Bracken Ridge is still affordable
Bracken Ridge 4017 · Sandgate, Greater Brisbane, QLD
Bracken Ridge is still relatively affordable to rent, with a median of $410 a week at the 2021 Census; a young, family-heavy area (median age 37), and the ABS figures show little working against it.
Mostly free-standing houses, with a median age of 37 and households on a median $1,972 a week at the 2021 Census.
Compiled from ABS regional population (SA2), the 2021 Census, SEIFA 2021, OpenStreetMap and Queensland Open Data · figures current to August 2026.
How the population has changed
Bracken Ridge against the Queensland average, both set to 100 in the first year shown so the growth rates compare.
Bracken Ridge population grew from 17,579 in 2016 to 18,847 in 2025, a change of 7.2% over the period, against the Queensland average.
Show the data table
| Year | Bracken Ridge | Queensland average |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 17,579 | 4,845,152 |
| 2017 | 17,709 | 4,926,380 |
| 2018 | 17,775 | 5,006,623 |
| 2019 | 17,789 | 5,088,847 |
| 2020 | 17,864 | 5,165,613 |
| 2021 | 17,807 | 5,215,814 |
| 2022 | 17,889 | 5,310,905 |
| 2023 | 18,274 | 5,450,235 |
| 2024 | 18,616 | 5,571,890 |
| 2025 | 18,847 | 5,669,764 |
Where the growth is coming from
Bracken Ridge gained 1,502 residents from internal migration and 378 from overseas in the year to June 2025, while 1,767 people moved away — a net addition of 113 before natural increase.
- Internal migration in+1,502
- Internal migration out+1,611
- Overseas migration in+378
- Natural increase+118
Components of population change over the sample year. Natural increase is shown apart from migration so the two are not read as one figure.
How it has changed
Census · five-yearlyThe 2016 Census against 2021. Older figures are mapped onto today's boundaries via the ABS Time Series Profile, so comparisons are approximate where borders moved.
| Measure | 2016 | 2021 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 16,935 | 17,488 | +3.3% |
| Median age | 36 | 37 | +1 yr |
| Median household income | $1,684/wk | $1,972/wk | +17% |
| Median weekly rent | $380/wk | $410/wk | +7.9% |
| Born overseas | 24.4% | 25.9% | +1.5 pts |
Who lives here
Census · five-yearlyFrom the 2021 Census. Each figure carries its definition, so you know what is being counted.
People
Income
Housing
Work
How homes are held
- Owned outright 29.1%
- Mortgaged 44.1%
- Rented 23.8%
- Other / not stated 3.0%
How well-off the area is
Census · five-yearlyThe ABS SEIFA indexes rank every area by relative advantage and disadvantage. Decile 1 is the lowest tenth of Australia; decile 10 is the highest.
- Relative disadvantage (IRSD)Lower decile means more relative disadvantageDecile 6score 1,024
- Advantage & disadvantage (IRSAD)Higher decile means more relative advantageDecile 6score 1,002
- Economic resources (IER)Income and housing capacityDecile 7score 1,030
- Education & occupation (IEO)Education and occupational skill levelsDecile 5score 984
Getting around, and what's nearby
OpenStreetMap · quarterlyWhat OpenStreetMap records inside the suburb boundary. Counts reflect what is tagged in OSM and can undercount a real but less-mapped area.
Within the Bracken Ridge SA2, OpenStreetMap records 5 schools, 2 childcare and kindergarten centres, 2 supermarkets and 24 parks. For families: 1 library and 11 playgrounds. Staying active: 18 sports fields. Also 1 shopping centre. The nearest train station, Bald Hills station, is about 2,300 m from the suburb centre. OpenStreetMap also maps 80 bus stops here.
List every mapped place
Schools
- St. Joseph's Catholic Primary
- Bracken Ridge State School
- Norris Road State School
- Saint John Fisher College
- Bracken Ridge State High School
Childcare & kindergartens
- Little Locals Bracken Ridge
- Whiz Kids
Libraries
- Bracken Ridge Library and Ward Office
Shopping centres
- Bracken Ridge Plaza
Supermarkets
- Woolworths
- Coles
Parks
- Ferguson Park
- Michael Place Park
- Harold Dean Park
- C. Slaughter Park
- McPherson Park
- Fred Francis Park
- Ewan Place Park
- Nicole Street Park
Schools
Every open Queensland school whose campus sits inside the SA2 boundary, with the average ICSEA across them. Open a school for its own ICSEA, student background and a link to My School.
The Bracken Ridge SA2 contains 5 schools — 3 primary schools and 2 secondary schools, of which 3 are government and 2 non-government. Its schools with a published ICSEA average 1020 (1000 is the national average); each school's own figure and student background are on its page. NAPLAN results for each school are on its My School profile (ACARA). For area context, Bracken Ridge sits in decile 5 of the ABS SEIFA index of education and occupation nationally and 65% of adults here completed Year 12 (Census 2021).
The centre of this SA2 is zoned for Bracken Ridge State School (primary), Bracken Ridge State High School (junior secondary), Bracken Ridge State High School (senior secondary).
Parts of the SA2 also fall in the catchment of Bald Hills State School (primary), Norris Road State School (primary), Nashville State School (primary), Sandgate State School (primary), Sandgate District State High School (junior secondary), Aspley State High School (junior secondary), Sandgate District State High School (senior secondary), Aspley State High School (senior secondary).
Catchments can divide a suburb — confirm your address on EdMap.
Show school list
- Bracken Ridge State School · State · Prep–6
- Norris Road State School · State · Prep–6
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Bracken Ridge) · Catholic · Prep–6
- Bracken Ridge State High School · State · 7–12
- St John Fisher College (Bracken Ridge) · Catholic · 7–12
School list & catchments: Queensland Government Open Data (Department of Education), licensed CC BY 4.0. ICSEA: ACARA School Profile. NAPLAN: myschool.edu.au (ACARA).
Nearby, in Sandgate
Others in the same ABS district, by population growth. If this one doesn't fit, one of these might.
- HereBracken Ridge+1.2%
- 01Taigum - Fitzgibbon+1.7%
- 02Deagon+1.6%
- 03Brighton (Qld)+1.1%
- 04Zillmere+1.0%
- 05Sandgate - Shorncliffe+0.3%
Dots place each suburb's growth on the same scale, slowest at left.
Weighing up another suburb?
Type a name, then pick from the list. Every suburb is compared to the Queensland average.