Proserpine

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

As of Nov 2025, Proserpine's estimated population is around 3,716, reflecting an increase of 102 people since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 3,614. This change was inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population at 3,656 following examination of ABS's latest ERP data release in June 2024 and address validation since the Census date. The population density ratio is 158 persons per square kilometer. Over the past decade ending in 2021, Proserpine demonstrated a compound annual growth rate of 1.1%, outpacing its SA4 region. Interstate migration contributed approximately 87.0% of overall population gains during this period. AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year, and Queensland State Government's SA2 area projections released in 2023 based on 2021 data for areas not covered by this data or years post-2032.

It is projected that Australia's regional areas will have above median population growth, with Proserpine expected to grow by 775 persons to reach a total of 4,491 by 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting a gain of 24.4% over the 17 years.

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

Proserpine has seen minimal residential development activity with fewer than one dwelling approval annually over the past five years, with only one approval granted during this period. This low level of development reflects the rural nature of the area, where housing needs are typically met on a local basis rather than being driven by broader market demand. It should be noted that due to the small number of approvals, individual projects can significantly impact annual growth and relativity statistics.

Proserpine's development levels are substantially lower than those in the rest of Queensland, with construction cost values of dwellings also falling below national averages.

Proserpine has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 45thth percentile nationally

AreaSearch has identified four projects that could impact the area significantly due to their potential influence on local infrastructure. These key projects are: Proserpine Hospital Acute Primary Care Clinic Upgrade, Proserpine - Shute Harbour Road Upgrades (Hamilton Plains Flood Immunity and Cannonvale Capacity), Proserpine Urban Expansion Water and Sewer Infrastructure, and Proserpine Replacement Police Facility and Courthouse. The following list provides details on those projects likely to be 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.

AreaSearch assessment positions Proserpine ahead of most Australian regions for employment performance

Proserpine's workforce is balanced across white and blue-collar jobs, with manufacturing and industrial sectors prominent. Its unemployment rate was 3.3% in the past year, showing a 2.6% employment growth.

As of June 2025, 1,715 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 0.6% lower than Rest of Qld's 3.9%. Workforce participation was 56.0%, below Rest of Qld's 59.1%. Dominant employment sectors included retail trade, health care & social assistance, and construction. Retail trade had a strong presence, employing 1.3 times the regional level.

Health care & social assistance employed 12.6% of local workers, below Rest of Qld's 16.1%. Employment opportunities appeared limited locally, with Census working population vs resident population indicating this. In the 12-month period ending Sep-22, employment increased by 2.6%, while labour force decreased by 0.3%, causing a 2.8 percentage point drop in unemployment rate. This contrasted with Rest of Qld, where employment rose by 1.8% and unemployment rose by 0.2%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 projected national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Proserpine's employment mix suggested local employment should increase by 5.7% over five years and 12.2% over ten years, though these are simple weighted extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

Income figures position the area below 75% of locations analysed nationally by AreaSearch

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that income in Proserpine is below the national average. The median assessed income is $47,601 and the average income stands at $60,565. In comparison, Rest of Qld has a median income of $50,780 and an average income of $64,844. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 13.99% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Proserpine would be approximately $54,260 (median) and $69,038 (average) as of September 2025. According to the 2021 Census, household, family and personal incomes in Proserpine fall between the 11th and 22nd percentiles nationally. The earnings profile shows that 29.7% of locals (1,103 people) earn between $1,500 - 2,999, which is similar to metropolitan regions where 31.7% fall into this category. Housing affordability pressures are severe in Proserpine, with only 84.0% of income remaining, ranking at the 13th percentile nationally.

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

Proserpine's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 78.6% houses and 21.3% other dwellings. In comparison, Non-Metro Qld had 74.7% houses and 25.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in Proserpine stood at 32.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 30.4% and rented ones at 37.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,300, lower than Non-Metro Qld's average of $1,700. The median weekly rent in Proserpine was $260, compared to Non-Metro Qld's $350. Nationally, Proserpine's mortgage repayments were significantly lower at $1,300 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

Proserpine features high concentrations of lone person households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households account for 65.4% of all households, including 23.6% couples with children, 25.5% couples without children, and 15.6% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 34.6%, with lone person households making up 32.2% and group households comprising 2.3%. The median household size is 2.4 people, which aligns with the average for the Rest of Qld.

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

The area has lower university qualification rates at 10.2%, compared to Australia's average of 30.4%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 8.3%, followed by graduate diplomas (1.2%) and postgraduate qualifications (0.7%). Vocational credentials are prominent, with 41.8% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (7.5%) and certificates (34.3%). Educational participation is high at 26.9%, with 11.3% in primary education, 9.4% in secondary education, and 1.7% pursuing tertiary education.

Proserpine's three schools have a combined enrollment of 2,461 students, operating under typical Australian school conditions (ICSEA: 989). The educational mix includes one primary, one secondary, and one K-12 school. As an education hub, the area offers 66.2 school places per 100 residents, significantly higher than the regional average of 13.8, attracting students from surrounding communities.

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

Proserpine has five active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by one route in total, offering 89 weekly passenger trips combined. The accessibility of transport is rated as moderate, with residents on average located 452 meters from the nearest stop.

Buses run an average of 12 times per day across all routes, equating to about 17 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Proserpine is well below average with prevalence of common health conditions notable across both younger and older age cohorts

Proserpine faces significant health challenges, as indicated by health data.

Both younger and older age groups experience high prevalence of common health conditions. Private health cover is held by approximately 51% of Proserpine's total population (~1,902 people), slightly lower than the average SA2 area's rate. Mental health issues and arthritis are the most prevalent medical conditions in the area, affecting 9.8% and 8.9% of residents respectively. Only 62.4% of residents claim to be completely free from medical ailments, compared to 73.3% across Rest of Qld. Proserpine has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over, at 23.3%, or 865 people, compared to the Rest of Qld's 15.4%. Health outcomes among seniors present notable challenges, largely mirroring the general population's health profile.

Proserpine is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Proserpine, surveyed in 2016, had a predominantly homogeneous population: 89.6% were citizens, 88.9% were born in Australia, and 96.4% spoke English only at home. Christianity was the dominant religion, with 56.6%, compared to 45.3% regionally. The top three ancestry groups were English (32.2%), Australian (29.0%), and Irish (8.0%).

Notably, New Zealanders comprised 1.0%, Australian Aboriginals 4.3%, and Germans 4.1%, differing from regional averages of 1.1%, 2.3%, and 4.3% respectively.

Proserpine hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Proserpine is 42 years, close to the Rest of Queensland's average of 41 and well above Australia's median of 38. Compared to the Rest of Queensland average, the 75-84 age cohort is notably over-represented at 9.1% locally, while those aged 25-34 are under-represented at 10.1%. Between the 2021 Census and now, the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 11.3% to 12.1% of Proserpine's population, while the 5 to 14 cohort has declined from 13.7% to 12.8%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate significant demographic changes in Proserpine. The 75 to 84 age cohort is projected to grow substantially by 203 people (60%), from 338 to 542 residents. Conversely, the 15 to 24 age group shows modest growth of 3%, with an increase of only 11 residents.