Rockhampton City, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Rockhampton spreads along the Fitzroy River in Central Queensland, about 600 kilometres north of Brisbane and just south of the Tropic of Capricorn. The Capricorn district is the traditional home of the Darumbal people, whose language region takes in the city. Founded in the 1850s, Rockhampton grew rich on cattle and still bills itself as Australia's Beef Capital, its prosperity written into grand Victorian streetscapes along the riverfront. The name was coined by the pastoralist Charles Archer and a lands commissioner, joining the rocks that bar the river to the old English word hampton for a village. Heritage buildings, the 1860s Botanic Gardens, and a Tropic of Capricorn marker draw visitors to the tropical city.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Rockhampton City is more socio-economically advantaged than about 5% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 858, 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 Rockhampton City 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.
Lower on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Rockhampton City 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
5/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (5/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
63/100More affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $250 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 63% 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.
Rockhampton City at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,059
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $1,118
- SEIFA score
- 858
- Local government area
- Rockhampton
- Coordinates
- -23.3789, 150.5100
Map of Rockhampton City
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Rockhampton City
What it costs to live in Rockhampton City and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $250
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,083
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 43%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 53%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Rockhampton City demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Rockhampton City demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Rockhampton City 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 29% and 15% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 229 | 11% |
| Youth (15–24) | 283 | 14% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 576 | 28% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 586 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 379 | 18% |
Share of the 2,053 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 186 | 23% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 164 | 20% |
| Rented | 438 | 53% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 512 | 61% |
| Townhouses & semis | 74 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 236 | 28% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 833 occupied private dwellings in Rockhampton City.
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,421
- Median weekly personal income
- $635
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 270 (15%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 162 (9%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 208 (10%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 745 (42%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 12.7%
- Employed full-time
- 507
- Employed part-time
- 267
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 Rockhampton City
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Rockhampton City is February (average daytime high around 31.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 22.7°C). The area receives roughly 737 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31.5°C | 22.8°C | 100 mm |
| Feb | 31.7°C | 22.7°C | 96 mm |
| Mar | 30.4°C | 22.2°C | 110 mm |
| Apr | 28.2°C | 19.4°C | 53 mm |
| May | 25.5°C | 16.3°C | 38 mm |
| Jun | 23.3°C | 13.9°C | 24 mm |
| Jul | 22.7°C | 12.5°C | 54 mm |
| Aug | 24.4°C | 13.2°C | 15 mm |
| Sep | 27.1°C | 15.7°C | 23 mm |
| Oct | 29°C | 18.4°C | 67 mm |
| Nov | 30.5°C | 20.3°C | 64 mm |
| Dec | 31.4°C | 22°C | 93 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Rockhampton City
Is Rockhampton City 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, Rockhampton City rates 24/100 overall (Lower 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 Rockhampton City?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Rockhampton City was $250, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,083. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Rockhampton City?
Rockhampton City is a suburb of Queensland, Australia, in the Rockhampton local government area.
What is the population of Rockhampton City?
At the 2021 Census, Rockhampton City had a population of about 2,059.
Is Rockhampton City an advantaged area?
Rockhampton City has an ABS SEIFA score of 858, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 5 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 5% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Rockhampton City?
Rockhampton City has average daytime highs of about 28°C and overnight lows of about 18.3°C, with roughly 737 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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