Paget vs West Mackay

West Mackay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 45 in Paget. In both, most households own their home. In Paget, most households are people living alone. In West Mackay, the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Paget: a median of $1.37 million, against $630,000 in West Mackay, though rent is higher in West Mackay. On these figures, Paget tends to suit people living alone, while West Mackay suits buyers on a tighter budget.

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

West Mackay

ahead on 6 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (8 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (7 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

West Mackay

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($437,500 vs $3,125,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($630,250 vs $1,372,500)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 38%)
  • But Paget has cheaper units ($400,000 vs $442,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Paget

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($263/wk vs $320/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

West Mackay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (81/100 vs 15/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

West Mackay

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (81/100 vs 15/100)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 14%)
  • But Paget has more units and townhouses to downsize into (48% vs 23%)

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

Investors

Paget

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (24.2% vs 5.2%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Paget West Mackay
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.

Paget West Mackay
Walkability 15 / 81
Paget — Walkability: 15/100 West Mackay — Walkability: 81/100
Safety 1 / 15
Paget — Safety: 1/100 West Mackay — Safety: 15/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Paget — Low fire risk: 100/100 West Mackay — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

West Mackay has more residents (6,536 vs 339); West Mackay has higher household incomes ($88,192 vs $62,348).

Paget West Mackay
Population 339 6,536
+1828% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +24.2% +5.2%
Median age 45 42
Median household income $62,348/yr $88,192/yr
+41% vs other
Median weekly rent $263/wk $320/wk
+22% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Paget West Mackay
0-4 4.7% / 5.2%
Paget — 0-4: 4.7% West Mackay — 0-4: 5.2%
5-14 8.0% / 11.6%
Paget — 5-14: 8.0% West Mackay — 5-14: 11.6%
15-19 2.7% / 4.9%
Paget — 15-19: 2.7% West Mackay — 15-19: 4.9%
20-24 9.1% / 6.3%
Paget — 20-24: 9.1% West Mackay — 20-24: 6.3%
25-34 16.2% / 12.0%
Paget — 25-34: 16.2% West Mackay — 25-34: 12.0%
35-44 8.3% / 13.0%
Paget — 35-44: 8.3% West Mackay — 35-44: 13.0%
45-54 17.7% / 13.2%
Paget — 45-54: 17.7% West Mackay — 45-54: 13.2%
55-64 18.6% / 12.3%
Paget — 55-64: 18.6% West Mackay — 55-64: 12.3%
65-74 10.6% / 9.7%
Paget — 65-74: 10.6% West Mackay — 65-74: 9.7%
75-84 3.5% / 6.6%
Paget — 75-84: 3.5% West Mackay — 75-84: 6.6%
85+ — / 5.4%
Paget — 85+: not among its largest West Mackay — 85+: 5.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Paget 61.4% lone person
Paget — Lone Person: 61.4% Paget — Couple Families: 20.8% Paget — One Parent Families: 11.9% Paget — Group Household: 3.0% Paget — Other Families: 3.0%
West Mackay 44.2% lone person
West Mackay — Lone Person: 44.2% West Mackay — Couple Families: 34.5% West Mackay — One Parent Families: 14.4% West Mackay — Group Household: 5.8% West Mackay — Other Families: 1.1%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Paget 42.9% renting
Paget — Owned Outright: 37.8% Paget — Mortgage: 19.4% Paget — Renting: 42.9%
West Mackay 35.6% renting
West Mackay — Owned Outright: 30.4% West Mackay — Mortgage: 34.0% West Mackay — Renting: 35.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Paget West Mackay
Certificate III & IV 23.0% / 18.2%
Paget — Certificate III & IV: 23.0% West Mackay — Certificate III & IV: 18.2%
Bachelor Degree 3.2% / 10.4%
Paget — Bachelor Degree: 3.2% West Mackay — Bachelor Degree: 10.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 3.8% / 5.6%
Paget — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.8% West Mackay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.6%
Postgraduate Degree 0.9% / 1.9%
Paget — Postgraduate Degree: 0.9% West Mackay — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.1%
Paget — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest West Mackay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).

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.

Paget West Mackay
Philippines 2.9% / 4.1%
Paget — Philippines: 2.9% West Mackay — Philippines: 4.1%
New Zealand 4.4% / 1.9%
Paget — New Zealand: 4.4% West Mackay — New Zealand: 1.9%
England 1.2% / 1.5%
Paget — England: 1.2% West Mackay — England: 1.5%
Pakistan 1.2% / —
Paget — Pakistan: 1.2% West Mackay — Pakistan: not among its largest
Taiwan 0.9% / —
Paget — Taiwan: 0.9% West Mackay — Taiwan: not among its largest
India — / 0.9%
Paget — India: not among its largest West Mackay — India: 0.9%
South Africa — / 0.5%
Paget — South Africa: not among its largest West Mackay — South Africa: 0.5%

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

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Paget 51.9% houses
Paget — Houses: 51.9% Paget — Flats / Apartments: 42.2% Paget — Townhouses: 5.9%
West Mackay 77.5% houses
West Mackay — Houses: 77.5% West Mackay — Flats / Apartments: 3.2% West Mackay — Townhouses: 19.4%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Paget West Mackay
Median house price $1,372,500 $630,250
Median unit price $400,000 $442,500
Median land price $3,125,000 $437,500
Typical days to sell (houses) — 29 days
from 65 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

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

Paget West Mackay
1 bed $208K / $357K
Paget — 1 bed: $208K (5 sales) West Mackay — 1 bed: $357K (6 sales)

5 vs 6 sales

2 bed $425K / $435K
Paget — 2 bed: $425K (8 sales) West Mackay — 2 bed: $435K (19 sales)

8 vs 19 sales

Development activity

Paget West Mackay
New dwellings approved 574
across Mackay
same for both
Approvals change year on year -6%
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.

Paget West Mackay
Houses — 5.5%
$720/wk on $675K
Units — 7.1%
$548/wk on $399K

Ranking within QLD

Paget West Mackay
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 28% of QLD —
Schools — Higher than 75% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 76% of QLD Higher than 96% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 40% of QLD Higher than 41% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 99% of QLD Higher than 98% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 97% of QLD
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 96% of QLD

Liveability

West Mackay is more walkable (81 vs 15).

Paget West Mackay
Grade — B
Score — 52/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Paget carries more crime risk (99 vs 85).

Paget West Mackay
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
99/100
 High
85/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
86/100
 None
0/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 4
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Paget West Mackay
Inside the suburb 0 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Paget

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in West Mackay

  • Catherine McAuley College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Mackay West State School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Paget West Mackay
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 3
same for both
Parks & reserves 2 7
Childcare 0 8
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 0 3
Hospitals 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 5 3
Waterways 0 5

Mobility

Paget West Mackay
Walkability score 15/100 81/100
Distance to Brisbane 962.9 km 964.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 661 min 660 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 4740
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 4740
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.

Paget West Mackay
Car (driver) 79.9% / 82.2%
Paget — Car (driver): 79.9% West Mackay — Car (driver): 82.2%
Car (passenger) 6.7% / 6.3%
Paget — Car (passenger): 6.7% West Mackay — Car (passenger): 6.3%
Walked Only 6.0% / 4.2%
Paget — Walked Only: 6.0% West Mackay — Walked Only: 4.2%
Worked from Home 2.2% / 4.7%
Paget — Worked from Home: 2.2% West Mackay — Worked from Home: 4.7%
Bus 3.0% / 0.9%
Paget — Bus: 3.0% West Mackay — Bus: 0.9%
Bicycle 2.2% / 1.6%
Paget — Bicycle: 2.2% West Mackay — Bicycle: 1.6%

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

Setting

Paget West Mackay
Elevation 2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.1 km
2.8 km to a named beach
 4.1 km
4.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Paget West Mackay
Connectivity score 100/100 97/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 100%
1,000 premises
 93%
3,303 premises

Climate

Paget West Mackay
Annual rainfall 1,517 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 12.4°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Paget West Mackay
PM2.5 6.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.9 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Paget West Mackay
Average residential rate $1,873/yr
same for both
Council Mackay
same for both

Federal electorate

Paget West Mackay
Division Dawson
same for both
Member Andrew Willcox
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Paget West Mackay
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Paget

Affordable Coastal Rural

West Mackay

Affordable Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Paget

Paget vs South Mackay Paget vs Ooralea Paget vs Bakers Creek Paget vs Coral Sea

Other comparisons with West Mackay

West Mackay vs South Mackay West Mackay vs North Mackay West Mackay vs Mount Pleasant West Mackay vs Mackay West Mackay vs Ooralea West Mackay vs Racecourse
Full data on Paget Full data on West Mackay
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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