Paterson vs Gootchie

Paterson is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 57 in Gootchie. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Paterson, about half of households are couple families. In Gootchie, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Paterson tends to suit families with children and couples, while Gootchie suits people living alone and older residents.

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

  • Paterson is already more of a family suburb (76% vs 24%)
  • Gootchie carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 45/100)

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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Gootchie

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a shorter drive in (146 min vs 153 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Gootchie

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 45/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 12%)

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

Investors

Paterson

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (6.1% vs 0.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Paterson Gootchie
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.

Paterson Gootchie
Walkability 0 / 0
Paterson — Walkability: 0/100 Gootchie — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 55 / 89
Paterson — Safety: 55/100 Gootchie — Safety: 89/100
Low fire risk 100 / 59
Paterson — Low fire risk: 100/100 Gootchie — Low fire risk: 59/100

Demographics

Paterson has more residents (157 vs 96); Gootchie skews older (57 vs 41).

Paterson Gootchie
Population 157
+39% vs other
 96
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.1% +0.0%
Median age 41 57
Median household income $56,316/yr
+17% vs other
 $46,800/yr
Median weekly rent $283/wk
+2% vs other
 $278/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Paterson Gootchie
0-4 8.9% / —
Paterson — 0-4: 8.9% Gootchie — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 19.1% / 7.3%
Paterson — 5-14: 19.1% Gootchie — 5-14: 7.3%
15-19 3.2% / 4.2%
Paterson — 15-19: 3.2% Gootchie — 15-19: 4.2%
20-24 6.4% / —
Paterson — 20-24: 6.4% Gootchie — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 6.4% / 3.1%
Paterson — 25-34: 6.4% Gootchie — 25-34: 3.1%
35-44 14.6% / 11.5%
Paterson — 35-44: 14.6% Gootchie — 35-44: 11.5%
45-54 12.1% / 15.6%
Paterson — 45-54: 12.1% Gootchie — 45-54: 15.6%
55-64 15.9% / 24.0%
Paterson — 55-64: 15.9% Gootchie — 55-64: 24.0%
65-74 12.1% / 13.5%
Paterson — 65-74: 12.1% Gootchie — 65-74: 13.5%
75-84 — / 15.6%
Paterson — 75-84: not among its largest Gootchie — 75-84: 15.6%
85+ — / —
Paterson — 85+: not among its largest Gootchie — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Paterson 48.6% couple families
Paterson — Couple Families: 48.6% Paterson — Lone Person: 24.3% Paterson — Group Household: 0.0% Paterson — One Parent Families: 27.0%
Gootchie 23.5% couple families
Gootchie — Couple Families: 23.5% Gootchie — Lone Person: 47.1% Gootchie — Group Household: 29.4% Gootchie — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person Group Household One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Paterson 0.0% renting
Paterson — Owned Outright: 50.0% Paterson — Mortgage: 50.0% Paterson — Renting: 0.0%
Gootchie 10.3% renting
Gootchie — Owned Outright: 62.1% Gootchie — Mortgage: 27.6% Gootchie — Renting: 10.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Paterson 96.2% houses
Paterson — Houses: 96.2% Paterson — Flats / Apartments: 3.8%
Gootchie 100.0% houses
Gootchie — Houses: 100.0% Gootchie — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Paterson Gootchie
Certificate III & IV 20.4% / 15.6%
Paterson — Certificate III & IV: 20.4% Gootchie — Certificate III & IV: 15.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.7% / 11.5%
Paterson — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.7% Gootchie — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.5%
Bachelor Degree 2.5% / 6.2%
Paterson — Bachelor Degree: 2.5% Gootchie — Bachelor Degree: 6.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).

Development activity

Paterson Gootchie
New dwellings approved 1,578
across Fraser Coast
same for both
Approvals change year on year -8%
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Paterson Gootchie
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 19% of QLD Higher than 9% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 57% of QLD Higher than 52% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 45% of QLD Higher than 39% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 26% of QLD Higher than 40% of QLD

Liveability

Paterson Gootchie
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
same for both

Risk profile

Gootchie carries more bushfire risk (41 vs 0); Paterson carries more crime risk (45 vs 11).

Paterson Gootchie
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
41/100
Crime Moderate
45/100
 Low
11/100
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

Paterson Gootchie
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

Paterson Gootchie
Waterways 1 4

Mobility

Paterson Gootchie
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 209.1 km 208.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 153 min 146 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 4570
 0.3%
postcode 4650
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 83
postcode 4570
 71
postcode 4650

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.

Paterson Gootchie
Car (driver) 83.7% / 62.5%
Paterson — Car (driver): 83.7% Gootchie — Car (driver): 62.5%
Worked from Home 7.0% / 37.5%
Paterson — Worked from Home: 7.0% Gootchie — Worked from Home: 37.5%
Car (passenger) 9.3% / —
Paterson — Car (passenger): 9.3% Gootchie — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (83.7%).

Setting

Paterson Gootchie
Elevation 67 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 65 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 41.9 km 36.9 km

NBN connectivity

Paterson Gootchie
Connectivity score 18/100 28/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
35 premises
 0%
36 premises

Climate

Paterson Gootchie
Annual rainfall 1,045 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.7°C
same for both

Council rates

Paterson Gootchie
Average residential rate $1,576/yr
same for both
Council Fraser Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Paterson Gootchie
Division Wide Bay
same for both
Member Llew O'Brien
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Paterson Gootchie
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Paterson

Family Rural Young Families

Gootchie

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Paterson

Paterson vs Theebine Paterson vs Gundiah Paterson vs Miva

Other comparisons with Gootchie

Gootchie vs Glenwood Gootchie vs Bauple Gootchie vs Theebine Gootchie vs Kanigan Gootchie vs Gundiah
Full data on Paterson Full data on Gootchie
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or