Sunrise Beach

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

The estimated population of the suburb of Sunrise Beach is around 4,016 as of May 2026. This figure reflects an increase of 329 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 3,687 people. The change was inferred from AreaSearch's estimation following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2025 and validation of seven new addresses since the Census date. This level of population results in a density ratio of 1,612 persons per square kilometer, which is above the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Sunrise Beach's growth of 8.9% since the 2021 census exceeded the SA3 area's growth of 6.1%, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Overseas migration contributed approximately 82.0% of overall population gains during recent periods, although all drivers including natural growth and interstate migration were positive factors.

AreaSearch is adopting 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 adopted, released in 2023 based on 2021 data. Considering projected demographic shifts, the suburb is expected to expand by 148 persons to 2041, reflecting a gain of 3.7% in total over the 16 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential approval activity sees Sunrise Beach among the top 30% of areas assessed nationwide

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers in Sunrise Beach shows approximately 23 new homes approved annually. Between FY-21 and FY-25, around 116 homes were approved, with 8 more approved so far in FY-26. On average, each dwelling added about 2.5 new residents per year over the past five financial years.

New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost of $681,000, indicating a focus on premium properties. This financial year has seen $107,000 in commercial development approvals, suggesting minimal commercial development activity. Compared to the rest of Queensland, Sunrise Beach has slightly more development, with 19.0% above the regional average per person over the five-year period.

New development consists of 58.0% detached dwellings and 42.0% townhouses or apartments, offering a mix of housing options. The location currently has about 108 people per dwelling approval. Future projections estimate Sunrise Beach to add 148 residents by 2041, based on current development patterns.

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

Local infrastructure changes significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch identified three projects potentially affecting this region: Sunrise Beach Village, Noosa Aquatic Centre Facility Upgrade Plan, David Low Way Retaining Wall and Shared Pathway at Sunrise Beach, and Noosa Business Centre Village Precinct. The following details those most likely to be relevant.

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Sunrise Beach ranks among the top 25% of areas assessed nationally for overall employment performance

Sunrise Beach has a well-educated workforce with prominent tourism and hospitality sectors. Its unemployment rate is 2.3%, according to AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data. As of December 2025, 2,211 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.7% below Regional Qld's rate of 4%.

Workforce participation stands at 67.4%, compared to Regional Qld's 64.5%. A moderate 23.8% of residents work from home, considering Covid-19 lockdown impacts. Employment is concentrated in accommodation & food (1.9 times regional average), health care & social assistance, and construction. Agriculture, forestry & fishing has limited presence at 0.4%, compared to the regional 4.5%.

The area offers limited local employment opportunities. Over December 2024 to December 2025, labour force levels decreased by 3.2% with employment down by 3.0%, causing unemployment to fall by 0.2 percentage points. This contrasts with Regional Qld where employment rose by 0.7%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Sunrise Beach's employment mix suggests local employment should grow by 6.8% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income levels sit below national averages according to AreaSearch assessment

Sunrise Beach suburb had extremely high national income levels according to latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023. Its median taxpayer income was $47,189 and average income stood at $85,971. These figures compared to Regional Qld's of $53,146 and $66,593 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 11.36% since financial year 2023, current estimates were approximately $52,550 (median) and $95,737 (average) as of March 2026. Census data showed household, family and personal incomes in Sunrise Beach clustered around the 56th percentile nationally. Income brackets indicated largest segment comprised 34.0% earning $1,500 - $2,999 weekly (1,365 residents), consistent with broader trends across broader area showing 31.7% in same category. High housing costs consumed 17.9% of income, though strong earnings still placed disposable income at the 55th percentile and area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 7th decile.

Sunrise Beach displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Dwelling structure in Sunrise Beach, as evaluated at the 2016 Census, comprised 68.0% houses and 32.0% other dwellings. In Regional Qld, it was 76.4% houses and 23.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Sunrise Beach was 34.1%, similar to Regional Qld's figure. Mortgaged dwellings were 38.0% and rented ones were 27.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,167, higher than Regional Qld's average of $1,655. Median weekly rent in Sunrise Beach was $508, compared to Regional Qld's $345. Nationally, Sunrise Beach's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,167 versus the Australian average of $1,863. Rents were substantially above the national figure of $375 at $508.

Sunrise Beach features high concentrations of group households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 73.2% of all households, including 32.1% couples with children, 30.3% couples without children, and 10.9% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 26.8%, with lone person households at 21.2% and group households making up 5.3%. The median household size is 2.5 people, aligning with the Regional Queensland average.

Sunrise Beach demonstrates exceptional educational outcomes, ranking among the top 5% of areas nationally based on AreaSearch's comprehensive analysis of qualification and performance metrics

Sunrise Beach has a higher proportion of residents with university qualifications than broader benchmarks. Specifically, 33.8% of its residents aged 15 and above have such qualifications, compared to 20.6% in the rest of Queensland and 24.9% in the SA4 region. This educational advantage is driven by a high proportion of residents with bachelor degrees (23.3%), postgraduate qualifications (6.9%), and graduate diplomas (3.6%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 35.5% of residents aged 15 and above holding such qualifications.

Advanced diplomas account for 12.8%, while certificates make up 22.7%. Educational participation is notably high in Sunrise Beach, with 29.3% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.2% in secondary education, 9.5% in primary education, and 3.4% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Sunrise Beach has 13 operational public transport stops, all serving buses. These are covered by three different routes, offering a total of 567 weekly passenger trips. Transport access is rated highly, with residents usually located 185 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outwards daily. Cars remain the primary mode of transportation at 91%, while cycling accounts for 3%. On average, there are 1.5 vehicles per household.

According to the 2021 Census, 23.8% of residents work from home, which may be influenced by COVID-19 conditions. Service frequency averages 81 trips per day across all routes, translating to approximately 43 weekly trips per individual stop.

Sunrise Beach's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Health outcomes data shows exceptional results across Sunrise Beach, as assessed by AreaSearch. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence are very low across all age groups. Private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 61% of the total population (2,460 people), compared to 52.5% in Regional Qld and 55.7% nationally.

The most common medical conditions are arthritis and asthma, affecting 6.7 and 6.5% of residents respectively. 75.6% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 67.6% across Regional Qld. Working-age residents have low chronic condition prevalence. 16.8% of residents are aged 65 and over (674 people), lower than the 20.4% in Regional Qld. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, ranking higher nationally than the general population.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Sunrise Beach was found to be slightly above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Sunrise Beach, surveyed in 2016-2021, had a higher-than-average linguistic diversity with 10.5% of residents speaking languages other than English at home. Overseas-born individuals comprised 27.7%. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 40.6%.

Judaism, however, showed significant overrepresentation at 0.5%, compared to Regional Qld's 0.1%. Top ancestral groups were English (32.7%), Australian (21.6%), and Irish (9.9%). Notably, French (1.2% vs regional 0.5%), Spanish (1.0% vs 0.3%), and Scottish (9.8% vs 7.8%) were overrepresented in Sunrise Beach compared to Regional Queensland.

Sunrise Beach hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

Sunrise Beach's median age is 44 years, which is slightly higher than Regional Qld's average of 41 years and considerably older than Australia's median age of 38 years. The age profile indicates that individuals aged 45-54 are particularly prominent, making up 16.9% of the population, while those aged 65-74 comprise a smaller proportion at 8.8%, compared to Regional Qld. Between 2021 and present, the 25-34 age group has grown from 9.2% to 11.0% of the population, while the 75-84 cohort has increased from 4.5% to 6.3%. Conversely, the 65-74 age group has declined from 10.4% to 8.8%, and the 45-54 group has decreased from 18.2% to 16.9%. Population forecasts for Sunrise Beach indicate significant demographic changes by 2041. The 35-44 age cohort is projected to grow strongly at a rate of 13%, adding 69 residents to reach a total of 624. In contrast, population declines are forecasted for the 5-14 and 55-64 age cohorts.