Sunshine Coast's most educated suburbs

Yaroomba tops the ranking, where 46.3% of residents aged 15 and over hold a bachelor degree or higher (559 people). Sunshine Beach and Birtinya follow. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 56 eligible Sunshine Coast suburbs.

This page ranks Sunshine Coast suburbs by the share of residents aged 15 and over who hold a bachelor degree or higher in the 2021 Census — the metro's most university-qualified neighbourhoods. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are ranked.

Shares are the count of Sunshine Coast residents aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree, graduate diploma or certificate, or postgraduate degree, divided by all residents aged 15 and over — the ABS non-school-qualification universe, so children aren't counted in the base. The figures come from the 2021 Census. Percentile ranks are computed within Sunshine Coast's pool, so the list reflects concentration relative to other metro suburbs. This is descriptive demographic information, not a recommendation.

Sunshine Coast's most educated suburbs

Ranked by the share of residents aged 15 and over who hold a bachelor degree or higher in the 2021 Census, among suburbs with at least 2,000 residents — where the most university-qualified residents are concentrated.

1

Yaroomba

QLD 4573 · 2,043 residents

46.3% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 559 graduates

A 100.0
2

Sunshine Beach

QLD 4567 · 2,480 residents

45.5% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 721 graduates

B 98.2
3

Birtinya

QLD 4575 · 4,378 residents

44.8% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,161 graduates

B 96.4
4

Peregian Beach

QLD 4573 · 4,972 residents

44.5% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,261 graduates

B 94.5
5

Noosa Heads

QLD 4567 · 5,120 residents

43.7% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,373 graduates

B 92.7
6

Sunrise Beach

QLD 4567 · 3,687 residents

43.3% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 909 graduates

B 90.9
7

Buderim

QLD 4556 · 31,430 residents

41.0% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 7,243 graduates

A 89.1
8

Moffat Beach

QLD 4551 · 2,691 residents

40.7% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 635 graduates

A 87.3
9

Alexandra Headland

QLD 4572 · 4,235 residents

40.3% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,055 graduates

B 85.5
10

Twin Waters

QLD 4564 · 2,966 residents

39.6% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 684 graduates

A 83.6
11

Eumundi

QLD 4562 · 2,504 residents

39.1% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 544 graduates

B 81.8
12

Doonan

QLD 4562 · 3,727 residents

38.7% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 797 graduates

C 80.0
13

Mount Coolum

QLD 4573 · 4,545 residents

38.0% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,012 graduates

B 78.2
14

Kings Beach

QLD 4551 · 3,042 residents

37.2% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 681 graduates

B 76.4
15

Mooloolaba

QLD 4557 · 8,202 residents

37.1% hold a bachelor degree or higher · 1,762 graduates

B 74.5

Ranked from 56 qualifying suburbs.

How we ranked these

100% share of residents aged 15 and over who hold a bachelor degree or higher in the 2021 Census (bachelor, graduate diploma/certificate and postgraduate totals divided by all residents aged 15+), percentile-ranked within Sunshine Coast's candidate pool. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents qualify, and the larger absolute number of graduates breaks ties. Descriptive ABS Census data, not a recommendation. See how we calculate for the full methodology.

Common questions about this ranking

What are Sunshine Coast's most educated suburbs?

Yaroomba tops the ranking, where 46.3% of residents aged 15 and over hold a bachelor degree or higher (559 people). Sunshine Beach and Birtinya follow. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 56 eligible Sunshine Coast suburbs.

How is this ranking put together?

Each Sunshine Coast suburb is ranked by the share of its residents aged 15 and over who hold a bachelor degree or higher in the 2021 Census — that count divided by all residents aged 15+. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are included, and percentile ranks are computed within Sunshine Coast's pool, so the list reflects concentration relative to other metro suburbs.

What counts as a bachelor degree or higher?

The Census non-school-qualification levels at bachelor and above: a bachelor degree, a graduate diploma or graduate certificate, and a postgraduate degree. It's measured against residents aged 15 and over — the group the Census asks about qualifications — so children aren't counted in the base and the share isn't diluted.

Where does the data come from?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census question on non-school qualifications. Nothing is estimated or inferred about any individual, and this is a factual demographic snapshot rather than a judgement about any suburb.

How current is it?

The figures are from the 2021 Census, the most recent available until results from the August 2026 Census are released in 2027. The top 15 is recomputed whenever we refresh the census data.

Same list in other cities

Related

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

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