Gilston
At 9.48 square kilometres with a population of 2,669, this is low-density living by design: 96.8% of dwellings are separate houses and 94.5% of workers drive to the job, because public transport reaches just 0.3% of commuters. The median age of 35 is five years below the national figure, reflecting a suburb built around couples raising children, with 54% of the 2,391 families in that category.
Local council: Gold Coast
Population
2,669
Median Age
35.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,446/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
5
Monthly repayments average $2,172, manageable against the $2,436 median family weekly income. Stock is almost entirely detached houses at 96.8%, and 82.7% of those have four or more bedrooms, so buyers get genuine family-scale floor plans rather than townhouse compromises. Only 16.3% of residents rent, compared with a higher national renter share, meaning most transactions are owner-occupier driven. Turnover is also low, with 82.4% of residents having stayed in place over the prior five years, suggesting genuine community attachment rather than transient demand.
For Buyers
Monthly repayments average $2,172, manageable against the $2,436 median family weekly income. Stock is almost entirely detached houses at 96.8%, and 82.7% of those have four or more bedrooms, so buyers get genuine family-scale floor plans rather than townhouse compromises. Only 16.3% of residents rent, compared with a higher national renter share, meaning most transactions are owner-occupier driven. Turnover is also low, with 82.4% of residents having stayed in place over the prior five years, suggesting genuine community attachment rather than transient demand.
For Investors
The investor case is thin but stable. Vacancy sits at 2.4%, which is tight enough to support rental pricing without signalling oversupply. No development applications were recorded in the past 12 months, indicating constrained new supply in an already low-density suburb. Construction industry workers make up 16.1% of employed residents, suggesting the local trades workforce supports renovation more than greenfield expansion. Income strength at the 91.6th percentile nationally keeps mortgage stress low at 20.5%, which protects owner-occupier demand and indirectly floors the rental market.
Development Activity
Total DAs
5
Last 12 Months
5
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 Gilston
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Gilston State School
Demographics
The median age of 35 sits five years below the national figure, driven by a concentration of families at formation stage: couples with children account for 54% of families, well above a national average that includes far more singles and aged households. Average household size is 3.2, which is 0.7 above national, consistent with that family profile. Overseas-born residents account for 20.9%, which is 0.7 percentage points below national, and ancestry is predominantly Anglo-Celtic, led by English (1,157 residents), Scottish (308) and Irish (296). University qualifications reach 27.1%, which is 3 percentage points below the national rate, reflecting an occupational mix weighted toward healthcare, construction and trades rather than knowledge-sector professionals.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
96.8%
Houses
3.2%
Townhouse
0.0%
Apartment
Tenure
The stock is defined by one type: 96.8% separate houses, with the remaining 3.2% semi-detached and effectively zero apartments. Within that detached stock, 82.7% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms, an unusually high share compared to most suburban markets. Tenure leans heavily toward ownership: 62.8% carry a mortgage, 20.9% own outright, and just 16.3% rent, lower than national renter proportions. Rent at $540 per week and a rent-to-income ratio of 22.1% also stays well below stress territory, suggesting financial headroom for most residents regardless of tenure.
Mortgage / mo
$2,172
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (Jun 2026 quarter), QLD RTA bond data. Census 2021 median: $540.
$850
Bond data Jun 2026 quarter · houses $850 · units $680
HH Size
3.2
Personal Income / wk
$943
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
2.4%
Unoccupied
20
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.5%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
57.0%
Couples with children
30.6%
Couples, no children
12.0%
Single parent
748
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads local employment at 18.0% (171 workers), followed by Construction at 16.1% (153), Education at 12.1% (115), Retail at 6.7% and Public Administration at 6.6%. By occupation, Professionals number 287, Clerical and Admin 195, and Managers 186, pointing to a balanced workforce with white-collar roles sitting alongside trades and healthcare. The unemployment rate is 3.0%, below most metro benchmarks, and the full-time employment rate is 64.6%. Labour force participation at 67.4% is moderate, with 439 residents not in the labour force, partly a function of the family-age demographic where one partner may work part-time. The 91.6th percentile household income sits well above national average, though this is earned income rather than asset wealth, given that SEIFA data is not available for this suburb.
Unemployment
2.7%
Labour Force
1,470
Unemployed
40
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
58.6%
Part-time
32.2%
Participation
74.0%
Employed
1,430
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
27.1%
Postgraduate
5.6%
Born Overseas
20.9%
Dwellings
789
Transport to Work
Car dependency is near total: 94.5% of employed residents drive to work and public transport accounts for just 0.3%, which means access to Gold Coast centres relies on road capacity rather than transit. Walking and cycling cover 0.8% of trips. Rent-to-income at 22.1% and mortgage-to-income at 20.5% both sit below stress thresholds, making daily costs manageable relative to local incomes in the 91.6th percentile nationally. The need-for-assistance rate is 4.2%, covering 107 residents, and volunteering reaches 13.4% of residents, pointing to moderate community participation. Crime data is not available for the suburb. No schools are recorded inside the Gilston boundary in this dataset, so families draw on institutions in surrounding Gold Coast suburbs.
Drive
78.8%
Public Transport
0.2%
Walk / Cycle
0.7%
Work from Home
16.6%
Growth Outlook
Gilston's population of 2,669 sits across 9.48 square kilometres at a density of 281.6 people per square kilometre, low by urban standards and consistent with a suburb where lot sizes support large detached homes. The turnover rate of 17.6% per five years means 82.4% of residents stayed, which is above typical suburban mobility rates and signals stable long-term demand rather than speculative churn. No development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, meaning new supply is essentially absent, which supports existing property values. The family-age demographic, with a median age of 35 that is five years below national, suggests organic household formation will continue to generate buyer demand from within the suburb and adjacent areas on the Gold Coast hinterland.
Population trend: Gold Coast council area
Gilston sits in the Gold Coast council area. These are the council area's residents, not Gilston's.
Residents 2025
691,230
Growth, 5 yr average
+2.0%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+1.8%
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 Gilston compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gilston a good suburb to live in?
Gilston suits families well. Household income sits in the 91.6th percentile nationally and the mortgage-to-income ratio is just 20.5%, well below stress territory. The median age is 35, five years below national, and 54% of families are couples with children. The trade-off is near-total car dependency, with public transport at only 0.3% of commuter trips.
What is the median house price in Gilston?
Weekly rent averages $540 and monthly mortgage repayments average $2,172. Household income in the 91.6th percentile nationally means the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 20.5%, below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Gilston?
No schools are recorded inside the Gilston boundary in this dataset. Families rely on schools in surrounding Gold Coast hinterland suburbs. The local university qualification rate is 27.1%, which is 3 percentage points below the national figure, reflecting a workforce mix of healthcare, construction and trades occupations.
Is Gilston safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Gilston in this dataset. As an indirect measure, only 4.2% of residents (107 people) need daily assistance, unemployment sits at 3.0%, and household incomes rank in the 91.6th percentile nationally, all markers consistent with a low-disadvantage residential area.
Is Gilston good for property investment?
The investment case is moderate. However, the renter share at 16.3% is lower than national averages, limiting tenant pool depth, and zero development applications in the past 12 months means supply is constrained.
How is Gilston's population changing?
Gilston has a population of 2,669 across 9.48 square kilometres. The turnover rate is 17.6% over five years, meaning 82.4% of residents stayed, above typical suburban mobility rates. The young median age of 35, five years below national, and the 54% share of families with children suggest ongoing organic household demand rather than population decline.
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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