East Innisfail

East Innisfail has shown very soft population growth performance across periods assessed by AreaSearch

As of Nov 2025, East Innisfail's estimated population is around 1,686, reflecting a decrease of 71 people since the 2021 Census. The population in 2021 was 1,757. This change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimate of 1,678 residents, based on the latest ABS ERP data release (June 2024) and address validation since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 1,248 persons per square kilometer, above the national average assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration contributed approximately 79.0% 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 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 AreaSearch applies proportional growth weightings from ABS Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data) for each age cohort. Looking ahead, projections indicate a decline in overall population by 58 persons by 2041. However, specific age cohorts are expected to grow, notably the 75 to 84 age group, projected to increase by 26 people.

The level of residential development activity in East Innisfail is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

East Innisfail has seen minimal development activity over the past five years, with an average of less than one approval per year. This is typical of rural areas where housing needs are modest and construction activity is limited by local demand and infrastructure capacity. It should be noted that due to the small number of approvals, individual projects can significantly impact annual growth statistics in East Innisfail.

Compared to the rest of Queensland and national averages, East Innisfail has shown significantly less construction activity.

East Innisfail has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 22ndth percentile nationally

No changes can significantly affect a region's performance like alterations to its local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified zero projects that are expected to impact this area. Notable projects include North Queensland Super Hub, North and Far North Queensland REZs, Queensland National Land Transport Network Maintenance, and Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan SuperGrid. The following list details those likely to be most relevant.

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

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Employment conditions in East Innisfail face significant challenges, ranking among the bottom 10% of areas assessed nationally

East Innisfail has a balanced workforce comprising white and blue collar jobs, with essential services sectors well represented. The unemployment rate was 10.2% as of June 2025, based on AreaSearch's statistical area data aggregation.

There were 738 residents employed at this time, with an unemployment rate 6.3% higher than Rest of Qld's rate of 3.9%. Workforce participation in East Innisfail was somewhat lower at 55.2%, compared to Rest of Qld's 59.1%. Key industries for employment among residents were health care & social assistance, agriculture, forestry & fishing, and retail trade. The area showed strong specialization in agriculture, forestry & fishing, with an employment share 3.5 times the regional level.

Conversely, construction was under-represented at 5.9% of East Innisfail's workforce compared to Rest of Qld's 10.1%. Limited local employment opportunities were indicated by Census working population vs resident population counts. Over a 12-month period ending June 2025, labour force decreased by 2.6%, and employment decreased by 5.5% in East Innisfail, leading to an unemployment rate rise of 2.8 percentage points. By comparison, Rest of Qld saw employment growth of 1.8% and labour force growth of 2.0%, with a smaller increase in unemployment of 0.2 percentage points. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia, published in Sep-22, projected national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to East Innisfail's employment mix suggested local employment should increase by 6.0% over five years and 13.0% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income metrics place the area in the bottom 10% of locations nationally according to AreaSearch analysis

East Innisfail's median taxpayer income was $44,048 and average was $52,771 in financial year 2022. This is lower than the national averages of $50,780 (median) and $64,844 (average). By September 2025, estimated median income would be approximately $50,210 and average $60,154, based on a 13.99% Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2022. In East Innisfail, household, family, and personal incomes fell between the 7th and 15th percentiles nationally in 2021 Census figures. Income brackets showed 28.6% of residents earning $800 - $1,499, differing from broader areas where $1,500 - $2,999 was predominant at 31.7%. Housing affordability pressures were severe, with only 84.5% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 9th percentile.

East Innisfail is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

East Innisfail's dwelling structure as of the latest Census showed 86.5% houses and 13.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compared to Non-Metro Qld's 87.1% houses and 12.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in East Innisfail was at 33.1%, with the rest either mortgaged (24.4%) or rented (42.5%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,083, below Non-Metro Qld's average of $1,300 and Australia's national average of $1,863. The median weekly rent figure was $255, compared to Non-Metro Qld's $250 and the national figure of $375.

East Innisfail features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 60.0% of all households, including 19.1% couples with children, 25.1% couples without children, and 13.0% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 40.0%, with lone person households at 35.6% and group households comprising 4.1%. The median household size is 2.3 people, smaller than the Rest of Qld average of 2.4.

East Innisfail faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area's university qualification rate is 16.2%, significantly lower than the Australian average of 30.4%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 11.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.0%) and graduate diplomas (1.9%). Vocational credentials are prominent, with 38.8% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (9.1%) and certificates (29.7%). Educational participation is high at 29.8%, comprising primary education (13.0%), secondary education (10.8%), and tertiary education (1.5%).

Darlingia Forest School and Innisfail East State School serve a total of 164 students, with ICSEA index of 914. Both schools focus on primary education, with secondary options available nearby. There are 9.7 school places per 100 residents, below the regional average of 14.9, indicating some students may attend schools in adjacent areas.

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

East Innisfail has seven active public transport stops, all of which offer bus services. These stops are served by one route in total, offering 22 weekly passenger trips combined. The accessibility of transport is rated as good, with residents typically located 235 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are three trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately three weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in East Innisfail is lower than average with common health conditions somewhat prevalent across both younger and older age cohorts

East Innisfail faces significant health challenges with common health conditions prevalent across both younger and older age cohorts. The rate of private health cover is very low at approximately 48% of the total population (~811 people), compared to the national average of 55.3%.

The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and mental health issues, impacting 11.4 and 7.4% of residents respectively. A total of 67.0% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, slightly lower than the 68.1% across Rest of Qld. The area has 20.8% of residents aged 65 and over (350 people), which is lower than the 23.6% in Rest of Qld. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, performing better than the general population in health metrics.

In terms of cultural diversity, East Innisfail records figures broadly comparable to the national average, as found in AreaSearch's assessment of a number of language and cultural background related metrics

East Innisfail's population was approximately aligned with the broader regional average in terms of cultural diversity, with 86.3% being citizens, 84.8% born in Australia, and 86.0% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in East Innisfail, comprising 56.6% of its population. Notably, the category 'Other' was overrepresented, making up 4.0% compared to the regional average of 3.3%.

The top three ancestry groups were English (21.2%), Australian (19.9%), and Australian Aboriginal (14.6%). Some ethnic groups showed significant differences: Hungarian was notably higher at 0.4% in East Innisfail versus 0.1% regionally, Italian was lower at 5.3% compared to the regional average of 7.5%, and Macedonian was present at 0.2% while it was not recorded regionally.

East Innisfail's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in East Innisfail is 39 years, which is lower than Rest of Qld's average of 41 but close to the national average of 38 years. The age profile shows that 5-14 year-olds make up 13.8% of the population, while the 35-44 group comprises 11.3%. Since 2021, the 15-24 age group has grown from 11.7% to 12.7%, and the 45-54 cohort has declined from 13.2% to 12.1%. By 2041, demographic projections show that the 75-84 age cohort is expected to increase by 33 people (32%), from 106 to 140. The combined 65+ age groups will account for 64% of total population growth. Meanwhile, the 5-14 and 55-64 cohorts are projected to experience population declines.