Hermit Park - Rosslea
Statistical Area - sa2

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 August 2025. This figure represents an increase of 279 people 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, exceeding the average across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Hermit Park - Rosslea's growth rate of 5.2% since the census places it within 1.7 percentage points of the SA4 region (6.9%), indicating strong growth fundamentals. Natural growth contributed approximately 60.8% to overall population gains recently, with all migration drivers being positive factors.

AreaSearch uses 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 using 2021 data. However, these state projections do not provide age category splits, so AreaSearch applies proportional growth weightings based on ABS Greater Capital Region projections for each age cohort, released in 2023 using 2022 data. Looking ahead, demographic trends suggest a population increase just below the median of Australia's regional areas by 2041, with an expected expansion of 756 persons reflecting a total increase of 13.2% over the 17 years.

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 received approximately 20 residential property approvals annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics provides development approval data on a financial year basis, totalling 104 approvals from FY-21 to FY-25 and one in FY-26. An average of 3.6 new residents per year corresponds with each home built over the past five years. This supply significantly lags demand, indicating heightened buyer competition and pricing pressures.

New homes are constructed at an average cost of $468,000, aligning with broader regional development trends. In FY-26, $7.8 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, reflecting the area's primarily residential nature. Compared to the Rest of Qld, Hermit Park - Rosslea shows comparable new home approvals per capita, supporting market stability consistent with regional patterns.

Construction comprises 81.0% detached houses and 19.0% townhouses or apartments, maintaining the area's traditional suburban character focused on family homes. Notably, developers are constructing more detached housing than the existing pattern implies (47.0% at Census), suggesting persistent strong demand for family homes. With around 532 people per approval, Hermit Park - Rosslea indicates a mature market. Population forecasts project an increase of 752 residents by 2041, with construction maintaining a reasonable pace to accommodate projected growth, although buyers may face growing competition as population increases.

Hermit Park - Rosslea has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 40thth percentile nationally

Eleven infrastructure projects have been identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area. Key among these are North Queensland Simulation Park (NQ SPARK), Eden Park Estate, Townsville Connection Road (Stuart Drive) project, Bowen Road Bridge (Idalia) duplication, and Harris Crossing Estate. The following list details those likely to be most relevant.

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

The labour market performance in Hermit Park - Rosslea lags significantly behind most other regions nationally

Hermit Park - Rosslea has an unemployment rate of 8.0% as of June 2025. The area's labour force consists of 3,050 residents who are employed, with a workforce participation rate of 65.8%.

This is higher than the Rest of Qld's rate of 59.1%, but the unemployment rate is 4.1% above the regional average of 3.9%. Key industries for employment among residents include health care & social assistance, public administration & safety, and education & training. The area specializes in public administration & safety, with an employment share 1.8 times higher than the regional level. Conversely, agriculture, forestry & fishing employs only 0.5% of local workers, compared to Rest of Qld's 4.5%.

Over the year to June 2025, labour force levels decreased by 1.7%, and employment declined by 4.9%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate of 3.1 percentage points. Meanwhile, Rest of Qld experienced employment growth of 1.8% and a labour force increase of 2.0%. State-level data from Sep-25 shows Queensland's employment contracted by 0.23%, with an unemployment rate of 4.2%. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.5%, and employment grew by 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia projects national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Hermit Park - Rosslea's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 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

AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2022 shows Hermit Park - Rosslea had a median income among taxpayers of $57,070. The average income in this area stood at $66,931. This is slightly above the national average and compares to levels of $50,780 and $64,844 across Rest of Qld respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 11.71% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $63,753 (median) and $74,769 (average) as of March 2025. Census data reveals personal income ranks at the 64th percentile ($880 weekly), while household income sits at the 25th percentile. Distribution data shows the $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band captures 29.4% of the community (1,674 individuals). Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 83.3% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 25th 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 in its dwelling structure 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 at 20.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 27.0% and rented ones at 52.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $1,450, lower than Non-Metro Qld's average of $1,517. Median weekly rent in Hermit Park - Rosslea was $260, compared to Non-Metro Qld's $305. Nationally, mortgage repayments were significantly lower at $1,450 versus Australia's 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 constitute 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 comprise the remaining 45.1%, with lone person households at 40.4% and group households making up 4.7%. The median household size is 2.1 people, which is 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 exceeds regional averages with 27.3% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications, higher than the SA4 region average of 20.1% and Rest of Qld's 20.6%. Bachelor degrees are most common 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+, including advanced diplomas (10.8%) and certificates (26.1%).

Educational participation is high with 30.1% currently enrolled, comprising 8.5% in primary, 7.8% in secondary, and 7.4% in tertiary education. Tec-NQ - Rosslea Campus serves the area but has no current enrolments as of the reported date. Secondary students attend one local school, while primary students typically go to nearby catchment schools. No schools are located within Hermit Park - Rosslea, requiring residents to travel for educational services. Note: for schools with 'n/a' enrolments, refer to their parent campus.

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 serving a mix of bus routes. These stops are covered by five individual routes, offering a total of 657 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents on average located 232 meters from the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 93 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 29 weekly trips per 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 suggest below-average outcomes in Hermit Park - Rosslea, where common health conditions are slightly more prevalent than average across both younger and older age cohorts.

The area has approximately 52% private health cover, leading that of the average SA2 area with a total population of about 2,983 people. The most common medical conditions are mental health issues, impacting 11.1% of residents, and asthma, affecting 7.4%. Approximately 67.9% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 67.8% across Rest of Qld. About 13.9% of residents are aged 65 and over, with a total of 790 people in this age group, which is lower than the 14.9% seen in Rest of Qld. This aligns broadly 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 had a cultural diversity index below the average, with 84.3% of its residents being citizens, 82.4% born in Australia, and 89.7% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, making up 47.9% of the population. The category 'Other' had an overrepresentation of 1.0%, compared to the regional average of 0.7%.

Regarding ancestry, the top three groups were English (27.1%), Australian (24.9%), and Irish (8.7%). Some ethnic groups showed notable variations: French was overrepresented at 0.9% versus 0.4% regionally, Australian Aboriginal at 4.8% versus 5.0%, and New Zealand at 0.9% versus 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 lower than Rest of Qld's average of 41 years and also significantly below the Australian median of 38 years. Compared to Rest of Qld, Hermit Park - Rosslea has a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (20.9%), but fewer residents aged 5-14 (9.0%). This concentration of 25-34 year-olds is notably above the national average of 14.5%. Between the 2016 and 2021 Census, Hermit Park - Rosslea's median age decreased from 35 to 34 years. Specifically, the proportion of residents aged 25-34 grew from 17.7% to 20.9%, while those aged 45-54 declined from 13.1% to 10.5% and those aged 55-64 decreased from 12.1% to 11.0%. By 2041, Hermit Park - Rosslea is projected to experience significant changes in its age composition. Notably, the number of residents aged 25-34 is expected to grow by 34%, reaching 1,595 from 1,187. Conversely, population declines are anticipated for those aged 55-64 and 15-24 years.