Chinchilla
A 15.5% vacancy rate is the clearest signal in Chinchilla, pointing to a housing market shaped by local employment cycles and changing tenant demand. The town has 7,068 residents and a median age of 33, which is 7 years below the national figure. Housing is strongly detached, with 83.3% of dwellings being separate houses, while the household income percentile sits at 49.2. Compared with nearby Dalby, Chinchilla presents a smaller, house-led setting with a young resident base, substantial rental availability and employment tied to construction, education, healthcare, mining and utilities.
Population
7,068
Median Age
33.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,549/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
46
Chinchilla suits buyers who value detached housing, larger floor plans and relatively manageable household repayment pressure. The typical mortgage payment is listed at $1,300 per month, while mortgage costs equal 19.4% of household income, higher than the 16.1% rent-to-income share but still below that level of strain. Separate houses account for 83.3% of dwellings and 4 or more bedrooms account for 44.5%, supporting family-oriented housing choices. Ownership is split between 26.4% outright owners and 28.4% mortgage holders, compared with 43.1% renting. Buyers should compare current listings carefully because a dependable median sale price is not available.
For Buyers
Chinchilla suits buyers who value detached housing, larger floor plans and relatively manageable household repayment pressure. The typical mortgage payment is listed at $1,300 per month, while mortgage costs equal 19.4% of household income, higher than the 16.1% rent-to-income share but still below that level of strain. Separate houses account for 83.3% of dwellings and 4 or more bedrooms account for 44.5%, supporting family-oriented housing choices. Ownership is split between 26.4% outright owners and 28.4% mortgage holders, compared with 43.1% renting. Buyers should compare current listings carefully because a dependable median sale price is not available.
For Investors
Chinchilla has a meaningful rental base, with 43.1% of households renting compared with 26.4% owning outright. Weekly rent is $250, which may appeal to workers and households seeking lower entry costs, but the 15.5% vacancy rate is high and indicates that tenant demand can vary by employment conditions and property type. Rent growth is negative at -7.4%, so investors should not assume rapid rental appreciation. Development activity is notable, with 44 applications recorded over 12 months, mostly involving dwellings, sheds and domestic outbuildings. Balanced migration is supportive, but the vacancy rate is a more immediate risk than supply scarcity.
Development Activity
Total DAs
224
Last 12 Months
46
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+24.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Chinchilla
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Chinchilla Christian College (Chinchilla)
St Joseph's School (Chinchilla)
Chinchilla State High School
Chinchilla State School
Demographics
Chinchilla has a median age of 33, placing it 7 years below the national median, although the age profile is not uniformly young because the senior share has risen by 1.3 percentage points. University attainment is 18.5%, or 11.6 percentage points below the national comparison, which aligns with the town's large trades and labour workforce. English ancestry is recorded for 2,574 residents, followed by Irish at 684, Scottish at 627 and German at 549. Christianity has 3,621 adherents, while 2,425 report no religion. Overseas-born residents account for 11.2%, 10.4 percentage points below the national figure, making Chinchilla less migrant-heavy than larger regional centres such as Dalby.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
83.3%
Houses
14.1%
Townhouse
1.9%
Apartment
Tenure
Chinchilla's housing stock is predominantly detached and family-sized. Separate houses make up 83.3% of dwellings, far higher than the 1.9% apartment share, while semi-detached homes account for 14.1%. Bedrooms are concentrated in 3-bedroom homes at 42.2% and 4 or more-bedroom homes at 44.5%, so the profile is more house-led than apartment-oriented options in larger regional centres. Tenure is mixed: 26.4% own outright, 28.4% have a mortgage and 43.1% rent. The 15.5% vacancy rate is higher than the share of apartment dwellings, suggesting availability is not limited to one narrow housing format. A median sale price is unavailable, so current comparable listings matter more than a single headline figure.
Mortgage / mo
$1,300
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (Jun 2026 quarter), QLD RTA bond data. Census 2021 median: $250.
$500
Bond data Jun 2026 quarter · houses $500
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$810
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
15.5%
Unoccupied
445
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.4%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
41.0%
Couples with children
39.3%
Couples, no children
18.9%
Single parent
1,669
Total families
Economy & Employment
Construction is Chinchilla's largest listed industry at 14.3%, followed by education at 12.4%, healthcare at 9.7%, mining at 9.1% and utilities at 8.9%. This mix gives the town several employment pillars, although construction and mining can make demand more sensitive to project cycles. Trades lead occupations with 607 workers, ahead of labourers at 493 and professionals at 420. Unemployment is 3.8%, participation is 59.5% and 65.3% of employed residents work full time. Household income sits at the 49.2 percentile, close to the midpoint. The education and occupation decile is 2, below the economic resources decile of 4, while disadvantage and advantage-disadvantage both sit at decile 3, indicating weaker qualifications than the available resource position alone would suggest.
Unemployment
3.8%
Labour Force
3,248
Unemployed
124
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
65.3%
Part-time
28.2%
Participation
59.5%
Employed
3,124
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
18.5%
Postgraduate
2.5%
Born Overseas
11.2%
Dwellings
2,421
Transport to Work
Daily life in Chinchilla is strongly car-oriented: 75.0% of residents drive, compared with 3.3% using public transport and 5.2% walking or cycling. Working from home accounts for 7.4%, so reliable car access remains more important than active or public transport options. Families have access to 4 local schools, including 2 government schools, 1 Catholic school and 1 independent school, with both primary and high school provision represented. The IRSAD decile is 3 and volunteering reaches 20.4%, suggesting a community setting with modest socioeconomic resources and useful civic participation. Need for assistance is 5.6%. Prospective residents should check current Queensland Police information and visit the exact street, since suburb-wide impressions can differ from local conditions.
Drive
75.0%
Public Transport
3.3%
Walk / Cycle
5.2%
Work from Home
7.4%
Population Forecast
+1.59%/yr
(+146 people/yr)
EstablishedChinchilla's established outlook is positive but mixed. The forecast annual trend is 1.59%, while population change across the wider area is 23.9% over 10 years. Migration is classified as Balanced, so growth is not attributed to one dominant source, and the trajectory is Mixed. This helps explain why the town can record expansion while rent growth is -7.4%. Affordability improved from 43.8 in 2011 to 31.5 in 2021, alongside real income growth of 4.8%, which may support household stability. The main gentrification score is 9 with a stage of Not gentrifying, compared with a shift score of 21 labelled Early signs. Chinchilla therefore has measurable momentum without evidence of a major gentrification cycle.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+20
Net Internal / yr
-16
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +27% since 2011
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Chinchilla compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chinchilla a good suburb to live in?
Chinchilla can suit households seeking detached housing, local services and a younger population profile. It has 7,068 residents, a median age of 33 and 4 local schools. Daily life is more car-dependent than public-transport-oriented, with 75.0% driving and 3.3% using public transport.
What is the median house price in Chinchilla?
A dependable median house price is not available for Chinchilla. Buyers should compare current listings and recent comparable sales, while using the $250 weekly median rent and the 83.3% separate-house share to understand the local housing market.
What schools are in Chinchilla?
Chinchilla has 4 local schools across 2 government schools, 1 Catholic school and 1 independent school. Provision includes primary and high school options, but families should confirm enrolment zones and availability for the exact address before making a purchase or lease decision.
Is Chinchilla safe?
Safety can vary between streets and over time, so prospective residents should check current Queensland Police information and inspect the area at different times of day. Chinchilla has 7,068 residents, meaning local conditions can differ from broader regional impressions.
Is Chinchilla good for property investment?
Chinchilla has 43.1% renters and a $250 weekly median rent, but the 15.5% vacancy rate is high and rent growth is -7.4%. Development activity reached 44 applications in 12 months. Investors should test demand carefully rather than rely on rental growth alone.
How is Chinchilla's population changing?
The wider area records population change of 23.9% over 10 years, with a forecast annual trend of 1.59%. Migration is classified as Balanced and the trajectory is Mixed. The senior share has increased by 1.3 percentage points, while the young share has fallen by 0.4 points.
What development is happening in Chinchilla?
There were 44 development applications over 12 months. The recorded examples include dwelling houses, sheds and domestic outbuildings, suggesting ongoing small-scale residential and property improvement activity rather than a single large project dominating the market.
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 education open registers (school locations), 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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