QLD · Sunshine Coast Council
North Arm, 4561
Current weather
14.9°CClear sky
93% humidity · 4.1 km/h wind · 21.9° / 13.9° today · 0.7 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
North Arm offers a slower smaller community life in Sunshine Coast, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Life revolves around the local community, with the wider region offering trips and services when needed. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with plenty of young families in the mix. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Homes offer solid value for the lifestyle on offer.
This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and parks and green space against similar regional towns, even with housing affordability and safety holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 734
- Median age
- 44
- Median household income / week
- $1,816
- Dwelling vacancy
- 2.9%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 7 of 245
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,975
- Employment rate
- 58.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 14 / 3 / 11
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)
- 12
- Against the person
- 2
- Against property
- 6
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 16.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 367 residents
- State safety percentile
- 8th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -17.5%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Good Order Offences10
- Other Property Damage13
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)40
- Traffic And Related Offences45
- Unlawful Entry9
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
- 1,031
- North Arm 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
2 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Playground
- Sports field
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
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
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- North Arm ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 4/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 4/10
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
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)
- 2
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
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
- 48.1/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 33% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 2179th in Australia
- State rank
- 496th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #127 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #179 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 66%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Sports fieldamenitiespitch
- Good Order Offencescrime10
- Other Property Damagecrime13
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime40
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime45
- Unlawful Entrycrime9
- North Arm Parkgovernmentpark
- North Arm State SchoolschoolsPrimary
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
More in Sunshine Coast Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.