Best Rockhampton suburbs for property investors

Rockhampton City tops the list, with 55.6% of its occupied dwellings rented. Across the ranking, rental shares run from 3.2% to 55.6%. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 16 eligible Rockhampton suburbs.

This ranking scores every eligible Rockhampton suburb on the share of occupied dwellings that are rented, from the ABS 2021 census, blended with population and dwelling growth and a composite safety score. A deep rental market means a wider tenant pool and easier re-letting — what a buy-to-let investor weighs before yield.

Rental share leads the score but doesn't rule it: a raw sort on percent-rented would surface high-density CBD cores and student pockets, so growth (2016→2021 population and dwelling change) and safety are blended in to keep the list to genuinely investable neighbourhoods. The percentile that drives the score is computed within Rockhampton, so each suburb ranks against its own metro. For the return side of the equation, see the companion rental-yield ranking — a deep rental market and a strong gross yield together are the classic buy-to-let signal.

Rockhampton suburbs with the deepest rental markets

Ranked on the share of occupied dwellings that are rented (ABS 2021 census tenure), blended with population and dwelling growth and a composite safety score. A deep rental market means a larger tenant pool and easier re-letting — the signal a buy-to-let investor scans for.

1

Rockhampton City

QLD 4700 · 2,059 residents

56% renting · 44% owner-occupied · 50/100 safety

D 86.8
2

Gracemere

QLD 4702 · 12,023 residents

40% renting · 60% owner-occupied · 60/100 safety

D 76.1
3

Berserker

QLD 4701 · 7,020 residents

43% renting · 57% owner-occupied · 53/100 safety

C 69.9
4

Allenstown

QLD 4700 · 2,762 residents

50% renting · 50% owner-occupied · 52/100 safety

D 63.5
5

Kawana

QLD 4701 · 4,434 residents

39% renting · 61% owner-occupied · 56/100 safety

C 56.6
6

Park Avenue

QLD 4701 · 5,292 residents

34% renting · 66% owner-occupied · 53/100 safety

D 54.9
7

West Rockhampton

QLD 4700 · 1,848 residents

34% renting · 66% owner-occupied · 60/100 safety

D 54.9
8

Wandal

QLD 4700 · 3,949 residents

34% renting · 66% owner-occupied · 63/100 safety

C 51.6
9

Parkhurst

QLD 4702 · 3,043 residents

28% renting · 72% owner-occupied · 30/100 safety

D 49.4
10

Koongal

QLD 4701 · 4,252 residents

37% renting · 63% owner-occupied · 19/100 safety

D 48.8
11

Norman Gardens

QLD 4701 · 10,534 residents

29% renting · 71% owner-occupied · 20/100 safety

D 42.7
12

Etna Creek

QLD 4702 · 1,029 residents

8% renting · 92% owner-occupied · 50/100 safety

D 40.8
13

Rockyview

QLD 4701 · 1,735 residents

3% renting · 97% owner-occupied · 88/100 safety

B 36.0
14

The Range

QLD 4700 · 5,231 residents

28% renting · 72% owner-occupied · 64/100 safety

B 30.7
15

Frenchville

QLD 4701 · 8,982 residents

26% renting · 74% owner-occupied · 24/100 safety

D 22.5

Ranked from 16 qualifying suburbs.

How we ranked these

55% rental share (percentile within Rockhampton) · 25% growth (2016→2021 population + dwelling change) · 20% safety (bushfire, crime, flood combined). Rental share comes from ABS 2021 census tenure — the share of occupied dwellings that are rented. Percentiles are computed within Rockhampton's candidate pool. A raw percent-rented sort would surface high-density cores, so growth and safety keep the list investable. See how we calculate for the full methodology.

Common questions about this ranking

What are the best Rockhampton suburbs for property investors?

Rockhampton City tops the list, with 55.6% of its occupied dwellings rented. Across the ranking, rental shares run from 3.2% to 55.6%. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 16 eligible Rockhampton suburbs.

How is this ranking scored?

Each eligible Rockhampton suburb is scored on three factors: 55% rental share (the share of occupied dwellings that are rented, from the ABS 2021 census, ranked as a percentile within Rockhampton), 25% growth (2016→2021 population and dwelling change combined), and 20% safety (bushfire, crime and flood risks combined).

Does a deep rental market mean a good investment?

Not on its own. A high rental share means the tenant pool is large and re-letting is easier — a genuine convenience — but it says nothing about the return. Pair this with the gross rental yield ranking for the return side, and bear in mind that the highest-rental suburbs are often high-density areas where capital growth can lag detached housing.

Which suburbs are eligible?

A suburb needs a resident population of at least 1,000 and a 2021 census tenure record. Suburbs below the threshold or missing census tenure data are excluded, not penalised, so the ranking isn't dominated by tiny outliers.

How often is this list updated?

The top 15 is recomputed whenever the underlying data refreshes. Tenure comes from the ABS census (every five years); the growth and safety inputs refresh alongside their own datasets.

Same list in other cities

Related

Rankings last computed 12 October 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.

Was the information on this page useful to you?

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or