In the Sunshine Coast Council area, most resident workers in All industries are under 45 years old.
The Age Structure of the Sunshine Coast Council area's resident workers is indicative of the residential role and function of the local area. This includes factors such as when the area was settled; what types of households live there; the level of access the area has to employment, services and facilities; the local dwelling stock characteristics (including cost of housing); local amenity and a range of other factors that attract people to an area.
The age structure of the Sunshine Coast Council area's resident workers is indicative of the skill-levels and experience that local businesses can draw upon. For example, younger resident workers, while less experienced, are typically more mobile and have higher level skills in use of new technologies.
For a complete local resident workers analysis for the Sunshine Coast Council area, Age Structure should be analysed in conjunction with Qualification, Occupations, Hours worked and Income.
Data source
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – Census 2011 and 2016 – by usual residence
Resident workers age structure | |||||||||
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RDA Sunshine Coast Region - All industries | 2016 | 2011 | Change | ||||||
Ten year age groups (years) | Number | % | Queensland% | Number | % | Queensland% | 2011 - 2016 | ||
15 to 24 years | 19,203 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 17,300 | 15.1 | 16.5 | +1,903 | ||
25 to 34 years | 23,127 | 17.8 | 21.8 | 19,586 | 17.1 | 21.2 | +3,541 | ||
35 to 44 years | 28,399 | 21.9 | 22.0 | 27,302 | 23.9 | 23.1 | +1,097 | ||
45 to 54 years | 31,378 | 24.2 | 21.9 | 28,216 | 24.7 | 22.1 | +3,162 | ||
55 to 64 years | 21,865 | 16.9 | 14.8 | 18,202 | 15.9 | 14.0 | +3,663 | ||
65 years and over | 5,670 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3,728 | 3.3 | 3.1 | +1,942 | ||
Total Persons | 129,642 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 114,334 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +15,308 | ||
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2011 and 2016. Compiled and presented by .id informed decisions |


Dominant groups
Analysis of the resident workers (All industries) age structure of the Sunshine Coast Council area in 2016 compared to Queensland shows that there was a lower proportion of persons in the younger age groups (15 to 44 years) as well as a higher proportion of persons in the older age groups (45 years and over).
Overall, 54.6% of the resident workers was aged under 45 years, compared to 59.3% for Queensland. 45.4% were aged 45 years and over, compared to 40.7% for Queensland.
The major difference between the resident workers age structure of the Sunshine Coast Council area and Queensland is:
- A smaller percentage of resident workers aged 25 to 34 years (17.8% compared to 21.8%)
- A larger percentage of resident workers aged 45 to 54 years (24.2% compared to 21.9%)
- A larger percentage of resident workers aged 55 to 64 years (16.9% compared to 14.8%)
- A smaller percentage of resident workers aged 15 to 24 years (14.8% compared to 15.6%)
Emerging groups
From 2011 to 2016, the Sunshine Coast Council area's resident workers (All industries) population increased by 15,308 people (13.4%). This represents an average annual change of 2.54% per year over the period.
The largest changes in the resident workers age structure in the Sunshine Coast Council area between 2011 and 2016 were in the age groups:
- 55 to 64 years (+3,663 persons)
- 25 to 34 years (+3,541 persons)
- 45 to 54 years (+3,162 persons)
- 65 years and over (+1,942 persons)