Upper Caboolture
A median house price of $476,000 paired with a median age of 33, seven years below the national figure, defines this outer-Brisbane suburb, and the two facts reinforce each other. Affordable detached stock pulls in young families, so 96.5% of dwellings are separate houses and 78.1% carry four or more bedrooms. Household income sits in the 70.2nd percentile nationally, yet the suburb scores decile 10 on the SEIFA economic resources index because cheap, large homes stretch that income further. The population of 5,087 has grown 22.6% over the decade, and 51.5% of households carry a mortgage, well above the renting share of 22.4%.
Population
5,087
Median Age
33.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,879/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
26
Median House
$476K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The $476,000 median house price is highly affordable by national standards, and it buys space rather than a compact unit: 78.1% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 96.5% are separate houses on land. Average monthly mortgage repayments of $1,820 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 22.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold, which is why mortgage holders make up 51.5% of households against only 26.1% who own outright. The trade-off is supply: with apartments at 1.2% and semi-detached at 2.3%, buyers wanting anything smaller than a family house have almost no options here. The average household size of 3.1 people, 0.6 above national, fits the four-bedroom dominance and the young median age of 33.
For Buyers
The $476,000 median house price is highly affordable by national standards, and it buys space rather than a compact unit: 78.1% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 96.5% are separate houses on land. Average monthly mortgage repayments of $1,820 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 22.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold, which is why mortgage holders make up 51.5% of households against only 26.1% who own outright. The trade-off is supply: with apartments at 1.2% and semi-detached at 2.3%, buyers wanting anything smaller than a family house have almost no options here. The average household size of 3.1 people, 0.6 above national, fits the four-bedroom dominance and the young median age of 33.
For Investors
Weekly rent of $360 against a $476,000 median implies a gross yield near 3.9%, stronger than premium inner-city markets where yields fall below 2%. The vacancy rate of 3.8% is tight enough to support rent setting, and rents have already grown 20.0% over the measured period. Renters form 22.4% of households, a modest tenant pool because 51.5% carry mortgages, so this is owner-occupier territory more than a landlord cluster. Demand is underpinned by a 1.56% annual population growth forecast and net internal migration of 49 residents a year, well above net overseas migration of 10. Development is steady rather than hot at 26 applications in 12 months, mostly domestic building work and sheds, so the investment case rests on yield plus steady population inflow rather than rapid capital revaluation.
Development Activity
Total DAs
67
Last 12 Months
26
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-18.8%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 33 runs 7.0 years below the national figure, marking this as a young, family-forming suburb. University qualifications reach only 16.2%, which is 13.9 points below national, consistent with a workforce weighted toward trades and service roles rather than knowledge sectors. Overseas-born residents make up 15.2%, 6.4 points below national, so the population is more Australian-born than typical, and ancestry leans Anglo, led by English (2,279), Irish (482) and Scottish (466). The average household size of 3.1 sits 0.6 above national, reflecting couples with children, who form 1,895 of 4,434 families against 1,074 couples without children. Christianity dominates religious affiliation at 2,029 residents, far ahead of Buddhism at 30.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
96.5%
Houses
2.3%
Townhouse
1.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts firmly toward mortgaged ownership: 51.5% of households carry a mortgage, 26.1% own outright and just 22.4% rent. That mortgage weight, double the outright share, signals a suburb of recent buyers rather than long-settled debt-free owners. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 96.5%, with apartments at 1.2% and semi-detached at 2.3%, and 78.1% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms against only 3.3% with two. The $476,000 median house price against a household income in the 70.2nd percentile keeps housing affordable, and affordability improved from 60.1% in 2011 to 50.7% in 2021. Mortgage-to-income at 22.4% and rent-to-income at 19.2% both sit well under the 30% stress line, so neither owners nor tenants face widespread housing strain here.
Mortgage / mo
$1,820
Rent / wk
$360
HH Size
3.1
Personal Income / wk
$780
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.8%
Unoccupied
64
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.4%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
24.2%
Couples, no children
4,434
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce concentrates in essential-service and trade sectors rather than professional fields: Healthcare leads at 19.3% (287 workers), Construction follows at 15.6% (233) and Education at 11.0% (164), with Retail at 8.1% and Manufacturing at 6.2%. By occupation, Clerical and Admin (312), Labourers (294) and Community and Personal Service (293) outnumber Professionals (287), which explains why university attainment trails national by 13.9 points. Unemployment is 5.4% and the full-time employment rate is 65.1%, while participation of 58.0% is held down by 1,209 residents not in the labour force. The SEIFA picture is split: the economic resources index reads decile 10 because affordable large homes lift material wellbeing, yet the education and occupation index sits at decile 4, the gap that defines an affordable mortgage-belt suburb.
Unemployment
2.4%
Labour Force
2,054
Unemployed
50
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
65.1%
Part-time
29.5%
Participation
58.0%
Employed
2,118
Occupations
Top Industries
University
16.2%
Postgraduate
2.4%
Born Overseas
15.2%
Dwellings
1,610
Transport to Work
This is a car-dependent outer suburb: 89.8% of residents drive to work, while only 2.4% use public transport and 1.3% walk or cycle, far below denser inner suburbs. The SEIFA index of relative disadvantage reads decile 8, meaning few residents face deprivation, and only 7.3% (354 people) need daily assistance despite the family-heavy profile. No schools are recorded inside the 16.1 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on facilities in neighbouring Caboolture, a practical trade-off for a low-density area at 316 residents per square kilometre. Volunteering runs at 11.5% and rent-to-income sits at a comfortable 19.2%, below the stress threshold, both consistent with a settled, lower-cost residential setting rather than a high-pressure urban one.
Drive
89.8%
Public Transport
2.4%
Walk / Cycle
1.3%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.56%/yr
(+56 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is steady and trend-driven: the population is forecast to expand 1.56% a year, roughly 56 residents annually, after rising 22.6% over the past decade. Net internal migration of 49 people a year is the main driver, nearly five times the net overseas inflow of 10, so growth comes from Australians relocating within the region rather than international arrivals. The demographic shift is aging, with the senior share up 5.8 points and the young share down 3.5 points over the period, even though the median age of 33 remains well below national. Affordability improved from 60.1% in 2011 to 50.7% in 2021 as incomes outgrew prices, and real incomes climbed 15.7%, supporting continued inflow of mortgage-paying families.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+10
Net Internal / yr
+49
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +32% since 2011
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Upper Caboolture compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Upper Caboolture a good suburb to live in?
Upper Caboolture suits young families seeking space and affordability. The median house price is $476,000, the median age is 33, seven years below national, and the suburb scores decile 8 on the SEIFA disadvantage index. The main trade-off is car dependence, with 89.8% of residents driving to work.
What is the median house price in Upper Caboolture?
The median house price is $476,000, affordable by national standards. Weekly rent averages $360 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,820, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 22.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. Some 51.5% of households carry a mortgage.
What schools are in Upper Caboolture?
No schools are recorded inside the 16.1 km2 Upper Caboolture boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring Caboolture. The suburb skews young, with a median age of 33 and an average household size of 3.1, both pointing to school-age demand nearby.
Is Upper Caboolture safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Upper Caboolture in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 8 on the SEIFA index of relative disadvantage, a high tier, and only 7.3% of its 5,087 residents need daily assistance, both consistent with a settled, low-disadvantage area.
Is Upper Caboolture good for property investment?
Rent of $360 a week against a $476,000 median gives a gross yield near 3.9%, higher than most inner-city markets below 2%. The vacancy rate is a tight 3.8% and rents grew 20.0% over the period. Renters are only 22.4% of households, so demand leans owner-occupier rather than tenant.
How is Upper Caboolture's population changing?
The population of 5,087 has grown 22.6% over the past decade and is forecast to rise about 1.56% a year. Net internal migration of 49 residents annually drives growth, far above net overseas migration of 10. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 5.8 points.
How much development is happening in Upper Caboolture?
There were 26 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, modest for a 16.1 km2 suburb. Most are domestic building works, sheds and roadworks rather than large new estates, consistent with a steady 1.56% annual population growth forecast rather than a fast-tracked growth corridor.
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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