Lota

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

Based on ABS population updates, as of Nov 2025, the estimated population for Lota statistical area (Lv2) is around 3743. This reflects an increase of 225 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 3518. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimate of resident population at 3683 in Jun 2024, following examination of latest ERP data release by ABS, and an additional 18 validated new addresses since the Census date. This equates to a density ratio of 1880 persons per square kilometer, above average national levels assessed by AreaSearch. Lota's 6.4% growth positions it closely with SA3 area at 6.6%, indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration was primary driver for population growth in recent periods.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with 2022 as base year. For areas not covered post-2032, Queensland State Government's SA2 area projections released in 2023 based on 2021 data are adopted, applying proportional growth weightings from ABS Greater Capital Region projections for each age cohort. Future trends anticipate lower quartile growth, with Lota expected to increase by 166 persons to 2041, reflecting a total increase of 2.4% over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Lota according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Between July 2017 and June 2022, Lota averaged approximately 17 new dwelling approvals per year, totalling an estimated 89 homes. As of FY-26 to date, 88 approvals have been recorded. Over the past five financial years (FY-21 to FY-25), an average of 1.6 new residents were associated with each dwelling constructed. However, this figure increased to 5.4 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, indicating growing popularity and potential supply constraints in the area. The average expected construction cost value for new homes was $1,062,000 during this period.

Additionally, $6.0 million in commercial approvals have been registered in FY-26, reflecting Lota's primarily residential nature. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Lota has seen slightly more development activity over the past five years, with a 13.0% higher per person average. This has maintained good buyer choice while supporting existing property values, although recent periods show moderating development activity. In terms of dwelling types, new developments consisted of approximately 52.0% detached dwellings and 48.0% attached dwellings, marking a significant shift from the current housing pattern of 95.0% houses.

This change suggests diminishing developable land availability and responds to evolving lifestyle preferences and housing affordability needs. With around 363 people per dwelling approval, Lota indicates a developed market. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, Lota is projected to add approximately 90 residents by 2041. Given current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

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

AreaSearch has identified one major project that could impact the area. Key projects include The Wellington Collection, Wynnum, Manly and Lota Foreshores Master Plan, Redlands Coast Smart and Connected City Strategy, and Renewable Energy Training Facility.

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.

AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Lota performing better than 90% of local markets assessed across Australia

Lota has an educated workforce with significant representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 2.3%.

Over the past year, estimated employment growth was 6.3%. As of September 2025, 2,172 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.7%, below Greater Brisbane's 4.0%. Workforce participation matches Greater Brisbane's 64.5%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, construction, and education & training.

Construction employment is notably high at 1.3 times the regional average. Health care & social assistance shows lower representation at 13.1% versus the regional average of 16.1%. Limited local employment opportunities are indicated by Census data comparing working population to resident population. Over a 12-month period, employment increased by 6.3%, labour force by 5.9%, reducing unemployment by 0.4 percentage points. In Greater Brisbane, employment grew by 3.8%, labour force expanded by 3.3%, and unemployment fell by 0.5 percentage points. State-level data to 25-Nov shows QLD employment contracted by 0.01% (losing 1,210 jobs), with a state unemployment rate of 4.2%, closely aligned with the national rate of 4.3%. National employment forecasts from May-25 project growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Lota's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.5% over five years and 13.4% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data released on 30 June 2023, Lota had a median taxpayer income of $62,435 and an average income of $80,820. These figures are among the highest in Australia, compared to Greater Brisbane's median of $58,236 and average of $72,799. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 9.91% since financial year 2023, estimated incomes as of September 2025 would be approximately $68,622 (median) and $88,829 (average). The 2021 Census data shows Lota's household, family, and personal incomes rank between the 71st and 80th percentiles nationally. Income analysis reveals that 31.8% of Lota residents earn between $1,500 - 2,999 per week (1,190 individuals), similar to the regional rate of 33.3%. Notably, 33.5% of residents earn over $3,000 per week, indicating significant affluence and supporting premium retail services. Housing accounts for 14.5% of income, with strong earnings placing residents in the 80th percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

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

Lota's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 95.4% houses and 4.6% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Brisbane metro's 78.0% houses and 22.0% other dwellings. Home ownership in Lota was at 31.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 45.5% and rented ones at 23.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,167, while the median weekly rent was $415. Nationally, Lota's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, with rents substantially above the national figure of $375.

Lota features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households comprise 77.3% of all households, including 38.3% couples with children, 26.4% couples without children, and 11.4% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 22.7%, with lone person households at 20.5% and group households making up 2.5%. The median household size is 2.7 people, which is larger than the Greater Brisbane average of 2.6.

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

The area's educational profile is notably strong regionally, with university qualification rates at 32.3% among residents aged 15+, surpassing both the SA4 region average of 23.7% and Queensland's state average of 25.7%. The majority of these qualifications are bachelor degrees (21.7%), followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.7%) and graduate diplomas (3.9%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 36.7% of residents aged 15+ holding such skills, including advanced diplomas (12.4%) and certificates (24.3%).

Educational participation is high, with 29.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.6% in primary education, 8.6% in secondary education, and 4.6% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Lota has 15 active public transport stops offering a mix of train and bus services. These are served by 27 routes, facilitating 1,386 weekly passenger trips in total. Residents have good transport accessibility, with an average distance of 245 meters to the nearest stop.

Service frequency stands at 198 trips daily across all routes, equating to about 92 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Lota is lower than average with common health conditions somewhat prevalent across the board, though to a considerably higher degree among older age cohorts

Lota faces significant health challenges with common health conditions being somewhat prevalent across all age groups, but particularly so among older cohorts.

The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 59%, covering around 2,216 people in total. Mental health issues and arthritis are the most common medical conditions in the area, affecting 9.8% and 8.3% of residents respectively. However, 67.0% of residents report being completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 69.4% across Greater Brisbane. As of 2016, 18.1% of Lota's residents are aged 65 and over (677 people), which is higher than the 16.7% in Greater Brisbane. Health outcomes among seniors require more attention due to presenting some challenges compared to the broader population.

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

Lota's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 77.0% of its population born in Australia. This figure is higher than the regional average. Additionally, 87.7% of Lota residents are citizens, and 94.1% speak English only at home.

Christianity is the predominant religion in Lota, comprising 49.5% of the population. However, Judaism is overrepresented in Lota compared to Greater Brisbane, with 0.1% of its population identifying as Jewish. In terms of ancestry, the top three groups are English (31.3%), Australian (23.4%), and Irish (10.8%). Notably, New Zealanders are proportionally represented at 1.3%, similar to the regional figure. However, Scottish residents are overrepresented at 9.6% compared to the regional average of 8.4%. Russian ancestry is also higher than the regional average in Lota, with 0.6% compared to 0.3%.

Lota's median age exceeds the national pattern

Lota's median age is 42 years, significantly higher than Greater Brisbane's average of 36 and Australia's median of 38. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Lota has a notably higher proportion of residents aged 55-64 (13.8%) and a lower proportion aged 25-34 (7.8%). According to the 2021 Census, Lota's population aged 15 to 24 grew from 10.6% to 12.4%, while those aged 75 to 84 increased from 5.4% to 7.2%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 5 to 14 decreased from 14.3% to 13.3%. By 2041, Lota's age profile is projected to change significantly. The 85+ cohort is expected to grow by 124%, adding 111 residents to reach 201. Residents aged 65 and older are anticipated to represent 76% of the population growth, while declines are projected for those aged 15 to 24 and 0 to 4 years.