Carpentaria
Statistical Area - sa2

Carpentaria has shown very soft population growth performance across periods assessed by AreaSearch

As of November 2025, Carpentaria's population is approximately 5,253, reflecting a growth of 332 people since the 2021 Census. This increase corresponds to a 6.7% rise from the previously reported population of 4,921. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 5,238 in June 2024 and an additional 5 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 0.00 persons per square kilometer. Carpentaria's growth rate exceeded that of its SA3 area (2.6%) and SA4 region, positioning it as a growth leader. Natural growth contributed approximately 89.2% to overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopts 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 are used, released in 2023 based on 2021 data. However, these state projections do not provide age category splits, so AreaSearch applies proportional growth weightings aligned with ABS Greater Capital Region projections released in 2023 and based on 2022 data for each age cohort. Future population dynamics anticipate lower quartile growth for locations outside capital cities, with Carpentaria expected to increase by 23 persons by 2041, reflecting a total increase of 0.1% over the 17-year period.

AreaSearch analysis of residential development drivers sees Carpentaria recording a relatively average level of approval activity when compared to local markets analysed countrywide

Carpentaria has averaged approximately 12 new dwelling approvals per year. Over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25, 60 homes were approved, with no approvals recorded so far in FY-26. Each dwelling built over these five years has resulted in an average of 2.3 new residents per year, indicating strong demand that supports property values.

The average expected construction cost value for new homes is $535,000, suggesting a focus on the premium market with high-end developments. This financial year, $1.6 million in commercial approvals have been registered, predominantly reflecting residential development. Compared to the Rest of Qld, Carpentaria has 110.0% more construction activity per person. However, this is lower than the national average, indicating a mature market and possible development constraints. New building activity comprises 73.0% detached houses and 27.0% attached dwellings, maintaining the area's low density nature with an emphasis on detached housing attracting space-seeking buyers.

The estimated population per dwelling approval is 1371 people, reflecting its quiet, low activity development environment. Population forecasts indicate Carpentaria will gain 8 residents by 2041. With current construction levels, housing supply should meet demand adequately, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Carpentaria has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 7thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified two projects likely affecting this region. Key projects are CopperString 2032, Mount Isa-Townsville Rail Corridor Upgrade, and Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan - Northern Queensland SuperGrid (including CopperString 2032 & Northern REZ). The following details these projects in order of relevance.

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

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Employment conditions in Carpentaria face significant challenges, ranking among the bottom 10% of areas assessed nationally

Carpentaria's workforce is balanced across white and blue-collar jobs, with prominent representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate was 16.3% as of June 2025.

Compared to the Rest of Queensland (RoQ), which had a rate of 3.9%, Carpentaria's unemployment rate was 12.4% higher, indicating room for improvement. Workforce participation in Carpentaria is significantly lower at 44.5%, compared to RoQ's 59.1%. Leading employment industries among residents include agriculture, forestry & fishing, public administration & safety, and education & training. Notably, agriculture, forestry & fishing has a high concentration with employment levels at 4.0 times the regional average.

However, health care & social assistance has limited presence at 10.7%, compared to the regional average of 16.1%. Over the year ending June 2025, labour force levels increased by 0.3% while employment declined by 2.7%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 2.5 percentage points. In contrast, RoQ saw employment grow by 1.8%, labour force expand by 2.0%, and unemployment rise by only 0.2 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project a growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years for national employment. Applying these projections to Carpentaria's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 5.3% over five years and 11.6% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations and do not account for localized population projections.

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year ending June 30, 2022 shows that income in Carpentaria is below the national average. The median assessed income is $43,451 while the average income stands at $53,320. This contrasts with Rest of Qld's figures where the median income is $50,780 and the average income is $64,844. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 13.99% since financial year ending June 30, 2022, current estimates would be approximately $49,530 (median) and $60,779 (average) as of September 2025. From the Census conducted in August 2021, household income ranks at the 19th percentile with a weekly income of $1,279, while personal income sits at the 3rd percentile. The earnings profile shows that the largest segment comprises 28.2% earning between $1,500 and $2,999 weekly, which includes 1,481 residents. This is consistent with broader trends across the region where 31.7% fall into the same category. While housing costs are modest, allowing for 91.7% of income to be retained, the total disposable income ranks at just the 28th percentile nationally.

Carpentaria is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

The latest Census data shows that in Carpentaria, 72.8% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 27.3% being semi-detached, apartments, or other types. In comparison, Non-Metro Qld had 77.3% houses and 22.7% other dwellings. Home ownership in Carpentaria stood at 19.9%, with mortgaged dwellings at 5.7% and rented ones at 74.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,042, lower than Non-Metro Qld's average of $1,500. The median weekly rent in Carpentaria was $125, compared to Non-Metro Qld's $220. Nationally, Carpentaria's mortgage repayments were significantly lower at $1,042 versus Australia's average of $1,863, and rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

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

Family households constitute 70.7% of all households, including 28.1% couples with children, 21.7% couples without children, and 17.7% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 29.3%, with lone person households at 26.2% and group households comprising 3.1%. The median household size is 3.0 people, larger than the Rest of Qld average of 2.6 people.

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

The area's university qualification rate is 11.1%, significantly lower than the Australian average of 30.4%. This disparity presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 7.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (1.7%) and graduate diplomas (1.6%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 30.3% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas (5.4%) and certificates (24.9%).

Educational participation is high at 29.4%, including 17.1% in primary education, 6.4% in secondary education, and 1.9% pursuing tertiary education. Seven schools operate within Carpentaria, educating approximately 837 students. The school network comprises two primary schools and five K-12 schools.

No public transport data available for this catchment area.

Carpentaria's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Health outcomes data shows outstanding results in Carpentaria, with younger cohorts having very low prevalence of common health conditions. Approximately 47% of the total population (~2,468 people) have private health cover, compared to 57.6% across the Rest of Qld and a national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent medical conditions are diabetes (6.0%) and asthma (4.7%), while 79.7% of residents report being completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 76.2% in the Rest of Qld.

As of 2021, 9.9% of Carpentaria's population is aged 65 and over (522 people). Health outcomes among seniors require more attention than those of the broader population.

Carpentaria is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Carpentaria's cultural diversity was found to be below average. Its population comprised 89.1% citizens, 94.9% born in Australia, and 88.7% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, with 43.2% of people practicing it.

The 'Other' category was overrepresented at 7.0%, significantly higher than the Rest of Qld average of 1.6%. In terms of ancestry, Australian Aboriginal was the most represented group at 54.7%, substantially higher than the regional average of 20.0%. Australian ancestry stood at 16.7%, notably lower than the regional average of 25.4%, and English ancestry was at 12.0%, also notably lower than the regional average of 21.6%. Samoan ethnicity was notably overrepresented in Carpentaria at 0.1% compared to the regional average of 0.4%.

Carpentaria hosts a very young demographic, ranking in the bottom 10% of areas nationwide

Carpentaria's median age is 30 years, which is considerably lower than the Rest of Qld average of 41 years, and also younger than Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to Rest of Qld, Carpentaria has a higher concentration of residents aged 25-34 (17.9%) but fewer residents aged 75-84 (2.6%). Between the 2021 Census and the present day, the proportion of residents aged 25-34 has grown from 15.3% to 17.9%, while the proportion aged 0-4 has increased from 7.8% to 9.1%. Conversely, the proportion aged 15-24 has declined from 16.3% to 14.5%, and the proportion aged 55-64 has dropped from 11.4% to 10.1%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes for Carpentaria, with the strongest projected growth in the 25-34 age cohort (14%), adding 132 residents to reach a total of 1,071. In contrast, population declines are projected for the 5-14 and 55-64 age cohorts.