Hermit Park - Rosslea

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

Hermit Park - Rosslea's population is approximately 5,694 as of November 2025. This figure represents an increase of 279 people, a growth rate of 5.2%, since the 2021 Census which recorded a population of 5,415. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 5,690 in June 2024 and an additional 40 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 1,467 persons per square kilometer, higher than the average across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Hermit Park - Rosslea's growth rate of 5.2% positions it within 1.7 percentage points of the SA4 region (6.9%), indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Natural growth contributed approximately 60.8% of overall population gains during recent periods, although all drivers including overseas migration and interstate migration were positive factors.

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 adopted, released in 2023 based on 2021 data. However, these state projections do not provide age category splits, so AreaSearch applies proportional growth weightings in line with the ABS Greater Capital Region projections for each age cohort, released in 2023 based on 2022 data. Looking ahead, demographic trends suggest a population increase just below the median of Australia's regional areas. The area is expected to expand by 756 persons to reach a total population of approximately 6,450 by 2041, reflecting an overall increase of 13.2% over the 17-year period based on the latest annual ERP population numbers.

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

Hermit Park - Rosslea has recorded approximately 20 residential properties granted approval each year over the past five financial years, totalling 104 homes. As of FY-26, 5 approvals have been recorded. On average, 3.6 people per year have moved to the area for each dwelling built between FY-21 and FY-25, indicating high demand exceeding new supply. New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $336,000, aligning with regional trends.

In FY-26, commercial approvals totalled $7.8 million, suggesting limited focus on commercial development. Compared to the rest of Queensland, Hermit Park - Rosslea shows comparable new home approvals per capita, supporting market stability in line with regional patterns. New building activity comprises 81.0% detached houses and 19.0% townhouses or apartments, maintaining the area's suburban character focused on family homes.

Notably, developers are constructing more detached housing than the existing pattern implies at Census (47.0%), reflecting strong demand for family homes despite densification trends. With around 532 people per approval, Hermit Park - Rosslea indicates a mature market. Population forecasts estimate an increase of 752 residents by 2041, potentially leading to growing competition among buyers as the population grows, although construction is maintaining a reasonable pace with projected growth.

Hermit Park - Rosslea has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

Eleven infrastructure projects have been identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area's performance. Key projects include North Queensland Simulation Park (NQ SPARK), Eden Park Estate, Weststate Private Hospital, Townsville Connection Road (Stuart Drive) upgrade, and Bowen Road Bridge (Idalia) duplication. 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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The labour market performance in Hermit Park - Rosslea lags significantly behind most other regions nationally

Hermit Park - Rosslea has an unemployment rate of 7.9%. As of September 2025, 2,998 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 3.9% higher than Rest of Qld's rate of 4.1%.

Workforce participation in the area is at 65.8%, compared to Rest of Qld's 59.1%. Key industries of employment among residents include health care & social assistance, public administration & safety, and education & training. The area specializes particularly in public administration & safety, with an employment share of 1.8 times the regional level. In contrast, agriculture, forestry & fishing employs just 0.5% of local workers, below Rest of Qld's 4.5%.

Over the 12 months to September 2025, labour force levels increased by 0.2%, but employment declined by 2.3%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 2.4 percentage points. In comparison, Rest of Qld saw employment rise by 1.7% and unemployment increase by 0.3 percentage points. State-level data from 25-Nov shows QLD 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-25 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Hermit Park - Rosslea's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.7% over five years and 14.0% over ten years, though this is a simplified extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

Income levels align closely with national averages, indicating typical economic conditions for Australian communities according to AreaSearch analysis

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released on June 30, 2022, Hermit Park - Rosslea SA2 had a median income among taxpayers of $57,070 with an average level standing at $66,931. This is slightly above national averages and compares to levels of $50,780 and $64,844 across Rest of Qld respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 13.99% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $65,054 (median) and $76,295 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals personal income ranks at the 64th percentile with weekly earnings of $880, while household income sits at the 25th percentile. Distribution data shows that 29.4% of individuals fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band (1,674 individuals), consistent with broader trends across the region showing 31.7% in the same category. Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 83.3% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 24th percentile.

Hermit Park - Rosslea displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Hermit Park - Rosslea had 46.8% houses and 53.2% other dwellings as of the latest Census, compared to Non-Metro Qld's 81.3% houses and 18.7% other dwellings. Home ownership in Hermit Park - Rosslea was 20.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 27.0% and rented ones at 52.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,450, below Non-Metro Qld's average of $1,517. Median weekly rent in the area was $260, compared to Non-Metro Qld's $305. Nationally, Hermit Park - Rosslea's mortgage repayments were lower at $1,450 than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

Hermit Park - Rosslea features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 54.9% of all households, including 17.9% couples with children, 23.3% couples without children, and 12.7% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 45.1%, with lone person households at 40.4% and group households comprising 4.7%. The median household size is 2.1 people, smaller than the Rest of Qld average of 2.5.

Hermit Park - Rosslea performs slightly above the national average for education, showing competitive qualification levels and steady academic outcomes

The area's educational profile is notable regionally, with university qualification rates at 27.3% of residents aged 15+, surpassing the SA4 region average of 20.1% and that of Rest of Qld (20.6%). Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 18.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (5.4%) and graduate diplomas (3.3%). Vocational credentials are held by 36.9% of residents aged 15+, with advanced diplomas at 10.8% and certificates at 26.1%.

Educational participation is high, with 30.1% currently enrolled in formal education, including 8.5% in primary, 7.8% in secondary, and 7.4% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Hermit Park - Rosslea has 22 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by five different routes that together facilitate 657 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is deemed good, with residents on average being located 232 meters from the nearest stop.

On a daily basis, there are an average of 93 trips across all routes, which equates to about 29 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Health indicators show below-average outcomes in Hermit Park - Rosslea, with common health conditions slightly more prevalent than average across both younger and older age cohorts.

Private health cover rate is approximately 52%, leading that of the average SA2 area by about 1%. The total population is around 2,983 people. Mental health issues and asthma are the most common medical conditions, affecting 11.1% and 7.4% of residents respectively. About 67.9% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 67.8% across Rest of Qld. The area has 13.9% of residents aged 65 and over, which is 790 people, lower than the 14.9% in Rest of Qld. This is broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

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

Hermit Park-Rosslea showed below-average cultural diversity, with 84.3% being citizens, 82.4% born in Australia, and 89.7% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 47.9%. The category 'Other' was overrepresented at 1.0%, compared to 0.7% regionally.

Top ancestry groups were English (27.1%), Australian (24.9%), and Irish (8.7%). Notable differences included French (0.9% vs regional 0.4%), Australian Aboriginal (4.8% vs 5.0%), and New Zealand (0.9% vs 0.7%).

Hermit Park - Rosslea's population is younger than the national pattern

The median age in Hermit Park - Rosslea is 34 years, which is notably lower than Rest of Qld's average of 41 and substantially under the Australian median of 38. Compared to Rest of Qld, Hermit Park - Rosslea has a higher concentration of residents aged 25-34 (20.9%), but fewer residents aged 5-14 (9.0%). This concentration of 25-34 year-olds is well above the national average of 14.5%. Between the 2021 Census and now, a rejuvenation has been evident as the median age fell from 35 to 34 years. Specifically, the proportion of residents aged 25 to 34 grew from 17.7% to 20.9%, while the proportions of those aged 45 to 54 and 55 to 64 declined from 13.1% to 10.5% and 12.1% to 11.0%, respectively. By 2041, Hermit Park - Rosslea is expected to see notable shifts in its age composition. The 25-34 age group is projected to grow by 34% (407 people), reaching 1,595 from 1,187. Meanwhile, population declines are projected for the 55-64 and 15-24 cohorts.