QLD 4132 Census 2021 + Live DA Data

Marsden

Marsden's most distinctive feature is its age profile: the median age is 28, or 12 years below the national figure, across 14,795 residents. Housing is predominantly detached, with 79.4% separate houses, yet 53.6% of households rent, creating a family-oriented but renter-majority market. Density reaches 2,414.5 people per square kilometre, higher than a low-density outer suburb. Compared with nearby Loganlea and Crestmead, Marsden sits in a strongly car-based, high-growth part of Logan, with 80.4% driving to work and a 6.16% annual growth trend.

Marsden urban fabric map

Population

14,795

Median Age

28.0

Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)

$1,409/wk

DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year

266

6.13 km²· 2,414.5 people/km²· Family income $1,469/wk

Buyers need to work without a current suburb-wide median house price, so recent comparable sales matter more than a headline figure. The entry-cost picture still has useful signals: the monthly mortgage figure is $1,457, weekly rent is $350, and mortgage payments equal 23.9% of household income, below the 24.8% rent share. Stock is geared to families because 79.4% of homes are separate houses, 48.6% have 3 bedrooms and 42.3% have 4 or more. The separate-house share is higher than the 0.2% apartment share, while 20.4% semi-detached homes add some lower-density choice. Marsden suits buyers prioritising space, but price comparisons should be made against Loganlea and Crestmead listings rather than assuming one suburb median.

For Buyers

Buyers need to work without a current suburb-wide median house price, so recent comparable sales matter more than a headline figure. The entry-cost picture still has useful signals: the monthly mortgage figure is $1,457, weekly rent is $350, and mortgage payments equal 23.9% of household income, below the 24.8% rent share. Stock is geared to families because 79.4% of homes are separate houses, 48.6% have 3 bedrooms and 42.3% have 4 or more. The separate-house share is higher than the 0.2% apartment share, while 20.4% semi-detached homes add some lower-density choice. Marsden suits buyers prioritising space, but price comparisons should be made against Loganlea and Crestmead listings rather than assuming one suburb median.

For Investors

Marsden has a clear rental-demand base: 53.6% of households rent, above the combined 45.6% outright or mortgaged ownership share, while weekly rent is $350. A 5.7% vacancy rate means investors should allow for competition between listings and avoid assuming instant letting. Development activity is substantial at 263 applications in 12 months, which may expand supply and moderate rent pressure. The 6.16% annual growth trend and internal migration driver support a high-growth outlook, yet no median sale price is available for a reliable gross-yield calculation. Compared with lower-rental-supply suburbs, the renter majority is the stronger investment case, while new construction is the main counterweight.

Development Activity

Total DAs

520

Last 12 Months

266

YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements

+269.4%

Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year

N/A

Monthly DA Lodgements

DA Categories

Subdivision
68
Garage / Carport / Shed
63
Renovation / Extension
39
New Dwelling
29
Change of Use
27
Roofing
25
Deck / Pergola / Patio
24
Granny Flat / Secondary Dwelling
17

Schools in Marsden

Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.

Burrowes State School

State School Government

Marsden State School

State School Government

Demographics

Marsden has a young, family-heavy demographic: the median age is 28, 12 years below national, and average household size is 3.3, or 0.8 above national. Couples with children account for 49.1% of families, while one-parent families represent 27.0%, helping explain demand for 3-bedroom and larger houses. Overseas-born residents make up 39.4%, 17.8 percentage points above national, and university attainment is 13.9%, 16.2 points below national. Samoan, Arabic, Khmer, Urdu and Hindi are among the main recorded languages, with Samoan counted at 314 and Arabic at 168. Christianity has 6,045 adherents, no religion 5,037 and Islam 1,541. Compared with more university-qualified areas, Marsden is younger and more oriented to working families and practical occupations.

Age Distribution

0-14
27.9%
15-24
16.2%
25-44
28.4%
45-64
19.3%
65+
8.3%

Bedrooms

Studio/1br
2.8%
2 bed
6.3%
3 bed
48.6%
4+ bed
42.3%

Dwelling Structure

79.4%

Houses

20.4%

Townhouse

0.2%

Apartment

Tenure

Own 13.4% Mortgage 32.2% Rent 53.6% Other 0.7%

Marsden's housing is overwhelmingly low-rise: 79.4% of dwellings are separate houses and 20.4% semi-detached, compared with only 0.2% apartments. Larger floorplans dominate, with 42.3% of homes containing 4 or more bedrooms and 48.6% containing 3 bedrooms, so the stock aligns with the 3.3-person average household size. Tenure is the sharper distinction: 53.6% rent, versus 32.2% paying a mortgage and 13.4% owning outright. Rent takes 24.8% of household income, higher than the 23.9% mortgage share, while vacancy is 5.7%. With no current median sale price, affordability is better assessed through dwelling-level sales and holding costs than a single suburb benchmark.

Mortgage / mo

$1,457

Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (Jun 2026 quarter), QLD RTA bond data. Census 2021 median: $350.

$600

Bond data Jun 2026 quarter · houses $600 · units $480

HH Size

3.3

Personal Income / wk

$628

Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)

5.7%

Unoccupied

248

Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress

24.8%

Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress

23.9%

Community Profile

Languages Spoken at Home

Samoan
314
Arabic
168
Khmer
122
Urdu
104
Hindi
76
Persian ED
39

Ancestry

Other
4,390
English
3,809
Ancestry NS
1,503
Samoan
1,112
Maori
838
Irish
750

Household Composition

49.1%

Couples with children

21.6%

Couples, no children

27.0%

Single parent

3,404

Total families

Economy & Employment

Marsden's employment base is led by healthcare at 23.3% of workers, followed by construction at 10.1%, manufacturing at 9.1%, education at 8.6% and retail at 8.4%. That mix supports local and essential-service jobs, while the occupation profile is practical: labourers number 1,022, machinery and drivers 921, community and personal service 773, trades 693 and clerical or admin 563. Labour-force participation is 55.4%, unemployment is 10.4% and full-time employment is 58.3%, pointing to weaker labour-market outcomes than higher-income areas. Household income sits at the 40.9th percentile, and SEIFA places Marsden in decile 1 for IEO, IRSD and IRSAD, with IER at decile 2. The low deciles align with lower educational and economic resources, despite healthcare being the largest industry.

Unemployment

10.4%

Labour Force

5,917

Unemployed

617

Source: ABS Census 2021

Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)

Overall advantage
1
Disadvantage
1
Economic resources
2
Education & occupation
1

Full-time

58.3%

Part-time

33.0%

Participation

55.4%

Employed

5,300

Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021

Occupations

Labourers 1,022
Machinery/Drivers 921
Community/Personal 773
Trades 693
Clerical/Admin 563
Sales 461
Professionals 422
Managers 282

Top Industries

Healthcare 23.3%
Construction 10.1%
Manufacturing 9.1%
Education 8.6%
Retail 8.4%

University

13.9%

Postgraduate

3.1%

Born Overseas

39.4%

Dwellings

4,132

Transport to Work

Daily life is strongly car dependent: 80.4% travel to work as a car driver, compared with 2.5% using public transport, 1.2% walking or cycling and 6.8% working from home. That pattern makes access to major roads and parking more important than rail proximity. Marsden has 2 local schools, both government-run state schools, giving families a basic in-suburb option; check enrolment zones against the exact address because catchments can cross suburb boundaries. Socioeconomic accessibility is a challenge, with an IRSAD decile of 1 and an IER decile of 2, lower than higher-resource areas. With 14,795 residents and density of 2,414.5 people per square kilometre, services and traffic should be assessed street by street. Current crime-rate comparisons are needed before making a safety judgement.

Drive

80.4%

Public Transport

2.5%

Walk / Cycle

1.2%

Work from Home

6.8%

Population Forecast

+6.16%/yr

(+1,876 people/yr)

High Growth

Marsden is classified as high growth, with a 6.16% annual trend, higher than a flat-growth trajectory, and internal migration identified as the primary driver. Its shift trajectory is Rejuvenating, with the young share up 13.6 percentage points and the senior share down 10.7 points. Across the wider area, population change over 10 years is 1674.2%, while rent growth reaches 185.0%, indicating strong demand and supply pressure. Affordability worsened from 42.8 in 2011 to 49.9 in 2021. The gentrification score is 0 and the stage is Not gentrifying, so momentum is currently more consistent with incoming households and development than with a measured prestige-market transition.

Historical + Forecast

Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025

Age Cohort Forecast

Primary Driver

Internal Migration

Net Overseas / yr

+209

Net Internal / yr

+3,071

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

How Marsden compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Population
Top 2%
Household Income
Bottom 41%
Rent Level
Top 28%
Apartments
Top 26%
Renters
Top 5%
Uni Educated
Bottom 15%
Public Transport
Bottom 49%
Born Overseas
Top 6%
Density
Top 6%

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Marsden a good suburb to live in?

Marsden can suit households seeking detached space and lower-rise housing, especially families and renters. The median age is 28, 79.4% of homes are separate houses and weekly rent is $350. Trade-offs include 80.4% car commuting, IRSAD decile 1 and a 53.6% renting share, so compare streets, transport and tenure carefully.

What is the median house price in Marsden?

A current median house price is not available for Marsden. For context, weekly rent is $350 and the monthly mortgage figure is $1,457, so buyers should compare recent settled sales by dwelling type rather than rely on a suburb-wide median. The 79.4% separate-house share is higher than the 0.2% apartment share.

What schools are in Marsden?

Marsden has 2 local schools: Burrowes State School and Marsden State School. Both are government sector state schools. Check the exact address against enrolment zones because catchments can differ, and compare travel times with the 80.4% car-driver pattern when assessing daily school runs.

Is Marsden safe?

Current suburb-level crime figures are unavailable, so avoid treating Marsden as definitively safe or unsafe. Compare recent Queensland Police rates per 1,000 residents with nearby Logan suburbs and visit at different times. Marsden has 14,795 residents, but population size alone is not a safety measure.

Is Marsden good for property investment?

Investment may appeal because 53.6% of households rent, weekly rent is $350 and vacancy is 5.7%. Development activity is also high at 263 applications in 12 months, while the annual growth trend is 6.16% and internal migration is the main driver. The renter share is higher than the 45.6% combined outright and mortgaged ownership share, but no median sale price is available for reliable yield comparisons.

How is Marsden's population changing?

Marsden has 14,795 residents today and is on a high-growth trajectory. Annual growth is 6.16%, driven by internal migration, while the wider area's 10-year population change is 1674.2%. The shift is labelled Rejuvenating: the young share is up 13.6 points and the senior share is down 10.7 points. Compared with a stable-age suburb, this points to continuing inflows of younger households rather than an ageing pattern.

What languages are spoken in Marsden?

Marsden has an overseas-born share of 39.4%, which is 17.8 percentage points above the national figure. Samoan is reported by 314 residents, followed by Arabic at 168, Khmer at 122, Urdu at 104 and Hindi at 76. The international share is higher than national, while average household size is 3.3, or 0.8 above national.

What development is happening in Marsden?

Development activity totals 263 applications across 12 months, higher than a no-development baseline. Examples include roof-cladding replacement, a Class 10a shed and a granny flat with alfresco, with 1 dwelling recorded in the roof-cladding application. Compare each project's scale and location with the 79.4% separate-house share and 5.7% vacancy rate before judging its effect on rents or resale.

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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