Karawatha QLD 4117
Located in Queensland, Karawatha sits 27 km from Brisbane CBD, around 34 minutes by car. The suburb has 337 residents, a median age of 31, and a median household income of $131,612 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 20% nationally. Population grew roughly 18× its 2016 size from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $585 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,600. The area shows high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is low.
This suburb is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 337. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.
How do you rate the liveability in Karawatha?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
Not enough data to score this suburb.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataThe median house sale price in Karawatha sits at $1.31 million, broadly flat year-on-year.
$1,315,000
65% above its 6 neighbours (median $795,000)
Based on 10 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 20 days — median across 4 sales that recorded a listing period
Short-Stay Rentals
No active Airbnb listings (2 listed without a review in the past year).
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months.
Is Karawatha safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Karawatha sits in the high band, with 28 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 65% on the prior year.
28 offences
64.7% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–202421 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Schools
One school serve Karawatha, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 1,712 students in one school (avg 1,712)
Combined
Universities nearby
1.5% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Karawatha is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.
We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Karawatha.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 88%
- Premises covered
- 196
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Brisbane: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Karawatha is home to 337 residents, and skews young, with a median age of 31 against the national 38. Median household income runs at $132,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.7%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
337
Median Age
31
Median Household Income
$131,612/yr
Census Median Rent
$585/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,600/mo
Avg Household Size
3.6
Median Personal Income
$45,396/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.7%
Unoccupied Dwellings
8.9%
Total Dwellings
79
Owner-Occupier Rate
94.7%
Houses
77.2%
Rental Stress
23.1%
Mortgage Stress
23.7%
Work From Home
25.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 32.9%
- English Spoken at Home
- 21.4%
- Employment Rate
- 56.3%
- Completed Year 12
- 49.6%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
28 residents (8.3%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
13% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (17 of 129).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 369 people work here; 129 employed residents live here.
A jobs hub: 2.9 jobs for every working resident. At least 37% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,519 a year through Brisbane based on 2025 figures.
Building Approvals: Brisbane
In the year to August 2026, 9,382 new dwellings were approved across Brisbane. That mix is 2,948 houses and 6,434 units. Approvals are up 9.0% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 51 to 100 homes
- In 2 to 5 years 51 to 100 homes
Land the Queensland Government's residential land supply study identifies for future housing (1 parcel), by when it expects lots to be registered. Yields are published in ranges, so these are too.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Aboriginal party for this area is Danggan Balun (Five Rivers) People.
Under Queensland's Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 the Aboriginal party for an area follows native title. A native title claim over this area is registered with the Federal Court.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 5.3 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³).
PM10 averaged 14.6 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.48 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Springwood (South East Queensland) monitoring station, 5.9 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Archerfield Airport, 10.2 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 60 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 20.9 km
- Annual rainfall
- 1,032 mm
- 84 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 30.5°C
- 6 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 8.9°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
3 facilities within 5 km- 3.9 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Cumene (1-methylethylbenzene) · Benzene
- 4.1 kmBread Manufacturing (Factory based)Top reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Ethanol · Oxides of Nitrogen
- 4.6 kmOther Electricity GenerationTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 4117, 43 of 2,425 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 5.6% (136 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 7.4%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4117, 579 rooftop-solar systems totalling 7.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 834 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 17 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$30,000 for new homes priced up to $750,000.
$30,000 for contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023, with no end date. IT DID NOT REVERT TO $15,000: the tier was due to end 30 June 2026 and the 2026-27 Queensland Budget (23 June 2026) continued it for contracts signed from 1 July 2026. This file carried a "due to revert" note until 2026-09-18 — it was never true, and a note predicting a change is not the same as a change. Cap is "less than $750,000" including land and contract variations — less than, not up to. New homes only: "There are no home owner grants for established homes."
Mortgage repayments
1 mortgage broker is registered in this suburb, 2 across postcode 4117.
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Queensland Revenue Office
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $750,000 may qualify for $30,000 — see what qualifies with Queensland Revenue Office.
At $1,315,000 this is $565,000 above the $750,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $30,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Queensland Revenue Office.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Jim Chalmers Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jim Chalmers | 65.5% | 34.5% | +6.5 |
| 2022 | Jim Chalmers | 59.1% | 40.9% | -2.6 |
| 2019 | Jim Chalmers | 56.4% | 43.6% | +4.9 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by James Martin Australian Labor Party (State of Queensland)
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | James Martin ALP | 59.5% |
| 2020 | Duncan Pegg ALP | 64.8% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2017, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of Queensland.
Looking at a specific address in Karawatha?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 337 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Brisbane There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Brisbane suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Woodridge QLD 4114
Kuraby QLD 4112
Logan Central QLD 4114
Drewvale QLD 4116
Stretton QLD 4116
Berrinba QLD 4117
Compare Karawatha to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other QLD suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Karawatha
Is Karawatha a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Karawatha is high (98/100, ranked against other QLD suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Karawatha?
Karawatha has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Karawatha?
Karawatha, QLD had a population of 337 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Karawatha, QLD?
The postcode for Karawatha, QLD is 4117.
How far is Karawatha from Brisbane?
Karawatha is 27 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 34 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Karawatha?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Karawatha was $131,612 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Karawatha?
There are too few current rental listings in Karawatha for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $585, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Karawatha?
The median age of residents in Karawatha was 31 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Karawatha?
There is 1 school inside the Karawatha boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
What is the air quality in Karawatha?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Karawatha (Springwood (South East Queensland)) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 14.6 µg/m³. That puts Karawatha below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Karawatha?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Karawatha, Archerfield Airport (10.2 km away), summer days average 30.5°C, winter nights 8.9°C, 1,032 mm of rain a year over 84 rainy days, and 6 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Karawatha?
First-home buyers in QLD may be eligible for $30,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $750,000. The grant is administered by Queensland Revenue Office; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Karawatha belong to?
Karawatha sits within the Brisbane local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Karawatha?
The average residential rates bill through Brisbane is $1,519 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Karawatha?
Across Brisbane, 9,382 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 9.0% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Karawatha in?
Karawatha sits within the federal Division of Rankin, currently held by Jim Chalmers (Australian Labor Party).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2025–26
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2020–2024
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- State electorate · 2024
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
Was the information on this page useful to you?
Thanks! Anything we could improve?
We hate spam as much as you do — we'll never use your email for marketing, and we might not be able to reply to everyone.
Thanks for your feedback! 🙏
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.