Arana Hills
Detached houses make up 86.9% of dwellings here while apartments sit at just 0.2%, marking Arana Hills as one of Brisbane's most thoroughly suburban pockets. Owner-occupiers dominate, with 48.4% carrying a mortgage and 31.1% owning outright, leaving renters at only 20.5%, well below the national tenant share. The median age of 37 runs 3 years below the national figure, and university qualifications at 38.6% sit 8.5 points above national, signalling an educated family belt rather than a transient one. A turnover rate of 20.9% means roughly 4 in 5 residents stayed put over five years.
Population
6,971
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,227/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
14
Stock is built for families, with 3-bedroom homes at 50.2% and 4-plus bedrooms at 42.7%, leaving only 6.7% as 2-bedroom dwellings. Separate houses account for 86.9% of all dwellings, so buyers face almost no apartment competition. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,950, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.2%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold because household income reaches the 84.4th percentile nationally. That gap between high incomes and moderate prices is why 48.4% of households carry a mortgage and a further 31.1% own outright, leaving the suburb firmly owner-occupied rather than investor-held.
For Buyers
Stock is built for families, with 3-bedroom homes at 50.2% and 4-plus bedrooms at 42.7%, leaving only 6.7% as 2-bedroom dwellings. Separate houses account for 86.9% of all dwellings, so buyers face almost no apartment competition. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,950, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.2%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold because household income reaches the 84.4th percentile nationally. That gap between high incomes and moderate prices is why 48.4% of households carry a mortgage and a further 31.1% own outright, leaving the suburb firmly owner-occupied rather than investor-held.
For Investors
Renters make up only 20.5% of households, a shallow tenant pool that reflects the owner-occupier character of the suburb. The vacancy rate of 3.9% is close to a balanced market, neither the landlord's squeeze of a tight market nor the oversupply seen in apartment-heavy suburbs. Development activity is light at 13 applications over 12 months, and with apartments at just 0.2% of stock the suburb is unlikely to see the rental dilution that hits denser areas. Rent-to-income for tenants sits at 19.8%, below stress, which supports tenant stability and lowers turnover risk for landlords.
Development Activity
Total DAs
34
Last 12 Months
14
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-6.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Arana Hills iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Pine Community School
Prep-6 · 103 students
Demographics
The median age of 37 is 3 years below the national median, and average household size of 2.7 runs 0.2 above national, both pointing to a family-stage population rather than a retiree or student one. Couples with children (2,624 families) outnumber couples without children (1,471) by a wide margin, the inverse of inner-city suburbs. University qualifications reach 38.6%, which is 8.5 points above national, while the overseas-born share of 17.3% sits 4.3 points below national, making the suburb more Anglo-leaning than the country as a whole. English ancestry leads at 3,017, followed by Irish (1,040) and Scottish (903), and the volunteering rate of 16.3% reinforces the settled, community-oriented profile that low turnover implies.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
86.9%
Houses
13.0%
Townhouse
0.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Owner-occupiers dominate, with 48.4% of households carrying a mortgage and 31.1% owning outright, leaving renters at 20.5%, far below the national tenant share. The dwelling stock is overwhelmingly detached at 86.9%, with semi-detached at 13.0% and apartments at a negligible 0.2%. Bedroom counts confirm the family orientation: 3-bedroom homes are 50.2% and 4-plus bedrooms 42.7%, so 93% of housing has three or more bedrooms. The lack of apartment supply is the structural reason prices have stayed accessible while incomes climbed.
Mortgage / mo
$1,950
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (Mar 2026 quarter), QLD RTA bond data. Census 2021 median: $440.
$690
Bond data Mar 2026 quarter · houses $690
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$1,005
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.9%
Unoccupied
101
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.2%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
24.6%
Couples, no children
5,973
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads employment at 19.3% (536 workers), followed by Education at 14.0% (390), Public Administration at 11.5% (320), Professional/Technical at 10.1% (282) and Construction at 9.9% (275), a public-sector and care-economy tilt rather than a corporate one. Professionals dominate occupations at 1,092, with Clerical/Administrative (590) and Managers (478) following. Full-time employment runs at 66.4% and unemployment at 4.1% sits below the typical national rate, though the participation rate of 64.7% reflects the family-stage population where one parent may be out of the labour force. Household income reaching the 84.4th percentile nationally, despite a care-heavy industry mix, is driven by dual-income households and the high share of professional and managerial roles.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
66.4%
Part-time
29.5%
Participation
64.7%
Employed
3,452
Occupations
Top Industries
University
38.6%
Postgraduate
8.0%
Born Overseas
17.3%
Dwellings
2,501
Transport to Work
Car dependence is high, with 86.5% of commuters driving and only 5.8% using public transport, well below inner Brisbane, while walking or cycling accounts for just 2.2%, reflecting the low-density detached layout. The family orientation shows in 2,624 couples with children and an average household size of 2.7, which is 0.2 above national. A volunteering rate of 16.3% and 79.1% of residents staying over five years point to a stable, community-minded environment.
Drive
86.5%
Public Transport
5.8%
Walk / Cycle
2.2%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Arana Hills compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Arana Hills a good suburb to live in?
Household income reaches the 84.4th percentile nationally while mortgage-to-income stays at 20.2%, below stress. The trade-off is car dependence, with 86.5% of commuters driving and only 5.8% using public transport.
What is the median house price in Arana Hills?
Weekly rent sits at $440 and average monthly mortgage repayments are $1,950. That gives a gross yield near 4.2% and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.2%, well below the 30% stress threshold thanks to household income in the 84.4th percentile nationally.
What schools are in Arana Hills?
No schools fall inside the Arana Hills boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The suburb is strongly family-oriented, with 2,624 couples with children and 93% of homes having 3 or more bedrooms, so school access is typically a short drive given 86.5% of commuters already travel by car.
Is Arana Hills safe?
Crime data for Arana Hills is not available in this dataset, so no offence rate can be reported. What the data does show is a stable, settled population: 79.1% of residents stayed in place over five years, the turnover rate is 20.9%, and 31.1% of households own their home outright, all consistent with a low-churn family suburb.
Is Arana Hills good for property investment?
The vacancy rate of 3.9% is close to balanced. The catch is a shallow tenant pool, with renters at just 20.5% of households, and only 13 development applications in 12 months, so the market is owner-occupier driven.
How is Arana Hills's population changing?
The suburb holds 6,971 residents at a density of 1,907.6 per square kilometre, and growth is incremental rather than rapid. With detached houses at 86.9%, apartments at 0.2% and only 13 development applications in 12 months, there is little room for new supply. A turnover rate of 20.9% means most residents stay put long term.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
Explore Arana Hills on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map