South Mackay, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
South Mackay is more socio-economically advantaged than about 15% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 912, 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 South Mackay 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 South Mackay 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
15/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (15/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
49/100Around the national median for cost
Median weekly rent was $290 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 49% 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.
South Mackay at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 6,918
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $1,477
- SEIFA score
- 912
- Local government area
- Mackay
- Coordinates
- -21.1651, 149.1776
Map of South Mackay
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in South Mackay
What it costs to live in South Mackay and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $290
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,500
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 59%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 38%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the South Mackay demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
South Mackay demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile South Mackay 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 27% and 16% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,271 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 826 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,838 | 27% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,791 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,196 | 17% |
Share of the 6,922 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 753 | 27% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 892 | 32% |
| Rented | 1,058 | 38% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,063 | 73% |
| Townhouses & semis | 688 | 24% |
| Flats & apartments | 58 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,814 occupied private dwellings in South Mackay.
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,020
- Median weekly personal income
- $791
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,023 (16%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 635 (10%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 546 (8%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,390 (44%)
- Labour-force participation
- 62.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.8%
- Employed full-time
- 2,098
- Employed part-time
- 1,023
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 South Mackay
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in South Mackay is February (average daytime high around 29.5°C) and the coolest is July (around 22.2°C). The area receives roughly 1111 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.2°C | 24.3°C | 242 mm |
| Feb | 29.5°C | 24.2°C | 164 mm |
| Mar | 28.7°C | 23.8°C | 190 mm |
| Apr | 26.8°C | 21.7°C | 105 mm |
| May | 24.6°C | 18.3°C | 60 mm |
| Jun | 22.8°C | 16.2°C | 29 mm |
| Jul | 22.2°C | 14.9°C | 62 mm |
| Aug | 23.2°C | 15.4°C | 23 mm |
| Sep | 25°C | 17.9°C | 17 mm |
| Oct | 27.1°C | 20.6°C | 30 mm |
| Nov | 28.5°C | 22.4°C | 55 mm |
| Dec | 29.3°C | 23.8°C | 134 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about South Mackay
Is South Mackay 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, South Mackay rates 26/100 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 South Mackay?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in South Mackay was $290, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,500. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is South Mackay?
South Mackay is a suburb of Queensland, Australia, in the Mackay local government area.
What is the population of South Mackay?
At the 2021 Census, South Mackay had a population of about 6,918.
Is South Mackay an advantaged area?
South Mackay has an ABS SEIFA score of 912, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 15 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 15% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in South Mackay?
South Mackay has average daytime highs of about 26.4°C and overnight lows of about 20.3°C, with roughly 1,111 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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