Upper Burnie

Upper Burnie is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

Based on analysis of ABS population updates for the broader area, the estimated population of Upper Burnie as of November 2025 is around 1,988. This reflects an increase of 97 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 1,891 people. The change is inferred from the resident population of 1,980 estimated by AreaSearch following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2024 and an additional 22 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 1,670 persons per square kilometer, which is above the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Upper Burnie's growth of 5.1% since the 2021 census exceeded that of the SA3 area (4.1%) and the SA4 region, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the suburb was primarily driven by natural growth, contributing approximately 62.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered by this data and to estimate growth by age group post-2032, the Tasmania State Government's Regional/LGA projections are adopted with adjustments made employing a method of weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Considering projected demographic shifts, lower quartile growth of national regional areas is anticipated. The suburb is expected to increase by 8 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting a decrease of 0.6% in total over the 17 years.

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

Upper Burnie has seen minimal construction activity, with an average of 1 new dwelling approved annually over the past five years (2016 to 2020), totalling 7. This low level of development reflects the rural nature of the area, where housing needs are typically specific and local rather than driven by broad market demand. It's important to note that the small sample size means individual projects can significantly influence annual growth statistics.

Upper Burnie has naturally lower development activity compared to the rest of Tasmania and nationally. Recent building activity consists entirely of detached houses, reflecting the area's rural character where larger properties are typical. Notably, 81.0% of dwellings constructed since the last Census were detached houses, indicating a persistent strong demand for family homes despite densification trends. Upper Burnie shows a mature, established population with around 658 people per approval.

Given stable or declining population forecasts, housing pressure may be less in Upper Burnie, creating favourable conditions for buyers.

Upper Burnie has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 22ndth percentile nationally

Area infrastructure changes significantly influence local performance. AreaSearch has identified zero relevant projects in total. Key initiatives include Burnie City Centre Urban Plan, Burnie Cultural Precinct Redevelopment, Marinus Link, and Port of Burnie - Shiploader Replacement.

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

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Employment drivers in Upper Burnie are experiencing difficulties, placing it among the bottom 20% of areas assessed across Australia

Upper Burnie has a balanced workforce comprising white and blue collar jobs, with significant representation in essential services sectors. The unemployment rate was 7.4% as of June 2025, with an estimated employment growth of 3.6% over the past year, according to AreaSearch's statistical area data aggregation.

As of June 2025813 residents were employed while the unemployment rate was 3.5% higher than Rest of Tas.'s rate of 3.9%, indicating room for improvement. Workforce participation lagged significantly at 49.3%, compared to Rest of Tas.'s 55.7%. Key industries of employment among residents were health care & social assistance, retail trade, and accommodation & food. Upper Burnie showed strong specialization in health care & social assistance, with an employment share 1.2 times the regional level.

Agriculture, forestry & fishing had limited presence at 3.5%, compared to the regional level of 8.4%. The area appeared to offer limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the count of Census working population versus resident population. During the year to June 2025, employment levels increased by 3.6% and labour force increased by 2.1%, causing the unemployment rate to fall by 1.3 percentage points. In contrast, Rest of Tas. saw employment fall by 0.5%, labour force contract by 0.6%, and marginal unemployment reduction. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 provided insight into potential future demand within Upper Burnie. These projections estimated national employment growth at 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, with varying rates between industry sectors. Applying these projections to Upper Burnie's employment mix suggested local employment should increase by 6.2% over five years and 13.3% over ten years, though this was a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and did not account for localised population projections.

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

Upper Burnie's median income among taxpayers in financial year 2022 was $43,336. The average income stood at $52,659 during the same period. These figures are lower than the national averages of $47,358 and $57,384 respectively for Rest of Tas. Based on a 13.83% growth in wages since financial year 2022, estimated median and average incomes as of September 2025 would be approximately $49,329 and $59,942 respectively. According to the 2021 Census, household, family, and personal incomes in Upper Burnie fall between the 1st and 8th percentiles nationally. The income band of $400 - 799 captures 34.5% of Upper Burnie's residents (685 individuals), contrasting with the region where the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket is most prevalent at 28.5%. This indicates that 44.0% of residents have incomes below $800 per week, suggesting constrained household budgets across much of the locality. Housing affordability pressures are severe in Upper Burnie, with only 82.8% of income remaining after other expenses, ranking at the 3rd percentile nationally.

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

Upper Burnie's dwellings, as assessed in the latest Census, consisted of 80.9% houses and 19.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Non-Metro Tas. had 90.3% houses and 9.7% other dwellings. Home ownership in Upper Burnie was at 33.4%, with the remaining dwellings either mortgaged (25.9%) or rented (40.7%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,057, lower than Non-Metro Tas.'s average of $1,200. The median weekly rent in Upper Burnie was $230, compared to Non-Metro Tas.'s $240. Nationally, Upper Burnie's mortgage repayments were significantly lower at $1,057 than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

Upper Burnie features high concentrations of lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 52.9% of all households, including 17.5% couples with children, 23.0% couples without children, and 11.6% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 47.1%, with lone person households at 45.0% and group households comprising 2.1% of the total. The median household size is 2.0 people, which is smaller than the Rest of Tas. average of 2.3.

The educational profile of Upper Burnie exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

The area's university qualification rate is 12.5%, significantly lower than Australia's average of 30.4%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 8.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (1.8%) and graduate diplomas (1.8%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 37.2% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (6.9%) and certificates (30.3%). Educational participation is high at 25.9%, with 11.2% in primary education, 6.4% in secondary education, and 2.5% pursuing tertiary education.

Schools appear to be located outside the immediate catchment boundaries, requiring families to access them in neighboring areas.

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

Upper Burnie has 13 active public transport stops. All of these are bus stops. They are served by a total of 31 different routes.

Each week, these routes provide 4,235 passenger trips in total. The accessibility of the transport system is rated as good. Residents typically live within 200 meters of their nearest stop. On average, there are 605 trips per day across all routes. This equates to approximately 325 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Upper Burnie is a key challenge with a range of health conditions having marked impacts on both younger and older age cohorts

Upper Burnie faces significant health challenges, with various conditions affecting both younger and older residents. Approximately 48% (~955 people) have private health cover, lower than the national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical issues are mental health problems (11.6%) and arthritis (11.3%), while 56.9% report no medical ailments, compared to 60.3% in the rest of Tasmania. Residents aged 65 and over comprise 23.2% (461 people), slightly lower than the 24.7% in the rest of Tasmania. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors are challenging but perform better than the general population in certain metrics.

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

Upper Burnie's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 89.8% of its population being citizens, 88.4% born in Australia, and 94.7% speaking English only at home. The dominant religion in Upper Burnie is Christianity, comprising 42.0% of the population. Hinduism, however, is overrepresented compared to the rest of Tasmania, making up 1.2% of Upper Burnie's population versus 0.6%.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups are Australian (34.6%), English (33.7%), and Irish (7.2%). There are notable differences in the representation of certain ethnic groups: Australian Aboriginal is overrepresented at 6.1% compared to 5.9% regionally, New Zealand at 0.5% versus 0.4%, and Dutch at 1.1% versus 1.7%.

Upper Burnie hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

Upper Burnie's median age is 42 years, which is slightly below Rest of Tas.'s 45 and well above the national average of 38 years. Compared to Rest of Tas., Upper Burnie has a higher proportion of residents aged 15-24 (12.9%) but fewer residents aged 55-64 (11.7%). Between the 2021 Census and the present, the 15-24 age group has increased from 11.4% to 12.9%, while the 55-64 age group has decreased from 13.5% to 11.7%. The 5-14 age group has also dropped from 11.9% to 10.7%. By 2041, Upper Burnie's age composition is expected to change significantly. Notably, the 85+ age group is projected to grow by 45%, reaching 104 people from 71. This demographic aging trend continues as residents aged 65 and older represent 65% of the anticipated population growth. Conversely, both the 45-54 and 0-4 age groups are expected to decrease in number.