The Hills District
Statistical Area - sa2

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

The Hills District's population is 25,969 as of August 2025. This reflects a growth of 1,656 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 24,313. The increase is inferred from ABS data: an estimated resident population of 25,967 in June 2024 and additional validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 821 persons per square kilometer. Since the Census, the Hills District's growth of 6.8% is close to the SA3 area's growth rate of 7.0%. Natural growth contributes approximately 51.3% 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, so proportional growth weightings from ABS Greater Capital Region projections are applied for each age cohort. Future population trends indicate a median increase to 2041, with the Hills District expected to grow by 6.3% in total over this period.

Recent residential development output has been above average within The Hills District when compared nationally

The Hills District has averaged approximately 68 new dwelling approvals annually. Development approval data is produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on a financial year basis, totalling 341 approvals across the past five financial years from FY2020-21 to FY2025-26. As of February 2023, there have been 3 approvals in FY2026-27. On average, for every home built over the past five financial years, 3.9 new residents have moved into the area.

This supply has substantially lagged demand, leading to heightened buyer competition and pricing pressures. New homes are being constructed at an average value of $510,000. In FY2026-27, there have been $12.4 million in commercial approvals, indicating moderate levels of commercial development. Compared to Greater Brisbane, The Hills District has approximately two-thirds the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and places among the 30th percentile nationally when measured against other areas assessed, resulting in relatively constrained buyer choice and supporting interest in existing dwellings. This reflects market maturity and possible development constraints. New development consists of 47% detached dwellings and 53% townhouses or apartments, demonstrating a trend towards denser development that appeals to downsizers, investors, and entry-level buyers.

This is a significant change from the current housing mix, which is predominantly houses (89%). The estimated population density per dwelling approval reflects its quiet, low activity development environment. Future projections indicate that The Hills District will add approximately 1,640 residents by 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

The Hills District has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 30 projects expected to influence the region. Notable initiatives include The Quarry by Frasers Property Keperra, The Quarry - Keperra Quarry Redevelopment, Ferny Grove Line Duplication, and University Road Mixed-Use Development. Relevant projects are listed below.

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

Employment conditions in The Hills District demonstrate exceptional strength compared to most Australian markets

The Hills District has a well-educated workforce with professional services showing strong representation. The unemployment rate in the district is 3.3%.

There was an estimated employment growth of 6.7% over the past year. As of June 2025, 15,875 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 0.8% lower than Greater Brisbane's rate of 4.1%. Workforce participation in The Hills District is higher at 71.1%, compared to Greater Brisbane's 64.5%. Leading employment industries among residents include health care & social assistance, education & training, and public administration & safety.

Public administration & safety has particularly notable concentration with employment levels at 1.5 times the regional average. Manufacturing has limited presence in The Hills District with 3.8% employment compared to 6.4% regionally. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities as indicated by the count of Census working population vs resident population. In a 12-month period, employment increased by 6.7% while labour force grew by 7.6%, leading to an unemployment rate rise of 0.8 percentage points. This contrasts with Greater Brisbane where employment rose by 4.4%, labour force grew by 4.0%, and unemployment fell by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data from Sep-25 shows QLD employment contracted by 0.23% (losing 8,070 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.2%. This compares favourably to the national unemployment rate of 4.5%, but lags behind national employment growth of 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project a national employment expansion of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to The Hills District's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.0%% over five years and 14.2% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localised population projections.

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows The Hills District had a median income of $62,741 and an average income of $74,303 among taxpayers. Nationally, these figures are high compared to Greater Brisbane's median of $55,645 and average of $70,520. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 11.71% since financial year 2022, estimates for March 2025 would be approximately $70,088 (median) and $83,004 (average). Census 2021 data indicates that The Hills District's household, family, and personal incomes rank between the 81st and 85th percentiles nationally. Income distribution shows 34.6% of residents (8,985 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - $2,999 range, similar to the broader area where 33.3% occupy this range. Economic strength is evident with 35.4% of households earning high weekly incomes exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. Housing accounts for 13.6% of income while strong earnings place residents in the 87th percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

The Hills District is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

The Hills District's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 89.0% houses and 10.9% other dwellings. In Brisbane metro, it was 92.2% houses and 7.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in The Hills District was 31.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 49.8% and rented ones at 19.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000, below Brisbane metro's average of $2,080. The median weekly rent was $455, compared to Brisbane metro's $440. Nationally, The Hills District's mortgage repayments were higher at $1,863 and rents substantially above the national figure of $375.

The Hills District features high concentrations of family households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 80.9% of all households, including 39.8% couples with children, 28.8% couples without children, and 11.3% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 19.1%, with lone person households at 16.4% and group households comprising 2.7% of the total. The median household size is 2.8 people, which is smaller than the Greater Brisbane average of 2.9.

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

The area's university qualification rate is 33.7% among residents aged 15+, surpassing the SA4 region average of 24.9% and Queensland's state average of 25.7%. Bachelor degrees are the most prevalent at 22.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.6%) and graduate diplomas (4.2%). Vocational credentials are also common, with 34.4% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas at 11.9% and certificates at 22.5%.

Educational participation is high, with 29.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.3% in primary education, 8.4% in secondary education, and 5.5% pursuing tertiary education. The Hills District's four schools have a combined enrollment of 1,315 students. The district demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1082). Education provision is balanced with three primary and one secondary school serving distinct age groups. School places per 100 residents (5.1) fall below the regional average (8.3), suggesting some students may attend schools in adjacent areas. Note: where schools show 'n/a' for enrolments, please refer to the parent campus.

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

The Hills District has 94 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are serviced by six different routes that provide a total of 475 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of these services is rated as good, with residents typically located 386 meters away from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 67 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately five weekly trips per individual stop.

The Hills District's residents are healthier than average in comparison to broader Australia with prevalence of common health conditions quite low among the general population though higher than the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

The Hills District's health data shows its residents have relatively positive outcomes, with low prevalence of common health conditions among the general population. However, these rates are higher than the national average for older and at-risk cohorts.

Private health cover is high, with approximately 56% (14,672 people) having it, compared to Greater Brisbane's 59.0%. The most prevalent medical conditions are mental health issues affecting 9.8% of residents, followed by asthma impacting 7.9%. A total of 68.7% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 69.9% in Greater Brisbane. The area has 14.8% (3,848 people) of residents aged 65 and over, lower than Greater Brisbane's 16.2%.

The Hills District ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

The Hills District's cultural diversity was below average, with 83.1% born in Australia, 92.4% citizens, and 93.0% speaking English only at home. Christianity dominated the religion landscape at 49.9%, compared to Greater Brisbane's 52.9%. Ancestry-wise, the top three groups were English (29.6%), Australian (27.0%), and Irish (10.2%).

Notably, Scottish was overrepresented at 9.2% versus 8.9% regionally, while New Zealand and German were similarly represented at 1.0% and 4.8%, respectively.

The Hills District's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

The Hills District has a median age of 38, which is slightly higher than Greater Brisbane's figure of 36 but equal to Australia's median age of 38 years. The age group of 45-54 shows strong representation in the district at 14.8%, compared to Greater Brisbane, while the 25-34 cohort is less prevalent at 11.8%. Between 2021 and present, the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 4.6% to 6.2% of the population. Conversely, the 65 to 74 age group has declined from 8.7% to 7.1%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in The Hills District's age structure. Notably, the 85+ age group is expected to grow by 194%, reaching 1,161 people from 394. This growth is part of a broader aging population trend, with those aged 65 and above comprising 54% of projected population growth. Meanwhile, the 5 to 14 and 0 to 4 age cohorts are expected to experience population declines.