square kilometer, higher than average national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Brighton's growth rate of 4.8% since the census is close to its SA3 area's 6.8%, indicating strong fundamentals. Natural growth contributed approximately 53.0% of overall population gains recently, with all migration factors also positive.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data and years post-2032, Queensland State Government's SA2 area projections from 2023 based on 2021 data are adopted, applying proportional growth weightings for age cohorts using ABS Greater Capital Region projections released in 2023 with a base year of 2022. By 2041, Brighton is expected to increase by approximately 468 persons, reflecting an overall increase of about 4.5% over the 17 years based on current population numbers.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Brighton according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Brighton has received approximately 30 dwelling approvals annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provides development approval data on a financial year basis. There have been a total of 150 approvals over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25, with three recorded so far in FY-26. On average, 1.9 people moved to the area per dwelling built over these five years. However, this figure has increased to 5.2 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, indicating Brighton's growing popularity and potential supply constraints.

The average construction value of development projects is $680,000, suggesting developers target the premium market segment with higher-end properties. This year, there have been $968,000 in commercial development approvals, reflecting a predominantly residential focus. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Brighton has similar levels of development per person, maintaining market balance consistent with the broader area and falling below the national average. Recent building activity consists solely of detached houses, preserving Brighton's suburban nature and attracting space-seeking buyers.

With around 394 people per dwelling approval, Brighton demonstrates a developed market. Future projections estimate an addition of 453 residents by 2041. Current development patterns indicate that new housing supply should meet demand, presenting good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Brighton has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 11 projects likely to affect the region. Notable ones are Emerald Park Townhouses, Formosa by Ausbuild - Murrumba Downs, Bruce Highway Gateway Motorway to Dohles Rocks Road Upgrade Stage 1, and Highfields Estate. The following list details those most relevant.

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

AreaSearch analysis reveals Brighton significantly outperforming the majority of regions assessed nationwide

Brighton, Queensland, has a skilled workforce with well-represented essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 2.8%, with an estimated employment growth of 11.3% over the past year as of June 2025.

In this month, 5732 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.3% below Greater Brisbane's rate of 4.1%. Workforce participation is similar to Greater Brisbane's 64.5%. Key employment sectors include health care & social assistance, education & training, and construction. Notably, education & training has a high concentration with employment levels at 1.2 times the regional average.

Retail trade has limited presence, with 7.0% employment compared to 9.4% regionally. The area offers limited local employment opportunities as indicated by Census data comparing working population to resident population. Over the past year, employment increased by 11.3%, labour force grew by 10.6%, and unemployment rate fell by 0.7 percentage points. This contrasts with Greater Brisbane where employment rose by 4.4% and unemployment fell by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data to Sep-25 shows Queensland employment contracted by 0.23% (losing 8,070 jobs), with a state unemployment rate of 4.2%, compared to the national rate of 4.5%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, with varying rates across sectors. Applying these projections to Brighton's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.7% over five years and 13.8% over ten years.

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

Brighton's median income among taxpayers was $61,904 in financial year 2022. The average income stood at $74,079 during the same period. These figures compare to Greater Brisbane's median and average incomes of $55,645 and $70,520 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 11.71% since financial year 2022, current estimates suggest approximately $69,153 for the median income and $82,754 for the average income as of March 2025. Census data indicates that household, family, and personal incomes in Brighton cluster around the 66th percentile nationally. Income brackets show that the largest segment comprises 31.6% earning between $1,500 and $2,999 weekly, with 3,200 residents falling into this category. This trend is consistent with broader trends across the broader area, where 33.3% fall into the same income bracket. After housing expenses, 85.1% of income remains for other expenses. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 6th decile.

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

Brighton's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 90.1% houses and 9.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Brisbane metro had 75.4% houses and 24.7% other dwellings. Home ownership in Brighton was higher at 33.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 46.0% and rented ones at 20.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Brighton was $1,993, above Brisbane metro's average of $1,800. Median weekly rent in Brighton was $400, compared to Brisbane metro's $375. Nationally, Brighton's mortgage repayments exceeded the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were higher than the national figure of $375.

Brighton has a typical household mix, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 73.0% of all households, including 34.7% couples with children, 24.8% couples without children, and 12.3% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 27.0%, with lone person households at 24.8% and group households making up 2.1%. The median household size is 2.6 people, larger than the Greater Brisbane average of 2.5.

The educational profile of Brighton exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

Educational qualifications in Brighton trail regional benchmarks with 28.3% of residents aged 15+ holding university degrees compared to 33.8% in SA4 region. Bachelor degrees lead at 19.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (5.3%) and graduate diplomas (3.8%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 37.5% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (12.2%) and certificates (25.3%). Educational participation is notably high, with 28.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education.

This includes 10.4% in primary education, 8.4% in secondary education, and 4.4% pursuing tertiary education. Brighton's schools have combined enrollment reaching 1,087 students while Brighton demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1065). The educational mix includes 3 primary, 1 K-12 school. School places per 100 residents (10.7) fall below the regional average (14.4), with some students likely attending schools in adjacent areas. Note: where schools show 'n/a' for enrolments please refer to parent campus.

Transport servicing is moderate compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility

Brighton has 68 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These are served by five different routes that together offer 659 weekly passenger trips. The city's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents on average located just 182 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 94 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately nine weekly trips per stop.

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

Brighton's health indicators show below-average outcomes, with common health conditions slightly more prevalent than average among both younger and older age groups. The rate of private health cover is very high at approximately 56% of the total population (~5,722 people), compared to 52.6% across Greater Brisbane.

Mental health issues and asthma are the most common medical conditions in the area, affecting 9.1% and 8.3% of residents respectively. 67.6% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 67.8% across Greater Brisbane. The area has 18.1% of residents aged 65 and over (1,831 people), which is broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

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

Brighton's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 81.2% of its population born in Australia, 90.9% being citizens, and 95.1% speaking English only at home. Christianity is the main religion in Brighton, making up 50.0% of people there, compared to 50.1% across Greater Brisbane. The top three ancestry groups are English (31.1%), Australian (25.7%), and Irish (10.6%).

Notably, Scottish representation is higher at 9.5%, Welsh is at 0.8%, and New Zealand is at 1.1%.

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

Brighton's median age is 42 years, significantly above Greater Brisbane's average of 36 and older than Australia's median of 38. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Brighton has a notably higher proportion of 55-64 year-olds (14.2%) but fewer 25-34 year-olds (7.6%). Post-2021 Census, the 75 to 84 age group grew from 5.0% to 6.1%, while the 25 to 34 cohort declined from 9.1% to 7.6%. By 2041, Brighton's age profile is expected to change significantly. The 75 to 84 cohort is projected to grow by 55%, adding 335 residents to reach 949. Residents aged 65 and older are expected to represent 70% of the population growth. However, declines are projected for the 0 to 4 and 25 to 34 age groups.