Sunnybank Hills

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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Sunnybank Hills's population is around 19,547 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 1,462 people (8.1%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 18,085 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 19,514 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 98 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 3,035 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Sunnybank Hills's 8.1% growth since the census positions it within 1.5 percentage points of the SA3 area (9.6%), demonstrating competitive growth fundamentals. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 92.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting 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 is applying proportional growth weightings in line with the ABS Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data) for each age cohort. Looking at population projections moving forward, a population increase just below the median of statistical areas across the nation is expected, with the area expected to grow by 2,121 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, recording a gain of 10.7% in total over the 17 years.

AreaSearch analysis of residential development drivers sees Sunnybank Hills recording a relatively average level of approval activity when compared to local markets analysed countrywide

Sunnybank Hills has seen around 54 new homes approved annually, with 274 homes approved over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25) and 20 so far in FY-26. At an average of 1.4 new residents per year arriving per new home over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), supply and demand appear well-balanced, creating stable market conditions, though recent data shows this has intensified to 7.7 people per dwelling over the past 2 financial years, indicating growing popularity and potential undersupply. New homes are being built at an average value of $519,000, showing that developers are focusing on the premium market with high-end developments. Additionally, $8.0 million in commercial approvals have been registered this financial year, reflecting the area's residential character.

Compared to Greater Brisbane, Sunnybank Hills has similar development levels (per person), maintaining market balance consistent with the broader area. This is likewise lower than nationally, reflecting market maturity and pointing to possible development constraints. New building activity shows 60.0% detached houses and 40.0% attached dwellings, featuring an increasing blend of attached housing types offering choices across price ranges, from spacious family homes to more accessible compact options. This represents a notable shift from the area's existing housing (currently 85.0% houses), indicating decreasing availability of developable sites and reflecting changing lifestyles and the need for more diverse, affordable housing options. The location has approximately 335 people per dwelling approval, indicating room for growth.

Population forecasts indicate Sunnybank Hills will gain 2,088 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Sunnybank Hills has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total, 23 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include Gowan Village Shopping Centre Redevelopment, Pavilion The Residences, Gardner Road Townhouses Stage 3, and Solaris Rochedale, 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.

Employment performance in Sunnybank Hills has been below expectations when compared to most other areas nationally

Sunnybank Hills possesses a well-educated workforce with diverse sector representation, an unemployment rate of 5.1%, and 1.8% estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 9,803 residents are in work, while the unemployment rate is 0.9% above Greater Brisbane's rate of 4.1%, and workforce participation lags significantly (63.3% compared to Greater Brisbane's 71.2%). Based on Census responses, a moderate 15.5% of residents work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

Leading employment industries among residents include health care & social assistance, retail trade, and accommodation & food. The area demonstrates a notable concentration in accommodation & food, with employment levels at 1.3 times the regional average. Meanwhile, construction has a limited presence with 6.8% employment compared to 9.0% regionally. The predominantly residential area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the count of the Census working population versus the resident population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, over the 12 months to December 2025, employment increased by 1.8% while the labour force increased by 2.7%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.8 percentage points. This compares to Greater Brisbane, where employment grew by 3.2%, the labour force expanded by 3.0%, and unemployment fell 0.1 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Sunnybank 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 Sunnybank Hills's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.6% over five years and 13.6% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

Income levels sit below national averages according to AreaSearch assessment

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for FY-23 reveals that income in the Sunnybank Hills SA2 is below the national average, with the median assessed at $43,412 while the average income stands at $56,318. This contrasts with Greater Brisbane's figures of a median income of $58,236 and an average income of $72,799. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 9.91% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $47,714 (median) and $61,899 (average) as of September 2025. From the 2021 Census, household income ranks at the 48th percentile ($1,725 weekly), while personal income sits at the 22nd percentile. The earnings profile shows the largest segment comprises 34.9% earning $1,500 - 2,999 weekly (6,821 residents), consistent with broader trends across the region showing 33.3% in the same category. High housing costs consume 15.3% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 50th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 5th decile.

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

Dwelling structure within Sunnybank Hills, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 84.7% houses and 15.3% 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 Sunnybank Hills was well beyond that of Brisbane metro, at 36.9%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (31.8%) or rented (31.2%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was below the Brisbane metro average at $1,853, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $410, compared to Brisbane metro's $1,863 and $380. Nationally, Sunnybank Hills's mortgage repayments are lower than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are exceeding the national figure of $375.

Sunnybank Hills features high concentrations of group households and family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households dominate at 77.9% of all households, comprising 39.0% couples with children, 24.7% couples without children, and 12.5% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 22.1%, with lone person households at 17.0% and group households comprising 5.1% of the total. The median household size of 3.0 people is larger than the Greater Brisbane average of 2.6.

Sunnybank Hills shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Educational attainment in Sunnybank Hills significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 37.2% 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 24.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (10.9%) and graduate diplomas (2.3%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 26.0% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials, including advanced diplomas (10.7%) and certificates (15.3%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 31.7% of residents aged 15+ currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.8% in primary education, 7.4% in tertiary education, and 7.1% pursuing secondary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 60 active transport stops operating within Sunnybank Hills, comprising a mix of buses. These stops are serviced by 17 individual routes, collectively providing 3,043 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located 223 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 83%, with 9% by bus. Vehicle ownership averages 1.5 per dwelling. Some 15.5% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 434 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 50 weekly trips per individual stop.

Sunnybank Hills's residents are relatively healthy in comparison to broader Australia with a fairly standard level of common health conditions seen across both young and old age cohorts

Sunnybank Hills's health metrics are close to national benchmarks, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. There is a standard level of common health conditions across both young and old age cohorts, and the rate of private health cover is low at approximately 48% of the total population (~9,284 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 arthritis and mental health issues, impacting 5.7% and 5.5% of residents, respectively, while 75.7% 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 18.9% of residents aged 65 and over (3,700 people), which is higher than the 15.2% in Greater Brisbane, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

Sunnybank Hills is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Sunnybank Hills is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country, with 57.8% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 54.9% born overseas. The main religion in Sunnybank Hills is Christianity, which makes up 39.0% of the population. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Buddhism, which comprises 7.2% of the population, substantially higher than the Greater Brisbane average of 2.0%.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Sunnybank Hills are Chinese, comprising 27.1% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 3.4%, Other, comprising 15.0% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 9.4%, and English, comprising 14.1% of the population, which is notably lower than the regional average of 26.8%. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Korean is notably overrepresented at 1.9% of Sunnybank Hills (vs 0.5% regionally), Samoan at 1.1% (vs 0.9%) and Vietnamese at 2.3% (vs 0.8%).

Sunnybank Hills's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

At 37 years, Sunnybank Hills's median age nearly matches the Greater Brisbane average of 36 while also remaining very close to the Australian median of 38. Relative to Greater Brisbane, Sunnybank Hills has a higher concentration of 65 - 74 residents (10.0%) but fewer 45 - 54 year-olds (11.0%). Since the 2021 Census, the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 11.9% to 13.4% of the population, while the 75 to 84 cohort increased from 5.4% to 6.4%. Conversely, the 0 to 4 cohort has declined from 5.8% to 4.8%. Demographic modeling suggests Sunnybank Hills's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041. The 75 to 84 cohort shows the strongest projected growth at 55%, adding 693 residents to reach 1,946. Senior residents (65+) will drive 65% of population growth, underscoring demographic aging trends. On the other hand, the 0 to 4 and 5 to 14 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.