Chart Color Schemes
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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Sales Activity
Curious about local property values? Filter the chart to assess the volume and appreciation (including resales) trends and regional comparisons, or scroll to the map below view this information at an individual property level.
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Sales Detail
What it costs to rent in Darling Heights
Median weekly rents, year-on-year movement and bond-lodgement activity for Darling Heights (4350). Sourced from the NSW Rental Bond Board, DCJ Family & Community Services.
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| Dwelling | Bedrooms | Median $/wk | Active bonds | New bonds (Qtr) | YoY | Quality |
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SOURCE: NSW Rental Bond Board (DCJ Family & Community Services), processed by AreaSearch. Imputed values are flagged. Latest publication:
Population
Population growth drivers in Darling Heights are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends
Darling Heights' population is approximately 16,538 as of May 2026. This represents an increase of 1,962 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 14,576. The growth is inferred from ABS's estimated resident population of 16,382 in June 2025 and an additional 331 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 1,318 persons per square kilometer, higher than the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Darling Heights' growth rate of 13.5% since the 2021 census exceeds that of its SA3 area (9.2%) and SA4 region, positioning it as a growth leader in the region. Overseas migration contributed approximately 86.2% of 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, released in 2023 and based on 2021 data, are used. However, these state projections do not provide age category splits, so AreaSearch applies proportional growth weightings from the ABS Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data) for each age cohort when utilised. Future population trends indicate a significant increase in the top quartile of regional areas across the nation, with Darling Heights expected to expand by 5,657 persons to 2041, reflecting an overall increase of 33.3% over the 16-year period based on the latest annual ERP population numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
Development
AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions Darling Heights among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide
Darling Heights has seen approximately 68 dwelling approvals annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, around 340 homes were approved, with an additional 120 approved in FY26 so far. On average, about 3.6 people moved to the area per year for each dwelling built during these years.
This indicates a significant lag between supply and demand, potentially leading to increased buyer competition and pricing pressures. New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $318,000, which is below regional norms, offering more affordable housing options. In FY26, around $21.4 million in commercial approvals have been registered, suggesting steady commercial investment activity in the area.
Compared to the rest of Queensland, Darling Heights has about three-quarters the building activity per person and ranks among the 61st percentile nationally when assessed areas are considered. Recent construction consists of approximately 90% detached houses and 10% townhouses or apartments, maintaining the area's traditional suburban character with a focus on family homes that appeal to those seeking space. Notably, developers are constructing more detached housing than the existing pattern implies (66% at Census), reflecting persistent strong demand for family homes despite densification trends. With around 240 people moving in per dwelling approval, Darling Heights is showing signs of a developing market. According to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate, the area is expected to grow by approximately 5,501 residents through to 2041. If current development rates continue, housing supply may not keep pace with population growth, potentially increasing competition among buyers and supporting stronger price growth in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Development applications around Darling Heights
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| Lodged | Address | Description | Type | Distance | Status |
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SOURCE: Planning portals and council registers, compiled by AreaSearch. Distance & bearing measured from the suburb midpoint.
Infrastructure
Darling Heights has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally
Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 28 projects that could affect the region. Notable initiatives include Kearney West Estate, Ladbroke Grove Estate, Platz Street - Wuth Street Intersection Upgrade, and Pinnacle of Kearneys. The following list details those most likely to be relevant.
Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.
INFRASTRUCTURE SEARCH
Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.
Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
Highlands Christian College Masterplan
A completed masterplan for alterations and additions to Highlands Christian College, featuring modern educational facilities including science labs, library, dance studios, and multi-purpose centre. The college now serves 661 students from Prep to Year 12 with exceptional facilities and resources for academic excellence in a Christian educational environment.
Aurrum Kids Toowoomba Childcare Centre
A purpose-built childcare facility offering 102 places for children aged 6 weeks to 6 years. Features include state-of-the-art facilities, natural light-filled indoor and outdoor spaces, custom playground with raised garden beds, climbing equipment, rainbow bike track, water play area, creek bed, art spaces, covered timber deck, greenhouse, and fresh on-site meal preparation. Located within the HomeCo Toowoomba precinct.
Kearneys Spring Recreation Park Clubhouse Upgrade
A $3.66 million clubhouse upgrade at Kearneys Spring Recreation Reserve, officially opened March 1, 2025. Features new amenities including canteen, first aid room, toilets with disability access, player and unisex changerooms with moveable walls, multi-purpose room, and storage areas. Project includes energy efficient LED lights, perforated screening, and over 500 meters of shared pathways. Serves touch football, softball, and other sporting groups.
UniSQ Aviation Education Precinct - Flight Simulator Facilities
State-of-the-art aviation education facilities at the University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba campus, featuring Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A320 flight simulators - the first of their kind in Queensland. The Aviation Education Precinct provides world-class training facilities for Bachelor of Aviation students in flight operations and aviation management. The A320 simulator was unveiled in July 2020 as part of over $1 million investment in aviation education infrastructure, making UniSQ Australia's only university with both Boeing and Airbus simulators on campus.
UniSQ Toowoomba W Block
Construction of W Block, an academic building at the University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba campus. The building forms part of the university's ongoing infrastructure development to support education and training programs at the founding campus in Australia's largest inland city.
UniSQ Toowoomba R Block - Student Central
Multimillion-dollar refurbishment of R Block at the University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba campus, transforming an older building into Student Central. The project created a modern one-stop shop for students featuring iConnect student services hub, Bounce Hub Cafe, collaborative and quiet study environments, computer-based study areas, student kitchenette, and the campus library on Levels 2 and 3. The refurbishment was designed to enhance student experience at the heart of the campus and provide a welcoming environment for engagement. Officially opened in March 2022 by Member for Groom Garth Hamilton MP.
Thiess Park Upgrade
Completed upgrade of Thiess Park including children's play equipment, bike mania track, double-sided ball wall, gazebo, pathways, and fenced dog off-leash area with agility course. The park forms part of the Thiess Park Linear Corridor and features connecting pathways, drinking fountains, and recreational facilities serving the local community.
Kearney West Estate
A large-scale residential development comprising 350 lots across 8 stages in Kearneys Spring, Toowoomba. Features levelled blocks ready for building, green spaces, landscaped detention basins, fitness trails, and pedestrian links to Carly Hibberd Park. Stages 1-4 are sold with construction complete. Stage 5 (34 lots) is approved but temporarily on hold due to power infrastructure requirements. All lots include reticulated sewerage, underground power, and NBN connectivity.
Employment
Employment conditions in Darling Heights remain below the national average according to AreaSearch analysis
Darling Heights has a well-educated workforce with significant representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 4.2%. As of December 2025, 8,014 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 0.2% higher than Regional Qld's rate of 4.0%.
Workforce participation is similar to Regional Qld's 64.5%. Census data shows that only 5.6% of residents work from home. The dominant employment sectors are health care & social assistance, education & training, and retail trade. Health care & social assistance has a particularly high representation at 1.6 times the regional level, while construction is lower at 5.4% compared to Regional Qld's average of 10.1%.
The area appears to have limited local employment opportunities based on Census data. In the 12 months prior, labour force decreased by 4.2% and employment declined by 5.0%, leading to a 0.7 percentage point rise in unemployment. Meanwhile, Regional Qld saw employment growth of 0.7% and labour force growth of 1.0%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Darling Heights' employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.6% over ten years.
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Income
Income levels sit below national averages according to AreaSearch assessment
The Darling Heights SA2 had a median taxpayer income of $52,825 and an average income of $64,768 in the latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023. This is lower than national averages, with Regional Qld's median income being $53,146 and average income being $66,593. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 11.36% since financial year 2023, estimated incomes as of March 2026 would be approximately $58,826 (median) and $72,126 (average). According to 2021 Census figures, household, family, and personal incomes in Darling Heights rank modestly, between the 26th and 33rd percentiles. The largest income segment comprises 33.8% earning $1,500 - $2,999 weekly (5,589 residents), similar to the regional distribution at 31.7%. Housing affordability pressures are severe in Darling Heights, with only 83.1% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 25th percentile.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Housing
Darling Heights displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region
Dwelling structure in Darling Heights, as evaluated at the latest Census held on 28 August 2016, comprised 65.6% houses and 34.5% other dwellings such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This compares to Regional Qld's 76.4% houses and 23.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Darling Heights was at 27.8%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (26.9%) or rented (45.3%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area, as of the time of the Census, was $1,450, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $315. Regional Qld's figures were $1,655 for mortgage repayments and $345 for rents. Nationally, Darling Heights's mortgage repayments are significantly lower than the Australian average of $1,863, as per data from 2016, while rents are substantially below the national figure of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Household Composition
Darling Heights features high concentrations of group households and lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size
Family households constitute 65.4% of all households, including 25.4% couples with children, 25.9% couples without children, and 13.0% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 34.6%, with lone person households at 30.5% and group households making up 4.1% of the total. The median household size is 2.4 people, which is smaller than the Regional Queensland average of 2.5.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
Local Schools & Education
Educational attainment in Darling Heights aligns closely with national averages, showing typical qualification patterns and performance metrics
The area's university qualification rate is 28.2%, exceeding the Rest of Qld average of 20.6%. This figure reflects the community's emphasis on higher education. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 17.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (8.1%) and graduate diplomas (2.3%).
Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 33.6% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (10.0%) and certificates (23.6%). Educational participation is high at 33.8%, including 10.1% in primary education, 9.4% in tertiary education, and 7.3% pursuing secondary education.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Nearby Services & Amenities
Transport
Transport servicing is low compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility
Darling Heights has 78 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by five different routes that collectively facilitate 839 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located 233 meters from the nearest stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward using private vehicles, which remain the dominant mode of transportation at 93%. On average, there are 1.2 vehicles per dwelling in Darling Heights, below the regional average. According to the 2021 Census, only 5.6% of residents work from home, a figure that may reflect COVID-19 conditions.
The service frequency averages 119 trips per day across all routes, resulting in approximately 10 weekly trips per individual stop.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
Health
Health performance in Darling Heights is lower than average with common health conditions somewhat prevalent across the board, though to a considerably higher degree among older age cohorts
Darling Heights faces significant health challenges based on AreaSearch's assessment.
Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence are high, with common health conditions prevalent across all age groups but more so among older cohorts. Private health cover is relatively low at approximately 51% of the total population (~8,467 people). The most common medical conditions are mental health issues (9.4%) and arthritis (8.8%). 67.1% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 67.6% across Regional Qld. Health outcomes among the working-age population are typical. The area has 17.2% of residents aged 65 and over (2,851 people), lower than Regional Qld's 20.4%. Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges but rank lower nationally than the broader population.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Cultural Diversity
The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Darling Heights was found to be above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics
Darling Heights, surveyed in June 2021, showed higher cultural diversity than most local areas, with 29.4% of residents born overseas and 26.5% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the dominant religion, comprising 52.7% of the population. The 'Other' religious category was overrepresented at 4.7%, compared to Regional Qld's 0.8%.
In terms of ancestry, English (24.2%) and Australian (23.9%) were the top groups, both lower than regional averages of 29.6% and 15.4% respectively. The 'Other' category was substantially higher at 16.1%, compared to Regional Qld's 6.9%. Notably, German (6.1%), Indian (3.9%), and Filipino (1.5%) ethnic groups were overrepresented in Darling Heights compared to regional averages of 4.7%, 0.7%, and 0.9% respectively.
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
Age
Darling Heights's young demographic places it in the bottom 15% of areas nationwide
Darling Heights has a median age of 32 years, which is lower than the Regional Queensland average of 41 and significantly under the Australian median of 38. Compared to Regional Queensland, Darling Heights has a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (20.6%) but fewer residents aged 55-64 (6.9%). This concentration of 25-34 year-olds is well above the national average of 14.6%. Between the 2021 Census and the present, the proportion of residents aged 25 to 34 has grown from 17.7% to 20.6%, while those aged 15 to 24 increased from 14.0% to 15.2%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 55 to 64 has declined from 8.4% to 6.9%, and those aged 65 to 74 dropped from 9.1% to 7.7%. Demographic projections suggest that Darling Heights' age profile will change significantly by 2041, with the strongest projected growth in the 25 to 34 cohort, which is expected to grow by 49%, adding 1,681 residents and reaching a total of 5,087.