Harristown vs Toowoomba City

Harristown is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 41 in Toowoomba City. In Harristown, most households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. In Toowoomba City, most households rent and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Harristown tends to suit families with children, while Toowoomba City suits renters and people living alone.

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

Harristown

ahead on 6 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools rated above their peers (3 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (10 vs 7)
  • is already more of a family suburb (44% vs 31%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Toowoomba City

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (62% vs 43%)
  • has cheaper rent ($255/wk vs $295/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Toowoomba City

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (92/100 vs 72/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (124.9 km vs 128.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Toowoomba City

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (7 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (47% vs 30%)
  • is more walkable (92/100 vs 72/100)
  • But Harristown carries lower crime risk (76/100 vs 99/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Harristown returns a higher gross yield on units (8.7% vs 4.1%)
  • Toowoomba City is growing faster (11.2% vs 6.1%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Harristown and Toowoomba City drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Harristown Toowoomba City
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Harristown Toowoomba City
Walkability 72 / 92
Harristown — Walkability: 72/100 Toowoomba City — Walkability: 92/100
Safety 24 / 1
Harristown — Safety: 24/100 Toowoomba City — Safety: 1/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Harristown — Low fire risk: 100/100 Toowoomba City — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Harristown has more residents (9,081 vs 2,321); Harristown rents higher ($295/wk vs $255/wk).

Harristown Toowoomba City
Population 9,081
+74% vs other
 2,321
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.1% +11.2%
Median age 38 41
Median household income $60,216/yr
+6% vs other
 $56,368/yr
Median weekly rent $295/wk
+14% vs other
 $255/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Harristown Toowoomba City
0-4 6.4% / 4.6%
Harristown — 0-4: 6.4% Toowoomba City — 0-4: 4.6%
5-14 12.1% / 8.7%
Harristown — 5-14: 12.1% Toowoomba City — 5-14: 8.7%
15-19 6.1% / 5.5%
Harristown — 15-19: 6.1% Toowoomba City — 15-19: 5.5%
20-24 7.6% / 7.2%
Harristown — 20-24: 7.6% Toowoomba City — 20-24: 7.2%
25-34 14.5% / 15.9%
Harristown — 25-34: 14.5% Toowoomba City — 25-34: 15.9%
35-44 11.3% / 11.1%
Harristown — 35-44: 11.3% Toowoomba City — 35-44: 11.1%
45-54 9.6% / 12.8%
Harristown — 45-54: 9.6% Toowoomba City — 45-54: 12.8%
55-64 9.9% / 13.1%
Harristown — 55-64: 9.9% Toowoomba City — 55-64: 13.1%
65-74 9.4% / 9.3%
Harristown — 65-74: 9.4% Toowoomba City — 65-74: 9.3%
75-84 8.2% / 5.9%
Harristown — 75-84: 8.2% Toowoomba City — 75-84: 5.9%
85+ 4.8% / 5.9%
Harristown — 85+: 4.8% Toowoomba City — 85+: 5.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Harristown 48.7% lone person
Harristown — Lone Person: 48.7% Harristown — Couple Families: 25.6% Harristown — One Parent Families: 18.9% Harristown — Group Household: 4.9% Harristown — Other Families: 1.9%
Toowoomba City 59.1% lone person
Toowoomba City — Lone Person: 59.1% Toowoomba City — Couple Families: 18.0% Toowoomba City — One Parent Families: 13.4% Toowoomba City — Group Household: 6.0% Toowoomba City — Other Families: 3.6%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Harristown 43.1% renting
Harristown — Owned Outright: 28.1% Harristown — Mortgage: 28.8% Harristown — Renting: 43.1%
Toowoomba City 62.1% renting
Toowoomba City — Owned Outright: 18.9% Toowoomba City — Mortgage: 19.1% Toowoomba City — Renting: 62.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Harristown Toowoomba City
Certificate III & IV 16.5% / 12.6%
Harristown — Certificate III & IV: 16.5% Toowoomba City — Certificate III & IV: 12.6%
Bachelor Degree 8.5% / 11.2%
Harristown — Bachelor Degree: 8.5% Toowoomba City — Bachelor Degree: 11.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.0% / 6.4%
Harristown — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.0% Toowoomba City — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / 4.0%
Harristown — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% Toowoomba City — Postgraduate Degree: 4.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.5% / 1.8%
Harristown — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5% Toowoomba City — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.5%).

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.

Harristown Toowoomba City
Iraq 3.3% / 4.4%
Harristown — Iraq: 3.3% Toowoomba City — Iraq: 4.4%
England 1.5% / 1.9%
Harristown — England: 1.5% Toowoomba City — England: 1.9%
New Zealand 1.4% / 1.6%
Harristown — New Zealand: 1.4% Toowoomba City — New Zealand: 1.6%
India 1.1% / 0.9%
Harristown — India: 1.1% Toowoomba City — India: 0.9%
Philippines 1.2% / —
Harristown — Philippines: 1.2% Toowoomba City — Philippines: not among its largest
China — / 0.8%
Harristown — China: not among its largest Toowoomba City — China: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Harristown 69.9% houses
Harristown — Houses: 69.9% Harristown — Townhouses: 24.3% Harristown — Flats / Apartments: 5.8%
Toowoomba City 52.7% houses
Toowoomba City — Houses: 52.7% Toowoomba City — Townhouses: 23.2% Toowoomba City — Flats / Apartments: 24.1%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Harristown Toowoomba City
Median house price $729,999 $761,750
Median unit price $530,000 $500,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 28 days
from 78 sales
 25 days
from 21 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Harristown Toowoomba City
2 bed $602K / $619K
Harristown — 2 bed: $602K (7 sales) Toowoomba City — 2 bed: $619K (8 sales)

7 vs 8 sales

3 bed $710K / $730K
Harristown — 3 bed: $710K (97 sales) Toowoomba City — 3 bed: $730K (32 sales)

97 vs 32 sales

4 bed $770K / $1.09M
Harristown — 4 bed: $770K (48 sales) Toowoomba City — 4 bed: $1.09M (14 sales)

48 vs 14 sales

5 bed $838K / $1.2M
Harristown — 5 bed: $838K (7 sales) Toowoomba City — 5 bed: $1.2M (7 sales)

7 vs 7 sales

Development activity

Harristown Toowoomba City
New dwellings approved 1,513
across Toowoomba
same for both
Approvals change year on year -25%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Harristown Toowoomba City
Houses 3.9%
$580/wk on $769K
 4.2%
$610/wk on $764K
Units 8.7%
$435/wk on $259K
 4.1%
$435/wk on $549K

Ranking within QLD

Harristown Toowoomba City
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 25% of QLD Higher than 19% of QLD
Schools Higher than 90% of QLD Higher than 28% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 93% of QLD Higher than 99% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 71% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 74% of QLD Higher than 92% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 49% of QLD Higher than 62% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 98% of QLD Higher than 35% of QLD

Liveability

Harristown scores higher overall (54 vs 34); Toowoomba City is more walkable (92 vs 72).

Harristown Toowoomba City
Grade B D
Score 54/100 34/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Toowoomba City carries more crime risk (99 vs 76).

Harristown Toowoomba City
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
76/100
 High
99/100
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 7
within 5 km
 9
within 5 km

Schools

Harristown Toowoomba City
Inside the suburb 5 3
Rated above peers 3 0
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 1
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
USQ (Toowoomba), 3.1 km
 1
USQ (Toowoomba), 0.0 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.4%
same for both

Schools in Harristown

  • Concordia Lutheran College Independent · Combined above peers
  • Harristown State High School Government · Secondary above peers
  • St Anthony's School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Harristown State School Government · Primary below peers
  • Concordia Lutheran College - Concordia Primary Campus Independent · Primary

Schools in Toowoomba City

  • Holy Name Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Toowoomba North State School Government · Primary below peers
  • The Industry School - Toowoomba Independent · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Harristown Toowoomba City
Supermarkets 1 5
Cafes & restaurants 5 35
Parks & reserves 17 14
Childcare 10 7
GPs 0 7
Pharmacies 3 5
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 9
Fuel stations 6 4
Waterways 0 14

Mobility

Harristown sits further from the CBD (128.6 km vs 124.9 km).

Harristown Toowoomba City
Walkability score 72/100 92/100
Distance to Brisbane 128.6 km
+3% vs other
 124.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 104 min 100 min
Public transport score 74/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 86.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 65.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 4350
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 41
postcode 4350
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.

Harristown Toowoomba City
Car (driver) 82.2% / 66.0%
Harristown — Car (driver): 82.2% Toowoomba City — Car (driver): 66.0%
Walked Only 3.2% / 14.8%
Harristown — Walked Only: 3.2% Toowoomba City — Walked Only: 14.8%
Car (passenger) 8.1% / 7.5%
Harristown — Car (passenger): 8.1% Toowoomba City — Car (passenger): 7.5%
Worked from Home 5.6% / 8.5%
Harristown — Worked from Home: 5.6% Toowoomba City — Worked from Home: 8.5%
Bicycle 0.6% / 2.4%
Harristown — Bicycle: 0.6% Toowoomba City — Bicycle: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (82.2%).

Setting

Harristown Toowoomba City
Elevation 662 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 592 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Harristown Toowoomba City
Connectivity score 63/100 82/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 32%
4,790 premises
 66%
3,276 premises

Climate

Harristown Toowoomba City
Annual rainfall 643 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Harristown Toowoomba City
PM2.5 4.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 12.0 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Harristown Toowoomba City
Average residential rate $1,618/yr
same for both
Council Toowoomba
same for both

Federal electorate

Harristown Toowoomba City
Division Groom
same for both
Member Garth Hamilton
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Harristown Toowoomba City
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Harristown

Parks Regional Centre Townhouses

Toowoomba City

Parks River Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Harristown

Harristown vs Newtown Harristown vs Kearneys Spring Harristown vs Glenvale Harristown vs South Toowoomba Harristown vs Darling Heights Harristown vs Drayton

Other comparisons with Toowoomba City

Toowoomba City vs Newtown Toowoomba City vs East Toowoomba Toowoomba City vs South Toowoomba Toowoomba City vs North Toowoomba
Full data on Harristown Full data on Toowoomba City
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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.

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