Mackay QLD 4740
Mackay is a suburb in Queensland, 967 km from Brisbane CBD, around 11 hours 5 minutes by car. Population is 4,026; the median age is 38 and the median household income is $64,428 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population grew 10.0% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $270 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,387. The area shows high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 3 schools sit within the suburb boundary, and walkability is high.
Is Mackay a good suburb?
Mackay scores a D (31/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on schools, safety, and community.
Trailing peer schools
3 schools
Very walkable
Walkability 92/100 · 966.7 km · 663 min drive to Brisbane
Median available
Median $540K
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 98/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 38 · 4,026 residents
Liveability Rating
31 / 100 · Ranked #929 in QLDEach bar is Mackay's rank among QLD suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
Flood data for Queensland covers only the areas mapped there — a blank here is not an all-clear.
How do you rate the liveability in Mackay?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
31 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataMackay's unit market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $400,000, about 6% above where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$400,000
In line with its 4 neighbours (median $399,500)
Based on 131 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 42 days — median across 64 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 20 sales $334K
- 2 bed 77 sales $380K
- 3 bed 26 sales $608K
- 4 bed 6 sales $602K
Houses
$540,000
11% below its 5 neighbours (median $605,000)
Based on 93 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 34 days — median across 42 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 23 sales $480K
- 3 bed 37 sales $550K
- 4 bed 17 sales $650K
- 5 bed 7 sales $755K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Mackay are currently listed at around $539,000 on average. Based on 22 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$539K
22 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$449K
38 units listed in the last 6 months.
60 of the suburb's 1,618 dwellings (3.7%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Mackay rent for around $500 a week on average, based on 27 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$500/wk
25% below its 5 neighbours (median $665/wk)
27 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$500/wk
33 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
60 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,097 rented homes (5.5%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 2-bed units
- $500/wk
- 63 bonds
- +51% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025105 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 4740.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$500/week ($26,000 a year) on a $539,000 median
$500/week ($26,000 a year) on a $449,000 median
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Mackay safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Mackay sits in the high band, with 855 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 14% on the prior year. The longer-run trend has eased steadily across the available years.
855 offences
13.7% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–202478 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
Three schools serve Mackay, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 1,685 students across 3 schools (avg 562)
- • Sectors: 1 Independent, 1 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 811-1009, median 908 (below the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: St Patrick's College (1,394 students)
Primary
Secondary
Walkability
Mackay is exceptionally walkable on foot — at 92/100, daily errands don't require a car at all. Within the suburb there are 5 supermarkets, 7 parks and 20 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Mackay.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 60.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 37.8 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 16.4 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 13.8 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Mackay.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 92%
- Premises covered
- 4,433
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
Mackay: 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
The ABS scores 10 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Mackay is home to about 4,000 residents, with a median age of 38, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $64,000 a year, with unemployment at 7.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
4,026
Median Age
38
Median Household Income
$64,428/yr
Census Median Rent
$270/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,387/mo
Avg Household Size
1.9
Median Personal Income
$43,420/yr
Unemployment Rate
7.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
22.6%
Total Dwellings
1,618
Owner-Occupier Rate
32.2%
Houses
26.1%
Rental Stress
21.8%
Mortgage Stress
25.8%
Work From Home
3.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
180 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 20 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 1,043 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 59.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 66.1%
- Employment Rate
- 52%
- Completed Year 12
- 39.6%
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.
335 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.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
6.4% of residents (248) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Brisbane (155).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 3,867 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 12,349 people work here; 1,842 employed residents live here.
A jobs hub: 6.7 jobs for every working resident. At least 85% 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 $1,873 a year through Mackay based on 2025 figures.
Building Approvals: Mackay
In the year to August 2026, 574 new dwellings were approved across Mackay. That mix is 508 houses and 66 units. Approvals are down 5.8% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 101 to 500 homes
- In 10 years or more 101 to 500 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 Yuwibara People.
Under Queensland's Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 the Aboriginal party for an area follows native title. Native title over this area has been determined.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6.6 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 2 days exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 17.9 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 2.
From the West Mackay (Mackay, Central Queensland) monitoring station, 3.4 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Mackay Aero, 3.1 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 9 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 2.8 km
- 2.6 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 1,517 mm
- 95 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 30.8°C
- 3 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 12.4°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- 2.7 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 4.2 kmRail Freight TransportTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Cumene (1-methylethylbenzene)
- 4.9 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Toluene (methylbenzene) · Cumene (1-methylethylbenzene)
EV adoption
In postcode 4740, 236 of 79,509 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.1% (1,679 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.4%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4740, 19,193 rooftop-solar systems totalling 153.0 MW have been installed since 2001, against 34,171 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 1,487 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
24 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 34 across postcode 4740.
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 $400,000 this is under 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 2026-10-26 — 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 Andrew Willcox Liberal National Party of Queensland
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Andrew Willcox | 38.2% | 61.8% | -1.4 |
| 2022 | Andrew Willcox | 39.6% | 60.4% | -4.2 |
| 2019 | George Christensen | 35.4% | 64.6% | +11.2 |
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 Nigel Dalton Liberal National Party of Queensland
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Nigel Dalton LNP | 60.2% |
| 2020 | Julieanne Gilbert ALP | 56.7% |
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 Mackay?
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 4,026 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.
Featured in
- #1 in Mackay suburbs with the most apartments
- #1 in Best Mackay suburbs to rent in
- #1 in Best Mackay suburbs for good private high schools
- #1 in Mackay suburbs where the most Filipino is spoken at home
- #1 in Best Mackay suburbs for first-home buyers (houses)
- #1 in Best Mackay suburbs for first-home buyers (units)
- #1 in Mackay suburbs with the largest Hindu community
- #1 in Where the Indian community lives in Mackay
- #1 in Mackay suburbs with the deepest rental markets
- #1 in Sportiest Mackay suburbs
- #1 in Mackay suburbs with the best public transport
- #1 in Mackay suburbs that suit young professionals
- #2 in Most walkable suburbs in Mackay
- #2 in Mackay suburbs where the most residents moved from a capital city
- #2 in Mackay suburbs with the largest Muslim community
- #3 in Highest-yielding Mackay suburbs (units)
- #5 in The best beachside suburbs in Mackay
- #5 in Mackay suburbs that added the most residents, 2016-2021
- #5 in Mackay suburbs with the best NBN connectivity
- #7 in Mackay suburbs that grew fastest, 2016-2021
- #7 in Mackay suburbs with the most parkland nearby
- #8 in Mackay's most educated suburbs
- #9 in Mackay suburbs where seniors live
- #10 in Mackay suburbs with the largest non-religious population
- #12 in Highest-yielding Mackay suburbs (houses)
- #14 in Mackay suburbs where the most homes are owned outright
- #15 in Mackay's highest-income suburbs
- #15 in Mackay suburbs where young families live
Nearby suburbs
Compare Mackay 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 Mackay
Is Mackay a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Mackay 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 Mackay?
Mackay has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Mackay a good place to live?
Mackay has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (31/100), ranked against other QLD suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Mackay?
Mackay, QLD had a population of 4,026 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Mackay, QLD?
The postcode for Mackay, QLD is 4740.
How far is Mackay from Brisbane?
Mackay is 967 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 663 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Mackay?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Mackay was $64,428 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 Mackay?
The median advertised rent in Mackay is $500 a week for houses (27 listings) and $500 a week for units (33 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Mackay?
The median age of residents in Mackay was 38 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Mackay?
There are 3 schools inside the Mackay boundary: 2 at and 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Mackay walkable?
Mackay scores 92/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it exceptionally walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Mackay?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Mackay (West Mackay (Mackay, Central Queensland)) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.6 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.9 µg/m³. That puts Mackay 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 Mackay?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Mackay, Mackay Aero (3.1 km away), summer days average 30.8°C, winter nights 12.4°C, 1,517 mm of rain a year over 95 rainy days, and 3 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Mackay?
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 Mackay belong to?
Mackay sits within the Mackay local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Mackay?
The average residential rates bill through Mackay is $1,873 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Mackay?
Across Mackay, 574 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 5.8% 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 Mackay in?
Mackay sits within the federal Division of Dawson, currently held by Andrew Willcox (Liberal National Party of Queensland).
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
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- 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
- 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.