Mount Pleasant
A $481,000 median house price sits beside household income in only the 58.5th percentile nationally, and that pairing explains why Mount Pleasant reads as a working-family suburb rather than an aspirational one. The stock is 92.7% separate houses, far above the national share, with three and four-plus bedroom homes making up 89.4% of dwellings. SEIFA places it in decile 2 for both IRSAD and IRSD, below the national midpoint, and decile 1 for economic resources. Healthcare and Mining together employ a third of the workforce, the Mackay regional signature, while the median age of 41 runs 1.0 year above national on an aging trajectory.
Population
4,694
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,686/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
8
Median House
$481K
Estimated from rent (2025)
At a $481,000 median, Mount Pleasant prices a detached house well below most metro markets, which suits buyers priced out of capital cities. The stock backs that up: 92.7% are separate houses and apartments are almost absent at 0.8%, so buyers get land rather than strata. Family-sized homes dominate, with 49.5% three-bedroom and 39.9% four-plus bedroom, while two-bedroom dwellings are just 10.1%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,668, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 22.8%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold even though household income sits only in the 58.5th percentile. Owner-occupiers are well represented, with 37.6% owning outright and 37.0% carrying a mortgage, leaving renters a minority at 25.4%.
For Buyers
At a $481,000 median, Mount Pleasant prices a detached house well below most metro markets, which suits buyers priced out of capital cities. The stock backs that up: 92.7% are separate houses and apartments are almost absent at 0.8%, so buyers get land rather than strata. Family-sized homes dominate, with 49.5% three-bedroom and 39.9% four-plus bedroom, while two-bedroom dwellings are just 10.1%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,668, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 22.8%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold even though household income sits only in the 58.5th percentile. Owner-occupiers are well represented, with 37.6% owning outright and 37.0% carrying a mortgage, leaving renters a minority at 25.4%.
For Investors
A 25.4% renter share is modest, and weekly rent of $390 against the $481,000 median implies a gross yield near 4.2%, higher than the sub-2% yields typical of premium metro suburbs. The catch is direction: rent growth ran at minus 3.6% over the period and the vacancy rate of 7.6% is elevated, both pointing to soft tenant demand rather than scarcity. Population support is thin, with net overseas migration of 66 a year barely offsetting net internal outflow of 64. Development is quiet at 8 applications in 12 months, mostly building work and operational permits rather than new dwelling supply. The investment case rests on the relatively high yield and low entry price, not on capital growth, since the 10-year population change is negative at minus 1.1%.
Development Activity
Total DAs
14
Last 12 Months
8
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+33.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Mount Pleasant iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Emmanuel Catholic Primary School
Prep-6 · 597 students
Holy Spirit College
7-12 · 1139 students
Northview State School
Prep-6 · 331 students
Demographics
The median age of 41 sits 1.0 year above the national figure, and the profile is aging, with the senior share up 3.1 points while the young-resident share fell 3.2 points. Overseas-born residents reach only 15.7%, which is 5.9 points below national, so the suburb skews Australian-born and Anglo-leaning: ancestry is led by English (1,827), Scottish (522) and Irish (500). University qualifications at 25.3% run 4.8 points below the national rate, consistent with a workforce weighted toward trades and services rather than knowledge sectors. Average household size is 2.4, a touch below national, and families lean toward couples with children (1,470) over couples with no children (1,143). Mandarin and Punjabi tie as the largest non-English languages at 17 speakers each.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
92.7%
Houses
6.5%
Townhouse
0.8%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is split almost evenly between outright owners at 37.6% and mortgage holders at 37.0%, with renters trailing at 25.4%, a pattern that signals settled, long-term occupancy rather than churn. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 92.7% separate houses, with apartments a rounding error at 0.8% and semi-detached at 6.5%. Three-bedroom homes account for 49.5% and four-plus bedroom 39.9%, so the market is built for families. The $481,000 median is affordable by national standards, and mortgage-to-income at 22.8% stays below the 30% stress line while rent-to-income reads 23.1%, both comfortable. Affordability has improved over the decade, easing from 38.6% in 2011 to 32.3% in 2021, partly because real incomes here fell 6.5% rather than because prices surged.
Mortgage / mo
$1,668
Rent / wk
$390
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$853
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.6%
Unoccupied
147
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.8%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
32.2%
Couples, no children
3,546
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce carries the Mackay regional signature, led by Healthcare at 19.7% (282 workers) and Mining at 13.4% (191), with Education at 11.3%, Construction at 8.0% and Professional/Tech at 6.7%. By occupation, Professionals (450) lead but Clerical/Admin (271) and Machinery operators and drivers (223) follow closely, a blue-and-white-collar mix that aligns with the IEO score sitting in decile 3, below the national midpoint. Unemployment is low at 3.9% and the full-time rate is 69.4%, yet participation reads just 56.0% because 1,260 residents are not in the labour force, reflecting the aging profile. The IER economic-resources score is the weakest signal at decile 1, the lowest tier, which is why incomes here reach only the 58.5th percentile despite steady employment.
Unemployment
10.4%
Labour Force
2,440
Unemployed
254
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
69.4%
Part-time
26.7%
Participation
56.0%
Employed
2,047
Occupations
Top Industries
University
25.3%
Postgraduate
4.2%
Born Overseas
15.7%
Dwellings
1,791
Transport to Work
Mobility runs almost entirely on cars, with 90.5% driving to work against just 1.4% on public transport and 2.0% walking or cycling, far above the national reliance on cars and typical of a regional Mackay suburb. SEIFA places the area in decile 2 on IRSAD, below the national midpoint, so it is more disadvantaged than advantaged, though that also keeps the cost of living modest. Volunteering is healthy at 17.4% and 5.8% of residents (254 people) need daily assistance, slightly above what the median age of 41 alone would predict. Residential turnover is low at 24.5%, meaning three-quarters of residents stayed put, which points to a stable community even if no schools are recorded inside the 3.81 km2 boundary in this dataset.
Drive
90.5%
Public Transport
1.4%
Walk / Cycle
2.0%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.51%/yr
(+21 people/yr)
EstablishedMount Pleasant is barely expanding, with annual population growth of 0.51% (about 21 people a year) and a 10-year change of minus 1.1%, marking it an established, slow-growth suburb. Medium forecasts lift the population from 4,154 in 2025 to 4,278 by 2031, a gentle climb of roughly 3%. The only positive driver is overseas migration at 66 a year, which net internal outflow of 64 nearly cancels out. The gentrification stage reads not gentrifying with a score of 0, fitting a suburb where real income growth was negative at minus 6.5% over the decade. Affordability improved from 38.6% to 32.3%, though that owes more to falling local incomes than to rising prosperity, so the trajectory is stability rather than upgrade.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+66
Net Internal / yr
-64
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Mount Pleasant compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mount Pleasant a good suburb to live in?
Mount Pleasant suits buyers wanting an affordable detached house, with a $481,000 median and 92.7% separate houses. It is family-oriented and stable, with turnover of just 24.5%. The trade-offs are a SEIFA IRSAD ranking in decile 2, below the national midpoint, and heavy car reliance at 90.5% of commuters.
What is the median house price in Mount Pleasant?
The median house price is $481,000, affordable by national standards. Weekly rent averages $390 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,668, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 22.8%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite household income sitting only in the 58.5th percentile.
What schools are in Mount Pleasant?
No schools are recorded inside the 3.81 km2 Mount Pleasant boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The resident profile is family-heavy, with 1,470 couples with children and three-bedroom homes making up 49.5% of the housing stock.
Is Mount Pleasant safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Mount Pleasant in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 2 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, and 5.8% of its residents, about 254 people, need daily assistance, both consistent with a settled regional residential area.
Is Mount Pleasant good for property investment?
Rent of $390 a week against a $481,000 median gives a gross yield near 4.2%, higher than premium metro suburbs. But the 7.6% vacancy rate is elevated and rent growth was negative at minus 3.6%, so returns lean on yield and the low entry price rather than capital growth, given 10-year population change of minus 1.1%.
How is Mount Pleasant's population changing?
Population growth is slow at 0.51% a year, about 21 people, with the population reaching 4,154 in 2025 and forecast near 4,278 by 2031. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 3.1 points and the young-resident share down 3.2 points, while overseas migration of 66 a year is the only positive driver.
What jobs do people in Mount Pleasant do?
The workforce carries the Mackay regional signature, led by Healthcare at 19.7% and Mining at 13.4%, with Education at 11.3% and Construction at 8.0%. Unemployment is low at 3.9% and the full-time rate is 69.4%, though participation reads just 56.0% due to the aging profile.
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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