Lawnton
Lawnton's most distinctive feature is its mixed tenure profile: 41.5% of occupied dwellings are rented, compared with 21.0% owned outright, while 69.2% are separate houses and 24.5% semi-detached homes. With 5,905 residents and a median age of 37, it is 3 years younger than the national comparison, yet its overseas-born share is 19.5%, 2.1 percentage points below national. Healthcare accounts for 20.0% of employment, and 70.8% commute as car drivers. For buyers comparing nearby Petrie and Bray Park, Lawnton's housing mix provides an alternative to a uniform detached-home search because semi-detached stock forms almost one-quarter of dwellings.
Population
5,905
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,371/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
30
Buyers need to start with current comparable sales because a suburb-level median house price is not available. The repayment reference is 1,517 per month, while mortgage costs equal 25.6% of household income, higher than rent at 320 weekly and rent-to-income at 23.3%. That burden is recorded as not mortgage-stressed. Housing choice is broader than a detached-only search: 69.2% are separate houses, 24.5% semi-detached and 6.0% apartments, with 56.3% of homes having 3 bedrooms. The mix suits households weighing space against entry cost because 41.5% rent and only 21.0% own outright.
For Buyers
Buyers need to start with current comparable sales because a suburb-level median house price is not available. The repayment reference is 1,517 per month, while mortgage costs equal 25.6% of household income, higher than rent at 320 weekly and rent-to-income at 23.3%. That burden is recorded as not mortgage-stressed. Housing choice is broader than a detached-only search: 69.2% are separate houses, 24.5% semi-detached and 6.0% apartments, with 56.3% of homes having 3 bedrooms. The mix suits households weighing space against entry cost because 41.5% rent and only 21.0% own outright.
For Investors
Lawnton has a substantial rental base, with 41.5% renting versus 21.0% owning outright, which can support tenant demand but also makes investor returns sensitive to local supply. Weekly rent is 320 and vacancy is 4.9%, so leasing conditions should be checked against the target property and current listings rather than assumed. Development activity is notable at 31 applications in 12 months, including multiple-dwelling and water or sewer works, which may add competition as well as infrastructure. The outlook is supported by 1.74% annual growth and internal migration, while rent growth of 21.4% is higher than real income growth of 13.6%. That gap makes yield and holding costs more important than headline demand.
Development Activity
Total DAs
97
Last 12 Months
30
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-31.8%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Lawnton
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
YOS Lawnton (Lawnton)
Pine Rivers Special School
Lawnton State School
Demographics
Lawnton has an English, Scottish and Irish ancestry pattern, with counts of 2,357, 665 and 626 respectively, alongside 366 German ancestry responses. No religion is the largest recorded affiliation at 2,839, followed by Christianity at 2,418. Median age is 37, which is 3 years below the national comparison, while university attainment is 20.6%, 9.5 percentage points below national. Overseas-born residents comprise 19.5%, 2.1 points below national, and average household size is 2.4, 0.1 below national. The 73.1% same-address retention rate indicates more residential stability than the 26.9% turnover rate, even as internal migration supports growth.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
69.2%
Houses
24.5%
Townhouse
6.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Lawnton's tenure split is more renter-heavy than outright ownership: 41.5% rent, 36.5% hold a mortgage and 21.0% own outright. The typical dwelling profile is 69.2% separate houses, 24.5% semi-detached homes and 6.0% apartments. Bedrooms reinforce a family and shared-house mix, with 56.3% having 3 bedrooms and 22.5% 4 or more, while 16.9% have 2. A median house price and price-to-income ratio are not available, so buyers should compare recent sales at the address level. The 2.4-person average household size is lower than the national comparison by 0.1, which helps explain why the market includes both larger homes and higher-density formats. For purchasers comparing Lawnton with nearby Petrie and Bray Park, the 24.5% semi-detached share provides an alternative to a conventional detached-house search.
Mortgage / mo
$1,517
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (Jun 2026 quarter), QLD RTA bond data. Census 2021 median: $320.
$640
Bond data Jun 2026 quarter · houses $640 · units $550
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$747
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.9%
Unoccupied
119
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.6%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
37.5%
Couples with children
34.7%
Couples, no children
25.7%
Single parent
1,542
Total families
Economy & Employment
Lawnton's employment base is led by healthcare at 20.0% and 338 workers, followed by construction at 10.8% and 182, education at 9.5% and 161, retail at 9.0% and 153, and public administration at 8.5% and 144. Healthcare's share is higher than public administration's, at 20.0% versus 8.5%, making care services the clearest industry anchor. Occupations are spread across trades at 451, clerical and administration at 420, professionals at 413, community and personal services at 359, and labourers at 299, consistent with that service and practical-work mix. The labour force totals 2,887, participation is 60.3%, unemployment is 7.1% and full-time work is 60.7%. Weekly household income is 1,371 at the 35.5th percentile. SEIFA sits in deciles 3 or 4 across IEO 4, IER 3, IRSD 3 and IRSAD 3, below the middle national deciles, indicating socioeconomic constraints despite varied employment.
Unemployment
7.1%
Labour Force
2,887
Unemployed
204
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.7%
Part-time
28.9%
Participation
60.3%
Employed
2,683
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
20.6%
Postgraduate
3.5%
Born Overseas
19.5%
Dwellings
2,319
Transport to Work
Daily movement is car-oriented: 70.8% travel as car drivers, compared with 7.6% using public transport, while 14.4% work from home and 2.2% walk or cycle. That pattern makes reliable road access more important than a transit-first routine. Lawnton has 3 nearby school options spanning a government state school, a government special school and an independent non-state school; check enrolment zones against the exact address because boundaries can cut across the suburb. The IRSAD score is in decile 3, and IRSD is also decile 3, both below the middle national deciles. Safety should be checked through current local crime sources because a suburb-level crime rate is not available. Compared with a higher-transit lifestyle, Lawnton is better suited to households with car access, although the 14.4% work-from-home share adds flexibility.
Drive
70.8%
Public Transport
7.6%
Walk / Cycle
2.2%
Work from Home
14.4%
Population Forecast
+1.74%/yr
(+141 people/yr)
EstablishedLawnton's growth outlook is established but positive: the annual trend is 1.74%, with internal migration identified as the primary driver. Across the wider area, population change is 23.9% over 10 years, while the shift trajectory is Mixed. Housing pressure is visible in rent growth of 21.4%, higher than real income growth of 13.6%, even though affordability is labelled Improving from 49.4 in 2011 to 42.9 in 2021. The gentrification stage is Active, with a score of 43, while a separate shift signal records Early signs at 31. This combination suggests growth is being pulled by incoming households because housing demand is expanding faster than incomes, rather than by a single redevelopment event. Development activity reached 31 applications in 12 months.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+63
Net Internal / yr
+128
Gentrification Signal
Active
Population +37% since 2011, Net internal migration +128/yr, Accelerating: 5% → 30%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Lawnton compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lawnton a good suburb to live in?
Lawnton suits households wanting a suburban setting with mixed housing, but daily travel is car-oriented: 70.8% drive and 7.6% use public transport. It also has 3 school options and an IRSAD decile of 3, so check commute, services and address-level conditions.
What is the median house price in Lawnton?
A current median house price cannot be stated because no suburb-level figure is available. Buyers should compare recent local sales and budget against the 1,517 monthly mortgage reference, 320 weekly rent and 25.6% mortgage-to-income ratio, which is higher than 23.3% rent-to-income.
What schools are in Lawnton?
Lawnton has 3 nearby school options: a government state school, a government special school and an independent non-state school. School type is not a quality rating, and enrolment zones should be checked for the exact address because boundaries can differ across the suburb.
Is Lawnton safe?
A suburb-level crime rate is not available, so safety should be checked through current Queensland Police or council information before renting or buying. Use the exact street and recent period, because conditions can differ across Lawnton's 8.13 square kilometres and change over time.
Is Lawnton good for property investment?
Lawnton has 41.5% renting, 320 weekly rent and 4.9% vacancy, while 31 development applications were recorded in 12 months. The growth trend is 1.74% annually and is driven by internal migration, but rent growth of 21.4% is higher than real income growth of 13.6%, so costs and future supply matter.
How is Lawnton's population changing?
Lawnton has 5,905 residents today. The wider-area forecast records 23.9% population change over 10 years and a 1.74% annual trend, with internal migration the primary driver. The trajectory is Mixed, while the gentrification stage is Active at score 43, indicating growth with differing signals rather than a uniform path.
What development is occurring in Lawnton?
Development activity is elevated at 31 applications in 12 months, including multiple-dwelling and water or sewer works. This may improve housing choice and infrastructure, but it can also increase competition for existing stock. Check each proposal's status, scale and address before assuming an effect on 41.5% rental demand.
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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