Newstead - Bowen Hills

Newstead - Bowen Hills lies within the top 10% of areas nationally in terms of population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of short and medium-term trends

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Newstead - Bowen Hills's population is around 21,186 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 3,170 people (17.6%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 18,016 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 20,923 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 1,011 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 6,923 persons per square kilometer, which lies in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch, making land in the area a highly sought-after resource. Newstead - Bowen Hills's 17.6% growth since the 2021 census exceeded the national average (9.9%) and the state average, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by interstate migration, which contributed approximately 58.2% of overall population gains during recent periods, although all drivers, including overseas migration and natural growth, were positive factors.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, and for years post-2032, Queensland State Government's SA2 area projections, released in 2023 and based on 2021 data, are adopted. It should be noted that these state projections do not provide age category splits; hence, where utilised, AreaSearch applies proportional growth weightings in line with the ABS Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data) for each age cohort. Anticipating future population dynamics, a significant population increase in the top quartile of statistical areas across the nation is forecast, with the area expected to increase by 8,294 persons by 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, recording a gain of 37.9% in total over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Newstead - Bowen Hills was found to be higher than 90% of real estate markets across the country

Newstead - Bowen Hills has experienced around 306 dwellings receiving development approval each year, totalling 1,530 homes over the past 5 financial years. So far in FY-26224 approvals have been recorded. With an average of 3 people per year moving to the area for each dwelling built over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), demand significantly exceeds new supply, which usually results in price growth and increased buyer competition, while new dwellings are developed at an average value of $372,000. There have also been $242.6 million in commercial approvals this financial year, suggesting robust local business investment.

Compared to Greater Brisbane, Newstead - Bowen Hills shows 136.0% higher development activity (per person), offering buyers greater choice. This activity is well above average nationally, reflecting strong developer confidence in the area. New development consists of 1.0% detached houses and 99.0% townhouses or apartments. This focus on higher-density living creates more affordable entry points and suits downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. With around 391 people per dwelling approval, Newstead - Bowen Hills shows a developed market.

Future projections show Newstead - Bowen Hills adding 8,031 residents by 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). At current development rates, housing supply may struggle to match population growth, potentially heightening buyer competition and supporting price increases.

Newstead - Bowen Hills has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 20% nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total 128 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include Teneriffe Banks, Bowen Bridge Road Upgrade, Waterfront Newstead - Mirvac Masterplan, and Aire Newstead, with the list below detailing those likely to be of most relevance.

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

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

Newstead - Bowen Hills ranks among the top 25% of areas assessed nationally for overall employment performance

Newstead - Bowen Hills possesses a highly educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation, an unemployment rate of just 2.6%, and 1.1% in estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 16,619 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 1.5% below Greater Brisbane's rate of 4.1%, and workforce participation is well beyond standard (86.2% compared to Greater Brisbane's 71.2%). Based on Census responses, a high 28.5% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

The key industries of employment among residents are professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and accommodation & food. The area has particular employment specialization in professional & technical, with an employment share of 2.2 times the regional level. In contrast, construction employs just 4.9% of local workers, below Greater Brisbane's 9.0%. With 1.4 workers for every resident, as at the Census, the area functions as an employment hub, hosting more jobs than residents and attracting workers from surrounding areas.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, during the year to December 2025, employment levels increased by 1.1% and labour force increased by 1.5%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.4 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Brisbane experienced employment growth of 3.2% and labour force growth of 3.0%, with a 0.1 percentage point drop. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Newstead - Bowen Hills. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, have been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. While national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Newstead - Bowen Hills's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.4% over five years and 14.9% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

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

The Newstead - Bowen Hills SA2's income level is among the top percentile nationally according to the latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for FY-23. The Newstead - Bowen Hills SA2's median income among taxpayers is $66,505 and the average income stands at $96,223, which compares to Greater Brisbane's figures of $58,236 and $72,799 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 9.91% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $73,096 (median) and $105,759 (average) as of September 2025. From the 2021 Census, individual earnings stand out at the 96th percentile nationally ($1,405 weekly). Income brackets indicate the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 37.6% of residents (7,965 people), mirroring the surrounding region where 33.3% occupy this bracket. Higher earners represent a substantial presence with 32.1% exceeding $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power within the community. High housing costs consume 18.4% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 72nd percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Newstead - Bowen Hills features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Dwelling structure within Newstead - Bowen Hills, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 3.8% houses and 96.2% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), in comparison to Brisbane metro's 73.5% houses and 26.5% other dwellings. Meanwhile, the level of home ownership within Newstead - Bowen Hills lagged that of Brisbane metro, at 12.1%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (17.7%) or rented (70.3%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was above the Brisbane metro average at $2,000, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $450, compared to Brisbane metro's $1,863 and $380. Nationally, Newstead - Bowen Hills's mortgage repayments are higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are substantially above the national figure of $375.

Newstead - Bowen Hills features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households dominate at 45.7% of all households, comprising 8.0% couples with children, 32.6% couples without children, and 3.9% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 54.3%, with lone person households at 43.5% and group households comprising 10.7% of the total. The median household size of 1.7 people is smaller than the Greater Brisbane average of 2.6.

The educational profile of Newstead - Bowen Hills exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

Educational attainment in Newstead - Bowen Hills significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 56.1% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 25.7% in QLD and 30.4% in Australia. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 38.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (12.8%) and graduate diplomas (4.6%). Vocational pathways account for 24.0% of qualifications among those aged 15+ – advanced diplomas (11.0%) and certificates (13.0%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 25.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 13.5% in tertiary education, 2.6% in primary education, and 2.1% pursuing secondary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 45 active transport stops operating within Newstead - Bowen Hills, comprising a mix of ferry, train, and buses. These stops are serviced by 255 individual routes, collectively providing 18,025 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 131 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 53%, with 20% walking and 13% by bus. Vehicle ownership averages 0.5 per dwelling, which is below the regional average. A high 28.5% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 2,575 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 400 weekly trips per individual stop.

Newstead - Bowen Hills's residents are extremely healthy with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Newstead - Bowen Hills, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. There is a very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups, and the rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 69% of the total population (14,554 people). This compares to 55.8% across Greater Brisbane and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and asthma, impacting 10.8% and 7.3% of residents, respectively, while 73.9% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 69.2% across Greater Brisbane. Working-age residents are notably healthy with low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 11.8% of residents aged 65 and over (2,508 people), which is lower than the 15.2% in Greater Brisbane. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Newstead - Bowen Hills was found to be above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Newstead - Bowen Hills is more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets, with 19.4% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 34.6% born overseas. The main religion in Newstead - Bowen Hills is Christianity, which makes up 37.4% of the population. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Judaism, which comprises 0.3% of the population, compared to 0.1% across Greater Brisbane.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Newstead - Bowen Hills are English, comprising 26.6% of the population, Australian, comprising 17.7% of the population, which is notably lower than the regional average of 23.2%, and Other, comprising 11.0% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: French is notably overrepresented at 1.0% of Newstead - Bowen Hills (vs 0.5% regionally), Spanish at 0.9% (vs 0.4%) and Welsh at 0.8% (vs 0.5%).

Newstead - Bowen Hills's young demographic places it in the bottom 15% of areas nationwide

At 35 years, Newstead - Bowen Hills's median age is nearly matching the Greater Brisbane average of 36 and is similarly somewhat younger than Australia's 38 years. Relative to Greater Brisbane, Newstead - Bowen Hills has a higher concentration of 25 - 34 residents (32.6%) but fewer 5 - 14 year-olds (2.8%). This 25 - 34 concentration is well above the national 14.4%. Since the 2021 Census, residents have aged by 1.7 years on average, with the median rising from 33 to 35. Specifically, the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 2.8% to 4.4% of the population, while the 55 to 64 cohort increased from 8.2% to 9.4%. Conversely, the 25 to 34 cohort has declined from 36.4% to 32.6% and the 15 to 24 group dropped from 12.8% to 10.7%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes for Newstead - Bowen Hills. The 45 to 54 cohort shows the strongest projected growth at 65%, adding 1,528 residents to reach 3,884.