Wacol QLD 4076

Wacol is a suburb in Queensland, 21 km from Brisbane CBD, around 25 minutes by car. Population is 4,253; the median age is 35 and the median household income is $71,708 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population grew 13.1% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $320 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,387. The area shows high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 4 schools sit within the suburb boundary, and walkability is moderate.

Is Wacol a good suburb?

Wacol scores a D (32/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on schools, safety, and community.

Schools

Trailing peer schools

4 schools

Transit

Somewhat walkable

Walkability 52/100 · 21 km · 25 min drive to Brisbane

Prices

Median available

Median $848K

Safety

High crime risk

Fire 0/100 · Crime 92/100

Community

Highly disadvantaged

SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 35 · 4,253 residents

D

Liveability Rating

32 / 100 · Ranked #916 in QLD

Each bar is Wacol's rank among QLD suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).

Schools quality
21
Few above similar
Safety
21
Bushfire None · Crime High
Socio-economic
13
Very disadvantaged
Walkability
63
Somewhat walkable
CBD access
85
21.0 km · 25 min drive to Brisbane
How it's calculated: Schools rank 21 × 25% + Safety rank 21 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 13 × 25% + Walkability rank 63 × 15% + CBD access rank 85 × 10% = 32 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.

How do you rate the liveability in Wacol?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

32 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

…

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What applies here? (optional)

One rating per person. You can change yours at any time.

Median House Price

Public listings data

Wacol's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $848,000, roughly 16% below where it sat a year earlier.

Houses

$847,500

last 4 quarters

13% below its 9 neighbours (median $970,000)

↓ −15.5% year-on-year

Based on 22 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 32 days — median across 3 sales that recorded a listing period

By bedrooms

  • 3 bed 14 sales $818K

Land

$1,615,625

Based on only 8 sales — small sample, take as indicative.

Rental Market

Advertised rents · last 6 months

Houses in Wacol rent for around $645 a week on average, based on 7 houses listed for rent in the past six months.

$645/wk

7 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.

7 rentals advertised against an estimated 136 rented homes (5.1%) in the last 6 months.

Rental affordability

June quarter 2025

118 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 25% of its income on the median rent in postcode 4076.

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.

Short-Stay Rentals

No active Airbnb listings.

Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.

Is Wacol safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Wacol sits in the high band, with 356 incidents recorded in 2025 — down about 6% on the prior year.

356 offences

5.8% since 2024
Assault 213 (59.8%)
Drug Offences 118 (33.1%)
Other Offences Against Person 14 (3.9%)
Arson 8 (2.2%)
Robbery 3 (0.8%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2020–2024

71 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 2 of them fatal

Where they happened

Ipswich Motorway 18 (25.4%)
Boundary Road 11 (15.5%)
Wacol Station Road 9 (12.7%)

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

Four schools serve Wacol, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.

38
out of 100
Weak
4 schools in this suburb
1 below similar · 3 unrated
  • • 362 students across 2 schools (avg 181)
  • • ICSEA 832-905, median 868 (below the national baseline of 1000)
  • • Largest: Brisbane Youth Education and Training Centre (195 students)

Primary

Government · Prep-6 · 167 students
ICSEA 905 (higher than 12% of Australian schools) · 4% top-SEA students
Below similar

Combined

Government · 5-12 · 195 students
ICSEA 832 (higher than 4% of Australian schools) · 4% top-SEA students
Wacol Youth Remand Education Support Hub
Government
West Moreton Education and Training Centre
Government

Walkability

Wacol is somewhat walkable on foot — at 52/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car.

52
out of 100
Somewhat Walkable
Top 12% in QLD
Public Transport within 1 km 61
Schools within 1.5 km 100
Parks within 800 m 80
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 80
Hospitals within 5 km 60

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Wacol.

81
out of 100
Top 12% in QLD
RailBus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
44.0 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
25.3 arrivals/hr
Saturday
18.2 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
1 min
Span of service
19.6 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 Wacol.

93
connectivity score / 100
Top 4% in QLD
Most common
Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
85%
Premises covered
993
Technology mix
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 85%
Fibre to the node (FTTN) 9%
Fibre to the building (FTTB) 6%

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

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
7 in suburb
Sport & Recreation
2 in suburb
Beaches
None
Waterways
8 in suburb
Childcare
2 in suburb
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
1 in suburb
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
3 in suburb
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Brisbane: council population

The whole council area, not just Wacol · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
1,375,301
+1.6% in a year
Change
+21,464
people since 2024
Density
1,024
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+4,983
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
-7,203
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+23,684
arrivals minus departures

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

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
1/10
2/10 within QLD
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
1/10
1/10 within QLD
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
1/10
2/10 within QLD
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Wacol is home to about 4,300 residents, with a median age of 35, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $72,000 a year, with unemployment at 10.5%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

4,253

13.1% since 2016

Median Age

35

6.1% since 2016

Median Household Income

$71,708/yr

15.3% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$320/wk

4.9% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,387/mo

2.9% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.4

4.0% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$26,728/yr

2.2% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

10.5%

15.3% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

5.9%

32.2% since 2016

Total Dwellings

289

4.3% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

52.9%

8.4% since 2016

Houses

82.4%

3.8% since 2016

Rental Stress

23.2%

9.0% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

23.2%

15.9% since 2016

Work From Home

12.6%

240.5% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 238 (82.4%)
Townhouses 49 (17.0%)
Flats / Apartments 2 (0.7%)

Property Ownership

Renting 130 (47.1%)
Owned Outright 81 (29.3%)
Mortgage 65 (23.6%)
Of those rentals, social housing 26 (20.0%)

26 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 0 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 130 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.

Demographics

Born in Australia
80.3%
English Spoken at Home
15.1%
Employment Rate
7.8%
12.4% since 2016
Completed Year 12
19.5%

Occupations

Technicians & Trades 63 (19.3%)
Clerical & Administrative 59 (18.1%)
Labourers 45 (13.8%)
Professionals 42 (12.9%)
Community & Personal Service 39 (12.0%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 30 (9.2%)
Sales 19 (5.8%)
Managers 18 (5.5%)

Religion

No Religion 378 (8.9%)
Christianity 368 (8.7%)
Buddhism 23 (0.5%)
Hinduism 9 (0.2%)
Islam 7 (0.2%)
Other Religions 4 (0.1%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

New Zealand 219 (5.1%)
England 81 (1.9%)
Vietnam 38 (0.9%)
Philippines 32 (0.8%)
Fiji 18 (0.4%)
India 17 (0.4%)
South Africa 15 (0.4%)
China 14 (0.3%)

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.

2016-2021 31 (0.7%)
2011-2015 39 (0.9%)
2001-2010 56 (1.3%)
1991-2000 28 (0.7%)
1981-1990 26 (0.6%)
Before 1981 70 (1.6%)

31 residents (0.7%) 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.

Brisbane - South 32 (0.8%)
Overseas 28 (0.7%)
Brisbane - West 22 (0.5%)

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 4,219 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.

Mandarin 10 (0.2%)
Vietnamese 10 (0.2%)
Spanish 7 (0.2%)
Polish 6 (0.1%)
German 5 (0.1%)
Russian 4 (0.1%)
Italian 3 (0.1%)
Serbian 3 (0.1%)

Age Distribution

0-4 34 (0.8%)
5-14 85 (2.0%)
15-19 196 (4.6%)
20-24 403 (9.5%)
25-34 1,326 (31.2%)
35-44 1,152 (27.1%)
45-54 581 (13.7%)
55-64 274 (6.4%)
65-74 127 (3.0%)
75-84 62 (1.5%)
85+ 15 (0.4%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 73 (31.6%)
Couple Families 64 (27.7%)
One Parent Families 62 (26.8%)
Group Household 25 (10.8%)
Other Families 7 (3.0%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 182 (65.7%)
Worked from Home 35 (12.6%)
Train 28 (10.1%)
Car (passenger) 20 (7.2%)
Walked Only 9 (3.2%)
Bicycle 3 (1.1%)

14% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (46 of 326).

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 11,059 people work here; 326 employed residents live here.

A jobs hub: 33.9 jobs for every working resident. At least 97% 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

Certificate III & IV 349 (8.2%)
Bachelor Degree 337 (7.9%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 43 (1.0%)
Postgraduate Degree 19 (0.4%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 8 (0.2%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 27 (9.6%)
1 car 128 (45.7%)
2 cars 85 (30.4%)
3 cars 28 (10.0%)
4+ cars 19 (6.8%)

Council Rates

Brisbane
FY 2025-26

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,519 a year through Brisbane based on 2025 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,519/yr
14% above the QLD average of $1,328 · median of 59 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

Building Approvals: Brisbane

The whole council area, not just Wacol · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

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.

Trailing 12 months
9,382dwellings
+9.0% YoY
Houses
2,948
detached dwellings
Units
6,434
townhouses + apartments

New Homes Planned

New homes planned in this suburb: 15 to 55 homes

  • Within 2 years 2 to 10 homes
  • In 10 years or more 13 to 45 homes

Land the Queensland Government's residential land supply study identifies for future housing (5 parcels), 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 Yuggera Ugarapul 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

MODERATE

PM2.5 averaged 6.5 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³).

PM10 averaged 17.3 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.99 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 1 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.

From the Rocklea (South East Queensland) monitoring station, 10.1 km away.

Climate & Setting

from Archerfield Airport, 8.7 km

High rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.

Elevation
28 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean
26.3 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

22 facilities within 5 km

EV adoption

1.2%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.35% in 2021
+0.5 points this year
Top 13% in QLD

In postcode 4076, 93 of 7,456 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 5.2% (388 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 6.5%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.35%
2022
0.51%
2023
0.57%
2024
0.80%
2025
1.25%

Rooftop solar

68
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 14.4 kW each

In postcode 4076, 1,276 rooftop-solar systems totalling 18.4 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,873 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 65 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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
71
2020
79
2021
96
2022
69
2023
109
2024
78
2025
69
2026
36

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."

Verify eligibility with Queensland Revenue Office

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$4,420
Loan amount
$678,000
Total interest over 30 years
$913,219

8 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 4076.

Deposit
$169,500
Stamp duty
$23,988
Cash needed at settlement
$193,488

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.

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

Division of Oxley

Currently held by Milton Dick Australian Labor Party

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Milton Dick 69.2% 30.8% +7.6
2022 Milton Dick 61.6% 38.4% -5.2
2019 Milton Dick 56.4% 43.6% +2.6

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

Inala District

Currently held by Margie Nightingale Australian Labor Party (State of Queensland)

Next state election: 28 October 2028.

Year Winner Won with
2024 Margie Nightingale ALP 62.6%
2020 Annastacia Palaszczuk ALP 78.2%

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 Wacol?

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.

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Featured in

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

Compare Wacol to another suburb

Side-by-side stats for any other QLD suburb — type a name and pick one.

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Common questions about Wacol

Is Wacol a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Wacol is high (92/100, 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 Wacol?

Wacol has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Is Wacol a good place to live?

Wacol has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (32/100), 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 Wacol?

Wacol, QLD had a population of 4,253 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Wacol, QLD?

The postcode for Wacol, QLD is 4076.

How far is Wacol from Brisbane?

Wacol is 21 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 25 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Wacol?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Wacol was $71,708 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 Wacol?

The median advertised rent in Wacol is $645 a week for houses (7 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.

What is the median age in Wacol?

The median age of residents in Wacol was 35 at the 2021 ABS Census.

How are the schools in Wacol?

There are 4 schools inside the Wacol boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).

Is Wacol walkable?

Wacol scores 52/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat 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 Wacol?

The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Wacol (Rocklea (South East Queensland)) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.5 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.3 µg/m³. That puts Wacol 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 Wacol?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Wacol, Archerfield Airport (8.7 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 Wacol?

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 Wacol belong to?

Wacol sits within the Brisbane local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Wacol?

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 Wacol?

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 Wacol in?

Wacol sits within the federal Division of Oxley, currently held by Milton Dick (Australian Labor Party).

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