Emerald (Qld), QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Emerald is a town in the Central Highlands of Queensland, on the Nogoa River roughly 270 kilometres west of Rockhampton. The surrounding area is the Country of the Gayiri people. The town took its name from the Emerald Downs pastoral run, named around 1860; accounts differ as to whether the name refers to green gemstones or simply the district's lush pastures. Emerald was established in 1879 as the terminus of the Central Western railway from Rockhampton, and grew into a regional hub as further lines pushed inland. Today its economy rests on coal mining and a broad mix of agriculture, including cotton, grain and citrus, and the town is a well-known gateway to the Gemfields sapphire district, Carnarvon Gorge and Lake Maraboon.
Around the national middle
Emerald (Qld) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 45% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 979, 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.
Is Emerald (Qld) a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Below the national middle on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Emerald (Qld) from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
45/100Around the national middle
Around the national middle — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (45/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
47/100Around the national median for cost
Median weekly rent was $300 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 47% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Emerald (Qld) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 14,904
- Median age
- 32
- Median weekly household income
- $2,202
- SEIFA score
- 979
- Local government area
- Central Highlands (Qld)
- Coordinates
- -23.5615, 148.1051
Map of Emerald (Qld)
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Emerald (Qld)
What it costs to live in Emerald (Qld) and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $300
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,647
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 53%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 43%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Emerald (Qld) demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Emerald (Qld) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Emerald (Qld) 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 young adults (25–44) at 32% and 16% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 3,761 | 25% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,983 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 4,706 | 32% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 3,403 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,048 | 7% |
Share of the 14,901 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 805 | 16% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,835 | 37% |
| Rented | 2,136 | 43% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,984 | 80% |
| Townhouses & semis | 499 | 10% |
| Flats & apartments | 396 | 8% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,956 occupied private dwellings in Emerald (Qld).
- Average household size
- 2.7 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,519
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,035
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,183 (16%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,236 (9%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 744 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 5,684 (54%)
- Labour-force participation
- 73.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.2%
- Employed full-time
- 5,282
- Employed part-time
- 2,184
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.
Weather and climate in Emerald (Qld)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Emerald (Qld) is January (average daytime high around 33.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 22.1°C). The area receives roughly 534 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33.9°C | 22.7°C | 78 mm |
| Feb | 33.2°C | 22.4°C | 65 mm |
| Mar | 32.2°C | 21.6°C | 77 mm |
| Apr | 29.1°C | 18.1°C | 19 mm |
| May | 25.3°C | 14.3°C | 24 mm |
| Jun | 22.5°C | 11.5°C | 21 mm |
| Jul | 22.1°C | 10.2°C | 34 mm |
| Aug | 24.6°C | 11.4°C | 10 mm |
| Sep | 28.2°C | 14.5°C | 22 mm |
| Oct | 31.6°C | 18°C | 52 mm |
| Nov | 32.9°C | 20.1°C | 75 mm |
| Dec | 33.9°C | 21.8°C | 57 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Emerald (Qld)
Is Emerald (Qld) a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Emerald (Qld) rates 46/100 overall (Below the national middle on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Emerald (Qld)?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Emerald (Qld) was $300, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,647. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Emerald (Qld)?
Emerald (Qld) is a suburb of Queensland, Australia, in the Central Highlands (Qld) local government area.
What is the population of Emerald (Qld)?
At the 2021 Census, Emerald (Qld) had a population of about 14,904.
Is Emerald (Qld) an advantaged area?
Emerald (Qld) has an ABS SEIFA score of 979, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 45 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 45% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Emerald (Qld)?
Emerald (Qld) has average daytime highs of about 29.1°C and overnight lows of about 17.2°C, with roughly 534 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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