Fraser Coast incomes have improved over the last 20 years, but we are still a lower-income region by Queensland standards – and that is a key reason affordability conversations land differently here. The 2021 Census reported a median weekly household income of $1,062 and median personal income of $533. Those figures reflect our age profile (more retirees) and our job mix (more part-time service work).
Now add the 2025-2026 reality: the cost of housing has moved faster than many local incomes. Market reports through 2025 show Hervey Bay’s median house price around $760,000 (Q3 2025) and a median unit price around $590,000, with annual price growth still positive. Rental markets remain tight: one report recorded Hervey Bay’s vacancy rate at 1.2% in March 2025 (Fraser Coast LGA 1.4%), well below the commonly-cited 3% ‘balanced’ benchmark. When vacancy sits around 1%, rents rise and competition gets brutal for tenants.
This is why affordability is not just a social issue – it is an economic development issue. If essential workers cannot find rentals, businesses cannot staff. If first-home buyers are priced out, household formation slows. If older residents cannot downsize into suitable product, family homes stay ‘stuck’ in the wrong hands.
For the property industry, the response is not hand-wringing – it is product. More diversity (smaller dwellings, well-located medium density, accessible downsizer stock) and a smoother pipeline of land supply to take pressure off prices. The Fraser Coast can stay affordable, but only if we keep building the right mix.
Stats source: profile.id / .id using ABS Census income measures (2021). Market context: PRD Hervey Bay Market Update (2025) and PRD vacancy statistics (March 2025) referenced in public reports; national housing context via Cotality Home Value Index (2025-2026).
