Nanango

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

Nanango's population, as of November 2025, is approximately 10,817 people. This figure represents an increase of 814 individuals since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 10,003. The growth is inferred from the estimated resident population of 10,674 in June 2024 and the addition of 202 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 6.6 persons per square kilometer. Nanango's 8.1% growth since the 2021 census exceeds that of its SA3 area (6.2%), indicating it is a leader in regional growth. Interstate migration contributed approximately 93.1% of overall population gains during recent periods.

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 based on 2021 data. However, these state projections do not provide age category splits, so AreaSearch applies proportional growth weightings aligned with ABS Greater Capital Region projections for each age cohort, released in 2023 and based on 2022 data. Looking ahead, demographic trends suggest a population increase just below the median of Australia's non-metropolitan areas, with an expected growth of 768 persons to 2041, reflecting a total gain of 5.7% over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions Nanango among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide

Nanango has averaged approximately 43 new dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling 215 homes. As of FY-26 so far, 33 approvals have been recorded. On average, 3.6 people per year moved to the area for each dwelling built between FY-21 and FY-25, indicating high demand outstripping supply, which typically drives price growth and increased buyer competition. New homes are being constructed at an average expected cost of $259,000, below the regional average, suggesting more affordable housing options.

This financial year has seen $7.2 million in commercial approvals, reflecting Nanango's predominantly residential character. Compared to the Rest of Qld, Nanango shows slightly higher development activity, with 29.0% above the regional average per person over the five-year period, offering reasonable buyer choices while maintaining existing property demand. Recent construction comprises 97.0% detached dwellings and 3.0% townhouses or apartments, preserving the area's traditional low-density character favoring family homes.

The location has approximately 204 people per dwelling approval, suggesting an expanding market. Population forecasts indicate Nanango will gain 615 residents by 2041, with current construction levels expected to meet housing demand adequately, creating favorable conditions for buyers and potentially enabling growth beyond current projections.

Nanango has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

Twenty projects were identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area's performance, with major ones including Nanango Solar Farm, Nanango Residential Estate Stage 2, South Burnett Energy Centre, and Nanango Town Centre Revitalisation.

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Employment drivers in Nanango are experiencing difficulties, placing it among the bottom 20% of areas assessed across Australia

Nanango has a balanced workforce with white and blue collar jobs, prominent manufacturing and industrial sectors, an unemployment rate of 8.4%, and estimated employment growth of 9.3% over the past year as of September 2025. There are 3,894 residents employed, with an unemployment rate of 4.3%, which is higher than Rest of Qld's rate of 4.1%.

Workforce participation in Nanango lags at 36.5% compared to Rest of Qld's 59.1%. Key industries for employment among residents are health care & social assistance, retail trade, and agriculture, forestry & fishing. Nanango has a strong specialization in agriculture, forestry & fishing with an employment share 2.4 times the regional level. However, health care & social assistance has limited presence at 13.6% compared to the regional rate of 16.1%.

Employment opportunities locally appear limited based on Census data. In the 12-month period ending September 2025, employment increased by 9.3%, labour force by 10.2%, leading to an unemployment rise of 0.8 percentage points. This contrasts with Rest of Qld where employment grew by 1.7%, labour force expanded by 2.1%, and unemployment rose by 0.3 percentage points. State-level data as of 25-Nov-25 shows Queensland's employment contracted by 0.01% (losing 1,210 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.2%. National employment forecasts from May-25 project national growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Nanango's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 5.6% over five years and 12.2% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income metrics place the area in the bottom 10% of locations nationally according to AreaSearch analysis

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows Nanango SA2 had a median taxpayer income of $38,509 and an average of $47,985. This is below the national average. Rest of Qld had a median of $50,780 and an average of $64,844. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 13.99% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Nanango are approximately $43,896 (median) and $54,698 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals household, family, and personal incomes in Nanango fall between the 1st and 2nd percentiles nationally. Income brackets indicate 34.7% of Nanango's population falls within the $400 - $799 income range, differing from metropolitan regions where the $1,500 - $2,999 category predominates at 31.7%. The concentration of 45.2% in sub-$800 weekly brackets highlights economic challenges faced by a significant portion of Nanango's community. While housing costs are modest with 87.5% of income retained, total disposable income ranks at just the 3rd percentile nationally.

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

Nanango's housing structure, as per the latest Census, comprised 94.7% houses and 5.2% other dwellings such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. In comparison, Non-Metro Qld had 93.4% houses and 6.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Nanango stood at 52.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 27.6% and rented ones at 20.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,000, lower than Non-Metro Qld's average of $1,083. The median weekly rent in Nanango was $230, matching Non-Metro Qld's figure but significantly lower than the national average of $375. Nationally, Nanango's mortgage repayments were notably lower at $1,000 compared to Australia's average of $1,863.

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

Family households account for 63.9% of all households, including 17.5% couples with children, 34.4% couples without children, and 10.8% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 36.1%, with lone person households at 32.5% and group households comprising 3.6%. The median household size is 2.2 people, which is smaller than the Rest of Qld average of 2.3.

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

The area's university qualification rate is 10.0%, significantly lower than the Australian average of 30.4%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 7.5%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (1.3%) and graduate diplomas (1.2%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 41.9% of residents aged 15+ holding them - advanced diplomas at 9.0% and certificates at 32.9%. Educational participation is high, with 25.3% currently enrolled in formal education: 10.5% in primary, 9.8% in secondary, and 1.6% in tertiary education.

Educational participation is notably high, with 25.3% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.5% in primary education, 9.8% in secondary education, and 1.6% pursuing tertiary education.

No public transport data available for this catchment area.

Health performance in Nanango is a key challenge with a range of health conditions having marked impacts on both younger and older age cohorts

Nanango faces significant health challenges, with various conditions affecting both younger and older residents. Private health cover is low at approximately 46%, compared to the national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (13.6%) and mental health issues (11.4%). Conversely, 53.4% of residents report no medical ailments, compared to 59.4% in the rest of Queensland. Nanango has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 33.5%, compared to 26.8% in the rest of Queensland. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors are challenging but perform better than the general population in health metrics.

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

Nanango's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 86.5% of its population being citizens, 87.2% born in Australia, and 97.8% speaking English only at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Nanango, comprising 52.7% of people, compared to 56.4% across Rest of Qld. In terms of ancestry, the top three represented groups in Nanango are English (34.5%), Australian (30.0%), and Irish (8.8%).

Notably, German is overrepresented at 6.5%, compared to 7.8% regionally, while Australian Aboriginal is underrepresented at 3.6% (vs 6.0%) and Scottish is slightly higher at 8.2% (vs 7.4%).

Nanango ranks among the oldest 10% of areas nationwide

The median age in Nanango is 54 years, significantly higher than the Rest of Queensland's average of 41 years and also above the national norm of 38 years. The proportion of people aged 65-74 years in Nanango is notably higher at 19.7%, compared to the Rest of Queensland average, while those aged 25-34 years are under-represented at 6.8%. This concentration of people aged 65-74 years is well above the national figure of 9.4%. Between 2021 and present, the proportion of people aged 75 to 84 years has increased from 9.5% to 11.3%, while the proportion of those aged 5 to 14 years has decreased from 10.6% to 9.0%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Nanango, with the 75 to 84 age group projected to grow by 24%, adding 297 residents to reach a total of 1,519. Senior residents aged 65 years and above will drive 71% of population growth, highlighting demographic aging trends. Conversely, both the 5 to 14 and 15 to 24 age groups are projected to have reduced numbers.