Morayfield
Population has expanded 54.5% in a decade to 24,898 residents, yet Morayfield's SEIFA profile reveals a sharper contradiction than its larger neighbour Caboolture immediately north: IRSAD decile 4 and IRSD decile 4 mark this as working-mortgage-belt territory rather than the bottom-decile disadvantage of Caboolture itself. The gentrification engine is running hot at score 40, stage Active, well above Caboolture's score of 20 and Buderim's amenity-driven trajectory. Internal migration drives the inflow at 406 persons annually versus 110 from overseas, a near-inverse pattern compared with Caboolture's overseas-led growth and signalling Brisbane-CBD-priced-out buyers rather than offshore arrivals. The dwelling mix is unambiguously family-detached: 81.7% separate houses, 51.9% with four or more bedrooms, both running materially above national benchmarks. Rent vacancy at 5.9% sits well above tight metro markets under 2%, but 410 development applications in 12 months show supply still chasing demand.
Population
24,898
Median Age
34.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,442/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
424
Median House
$435K
Estimated from rent (2025)
Morayfield's housing stock skews to large family homes built in the post-2000s expansion: 81.7% of dwellings are separate houses and 51.9% carry four or more bedrooms, both well above national averages and a step further into family-detached territory than Caboolture's 77.5%/43.9% mix. Median monthly mortgage repayments of $1,560 keep mortgage-to-income at 25.0%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold and improving from 59.3% affordability pressure in 2011 to 48.6% in 2021. That 10.7 percentage point improvement is rare in SEQ growth corridors where most areas worsened. The trade-off is composition: IEO decile 2 means buyers enter a community where 14.8% hold university degrees, 15.3 percentage points below the national average, and labourers (1,784) plus community/personal services (1,591) lead the workforce. Owner-occupiers hold 54.8% combined (20.3% outright + 34.5% mortgage), leaving 45.2% renting, materially above the national share.
For Buyers
Morayfield's housing stock skews to large family homes built in the post-2000s expansion: 81.7% of dwellings are separate houses and 51.9% carry four or more bedrooms, both well above national averages and a step further into family-detached territory than Caboolture's 77.5%/43.9% mix. Median monthly mortgage repayments of $1,560 keep mortgage-to-income at 25.0%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold and improving from 59.3% affordability pressure in 2011 to 48.6% in 2021. That 10.7 percentage point improvement is rare in SEQ growth corridors where most areas worsened. The trade-off is composition: IEO decile 2 means buyers enter a community where 14.8% hold university degrees, 15.3 percentage points below the national average, and labourers (1,784) plus community/personal services (1,591) lead the workforce. Owner-occupiers hold 54.8% combined (20.3% outright + 34.5% mortgage), leaving 45.2% renting, materially above the national share.
For Investors
The investor case rests on yield mechanics and migration-led demand rather than capital prestige. Weekly rent at $345 with 45.2% renter share places Morayfield slightly ahead of Caboolture's $310 rent yet with similar yield arithmetic at typical $550-650k Moreton Bay entry points. Rent has grown 10.9% recently, real income 10.1%, so renters can absorb the increases without escalating rent stress (currently 23.9%, below the 30% threshold). The 5.9% vacancy rate is the supply flag: it runs roughly 4 percentage points above tight Brisbane benchmarks and reflects 410 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, nearly double Caboolture's 228. Migration mechanics differ materially: internal migration averages 406 persons annually versus 110 overseas, an inverse ratio compared with Caboolture and signalling Brisbane-area movers rather than offshore demand. Gentrification scoring 40 with Active stage means the early-revaluation window may still be open.
Development Activity
Total DAs
897
Last 12 Months
424
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+7.9%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Morayfield iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Carmichael College
Prep-12 · 958 students
Minimbah State School
Prep-6 · 668 students
Morayfield State High School
7-12 · 1654 students
Morayfield East State School
Prep-6 · 982 students
Morayfield State School
Prep-6 · 455 students
Demographics
Median age 34 runs 6 years below the national figure of 40, a younger profile than Caboolture's 36 and reflecting the family-formation tilt of the local detached stock. Yet the suburb still registers an aging trajectory: senior share has grown 3.9 percentage points over the decade while young share has slipped 3.2pp, mirroring outer-ring SEQ patterns. Ancestry is sharply Anglo: 10,374 English, 2,334 Scottish, 2,167 Irish, with overseas-born share at just 18.1%, 3.5 percentage points below the national 21.6% and well below middle-ring Brisbane norms. Top non-English languages tilt small and varied: Mandarin (95 speakers), Samoan (63), Korean (51), Afrikaans (35), Punjabi (28), with the Samoan and Afrikaans counts higher than typical Brisbane benchmarks and reflecting Pacific and Southern African trades migration. Average household size of 2.7 sits 0.2 above the national figure, consistent with the four-bedroom dwelling dominance.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
81.7%
Houses
16.8%
Townhouse
1.5%
Apartment
Tenure
Dwelling composition is characteristically outer-corridor and family-formation: 81.7% separate houses, 16.8% semi-detached townhouses, and just 1.5% apartments, almost the inverse of urban Brisbane apartment profiles. Tenure splits 20.3% owned outright, 34.5% with a mortgage, and 45.2% rented, with the renter share running roughly 14 percentage points above the national average and reflecting investor-held three and four-bedroom stock built through the 2010s. Bedrooms drive the family story: 51.9% have four or more, 37.1% have three, and only 11% are studios, one or two-bedroom combined. Mortgage stress doesn't trigger at 25.0% mortgage-to-income (below the 30% threshold), rent stress is similarly contained at 23.9%, and the affordability trend has improved from 59.3% pressure in 2011 to 48.6% in 2021. That 10.7pp improvement, combined with real income growth of 10.1%, sets Morayfield apart from most SEQ growth corridors where affordability worsened.
Mortgage / mo
$1,560
Rent / wk
$345
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$708
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.9%
Unoccupied
535
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.0%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
24.6%
Couples, no children
19,761
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare and social assistance leads at 20.1% of workers (1,321 jobs), running roughly 7 percentage points above the national 13% share thanks to spillover demand from Caboolture Hospital and local aged care servicing the broader Moreton Bay north corridor. Construction follows at 12.7% (835 workers), elevated by the 410 development applications lodged in the past year, plus residential expansion across the wider corridor. Education (9.7%, 639), retail (9.2%, 604) and manufacturing (7.4%, 488) round out the top five. Occupations skew blue-collar service: labourers lead at 1,784, ahead of community/personal services (1,591), clerical/admin (1,351), sales (1,145), and professionals trailing at 1,144, well below middle-ring Brisbane suburb norms. Unemployment runs 7.8% versus the national 4.3%, and SEIFA tells a split story: IEO decile 2 (education and occupation) and IRSD decile 4 (general disadvantage) versus IER decile 6 (economic resources), a four-decile gap explained by mortgaged family-buyer income lifting IER while qualifications lag.
Unemployment
5.3%
Labour Force
7,133
Unemployed
379
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
62.3%
Part-time
29.9%
Participation
55.1%
Employed
9,934
Occupations
Top Industries
University
14.8%
Postgraduate
2.0%
Born Overseas
18.1%
Dwellings
8,559
Transport to Work
Car dependency is near-total: 87.2% drive to work, 3.1% take public transport despite the Morayfield railway station on the Caboolture-Brisbane line, and 1.6% walk or cycle, a mobility profile typical of detached-dominant outer SEQ rather than walk-share patterns in Brisbane inner-ring suburbs. The school catchment runs five institutions with ICSEA spanning 895 to 1052: Carmichael College leads as the Independent combined school at ICSEA 1052 (958 enrolled), then Minimbah State School (949, 668 enrolled), Morayfield State High School (939, 1,654 enrolled), Morayfield East State School (931, 982 enrolled), and Morayfield State School (895, 455 enrolled). Four of five sit below the 1000 national ICSEA mean, consistent with IEO decile 2. Volunteering rate at 9.5% trails the national 14% benchmark by roughly 4.5pp. Bruce Highway and rail access make the corridor commuter-viable, but 87.2% car drivers confirm that Brisbane CBD jobs still mean a 50km drive rather than a train trip.
Drive
87.2%
Public Transport
3.1%
Walk / Cycle
1.6%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+3.13%/yr
(+433 people/yr)
EstablishedForecast trend places Morayfield at +3.13% annual population growth (433 persons/year) through 2031, taking the population on the medium scenario to 15,888 by 2031 from 13,724 in 2026, sustaining the 54.5% decade gain. The driver mix is unusual for SEQ: internal migration averages 406 persons annually versus 110 overseas, an inverse ratio compared with Caboolture's overseas-led pattern and signalling Brisbane-priced-out movers rather than offshore inflow. Gentrification scores 40 with stage flagged Active, double Caboolture's 20, and signals include accelerating internal migration plus the share-of-affluent-households trend climbing from 18% to 59%. Rent has grown 10.9%, real income 10.1%, and affordability has moved from 59.3% mortgage-to-income in 2011 to 48.6% in 2021. The 410 development applications in trailing 12 months, mostly low-rise residential and reconfiguration of a lot, signal supply response that should moderate but not eliminate further capital growth.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+110
Net Internal / yr
+406
Gentrification Signal
Active
Net internal migration +406/yr, Accelerating: 18% → 59%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Morayfield compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Morayfield a good suburb to live in?
Morayfield suits buyers prioritising family-sized housing at outer-corridor pricing: 81.7% of dwellings are separate houses, 51.9% have 4 or more bedrooms, and mortgage-to-income at 25.0% sits below the 30% stress threshold. SEIFA scores are mixed, with IRSAD decile 4 and IEO decile 2, so it's working-mortgage-belt rather than aspirational.
What is the median house price in Morayfield?
Public median price data isn't available in our brief, but average mortgage repayments of $1,560/month and weekly rent of $345 place Morayfield below Brisbane metro and roughly in line with neighbouring Caboolture. Mortgage-to-income at 25.0% improved from 59.3% in 2011 to 48.6% by 2021.
What schools are in Morayfield?
Five schools operate in the suburb. Carmichael College leads at ICSEA 1052 (Independent combined, 958 enrolled), followed by Minimbah State School (949, 668 enrolled), Morayfield State High School (939, 1,654 enrolled), Morayfield East State School (931, 982 enrolled), and Morayfield State School (895, 455 enrolled). Four of five run below the 1000 ICSEA mean.
Is Morayfield safe?
Specific crime rate per 1,000 isn't published in our brief, so safety should be checked against QPS suburb-level data. As context: SEIFA IRSD decile 4 and IRSAD decile 4 place Morayfield in the lower-middle band nationally, better than Caboolture's decile 1 across the same indices.
Is Morayfield good for property investment?
Renter share is 45.2% and rent has grown 10.9% recently, supporting yield. Risk factors: vacancy runs 5.9% (above the sub-2% tight-market benchmark) and 410 development applications were lodged in 12 months, nearly double Caboolture's 228. Net migration adds 516 persons annually (406 internal, 110 overseas).
How is Morayfield's population changing?
Population has grown 54.5% over the past decade to 24,898 residents and is forecast to add 433 persons annually through 2031 (+3.13%). Internal migration drives 406 of that net annual inflow, overseas just 110, an inverse ratio to most SEQ corridors. Senior share has risen 3.9pp while young share fell 3.2pp.
What is the main industry in Morayfield?
Healthcare and social assistance employs 20.1% of workers (1,321 jobs), well above the national 13% share, driven by Caboolture Hospital spillover and local aged care. Construction follows at 12.7% (835 workers), supported by 410 development applications lodged in the past year.
How does Morayfield compare to Caboolture?
Morayfield runs a younger median age (34 vs 36), higher SEIFA scores (IRSAD decile 4 vs 1), stronger growth forecast (+3.13% vs +2.72%), and an inverse migration mix (internal 406 vs overseas 110, while Caboolture is overseas-led). Gentrification scoring 40 (Active) versus Caboolture's 20 marks Morayfield as the more aspirational corridor pocket.
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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