Noosa Heads
A median age of 54 sits 14.0 years above the national figure, and that single fact shapes most of Noosa Heads. Half of all dwellings (50.6%) are owned outright, well above the share carrying a mortgage at 24.4%, the signature of an established, debt-free retiree base rather than a market of recent buyers. The suburb scores decile 8 across all four SEIFA indexes, a comfortable advantage tier, with household income in the 66.7th percentile nationally. University qualifications reach 39.9%, which is 9.8 points above national, and a striking 37.6% vacancy rate points to a large pool of holiday and second homes left empty for much of the year.
Population
5,120
Median Age
54.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,843/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
10
Median House
$656K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The median house price of $656,000 is moderate by coastal-premium standards, but the stock skews large and detached: 72.3% are separate houses, far above the 19.3% apartment share, and 44.3% have three bedrooms with another 34.0% at four or more. Buyers looking for compact entry stock find little, since only 18.5% are two-bedroom dwellings. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.2%, which sits below the 30% stress threshold and keeps owner-occupier costs manageable despite incomes only in the 66.7th percentile. Outright owners at 50.6% outnumber mortgage holders at 24.4% by more than two to one, so much of the housing is held by older residents rather than traded actively, which thins available supply for incoming families.
For Buyers
The median house price of $656,000 is moderate by coastal-premium standards, but the stock skews large and detached: 72.3% are separate houses, far above the 19.3% apartment share, and 44.3% have three bedrooms with another 34.0% at four or more. Buyers looking for compact entry stock find little, since only 18.5% are two-bedroom dwellings. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.2%, which sits below the 30% stress threshold and keeps owner-occupier costs manageable despite incomes only in the 66.7th percentile. Outright owners at 50.6% outnumber mortgage holders at 24.4% by more than two to one, so much of the housing is held by older residents rather than traded actively, which thins available supply for incoming families.
For Investors
A 25.0% renter share and weekly rent of $550 give landlords a workable tenant base, and against the $656,000 median that rent implies a gross yield near 4.4%, far healthier than the sub-2% yields common in premium Sydney coastal markets. The catch is the 37.6% vacancy rate, unusually high and driven by holiday and second homes rather than genuine oversupply, so effective rental demand is thinner than the headline renter figure suggests. Demand support leans on overseas migration adding 112 residents a year while net internal migration removes 44. Rent has grown 52.8% over the period, well above wage growth, which favours rent escalation. Development is light at only 6 applications in 12 months, so new supply is minimal and existing stock should hold its scarcity value.
Development Activity
Total DAs
10
Last 12 Months
10
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 54 runs 14.0 years above national, and the trajectory is firmly aging: the senior share rose 7.5 points while the working-age share fell 5.3 points over the decade. Overseas-born residents reach 30.3%, which is 8.7 points above national, though ancestry stays strongly Anglo-Celtic, led by English (2,313), Scottish (776) and Irish (752). The top non-English languages are French (29 speakers), Italian (21) and German (18), a small European mix rather than a large migrant cohort. University qualifications at 39.9% sit 9.8 points above national. Average household size is 2.3, which is 0.2 below national, consistent with the older couples-without-children profile, since 46.4% of the 3,590 families are couples with no children against 1,119 couples with children.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
72.3%
Houses
8.4%
Townhouse
19.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts heavily toward outright ownership: 50.6% own outright, 24.4% carry a mortgage and 25.0% rent. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders by more than two to one points to long-held, debt-free wealth rather than a churn of new buyers. The stock is 72.3% separate houses against just 19.3% apartments, and dwellings run large, with 44.3% at three bedrooms and 34.0% at four or more. The median house price of $656,000 is moderate relative to the suburb's coastal profile, and mortgage-to-income at 27.2% stays below the 30% stress threshold while rent-to-income at 29.8% sits just under it. The 37.6% vacancy rate is the standout figure, far above any normal residential market, reflecting how many homes serve as holiday or investment properties rather than primary residences.
Mortgage / mo
$2,167
Rent / wk
$550
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$909
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
37.6%
Unoccupied
1,201
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
29.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.2%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
46.4%
Couples, no children
3,590
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce concentrates in services tied to the tourism and retiree economy: Healthcare leads at 15.8% (241 workers), Hospitality follows at 13.0% (198) and Professional/Tech at 12.9% (197), with Construction and Education tied at 8.7% each. By occupation, Professionals (550) and Managers (435) dominate, which aligns with the decile 8 IEO score for education and occupation. Unemployment is low at 4.2% and real incomes grew 27.6% over the decade. Participation reads just 45.9%, well below most suburbs, because the aging profile leaves 1,919 residents not in the labour force, many of them retired. The full-time employment rate of 52.3% is modest for the same reason, so the local economy runs more on service jobs and retirement spending than on a deep working-age labour pool.
Unemployment
2.2%
Labour Force
2,546
Unemployed
56
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
52.3%
Part-time
43.5%
Participation
45.9%
Employed
1,968
Occupations
Top Industries
University
39.9%
Postgraduate
8.8%
Born Overseas
30.3%
Dwellings
1,979
Transport to Work
Car dependence is high: 79.1% drive to work, above the national norm, while only 1.6% use public transport and 11.4% walk or cycle, reflecting a low-density coastal layout at 396.6 residents per km2 across 12.91 km2. The suburb scores decile 8 on IRSAD and IRSD, comfortably above the median advantage tier, so relatively few residents face disadvantage. Volunteering runs at 18.8%, and 6.5% of residents (314 people) need daily assistance, somewhat elevated given the older median age of 54. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off for an area weighted toward retirees and holiday homes rather than young families.
Drive
79.1%
Public Transport
1.6%
Walk / Cycle
11.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.33%/yr
(+71 people/yr)
EstablishedNoosa Heads is an established, steady-growth market: annual population growth registers 1.33%, adding about 71 residents a year, while the 10-year change reached 28.0%, a solid rise off a small base. Historical counts climbed from 5,242 in 2023 to 5,319 in 2025, and the medium forecast carries the population from 5,452 in 2026 to 5,807 by 2031. Overseas migration is the primary driver at 112 residents a year, offsetting a net internal outflow of 44. The gentrification stage reads not gentrifying despite the strong decade of growth, because the suburb already sits at decile 8 advantage with limited room to climb. Affordability stayed stable, moving only from 62.2% in 2011 to 60.5% in 2021, which is high but not worsening.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+112
Net Internal / yr
-44
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +26% since 2011
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Noosa Heads compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Noosa Heads a good suburb to live in?
Noosa Heads scores decile 8 across all four SEIFA indexes, a comfortable advantage tier above the national median, with household income in the 66.7th percentile and university qualifications at 39.9%, 9.8 points above national. It suits established and older residents more than young families, given a median age of 54.
What is the median house price in Noosa Heads?
The median house price is $656,000, moderate for a coastal-premium area. Weekly rent averages $550, and monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,167, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.2%, below the 30% stress threshold. About 50.6% of homes are owned outright.
What schools are in Noosa Heads?
No schools are recorded inside the Noosa Heads boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The local population is well educated, with university qualifications at 39.9%, which is 9.8 points above the national figure.
Is Noosa Heads safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Noosa Heads in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 8 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, above the national median, and only 6.5% of its residents need daily assistance, both consistent with a low-disadvantage area.
Is Noosa Heads good for property investment?
Rent of $550 a week against a $656,000 median gives a gross yield near 4.4%, healthier than premium Sydney markets. Rent has grown 52.8% over the period, but the 37.6% vacancy rate reflects many holiday homes, so demand is thinner than the 25.0% renter share suggests.
How is Noosa Heads's population changing?
Population growth is 1.33% annually, about 71 people a year, with a 28.0% rise over 10 years. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 7.5 points and the working-age share down 5.3 points over the decade. Forecasts reach 5,807 residents by 2031.
What languages are spoken in Noosa Heads?
About 30.3% of residents were born overseas, 8.7 points above the national figure. English is the dominant language, with French (29 speakers), Italian (21), German (18) and Portuguese (14) the most common non-English languages, reflecting a small European resident mix.
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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