Chapel Hill
Household income at the 97.0 percentile nationally makes Chapel Hill the wealthiest suburb in this batch by a wide margin, and SEIFA confirms it: IRSAD decile 10, IEO decile 10, IER decile 10 and IRSD decile 10, a clean sweep of the top ranking across all four indices. The 65.4% university qualification rate is 35.3 percentage points above the national baseline, the highest in this batch. Professional/Tech at 20.1% and Healthcare at 17.6% together account for nearly 38% of employment, and Professionals (2,301) outnumber all other occupational groups combined. Detached houses comprise 97.7% of stock, with 70.4% having four or more bedrooms. Despite this affluence, population growth is slow at 0.37% per year, and the ageing trajectory shows senior share rising 5.8 percentage points over the decade.
Population
10,511
Median Age
42.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,969/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
31
Median House
$689K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The housing stock is almost exclusively large, detached family homes. Detached houses at 97.7% leave virtually no alternatives, and 70.4% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms, the highest proportion in this batch. Without a median house price in the brief, the $2,427 monthly mortgage and 18.9% mortgage-to-income ratio provide the affordability picture, well below the 30% stress threshold because of the very high household income ($2,969 weekly, 97.0 percentile). The vacancy rate of 3.9% is tight. Semi-detached at 2.0% and apartments at 0.3% are functionally non-existent, meaning downsizers and entry-level buyers have no options within the suburb. Public transport at 7.6% is reasonable for Brisbane's western suburbs, and walking/cycling at 4.7% exceeds most outer-suburban rates.
For Buyers
The housing stock is almost exclusively large, detached family homes. Detached houses at 97.7% leave virtually no alternatives, and 70.4% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms, the highest proportion in this batch. Without a median house price in the brief, the $2,427 monthly mortgage and 18.9% mortgage-to-income ratio provide the affordability picture, well below the 30% stress threshold because of the very high household income ($2,969 weekly, 97.0 percentile). The vacancy rate of 3.9% is tight. Semi-detached at 2.0% and apartments at 0.3% are functionally non-existent, meaning downsizers and entry-level buyers have no options within the suburb. Public transport at 7.6% is reasonable for Brisbane's western suburbs, and walking/cycling at 4.7% exceeds most outer-suburban rates.
For Investors
Renters account for just 13.9% of households, the lowest share in this batch, reflecting the overwhelming owner-occupier demographic. Median weekly rent of $555 is the highest in this batch, but without a median house price, yield calculations are unavailable. The 3.9% vacancy rate is tight. Twenty-eight development applications in 12 months, including material change-of-use and design referrals, suggest controlled infill rather than aggressive densification. Population growth is slow at 0.37% per year (41 persons), limiting rental demand growth. Net internal migration is negative at 65 per year, offset by overseas inflows of 145, suggesting some established families are leaving while new arrivals replace them. The high income base means tenant quality is strong, but the small renter pool limits scale.
Development Activity
Total DAs
95
Last 12 Months
31
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+121.4%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Chapel Hill iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Chapel Hill State School
Prep-6 · 772 students
Demographics
English (3,821) leads ancestry, followed by Irish (1,301), Scottish (1,180) and Chinese (1,022). The 36.5% overseas-born share is 14.9 percentage points above the national baseline. Mandarin (260 speakers), Persian (83), Cantonese (61), Korean (61) and German (54) form the non-English language profile, reflecting a professional migrant cohort rather than working-class migration. Christianity at 4,857 dominates religious affiliation, with Hinduism (261) and Buddhism (230) as distant second and third. The university rate of 65.4% is the highest in this batch and 35.3 percentage points above national, driving the IEO decile 10 reading. Average household size of 2.9 sits 0.4 above national, and 23.1% of families are couples without children, though the dominant pattern is couples with children at 48.3%.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
97.7%
Houses
2.0%
Townhouse
0.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Outright owners at 43.3% and mortgage holders at 42.9% are nearly equal, together accounting for 86.2% of households, one of the highest combined owner-occupancy rates in this batch. The housing fabric is almost entirely detached houses (97.7%) with four-plus bedrooms (70.4%), creating a suburb where the built form is homogeneous at the premium end. The 18.9% mortgage-to-income ratio is the lowest in this batch, reflecting the very high household income rather than low prices. Rent-to-income at 18.7% is equally low, confirming financial comfort across tenure types. SEIFA readings are uniformly decile 10 across all four indices, a rare clean sweep that confirms Chapel Hill sits in the top 10% of Australian suburbs on every socioeconomic measure. The 4.5% need-for-assistance rate is well below the national average.
Mortgage / mo
$2,427
Rent / wk
$555
HH Size
2.9
Personal Income / wk
$1,084
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.9%
Unoccupied
142
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.7%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.9%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
23.1%
Couples, no children
9,308
Total families
Economy & Employment
Professional/Tech leads employment at 20.1% (853 workers), followed by Healthcare at 17.6%, Education at 16.8%, Public Administration at 6.3% and Construction at 5.3%. These three knowledge-economy sectors, Professional/Tech, Healthcare and Education, together account for 54.5% of employment, the highest concentration of white-collar work in this batch. Professionals (2,301) and Managers (953) make up over two-thirds of the workforce. The 4.7% unemployment rate is near the national average, and the 60.1% participation rate is above average. SEIFA IER decile 10 confirms top-tier economic resources. Real income grew 12.1% over the decade, positive though below the highest-growth suburbs. The 22.2% volunteering rate is the highest in this batch, typical of affluent suburbs where time and resources enable community participation.
Unemployment
2.4%
Labour Force
5,827
Unemployed
140
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
65.5%
Part-time
29.8%
Participation
60.1%
Employed
4,779
Occupations
Top Industries
University
65.4%
Postgraduate
24.2%
Born Overseas
36.5%
Dwellings
3,531
Transport to Work
Car use at 82.4% is the lowest outer-suburban rate in this batch, with public transport at 7.6% and walking/cycling at 4.7% providing above-average alternatives. Chapel Hill State School (ICSEA 1,171, 772 students, Government primary) has the highest ICSEA score of any school in this batch, sitting well above the national benchmark of 1,000. Crime-specific data is not available. The SEIFA decile 10 across all four indices places Chapel Hill in the top 10% of Australian suburbs on every measure of advantage and low disadvantage. The 4.5% need-for-assistance rate is well below the national average, and both mortgage stress (18.9%) and rent stress (18.7%) are among the lowest in this batch.
Drive
82.4%
Public Transport
7.6%
Walk / Cycle
4.7%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.37%/yr
(+41 people/yr)
EstablishedPopulation growth is slow at 0.37% per year, adding just 41 persons annually. Historical data shows near-stagnation: 11,067 in 2023 to 11,166 in 2025, and medium projections reach only 11,374 by 2031. Net internal migration is negative at 65 per year, offset by overseas inflows of 145 per year. The ageing trajectory shows senior share rising 5.8 percentage points while working-age share dropped 4.6 points over the decade. Population grew only 5.5% over 10 years, well below the Brisbane average. The gentrification score of 0 is unsurprising for a suburb already at decile 10, as there is no further socioeconomic tier to ascend to. Affordability improved slightly from 57.3% in 2011 to 51.2% in 2021, driven by income growth outpacing housing costs.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+145
Net Internal / yr
-65
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Chapel Hill compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chapel Hill a good suburb to live in?
Chapel Hill ranks SEIFA decile 10 across all four indices, placing it in the top 10% nationally on every socioeconomic measure. The local primary school at ICSEA 1,171 is the highest-scoring in this batch. Mortgage stress at 18.9% and unemployment at 4.7% are both low. Trade-offs: 97.7% detached housing limits diversity, growth is slow at 0.37% per year, and car dependence at 82.4% remains high.
What is the median house price in Chapel Hill?
Specific median house price data is not available for Chapel Hill in the current dataset. The median monthly mortgage is $2,427, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 18.9%, the lowest in this batch, driven by the 97.0 percentile household income. Median weekly rent is $555, the highest in this batch, with a vacancy rate of 3.9%.
What schools are in Chapel Hill?
Chapel Hill has 1 school: Chapel Hill State School (ICSEA 1,171, 772 students, Government primary), the highest-scoring school in this batch at 171 points above the national benchmark. The IEO decile 10 reading confirms top-tier education and occupation outcomes among adult residents. The 65.4% university rate is 35.3 percentage points above the national baseline.
Is Chapel Hill safe?
Crime-specific data is not available for Chapel Hill. The IRSD decile 10 (lowest disadvantage) and IRSAD decile 10 (highest advantage) readings are the strongest in this batch. The 4.7% unemployment rate is near the national average. These top-decile socioeconomic readings are among the strongest predictors of low crime rates in Australian suburbs.
Is Chapel Hill good for property investment?
Chapel Hill's 13.9% renter share is the lowest in this batch, severely limiting tenant pool depth. The $555 median weekly rent is the highest, but slow population growth at 0.37% per year constrains demand growth. Net internal migration is negative at 65 per year. The suburb is likely a capital preservation play given decile 10 SEIFA readings rather than a yield or growth investment.
How is Chapel Hill's population changing?
Population grew from 11,067 in 2023 to 11,166 in 2025, just 0.37% per year adding 41 persons. Medium projections reach only 11,374 by 2031. Net internal migration is negative at 65 per year, offset by overseas inflows of 145. Senior share rose 5.8 percentage points and working-age share dropped 4.6 points over the decade. The 10-year population growth of 5.5% is well below Brisbane average.
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.
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