Japoonvale vs No 4 Branch
No 4 Branch is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 55 in Japoonvale. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Japoonvale, about half of households are people living alone. In No 4 Branch, most households are couple families. On these figures, Japoonvale tends to suit people living alone, while No 4 Branch suits 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Japoonvale carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 61/100)
- No 4 Branch is already more of a family suburb (78% vs 50%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Japoonvale
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (21% vs 11%)
- has cheaper rent ($240/wk vs $270/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
No 4 Branch
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (1584.9 km vs 1597.2 km)
- has a shorter drive in (1087 min vs 1095 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Japoonvale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (13/100 vs 61/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
No 4 Branch
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (34.3% vs -24.1%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Japoonvale and No 4 Branch 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
No 4 Branch has higher household incomes ($74,724 vs $52,936); Japoonvale skews older (55 vs 40).
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 107 +16% vs other | 90 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -24.1% | +34.3% |
| Median age | 55 | 40 |
| Median household income | $52,936/yr | $74,724/yr +41% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $240/wk | $270/wk +12% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (4.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Development activity
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 186 across Cassowary Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +68% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 15% of QLD | Higher than 45% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 36% of QLD | Higher than 9% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 31% of QLD | Higher than 51% of QLD |
Liveability
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
No 4 Branch carries more bushfire risk (41 vs 0); No 4 Branch carries more crime risk (61 vs 13).
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 41/100 |
| Crime | Low 13/100 | Moderate 61/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 7 | 3 |
Mobility
Japoonvale sits further from the CBD (1597.2 km vs 1584.9 km).
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1597.2 km | 1584.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 1095 min | 1087 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 4856 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 60 postcode 4856 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 (64.5%).
Setting
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 51 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 37 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 20.4 km | 13.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 23/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 58 premises | 0% 35 premises |
Climate
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 3,534 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.4°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 16.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,829/yr same for both | |
| Council | Cassowary Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Kennedy same for both | |
| Member | Bob Katter same for both | |
| Party | Katter's Australian Party (KAP) same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Japoonvale | No 4 Branch | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Japoonvale
Other comparisons with No 4 Branch
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.