Miles - Wandoan
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Miles-Wandoan's population, as of August 2025, is approximately 4,522. This figure reflects an increase of 342 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 4,180. The growth is inferred from ABS estimates; the population was 4,357 in June 2024 and there were 135 new addresses validated since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 0.40 persons per square kilometer. Miles-Wandoan's growth rate of 8.2% since the 2021 census exceeded the SA3 area (4.6%) and SA4 region, marking it as a growth leader. Natural growth contributed approximately 60.4% 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 released in 2023 based on 2021 data are used. These state projections do not provide age category splits; proportional growth weightings aligned with ABS Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data) for each age cohort are applied where utilised. Looking ahead, regional areas are expected to have lower quartile growth nationally. Miles-Wandoan is projected to grow by 136 persons to 2041, with a total reduction of 0.6% over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Miles - Wandoan according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Miles-Wandoan has had minimal residential development activity, with only 1 dwelling approval annually since 2017. Over the past five years, a total of 9 dwellings have been approved in the area. This low level of development reflects its rural nature, where housing needs are typically local and specific rather than driven by broad market demand.

Due to these low approval numbers, yearly growth figures can vary significantly based on individual projects. Compared to the rest of Queensland and national patterns, Miles-Wandoan has significantly less construction activity. New developments consist of 67% detached dwellings and 33% townhouses or apartments, indicating a shift from the current housing pattern of 88% houses. This change suggests diminishing developable land availability and responds to evolving lifestyle preferences and affordability needs. As of 2021, there are an estimated 1260 people in the area per dwelling approval, reflecting its quiet development environment.

Population projections indicate stability or decline, which should lead to reduced housing demand pressures, benefiting potential buyers.

Miles - Wandoan has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 15thth percentile nationally

Infrastructure changes significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified seven projects potentially impacting this region. Notable ones are Arrow Energy Surat Gas Project North, Bungaban Renewable Energy Project, Western Downs Green Power Hub, and Injune Road Stage Two. The following list details those most relevant.

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

AreaSearch analysis places Miles - Wandoan well above average for employment performance across multiple indicators

Wandoan has an unemployment rate of 3.2% with estimated employment growth of 4.6% in the past year as of June 2025. There are 2,456 residents employed, which is below Rest of Qld's rate of 3.9%, and workforce participation is similar at 61.5%.

Key industries include agriculture, forestry & fishing, construction, and retail trade, with a notable concentration in agriculture, forestry & fishing at seven times the regional average. Health care & social assistance employs only 7.5% of local workers compared to Rest of Qld's 16.1%. The worker-to-resident ratio is 0.7, indicating above-norm employment opportunities. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 4.6%, labour force grew by 5.8%, resulting in a 1.1 percentage point rise in unemployment.

In contrast, Rest of Qld saw employment growth of 1.8% and labour force growth of 2.0%, with a smaller unemployment increase of 0.2 percentage points. By Sep-25, Queensland's employment contracted by 0.23% (losing 8,070 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.2%. National forecasts from May 2025 project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Wandoan's industry mix suggests local growth of approximately 4.7% over five years and 10.7% over ten years.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2022, Miles - Wandoan had a median income among taxpayers of $47,173. The average income stood at $51,467. This is lower than 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 $52,697 (median) and $57,494 (average) as of March 2025. According to 2021 Census figures, personal income ranks at the 44th percentile with weekly earnings of $774. Household income sits at the 23rd percentile. The data shows that 30.7% of the community (1,388 individuals) falls within the $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band, reflecting patterns seen regionally where 31.7% similarly occupy this range. Housing costs are manageable with 90.3% retained. However, disposable income sits below average at the 31st percentile.

Miles - Wandoan is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

At the latest Census evaluation in Miles-Wandoan, dwelling structures consisted of 87.8% houses and 12.2% other dwellings such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This compared to Non-Metro Qld's figures of 90.3% houses and 9.7% other dwellings respectively. Home ownership in Miles-Wandoan stood at 39.0%, mirroring Non-Metro Qld's level with the remaining dwellings being mortgaged (21.1%) or rented (39.9%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was recorded as $1,018, lower than Non-Metro Qld's average of $1,300 and significantly below Australia's national figure of $1,863. The median weekly rent in Miles-Wandoan was $200, compared to Non-Metro Qld's $230 and the national average of $375.

Miles - Wandoan features high concentrations of lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 66.6% of all households, including 25.0% couples with children, 30.9% couples without children, and 9.5% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 33.4%, with lone person households at 30.2% and group households comprising 2.9%. The median household size is 2.4 people, smaller than the Rest of Qld average of 2.5.

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

The area's university qualification rate is 16.3%, significantly lower than the Australian average of 30.4%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 14.2%, followed by graduate diplomas (1.1%) and postgraduate qualifications (1.0%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 40.6% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (10.0%) and certificates (30.6%). Educational participation is high at 31.3%, with 13.7% in primary education, 8.4% in secondary education, and 2.8% pursuing tertiary education.

The area has a network of 8 schools educating approximately 588 students, comprising 6 primary, 1 secondary, and 1 K-12 school.

No public transport data available for this catchment area.

Health performance in Miles - Wandoan is lower than average with prevalence of common health conditions notable across both younger and older age cohorts

Miles-Wandoan faces significant health challenges, with common health conditions notably prevalent across both younger and older age cohorts. The rate of private health cover is extremely low, at approximately 46% of the total population (around 2,098 people). This compares to 49.2% across the rest of Queensland.

Nationally, the average is 55.3%. The most common medical conditions in the area are asthma and arthritis, impacting 8.6% and 8.5% of residents respectively. Around 67.7% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 67.6% across the rest of Queensland. The area has 18.5% of residents aged 65 and over (around 838 people). Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges, broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

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

Miles-Wandoan, surveyed in June 2016, had a predominantly homogeneous population: 82.3% were citizens, 90.6% were born in Australia, and 94.5% spoke English only at home. Christianity was the dominant religion, practised by 65.6%, slightly higher than the regional average of 64.6%. The top three ancestry groups were Australian (35.4%), English (28.5%), and Irish (8.1%).

Notably, German ancestry was somewhat overrepresented at 5.7% compared to the regional average of 5.3%, while Australian Aboriginal was underrepresented at 4.9% versus 6.7%. Filipino ancestry was also slightly higher than the region's average, at 1.3% versus 1.0%.

Miles - Wandoan's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

The median age in Miles-Wandoan is 38 years, which is slightly below Rest of Qld's average of 41 but aligns with Australia's median age of 38 years. The 25-34 age group constitutes 16.6% of the population, higher than Rest of Qld's percentage, while the 45-54 cohort makes up 10.5%, lower compared to Rest of Qld. According to data from the post-2021 Census, the 25-34 age group has increased from 15.2% to 16.6% of Miles-Wandoan's population, while the 45-54 cohort has decreased from 12.5% to 10.5%. By 2041, population forecasts indicate significant demographic changes for Miles-Wandoan. The 25-34 age group is projected to grow by 15%, adding 112 people and reaching a total of 864 from the current 751. Conversely, the 45-54 and 5-14 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.