Dalby vs St Ruth
St Ruth is the younger of the two, with a median age of 30 against 35 in Dalby. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In St Ruth, most households are couple families. On these figures, Dalby tends to suit people living alone, while St Ruth suits share households, families with children, and couples.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
Dalby
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (16 vs 0)
- has more childcare (12 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (6 vs 0)
- But St Ruth carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 83/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
St Ruth
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (6% vs 20%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
St Ruth
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($220/wk vs $260/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Dalby
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (215.8 km vs 220.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Dalby
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more GPs (4 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (15% vs 10%)
- But St Ruth carries lower crime risk (26/100 vs 83/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
St Ruth
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (18.7% vs 0.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dalby and St Ruth drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Dalby has more residents (12,758 vs 165); St Ruth has higher household incomes ($94,224 vs $76,024).
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,758 +99% vs other | 165 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +0.3% | +18.7% |
| Median age | 35 | 30 |
| Median household income | $76,024/yr | $94,224/yr +24% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $260/wk +15% vs other | $220/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.9%).
Where residents were born
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $550,000 | — |
| Median unit price | $455,000 | — |
| Median land price | $535,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 37 days from 99 sales | — |
Development activity
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 53 across Western Downs same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -40% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 5.2% $600/wk on $599K | — |
| Units | 4.7% $422/wk on $469K | — |
Ranking within QLD
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 47% of QLD | Higher than 67% of QLD |
| Schools | Higher than 72% of QLD | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 68% of QLD | Higher than 34% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 32% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 73% of QLD | Higher than 36% of QLD |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 95% of QLD | — |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 61% of QLD | — |
Liveability
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | — |
| Score | 41/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Dalby carries more crime risk (83 vs 26).
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 83/100 | Low 26/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 6 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Dalby
- Dalby South State School Government · Primary above peers
- Our Lady of the Southern Cross College Catholic · Combined above peers
- Dalby Christian College Independent · Combined at peers
- Dalby State High School Government · Secondary at peers
- Dalby State School Government · Primary below peers
- Dalby State High School - Bunya Campus Government · Secondary
Schools in St Ruth
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 4 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 12 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 16 | 0 |
| Childcare | 12 | 0 |
| GPs | 4 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 4 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 8 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 9 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 11 | 3 |
Mobility
St Ruth sits further from the CBD (220.3 km vs 215.8 km).
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 4/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 215.8 km | 220.3 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 161 min | 160 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 4405 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 54 postcode 4405 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.0%).
Setting
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 345 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 343 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 62/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 34% 6,157 premises | 0% 46 premises |
Council rates
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,238/yr same for both | |
| Council | Western Downs same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Maranoa same for both | |
| Member | David Littleproud same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dalby | St Ruth | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Dalby
St Ruth
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Dalby
Other comparisons with St Ruth
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.