New Farm
Statistical Area - sa2

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

New Farm's population is 13,851 as of November 2025. This reflects an increase of 1,397 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 12,454. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 13,753 in June 2024 and an additional 152 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 6,472 persons per square kilometer, placing New Farm in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The area's 11.2% growth since the 2021 census exceeds the national average (8.9%), indicating strong growth. Overseas migration was the primary driver of population gains during this period.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered and years post-2032, Queensland State Government's SA2 area projections are adopted, based on 2021 data and released in 2023. These state projections lack age category splits; therefore, AreaSearch applies proportional growth weightings from the ABS Greater Capital Region projections for each age cohort, released in 2023 using 2022 data. Looking ahead, New Farm is expected to grow by 1,717 persons to 2041 based on the latest population numbers, reflecting an increase of 11.7% over the 17-year period.

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

New Farm has seen approximately 45 new homes approved annually over the past five financial years, totalling 225 homes. As of FY-26, there have been 6 approvals recorded so far. On average, 1.4 new residents arrived per year for each new home between FY-21 and FY-25, indicating a balanced supply and demand in the market. However, this figure has increased to 15.7 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting growing demand and tightening supply. The average construction cost value of new homes is $574,000, targeting the premium market segment with higher-end properties.

In FY-26, commercial development approvals have reached $21.4 million, demonstrating steady investment activity in the area. Compared to Greater Brisbane, New Farm has significantly lower building activity, at 77.0% below the regional average per person, which generally supports stronger demand and values for established properties. This limited new supply is also below national averages, reflecting the area's maturity and possible planning constraints. New development consists predominantly of townhouses or apartments (85.0%), with standalone homes making up the remainder (15.0%). This focus on higher-density living creates more affordable entry points, appealing to downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. With around 527 people per dwelling approval, New Farm exhibits a developed market.

Future projections estimate that New Farm will add approximately 1,619 residents by 2041, with construction maintaining a reasonable pace to accommodate this growth. However, as the population increases, buyers may face growing competition in the market.

New Farm has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 51 projects potentially impacting the area. Notable ones are James Street Retail Precinct Expansion, Moray House, Teneriffe Banks, and York by Graya. The following details those most relevant.

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

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The labour market in New Farm demonstrates typical performance when compared to similar areas across Australia

New Farm has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate was 4.3% as of June 2025.

The area saw an estimated employment growth of 3.6% over the past year. As of June 2025, 9,074 residents were employed while the unemployment rate was 0.3% higher than Greater Brisbane's rate of 4.1%. Workforce participation in New Farm was 68.0%, compared to Greater Brisbane's 64.5%. The key industries for employment among residents are professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and accommodation & food.

Notably, professional & technical services have a particularly high concentration with employment levels at 2.2 times the regional average. Conversely, construction has limited presence in New Farm with 5.4% employment compared to 9.0% regionally. The predominantly residential area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities as indicated by the count of Census working population versus resident population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 3.6% while labour force grew by 2.9%, leading to a fall in unemployment rate by 0.6 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Brisbane saw employment rise by 4.4%, labour force grow by 4.0%, and unemployment fall by 0.4 percentage points during the same period. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 suggest that New Farm's employment could potentially increase by approximately 7.5% over five years and 15.0% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation of industry-specific projections against the local employment mix.

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

New Farm had a median taxpayer income of $72,742 and an average income of $128,106 according to the latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2022. This is notably higher than Greater Brisbane's median income of $55,645 and average income of $70,520. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 13.99% since financial year 2022, current estimates project the median income to be approximately $82,919 and the average income to reach $146,028 by September 2025. According to Census 2021 data, individual earnings in New Farm stand out at the 92nd percentile nationally with weekly earnings of $1,220. The earnings profile shows that 29.1% of residents (4,030 people) fall into the $1,500 - 2,999 weekly earnings bracket, which is similar to regional levels where 33.3% occupy this range. Economic strength is evident with 33.8% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. High housing costs consume 16.0% of income in New Farm, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 70th percentile nationally, and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

New Farm features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

New Farm's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 20.9% houses and 79.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). Brisbane metro had 12.9% houses and 87.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in New Farm stood at 24.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 20.6% and rented ones at 54.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,276, higher than Brisbane metro's average of $2,000. Median weekly rent in New Farm was $405, compared to Brisbane metro's $440. Nationally, New Farm's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents exceeded the national figure of $375.

New Farm features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households account for 48.9% of all households, including 13.9% couples with children, 28.7% couples without children, and 5.0% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 51.1%, with lone person households at 42.3% and group households comprising 8.8%. The median household size is 1.9 people, which matches the Greater Brisbane average.

Educational achievement in New Farm places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

Educational attainment in New Farm is notably higher than broader benchmarks. Specifically, 54.2% of residents aged 15+ hold university qualifications, compared to 25.7% in Queensland and 30.4% in Australia. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 35.1%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (14.0%) and graduate diplomas (5.1%). Vocational pathways account for 22.5% of qualifications among those aged 15+, with advanced diplomas making up 10.4% and certificates 12.1%.

Educational participation is high, with 25.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.9% in tertiary education, 5.0% in primary education, and 4.1% pursuing secondary education. Holy Spirit School and New Farm State School serve a total of 829 students. The area has significant socio-educational advantages and academic achievement (ICSEA: 1127). Both schools focus exclusively on primary education, with secondary options available in nearby areas. Local school capacity is limited, with only 6.0 places per 100 residents compared to the regional average of 18.1, leading many families to travel for schooling.

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

The analysis of public transport in New Farm shows that there are 58 active transport stops currently operating. These stops offer a mix of ferry and bus services. Seven individual routes serve these stops, collectively facilitating 3,864 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility of transport is rated as excellent, with residents typically located just 123 meters from the nearest transport stop. On average, service frequency across all routes is 552 trips per day, which equates to approximately 66 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in New Farm is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

New Farm demonstrates above-average health outcomes with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 81% of the total population (11,247 people), compared to 64.3% across Greater Brisbane and a national average of 55.3%. The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and asthma, impacting 10.3 and 7.2% of residents respectively, while 70.0% declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments compared to 75.5% across Greater Brisbane.

The area has 18.8% of residents aged 65 and over (2,602 people), which is higher than the 10.5% in Greater Brisbane. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, performing even better than the general population in health metrics.

New Farm was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

New Farm's cultural diversity was notable, with 17.0% speaking a language other than English at home and 29.9% born overseas. Christianity dominated religious affiliations in New Farm at 43.6%. Judaism was overrepresented compared to Greater Brisbane, comprising 0.4% versus 0.2%.

Ancestry-wise, the top three groups were English (26.8%), Australian (17.6%), and Irish (12.5%). Some ethnic groups showed notable differences: French at 1.0% (vs regional 0.9%), Scottish at 9.3% (vs 7.2%), and Spanish at 0.7% (vs 1.0%).

New Farm's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in New Farm is 39 years, which is slightly higher than Greater Brisbane's average of 36 years and close to Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to Greater Brisbane, New Farm has a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (22.6%), but fewer residents aged 5-14 (5.8%). This concentration of 25-34 year-olds is significantly higher than the national average of 14.5%. Between the 2021 Census and present, the proportion of New Farm's population aged 75-84 has increased from 5.3% to 6.7%, while the proportion aged 35-44 has decreased from 15.6% to 14.4%. By 2041, New Farm is projected to experience significant changes in its age composition. The population aged 75-84 is expected to grow by 73% (678 people), reaching 1,604 from the current figure of 925. This aging trend is evident, with those aged 65 and above comprising 66% of projected population growth. Conversely, population declines are projected for residents aged 5-14 and 0-4 years.