QLD · Fraser Coast Council
Howard, 4659
Current weather
16°CClear sky
92% humidity · 5.8 km/h wind · 23.6° / 13.8° today · 0.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
In Fraser Coast, Howard keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. Generous greenery runs through the area, from street trees to tucked-away reserves.
Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and community and employment against similar regional towns, even with parks and green space and housing affordability holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,394
- Median age
- 56
- Median household income / week
- $854
- Dwelling vacancy
- 9.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 63 of 673
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,062
- Employment rate
- 31.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 59 / 0 / 32
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 34
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 21
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 24.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 348 residents
- State safety percentile
- 18.3th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +25.6%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Other Property Damage15
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)25
- Traffic And Related Offences25
- Unlawful Entry24
- Unlawful Use Of Motor Vehicle10
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 894
- Howard State SchoolPrimary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
4 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Bellert ParkPark
- Burrum River Bridge ParkPark
- East Street ReservePark
- Power House Road Picnic AreaPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 1
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Howard Compounding PharmacyWilliam Streetpharmacy
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 1/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Heritage
1 state heritage place
- Howard War MemorialState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 12
- Parks (OSM)
- 4
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 32.1/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4948th in Australia
- State rank
- 1149th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #282 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #662 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 71%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Other Property Damagecrime15
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime25
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime25
- Unlawful Entrycrime24
- Unlawful Use Of Motor Vehiclecrime10
- Howard War MemorialheritageState heritage place
- Howard Compounding PharmacyhealthWilliam Streetpharmacy
- Bellert Parkgovernmentpark
- Burrum River Bridge Parkgovernmentpark
- East Street Reservegovernmentpark
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
More in Fraser Coast Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.