Freshwater - Stratford

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

Freshwater - Stratford's population is around 3,881 as of Nov 2025. This reflects an increase of 139 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 3,742 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 3,855 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 21 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 256 persons per square kilometer. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 66.7% 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. It should be noted that these state projections do not provide age category splits; hence proportional growth weightings from ABS Greater Capital Region projections are applied where utilised. Considering projected demographic shifts, lower quartile growth of non-metropolitan areas nationally is anticipated. Freshwater - Stratford is expected to grow by 166 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a gain of 3.5% in total over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Freshwater - Stratford, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Freshwater - Stratford has seen approximately seven new homes approved annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, 36 homes were approved, with a further 15 approved in FY26 so far. On average, 1.8 people moved to the area per dwelling built over these five years. However, this figure has accelerated to 8.3 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, indicating increasing demand and tightening supply.

New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $324,000, aligning with regional trends. This year, $1.1 million in commercial approvals have been registered, reflecting the area's residential nature. Compared to the rest of Queensland, Freshwater - Stratford has significantly less development activity, 74.0% below the regional average per person. This limited new supply generally supports stronger demand and values for established dwellings. Similarly, when measured against the national average, Freshwater - Stratford shows lower development activity, suggesting an established area with potential planning limitations.

The majority of new building activity consists of detached houses (83.0%) and attached dwellings (17.0%), maintaining the area's traditional low density character focused on family homes. Notably, developers are constructing more detached housing than the existing pattern implies (67.0% at Census), reflecting persistent strong demand for family homes amidst densification trends. The estimated population per dwelling approval is 915 people, indicating a quiet, low activity development environment. Population forecasts suggest Freshwater - Stratford will gain 137 residents by 2041. With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers and potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Freshwater - Stratford has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 20% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 16 projects that could impact the area. Notable ones include the Cairns Airport International Terminal Upgrade, Cairns Western Arterial Road Duplication, Cairns Chinese Culture and Heritage Centre, and Bel Plas Estate. The following list details those most likely to be relevant.

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

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.

AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Freshwater - Stratford performing better than 85% of local markets assessed across Australia

Freshwater - Stratford has an educated workforce with prominent representation in essential services sectors. The unemployment rate as of September 2025 is 2.0%.

This rate is below Rest of Qld's rate of 4.1%, and the workforce participation is high at 72.2% compared to Rest of Qld's 59.1%. Key industries of employment among residents are health care & social assistance, education & training, and construction. The area specializes in health care & social assistance with an employment share of 1.5 times the regional level. Agriculture, forestry & fishing is under-represented at 1.2% compared to Rest of Qld's 4.5%.

The ratio of 0.9 workers per resident indicates substantial local employment opportunities. Between September 2024 and September 2025, the labour force decreased by 1.8%, and employment decreased by 2.5%, causing unemployment to rise by 0.7 percentage points. In comparison, Rest of Qld recorded employment growth of 1.7% and unemployment rising by 0.3 percentage points. As of 25-November-2025, Queensland's 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%. National employment forecasts from May-2025 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Freshwater - Stratford's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.2% over five years and 14.8% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that Freshwater - Stratford SA2 has one of the highest incomes in Australia, with a median assessed at $63,987 and an average income of $79,581. This contrasts with Rest of Qld's figures of a median income of $50,780 and an average income of $64,844. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 13.99% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $72,939 (median) and $90,714 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals individual earnings stand out at the 81st percentile nationally ($1,026 weekly), though household income ranks lower at the 55th percentile. The data shows 35.1% of the population (1,362 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 income range, reflecting patterns seen in the metropolitan region where 31.7% similarly occupy this range. After housing, 86.2% of income remains for other expenses and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

Freshwater - Stratford displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Freshwater - Stratford's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 66.6% houses and 33.3% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Non-Metro Qld had 80.8% houses and 19.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Freshwater - Stratford was at 31.1%, with mortgaged dwellings at 40.6% and rented ones at 28.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,647, lower than Non-Metro Qld's average of $1,733. The median weekly rent figure was $350, compared to Non-Metro Qld's $390. Nationally, Freshwater - Stratford's mortgage repayments were significantly lower at $1,647 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were less at $350 compared to the national figure of $375.

Freshwater - Stratford features high concentrations of group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 67.2% of all households, including 26.8% couples with children, 26.2% couples without children, and 13.4% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 32.8%, with lone person households at 28.7% and group households at 4.2%. The median household size is 2.4 people, smaller than the Rest of Qld average of 2.5.

Freshwater - Stratford shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Freshwater - Stratford has higher educational attainment than broader benchmarks. Among residents aged 15+, 36.7% have university qualifications, compared to 20.6% in the rest of Queensland and 21.1% in the SA4 region. University graduates make up 23.5%, postgraduate degrees are held by 8.6%, and graduate diplomas by 4.6%. Vocational credentials are prominent with 36.8% of residents aged 15+, including advanced diplomas (12.4%) and certificates (24.4%).

Educational participation is high, with 30.3% currently enrolled in formal education. This includes secondary education (10.4%), primary education (10.1%), and tertiary education (4.4%).

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

Freshwater-Stratford has 25 active public transport stops serving buses. Seven routes operate here, offering a total of 631 weekly passenger trips. Residents' access to transport is rated good, with an average distance of 222 meters to the nearest stop.

On average, services run 90 times daily across all routes, translating to about 25 weekly trips per individual stop.

Freshwater - Stratford's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Freshwater - Stratford's health outcomes show excellent results with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 59% of the total population (2,305 people), compared to 52.7% across the rest of Queensland.

Mental health issues and arthritis are the most common medical conditions in the area, impacting 7.4 and 6.4% of residents respectively. A significant majority, 75.1%, report being completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 73.1% across the rest of Queensland. The area has a population with 15.9% aged 65 and over (616 people). Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, outperforming the general population in health metrics.

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

Freshwater-Stratford's population, born in Australia, was approximately 79.7%, with 89.2% being citizens and 91.2% speaking English only at home, aligning with the wider region's averages. Christianity dominated Freshwater-Stratford's religious landscape, comprising 42.3%. While Judaism formed a smaller portion at 0.1%, it was slightly overrepresented compared to Rest of Qld's 0.2%.

In terms of ancestry, English (29.2%), Australian (22.7%), and Irish (10.4%) were the top three groups in Freshwater-Stratford. Notably, Scottish (9.3% vs regional 8.0%), German (4.8% vs 4.3%), and Dutch (1.6% vs 1.5%) were overrepresented among other ethnic groups.

Freshwater - Stratford's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in Freshwater - Stratford is 41 years, matching Rest of Qld's average but older than Australia's average of 38 years. Compared to Rest of Qld, Freshwater - Stratford has a higher proportion of residents aged 45-54 (15.4%) but fewer residents aged 65-74 (9.2%). According to the Census conducted on 2021-08-10, the age group 25-34 increased from 10.3% to 12.1%, while the 75-84 cohort rose from 4.0% to 5.4%. Conversely, the 5-14 cohort decreased from 14.4% to 12.5% and the 45-54 group fell from 16.7% to 15.4%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in Freshwater - Stratford's age structure. Notably, the 25-34 group is projected to grow by 22%, reaching 574 people from 468. Conversely, the 55-64 and 5-14 cohorts are expected to decrease in population.