Caloundra West - Baringa

Caloundra West - Baringa lies within the top 10% of areas nationally in terms of population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of short and medium-term trends

Caloundra West - Baringa's population was around 25,772 as of November 2025. This figure reflects an increase of 10,065 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 15,707 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 21,956 in June 2024 and an additional 3,805 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 543 persons per square kilometer. Caloundra West - Baringa's growth rate of 64.1% since the 2021 census exceeded both the non-metro area (8.8%) and the national average, marking it as a significant growth leader in the region. Population growth was primarily driven by interstate migration, contributing approximately 82.4% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered and years post-2032, Queensland State Government's SA2 area projections are adopted, released in 2023 based on 2021 data. Considering projected demographic shifts, exceptional growth is predicted over the period, placing the area in the top 10 percent of locations outside capital cities. The population is expected to expand by 32,996 persons to 2041, reflecting an increase of 113.2% in total over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Caloundra West - Baringa was found to be higher than 90% of real estate markets across the country

Caloundra West - Baringa has received around 782 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling 3,912 homes. As of FY-26363 approvals have been recorded. On average, each dwelling accommodates 2.5 new residents per year between FY-21 and FY-25. The average construction cost for these dwellings is $298,000.

In FY-26, commercial development approvals totalled $13.0 million. Compared to the rest of Queensland, Caloundra West - Baringa has 225% more development activity per person. Recent construction comprises 81% detached dwellings and 19% medium to high-density housing. The area currently has approximately 22 people per dwelling approval. By 2041, the population is forecasted to increase by 29,177 residents.

Construction pace is maintaining with projected growth, but buyers may face increasing competition as population grows.

Caloundra West - Baringa has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 88 projects likely to affect the region. Notable initiatives include Aura Business Park, Aura Hotel, New Bells Creek Zone Substation, and The Wave - Sunshine Coast Rail and Metro. The following list details those expected to be most relevant.

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

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AreaSearch analysis reveals Caloundra West - Baringa significantly outperforming the majority of regions assessed nationwide

Caloundra West - Baringa has a skilled workforce with prominent representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 2.7%, lower than the Rest of Qld's 4.1%.

Over the past year, employment stability has been relative. As of September 2025, 12,124 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.3% below the regional average and workforce participation at 70.3%, higher than Rest of Qld's 59.1%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, construction, and retail trade. Health care & social assistance is particularly notable, with employment levels at 1.3 times the regional average.

Conversely, agriculture, forestry & fishing shows lower representation at 0.6% versus the regional average of 4.5%. The area offers limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by Census data on working population vs resident population. Between September 2024 and September 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.7%, and employment decreased by 0.3%, leading to a fall in unemployment rate by 0.4 percentage points. In contrast, Rest of Qld saw employment growth of 1.7% and labour force expansion of 2.1%, with unemployment rising by 0.3 percentage points. State-level data from 25-Nov-25 shows Queensland employment contracted by 0.01% (losing 1,210 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.2%, closely aligned with the national rate of 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 suggest that while overall employment is projected to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates vary significantly between industry sectors. Applying these projections to Caloundra West - Baringa's employment mix indicates local employment should increase by 6.8% over five years and 14.1% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localized population projections.

The economic profile demonstrates above-average performance, with income metrics exceeding national benchmarks based on AreaSearch comparative assessment

The median income among taxpayers in Caloundra West - Baringa SA2 was $56,357 during financial year 2022. The average income stood at $71,953 for the same period. These figures compare to $50,780 and $64,844 respectively for Rest of Qld. Based on a Wage Price Index growth of 13.99% since financial year 2022, current estimates suggest approximately $64,241 (median) and $82,019 (average) as of September 2025. According to the 2021 Census, household, family and personal incomes in Caloundra West - Baringa cluster around the 58th percentile nationally. The largest segment comprises 42.5% earning $1,500 - 2,999 weekly (10,953 residents), mirroring regional levels where 31.7% occupy this bracket. High housing costs consume 18.9% of income in the area. Despite this, strong earnings place disposable income at the 54th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 6th decile.

Caloundra West - Baringa is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Caloundra West - Baringa's dwellings, as per the latest Census, consisted of 86.0% houses and 13.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Non-Metro Qld's 70.4% houses and 29.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Caloundra West - Baringa stood at 22.1%, with mortgaged dwellings at 44.4% and rented ones at 33.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,891, below Non-Metro Qld's average of $1,950. The median weekly rent was $480, higher than Non-Metro Qld's figure of $450. Nationally, Caloundra West - Baringa's mortgage repayments were higher at $1,863, and rents substantially above the national average of $375.

Caloundra West - Baringa features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 80.3% of all households, including 38.7% couples with children, 26.4% couples without children, and 14.3% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 19.7%, comprising 16.5% lone person households and 3.3% group households. The median household size is 2.8 people, larger than the Rest of Qld average of 2.5.

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

In Caloundra West, specifically within the Baringa trail region, 20.9% of residents aged 15 years and above hold university degrees, compared to Australia's national average of 30.4%. This disparity suggests potential for educational growth and skill enhancement in the area. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 15.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 3.5% and graduate diplomas at 2.4%. Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 44.1% of residents aged 15 years and above holding such qualifications.

This includes advanced diplomas (12.8%) and certificates (31.3%). Notably, educational participation is high in the region, with 31.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes primary education (12.1%), secondary education (8.3%), and tertiary education (4.7%).

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

The analysis of public transportation in Caloundra West - Baringa shows that there are currently 36 operational transport stops. These stops facilitate a variety of bus routes, with a total of five individual routes serving the area. This network enables 570 weekly passenger trips in total.

The accessibility of these transport services is considered good, with residents generally located approximately 303 meters from their nearest stop. On average, each route provides 81 trips per day, which translates to about 15 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Caloundra West - Baringa is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Caloundra West - Baringa shows superior health outcomes for both young and elderly residents. Common health conditions have a low prevalence in this area.

Approximately 55% of its total population (~14,251 people) has private health cover, higher than the rest of Queensland at 52.7%. Mental health issues and asthma are the most prevalent medical conditions, affecting 9.0% and 8.1% of residents respectively. A significant majority, 71.8%, report no medical ailments compared to 66.2% in the rest of Queensland. The area has a lower proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 10.4% (2,680 people) than the state average of 22.3%. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, mirroring the overall population's health profile.

In terms of cultural diversity, Caloundra West - Baringa records figures broadly comparable to the national average, as found in AreaSearch's assessment of a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Caloundra West-Baringa, as per the 2016 Census, had a higher than average linguistic diversity with 9.8% of its population speaking a language other than English at home. In terms of birthplace, 23.9% were born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 44.0%.

The 'Other' religious category showed an overrepresentation in Caloundra West-Baringa at 1.1%, compared to Rest of Qld's 0.5%. For ancestry, the top groups were English (31.9%), Australian (26.9%), and Scottish (7.3%). Notable divergences included New Zealanders at 1.3% (vs regional 1.1%), Maori at 1.3% (vs regional 0.7%), and South Africans at 0.7% (vs regional 0.6%).

Caloundra West - Baringa's young demographic places it in the bottom 15% of areas nationwide

Caloundra West - Baringa has a median age of 33, which is younger than both Queensland's figure of 41 and Australia's figure of 38. The 25-34 age group comprises 17.9% of the population in Caloundra West - Baringa, higher than the Rest of Qld figure. Conversely, the 55-64 age group makes up 7.8%, lower than Queensland's average. Between 2021 and present, the 35 to 44 age group has increased from 15.8% to 17.2%, while the 25 to 34 cohort rose from 16.7% to 17.9%. However, the 5-14 age group decreased from 16.3% to 15.2%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in Caloundra West - Baringa's age structure. Notably, the 35 to 44 age group is projected to grow by 126%, reaching 10,013 people from its current total of 4,422.