Bowen, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Bowen is a coastal town in north Queensland, set on a peninsula with the sea on three sides about halfway between Townsville and Mackay, within the Whitsunday region. The district has long been associated with the Biri and Juru Aboriginal language groups. Established in 1861 as Port Denison, it was soon renamed after Sir George Bowen, Queensland's first governor. The town is best known for its mangoes, celebrated by the roadside Big Mango sculpture, and for its eight sheltered beaches. In 2007 Bowen stood in for wartime Darwin during the filming of Baz Luhrmann's epic Australia. Horticulture, beef, fishing and tourism drive the local economy, alongside coal shipped through the nearby port at Abbot Point.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Bowen is more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 897, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Bowen at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 11,205
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $1,343
- SEIFA score
- 897
- Coordinates
- -20.1323, 148.1575
Bowen demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Bowen using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 27%, 38% of homes are rented, and 16% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,041 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,129 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,727 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 3,033 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,284 | 20% |
Share of the 11,214 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,341 | 33% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,008 | 25% |
| Rented | 1,518 | 38% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,368 | 83% |
| Townhouses & semis | 531 | 13% |
| Flats & apartments | 14 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,049 occupied private dwellings in Bowen.
- Median weekly rent
- $270
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,500
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,780
- Median weekly personal income
- $710
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,620 (16%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 892 (9%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 1,188 (11%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 3,298 (37%)
- Labour-force participation
- 56.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.8%
- Employed full-time
- 3,105
- Employed part-time
- 1,447
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Bowen
Where is Bowen?
Bowen is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Bowen?
At the 2021 Census, Bowen had a population of about 11,205.
Is Bowen an advantaged area?
Bowen has an ABS SEIFA score of 897, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 11 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of Australian suburbs.
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