Ridgewood vs Federal
Federal is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 49 in Ridgewood. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Federal, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Ridgewood tends to suit people living alone, while Federal suits 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
- Ridgewood has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- Federal has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Ridgewood has cheaper rent ($280/wk vs $343/wk)
- Federal has a bigger rental market to choose from (18% vs 7%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Federal
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (105 min vs 111 min)
- But Ridgewood sits closer to the CBD (136.4 km vs 140.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Ridgewood carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 68/100)
- Federal is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Federal
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (20.5% vs 3.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Ridgewood and Federal 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
Federal rents higher ($343/wk vs $280/wk); Ridgewood skews older (49 vs 43).
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 317 | 365 +15% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.3% | +20.5% |
| Median age | 49 | 43 |
| Median household income | $72,748/yr | $80,600/yr +11% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $280/wk | $343/wk +22% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).
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 (21.4%).
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%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,415,000 | $1,315,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $1,355,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 133 days from 3 sales | — |
Development activity
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 239 across Noosa same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -9% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 42% of QLD | Higher than 51% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 63% of QLD | Higher than 75% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 82% of QLD | Higher than 63% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 47% of QLD | Higher than 63% of QLD |
Liveability
Federal is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Federal carries more bushfire risk (13 vs 0); Federal carries more crime risk (68 vs 19).
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 13/100 |
| Crime | Low 19/100 | Moderate 68/100 |
| 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
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Ridgewood
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Federal
- Federal State School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Waterways | 6 | 5 |
Mobility
Federal sits further from the CBD (140.4 km vs 136.4 km).
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 136.4 km | 140.4 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 111 min | 105 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.0% postcode 4563 | 0.4% postcode 4568 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 96 postcode 4563 | 89 postcode 4568 |
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 (85.4%).
Setting
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 107 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 99 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 24.8 km | 25.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 149 premises | 0% 150 premises |
Climate
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,614/yr same for both | |
| Council | Noosa same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Ridgewood | Federal | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Ridgewood
Other comparisons with Federal
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.