Douglas

Development Activity

Schools in Douglas iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged

Demographics

The median age of 50 is 10 years above the national figure, and the trajectory is clearly aging: the senior share rose 5.9 points over the decade while the young share fell 2.6 points. This is a settled, Anglo-leaning population. Only 6.2% of residents were born overseas, 15.4 points below national, and English (49 residents) and German (31) lead ancestry. University qualifications reach just 14.0%, which is 16.1 points below the national rate, consistent with a workforce centred on trades and manufacturing rather than knowledge sectors. Families skew toward couples without children at 46.1% of the 128 family households, while couples with children number 44, a split that reinforces the older, post-child-rearing profile.

Tenure is unusually weighted toward outright ownership: 65.9% own their home outright and 34.1% carry a mortgage, above the typical national balance and a marker of established wealth. The dwelling stock is uniform, with 100% separate houses and no apartments recorded, and it leans large, as 51.0% have four or more bedrooms versus 39.2% with three and 9.8% with two. The $383,000 median against household income in the 72.3rd percentile nationally keeps the price-to-income ratio low, which is why mortgage-to-income sits at 16.7% and rent-to-income at 15.5%, both comfortably below stress levels. Affordability has improved markedly, easing from 62.6% in 2011 to 46.1% in 2021 as incomes outgrew prices.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

The local workforce concentrates in goods-producing sectors rather than services: Manufacturing leads at 26.2%, Construction follows at 14.3%, and Agriculture, Wholesale and Public Administration each contribute 9.5%. By occupation, Managers (21) outnumber Professionals (12), which fits a rural and trades base more than a corporate one. The full-time employment rate is 67.9% and participation reads 64.5%, with 32 residents not in the labour force, consistent with the older median age. SEIFA scores are mostly strong: IEO sits in decile 9 and both IRSD and IRSAD in decile 8, near the top of the national advantage range. The one anomaly is IER at decile 5, because the heavy 65.9% outright-ownership and modest rents understate aggregate household economic resources compared to the other indexes.

Transport to Work

Douglas suits residents who value space and quiet over walkability. Car dependence is high at 86.7% driving to work, while only 6.7% walk or cycle, an expected pattern at a density of just 3.0 residents per square kilometre across 50.06 km2. The suburb scores well on disadvantage measures, sitting in decile 8 on both the IRSAD and IRSD indexes, above 70% of Australian suburbs nationally, which points to few residents facing deprivation. Stability is high, as 88.8% of residents stayed put over the period and turnover is only 11.2%. No schools are recorded inside the boundary, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring areas, a trade-off for the rural setting where 65.9% of homes are owned outright by long-settled households.

Population Forecast

Douglas is a steady established market, growing 1.3% a year, or about 108 residents, with a 9.4% rise over the past decade. The current population of around 8,352 has fully recovered from a 2.3% COVID dip, climbing 4.4% above the low. Forecasts continue the trend, lifting the medium projection from roughly 8,690 in 2026 to 9,229 by 2031. Overseas migration is the primary driver at about 142 a year, partly offset by net internal outflow of 89, so growth is gradual rather than rapid. The gentrification score reads 14, classified as not gentrifying, which fits a suburb whose affordability is improving rather than tightening and whose population is aging rather than turning over.

National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs

How Douglas compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions