Edge Hill
A 0.14% annual growth trend sits behind Edge Hill's established profile, where the median age is 42 and 70.0% of dwellings are separate houses. University attainment is 38.6%, while household income sits at the 58.1st percentile, supporting a professional, settled feel. Overseas-born residents account for 25.2%, which is 3.6 percentage points above the national figure, while the 2.3-person household size is 0.2 below national. Compared with nearby Whitfield, buyers should assess each street's mix of houses, apartments and services rather than assume the suburbs are interchangeable.
Local council: Cairns
Population
4,088
Median Age
42.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,674/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
17
Homebuyers in Edge Hill are choosing a housing mix led by 70.0% separate houses, with apartments at 23.7% and semi-detached dwellings at 6.3%. Weekly rent is $310, while the typical mortgage repayment indicator is $1,618 per month; mortgage costs equal 22.3% of household income and are recorded without a mortgage stress flag. Ownership is split between 32.1% outright and 30.6% with a mortgage, while 36.5% rent, so buyers compete with a sizeable tenant base. Compared with nearby Whitfield, inspect the exact block, renovation needs and dwelling format because Edge Hill's mix is not uniform. The 42 median age and 36.9% three-bedroom share suit established households, while 30.1% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms.
For Buyers
Homebuyers in Edge Hill are choosing a housing mix led by 70.0% separate houses, with apartments at 23.7% and semi-detached dwellings at 6.3%. Weekly rent is $310, while the typical mortgage repayment indicator is $1,618 per month; mortgage costs equal 22.3% of household income and are recorded without a mortgage stress flag. Ownership is split between 32.1% outright and 30.6% with a mortgage, while 36.5% rent, so buyers compete with a sizeable tenant base. Compared with nearby Whitfield, inspect the exact block, renovation needs and dwelling format because Edge Hill's mix is not uniform. The 42 median age and 36.9% three-bedroom share suit established households, while 30.1% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms.
For Investors
Edge Hill's 36.5% rental share creates a meaningful tenant pool, but a 9.3% vacancy rate indicates more leasing slack than a tightly constrained market. Weekly rent is $310, and rent takes 18.5% of household income, supporting a relatively manageable affordability position for many tenants. Development activity reached 16 applications in 12 months, with recent work including lot reconfiguration, driveways and crossovers, so the pipeline looks incremental rather than a major apartment wave. Growth is forecast at 0.14% annually and is driven primarily by overseas migration, favouring patient income strategies over assumptions of rapid capital uplift. Compared with outright owners, renters are 4.4 percentage points more prevalent, so tenant demand is present but vacancy should be monitored.
Development Activity
Total DAs
17
Last 12 Months
17
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Edge Hill
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Edge Hill State School
Demographics
Edge Hill has a median age of 42, which is 2.0 years above the national figure, and its 2.3-person average household is 0.2 below national. University attainment is 38.6%, or 8.5 percentage points above the national comparison, while 25.2% of residents were born overseas, 3.6 points above national. English ancestry counts 1,578 people, followed by Other at 634, Irish at 609 and Scottish at 488. No religion is the largest reported affiliation at 1,941, ahead of Christianity at 1,604. Compared with nearby Whitfield, households considering a move should focus on life stage and dwelling fit: couples without children represent 40.1%, while couples with children account for 36.2%, helping explain demand for both smaller and family-sized homes.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
70.0%
Houses
6.3%
Townhouse
23.7%
Apartment
Tenure
Edge Hill is detached-dominant: 70.0% of dwellings are separate houses, compared with 23.7% apartments and 6.3% semi-detached homes. The bedroom profile is spread across 2-bedroom homes at 26.0%, 3-bedroom homes at 36.9% and 4-plus homes at 30.1%, giving established households several formats to weigh. Tenure is relatively mixed, with 32.1% owned outright, 30.6% mortgaged and 36.5% rented. The rental share is higher than outright ownership by 4.4 percentage points, because the suburb attracts both long-term residents and mobile tenants. Mortgage costs represent 22.3% of household income and rent 18.5%, both recorded without a stress flag. Compared with nearby Whitfield, check lot size and building form street by street rather than assuming a uniform housing market.
Mortgage / mo
$1,618
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (Jun 2026 quarter), QLD RTA bond data. Census 2021 median: $310.
$680
Bond data Jun 2026 quarter · houses $680 · units $510
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$942
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.3%
Unoccupied
166
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.5%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.3%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
36.2%
Couples with children
40.1%
Couples, no children
21.3%
Single parent
1,053
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare dominates Edge Hill's employment base at 29.3%, or 447 workers, followed by Education at 12.4% and 189, Public Administration at 9.0% and 137, Professional and Technical services at 8.2% and 125, and Construction at 6.1% and 93. Professionals are the largest occupation group at 672, ahead of Community and Personal service workers at 295 and Managers at 255. The unemployment rate is 4.9%, participation is 66.2% and personal weekly income is $942. SEIFA results are uneven: the education and occupation index is in decile 7, higher than economic resources at decile 5, while relative socioeconomic disadvantage and relative advantage and disadvantage are both decile 6. That pattern suggests qualifications are stronger than household financial capacity, which fits the suburb's health and education orientation.
Unemployment
4.9%
Labour Force
2,202
Unemployed
107
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.6%
Part-time
34.2%
Participation
66.2%
Employed
2,095
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
38.6%
Postgraduate
10.9%
Born Overseas
25.2%
Dwellings
1,624
Transport to Work
Daily life in Edge Hill is strongly car-oriented: 69.5% travel as car drivers, compared with 0.9% using public transport and 6.1% walking or cycling. A further 18.2% work from home, which can reduce commuting demand but increases the value of quiet streets and reliable local services. Edge Hill has 1 local government school, Edge Hill State School, so families should check enrolment zones and year-level capacity against the exact address rather than infer quality from proximity. The IRSAD score is 1,016 in decile 6, indicating a middle-range level of relative advantage and disadvantage. For safety decisions, check current Queensland Police information and visit streets at different times. Compared with public transport, private-car use is substantially higher, making parking and access more important than a transit-led lifestyle.
Drive
69.5%
Public Transport
0.9%
Walk / Cycle
6.1%
Work from Home
18.2%
Growth Outlook
Edge Hill is an established, slow-growth market: the annual trend is 0.14%, while population change across the wider area is 3.8% over 10 years. Overseas migration is the primary growth driver, so demand may be supported by incoming households even as the local trajectory remains modest. The shift profile is explicitly Aging, with the senior share up 5.1 percentage points and the young share down 2.1 points. Gentrification is scored at 0 and classified Not gentrifying, while rent growth reached 30.0% and affordability was broadly Stable from 36.0% in 2011 to 35.5% in 2021. Compared with a speculative renewal story, these signals favour gradual adaptation, downsizing and rental management rather than a rapid transformation thesis.
Population trend: Cairns council area
Edge Hill sits in the Cairns council area. These are the council area's residents, not Edge Hill's.
Residents 2025
179,334
Growth, 5 yr average
+1.2%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+1.0%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Edge Hill compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Edge Hill a good suburb to live in?
Yes, Edge Hill suits buyers who value established housing, local schooling and a professional employment base. The median age is 42, 70.0% of dwellings are separate houses and 69.5% commute by car, so it is better suited to residents comfortable with a suburban, car-oriented routine than a high-frequency transit lifestyle.
What is the median house price in Edge Hill?
An up-to-date median house price is not available for Edge Hill. Buyers should compare current settled sales and listings by dwelling type because 70.0% of homes are separate houses, 23.7% are apartments and 36.9% are 3-bedroom dwellings. Those proportions can make a single suburb-wide figure less useful than a like-for-like comparison.
What schools are in Edge Hill?
Edge Hill State School is the named local school, and it is a government school. Families should confirm enrolment zones, year levels and capacity for the exact address, especially because Edge Hill covers 2.6 square kilometres and nearby boundaries can affect practical access. Proximity alone should not be treated as a measure of school quality.
Is Edge Hill safe?
For a safety decision in Edge Hill, check current Queensland Police information and visit the streets at different times before deciding. The suburb has 4,088 residents and 69.5% car-driver travel, making street-by-street parking, lighting and traffic conditions relevant to a practical safety assessment.
Is Edge Hill good for property investment?
Edge Hill can suit a patient property investor, but the indicators favour careful selection rather than a rapid-growth thesis. Rents are $310 per week, vacancy is 9.3% and annual growth is forecast at 0.14%. The 36.5% rental share supports tenant demand, while 16 development applications in 12 months suggest ongoing small-scale change.
How is Edge Hill's population changing?
Edge Hill's population is changing slowly and ageing. The annual trend is 0.14%, while population change across the wider area is 3.8% over 10 years. The senior share rose 5.1 percentage points, the young share fell 2.1 points and overseas migration is the primary driver, so future demand is more likely to come from gradual household turnover than sharp local expansion.
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).
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