Rocklea - Acacia Ridge

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

Rocklea - Acacia Ridge's population is approximately 10,197 as of February 2026. This figure reflects an increase of 486 people, representing a growth rate of 5.0%, since the 2021 Census which recorded a population of 9,711. The increase is inferred from the estimated resident population of 10,025 as of June 2024 and an additional 58 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 454 persons per square kilometer. Overseas migration contributed approximately 65.8% of 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 are used, released in 2023 based on 2021 data. However, these state projections do not provide age category splits; thus AreaSearch applies proportional growth weightings in line with the ABS Greater Capital Region projections for each age cohort, released in 2023 and based on 2022 data. Examining future population trends, lower quartile growth is anticipated, with the area expected to increase by 350 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an overall increase of 1.8% over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Rocklea - Acacia Ridge, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Rocklea - Acacia Ridge has seen approximately 25 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling 126 homes. In FY2026 so far, there have been 24 approvals. Despite population decline in the area, housing supply has remained adequate relative to demand, resulting in a balanced market with varied buyer choices. New homes are being built at an average construction cost of $319,000.

Commercial approvals this financial year amount to $85.9 million, indicating high local commercial activity. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Rocklea - Acacia Ridge has significantly less development activity, 73.0% below the regional average per person. This scarcity typically strengthens demand and prices for existing properties, although recent periods have seen increased development activity. This is also below the national average, suggesting the area's established nature and potential planning limitations. New developments consist of 67.0% detached dwellings and 33.0% townhouses or apartments, expanding medium-density options and offering a mix of housing alternatives across price brackets. This marks a significant shift from existing housing patterns, which are currently 86.0% houses, indicating diminishing developable land availability and responding to evolving lifestyle preferences and housing affordability needs.

Rocklea - Acacia Ridge has around 318 people per dwelling approval, characteristic of a low-density area. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, the area is projected to add 178 residents by 2041. Based on current development patterns, new housing supply should readily meet demand, offering good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Rocklea - Acacia Ridge has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

AreaSearch identified 64 projects likely to impact the area, significantly influencing its performance. Key projects include Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital Expansion, Transition - Archerfield Logistics Estate, Acacia Ridge Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Precinct, and Acacia Ridge Industrial Estate Expansion - Warehouse & Logistics Facilities. The following list details those most relevant.

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.

Employment conditions in Rocklea - Acacia Ridge face significant challenges, ranking among the bottom 10% of areas assessed nationally

Rocklea - Acacia Ridge has a skilled workforce with significant representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate was 15.2% as of September 2025. There were 4,329 residents employed at this time, which is an 11.2% increase from Greater Brisbane's unemployment rate of 4.0%.

Workforce participation in the area was 63.1%, compared to Greater Brisbane's 70.7%. According to Census responses, only 11.8% of residents worked from home. The leading employment industries among residents were health care & social assistance, retail trade, and construction. Notably, manufacturing had an employment level of 1.4 times the regional average.

Conversely, professional & technical services showed lower representation at 5.2%, compared to the regional average of 8.9%. There were 2.7 workers for every resident in the area as of the Census date, indicating it functions as an employment hub attracting workers from surrounding areas. Over the 12 months leading up to September 2025, labour force levels increased by 0.3% while employment declined by 2.1%, resulting in a rise in unemployment by 2.1 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Brisbane saw employment rise by 3.8%, the labour force grow by 3.3%, and unemployment fall by 0.5 percentage points during this period. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 offer insights into potential future demand within Rocklea - Acacia Ridge. These projections estimate that national employment will expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. However, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Rocklea - Acacia Ridge's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.2% over five years and 13.2% over ten years. These figures are based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and do not take into account localised population projections.

Income levels sit below national averages according to AreaSearch assessment

The Rocklea - Acacia Ridge SA2's median income among taxpayers was $54,172 and average income stood at $61,249 in financial year 2023. These figures were lower than Greater Brisbane's median of $58,236 and average of $72,799 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 9.91%, estimated incomes as of September 2025 would be approximately $59,540 (median) and $67,319 (average). According to the 2021 Census, household, family, and personal incomes in Rocklea - Acacia Ridge fell between the 20th and 24th percentiles nationally. Income distribution showed that 34.3% of locals (3,497 people) had incomes in the $1,500 - $2,999 category, similar to the broader area where 33.3% were in this bracket. Housing affordability pressures were severe, with only 80.0% of income remaining, ranking at the 20th percentile.

Rocklea - Acacia Ridge is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Rocklea-Acacia Ridge's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 85.7% houses and 14.3% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compared to Brisbane metro's 85.7% houses and 26.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Rocklea-Acacia Ridge stood at 20.8%, with mortgaged dwellings at 29.8% and rented ones at 49.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,517, lower than Brisbane metro's $1,863. Median weekly rent in the area was $335, compared to Brisbane metro's $380. Nationally, Rocklea-Acacia Ridge's mortgage repayments were significantly lower than Australia's average of $1,863, while rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

Rocklea - Acacia Ridge features high concentrations of group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 64.5% of all households, including 24.3% couples with children, 21.3% couples without children, and 17.0% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 35.5%, with lone person households at 28.8% and group households comprising 6.5%. The median household size is 2.5 people, which is smaller than the Greater Brisbane average of 2.6.

Rocklea - Acacia Ridge faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area's university qualification rate is 23.5%, significantly lower than the SA4 region average of 42.1%. This disparity presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 16.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 5.0% and graduate diplomas at 2.2%. Vocational credentials are also common, with 34.8% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (10.0%) and certificates (24.8%).

Educational participation is high, with 31.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.9% in primary education, 7.2% in secondary education, and 5.6% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Rocklea - Acacia Ridge has 74 active public transport stops serving a mix of train and bus services. These stops are covered by 27 individual routes, offering a total of 3,461 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated good, with residents typically located 229 meters from the nearest stop. As primarily residential, most commutes are outward-bound. Car remains the dominant mode at 82%, while bus and train account for 6% each. Average vehicle ownership per dwelling is 1.2, below the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, only 11.8% of residents work from home, which may reflect COVID-19 conditions. Service frequency averages 494 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 46 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Rocklea - Acacia Ridge faces significant health challenges as per AreaSearch's assessment. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence are high across various health conditions affecting both younger and older age groups. The area has approximately 50% private health cover, lower than Greater Brisbane's 55.8% and the national average of 55.7%.

Mental health issues and asthma are the most prevalent medical conditions, impacting 9.8% and 8.4% of residents respectively. However, 66.8% of residents claim to be completely free of medical ailments compared to Greater Brisbane's 69.2%. The working-age population faces notable health challenges due to elevated chronic condition rates. The area has 14.6% of residents aged 65 and over (1,491 people). Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges, generally in line with national rankings.

Rocklea - Acacia Ridge 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

Rocklea-Acacia Ridge has high cultural diversity, with 37.4% of its population born overseas and 33.7% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the main religion in Rocklea-Acacia Ridge, comprising 42.6%. Islam is overrepresented at 9.8%, compared to Greater Brisbane's average of 2.0%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (21.2%), Australian (19.8%), and Other (18.7%). Samoan (1.4%) and Spanish (0.8%) are notably overrepresented, while Vietnamese is slightly higher at 2.2% compared to regional averages of 0.9%, 0.4%, and 0.8% respectively.

Rocklea - Acacia Ridge hosts a young demographic, positioning it in the bottom quartile nationwide

The median age in Rocklea - Acacia Ridge is 34 years, which is younger than Greater Brisbane's figure of 36 years and Australia's national median age of 38 years. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Rocklea - Acacia Ridge has a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (16.8%) but fewer residents aged 15-24 (12.0%). Between the 2021 Census and present day, the population share of those aged 35 to 44 has increased from 14.1% to 14.8%, while the proportion of those aged 25 to 34 has decreased from 18.0% to 16.8%. By 2041, Rocklea - Acacia Ridge's population is forecasted to undergo significant demographic shifts. The largest projected growth will be in the 45 to 54 age group, with an increase of 18%, adding 215 residents to reach a total of 1,433. This shift continues the trend of demographic aging, as residents aged 65 and older are expected to comprise 57% of the population growth. Conversely, the 0 to 4 and 5 to 14 age groups are projected to experience population declines.