Healy
A median household income at the 97.3rd percentile nationally, combined with a median age of 33, seven years below the national figure, tells a specific story: Healy is a young, high-earning resource-sector enclave in outback Queensland. Mining alone employs 35.4% of the local workforce, the clearest driver of incomes well above the Australian average. The suburb spans just 2.49 km2 at a density of 731 residents per km2, with a population of 1,824. Households average 3.0 people, which is above the national average, consistent with the family-age demographic profile where 58.5% of families are couples with children.
Population
1,824
Median Age
33.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$3,024/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$480K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The median house price sits at approximately $480,000, with monthly mortgage repayments averaging $1,733, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 13.2%, well below the 30% stress threshold. That affordability is driven by household incomes in the 97.3rd percentile nationally. The housing stock is overwhelmingly detached houses at 98.3% of dwellings, with 3-bedroom homes at 50.9% and 4-plus bedroom homes at 45.3%, making it a suburb almost exclusively suited to families rather than first-home buyers seeking smaller units. Outright owners account for 20.0%, those with a mortgage 46.6%, and renters 33.5%, a tenure mix typical of a high-income, family-dominated area where most working residents are still paying off homes rather than holding them debt-free.
For Buyers
The median house price sits at approximately $480,000, with monthly mortgage repayments averaging $1,733, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 13.2%, well below the 30% stress threshold. That affordability is driven by household incomes in the 97.3rd percentile nationally. The housing stock is overwhelmingly detached houses at 98.3% of dwellings, with 3-bedroom homes at 50.9% and 4-plus bedroom homes at 45.3%, making it a suburb almost exclusively suited to families rather than first-home buyers seeking smaller units. Outright owners account for 20.0%, those with a mortgage 46.6%, and renters 33.5%, a tenure mix typical of a high-income, family-dominated area where most working residents are still paying off homes rather than holding them debt-free.
For Investors
With 33.5% of residents renting and weekly rent of $380, Healy offers landlords a functional tenant base, though a 9.8% vacancy rate is elevated and warrants careful stock selection. Against the $480,000 median, $380 weekly rent implies a gross yield of approximately 4.1%, higher than most capital city markets. The caution is structural: Healy's economy is 35.4% mining, meaning demand tracks commodity cycles. When resource activity contracts, both tenants and buyers can leave quickly, which explains the relatively high vacancy rate despite the strong income profile. No development applications were recorded in the past 12 months, suggesting low new supply pressure in the near term.
Schools in Healy iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Healy State School
Prep-6 · 217 students
Demographics
At 33, the median age is 7.0 years below the national figure, reflecting a workforce drawn to mining and related services who are predominantly in family-formation years. The overseas-born share at 16.6% is 5.0 percentage points below the national average, and ancestry is predominantly Anglo-Celtic: English (558), Irish (167), and Scottish (164) lead, with a small Afrikaans-speaking community of 23 residents indicating South African migration linked to resource sector recruitment. University qualifications stand at 24.3%, which is 5.8 points below the national figure, consistent with a skilled trades and machinery workforce rather than a professional office population. Average household size is 3.0, above the national average of 2.5, driven by couples with children comprising 58.5% of families.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
98.3%
Houses
1.7%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
The 98.3% detached house rate makes Healy one of Queensland's most uniformly suburban stock suburbs, with semi-detached at just 1.7% and no recorded apartments. Bedroom distribution skews large: 50.9% are 3-bedroom and 45.3% are 4-plus bedroom, meaning almost all homes suit families. Of the three tenure groups, mortgage holders at 46.6% are the largest, with renters at 33.5% and outright owners at 20.0%. Rent-to-income sits at 12.6%, below any stress threshold, reflecting household incomes ranked at the 97.3rd percentile nationally even for the renting cohort. The $1,733 monthly mortgage figure against those incomes leaves significant household capacity, which supports stable owner-occupier demand as long as resource sector employment holds.
Mortgage / mo
$1,733
Rent / wk
$380
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$1,421
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.8%
Unoccupied
63
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
12.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
13.2%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
21.4%
Couples, no children
1,558
Total families
Economy & Employment
Mining is the overwhelming economic engine at 35.4% of local employment (225 workers), a concentration that places Healy far above national norms where mining typically accounts for under 2% of the workforce. Education follows at 16.2% (103 workers) and Healthcare at 14.5% (92 workers), suggesting the town also functions as a service hub for the broader region. By occupation, Professionals lead with 184 workers, followed by Clerical/Admin (122), Managers (109), Machinery/Drivers (102), and Community/Personal (89). The 80.3% full-time employment rate among those employed is high compared to national norms, consistent with the FIFO and shift-work culture of resource towns. Unemployment is 4.2% and the participation rate is 71.2%. Volunteering at 24.2% is notably high, pointing to strong community engagement within this compact workforce town.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
80.3%
Part-time
15.5%
Participation
71.2%
Employed
919
Occupations
Top Industries
University
24.3%
Postgraduate
5.9%
Born Overseas
16.6%
Dwellings
576
Transport to Work
Car dependency is almost total in Healy, with 90.6% of residents driving to work, well above national levels, and only 0.4% using public transport. Walking and cycling account for 1.8%. This is expected for a regional outback suburb with limited public transit infrastructure. No schools are recorded within Healy's boundaries in this dataset, so families rely on schools in nearby Mount Isa. The need-for-assistance rate of 2.9% (51 people) is low, consistent with the young median age of 33 and the physically active workforce profile. Rent and mortgage stress are both absent at 12.6% and 13.2% of income respectively, meaning housing costs are manageable relative to the high income base, which supports day-to-day quality of life even without metropolitan amenity.
Drive
90.6%
Public Transport
0.4%
Walk / Cycle
1.8%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Healy compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Healy a good suburb to live in?
Healy suits working families in the mining sector well. Household incomes rank at the 97.3rd percentile nationally and housing affordability is strong, with mortgage repayments at just 13.2% of income. The trade-off is distance from metropolitan services and car dependency at 90.6%, plus limited public transport at 0.4% of commuters.
What is the median house price in Healy?
The median house price is approximately $480,000, estimated from 2025 rental data. Weekly rent averages $380 and monthly mortgage repayments average $1,733. The mortgage-to-income ratio of 13.2% is well below the 30% stress threshold, making Healy affordable for its high-income workforce.
What schools are in Healy?
No schools are recorded within Healy's 2.49 km2 boundary in this dataset. Families in Healy rely on schools in the broader Mount Isa area. The suburb's 24.3% university qualification rate is 5.8 points below the national figure, reflecting the vocational and trades focus of the local mining workforce.
Is Healy safe?
Crime data is not available for Healy in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, only 2.9% of residents (51 people) need daily assistance, and housing stress is absent at 12.6% rent-to-income and 13.2% mortgage-to-income, both well below stress thresholds. The suburb has a low-disadvantage profile given incomes at the 97.3rd percentile nationally.
Is Healy good for property investment?
Healy's 33.5% renter share and $380 weekly rent produce a gross yield of approximately 4.1% against the $480,000 median, higher than most capital city markets. However, the 9.8% vacancy rate is elevated and the economy is 35.4% mining, so demand tracks commodity cycles. Risk is higher than diversified suburban markets.
How is Healy's population changing?
Healy's current population is 1,824 with a young median age of 33, seven years below the national figure. The annual turnover rate is 16.9%, meaning roughly 1 in 6 households changes each year, consistent with a transient resource-sector workforce. Longer-term population trend data is not available in the current brief.
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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