Census 2021: Toowoomba region welcomes 12,500 new locals as population ages, less residents now religious

Toowoomba residents who are not religious are now the dominant group of people in the region for the first time. Here are the key findings for our region from the 2021 census.

St Patrick's Cathedral, James Street.

Brooke Marjoribanks and her family have been staples of Toowoomba for more than a decade — and they’ve being joined by thousands more since then.

New data from the 2021 Census, which was released yesterday, revealed Toowoomba’s stunning growth over the past five years, with the region now boasting an extra 12,500 residents since 2016.

The Toowoomba region’s growth of 7.7 per cent in five years is more than double that of Townsville (3.2 per cent) and Gladstone (three per cent), and better than Cairns (6.4 per cent).

In fact, the region’s population growth is in the same league as Brisbane’s (9.8 per cent), showcasing both the region’s allure to outsiders and the growing pains facing politicians.

POPULATION BOOM: Long-time Toowoomba resident Brooke Marjoribanks, pictured with daughters Sadie and Lola, is being joined by thousands more as the city sees significant population growth in the latest census data. Picture: Tom Gillespie

The Toowoomba region’s population has also become more female since 2016, with women making up 51.6 per cent of the total population (5554 more than males).

But census data also revealed how much older Toowoomba has become, with the median age now at 39 (up one year from 2016), which is above the state and federal averages.

Children aged 10-14 are the most prevalent age demographic at 7.2 per cent of the population, but the percentage of people aged 19 and under has dropped slightly from 26.8 per cent five years ago to 26.2 today.

Conversely, now 19.4 per cent of Toowoomba region’s population is 65 and older, up from just 17.9 per cent during the previous census.

The number of children born since 2016 as also stagnated, with the percentage dropping from 6.4 per cent of the population to 5.9 per cent.

In economic news, median household incomes increased by more than 19 per cent to $1847 per week, while the number of households whose income was less than $650 per week dropped from 21 per cent of the population to 18.5 per cent.

More encouragingly, the percentage of households whose total weekly income was in excess of $3000 jumped from 10.8 per cent to 16.3 per cent.

The number of people listed as “married” in Toowoomba dropped below 50 per cent for the first time, with the 2021 Census showing just 48.2 per cent were in a marriage situation. This figure was 51.5 per cent just 10 years ago.

Of those, the number of people in “de facto” marriages has increased to 10.4 per cent.

More people are also divorced or separated.

CENSUS DATA

Key findings for Toowoomba region from 2021 Census over past five years:

• Region’s population increased by 12,500 (7.7 per cent growth)

• Toowoomba is older on median averages (up from 38 to 39) and more female (more than 5500 extra women)

• ‘No religion’ now the dominant designation, with 31.7 per cent saying they have no affiliation (up from 20 per cent in 2016)

• Number of people in marriages below 50 per cent for first time, while more people in them now listed as “de facto” marriages

‘NO RELIGION’ NOW NUMBER ONE

More people say they have no religious affiliation than ever before in Toowoomba, with the latest Census data revealing a stunning trend in Queensland’s Bible Belt.

Nearly one third (31.7 per cent) of residents surveyed last year said they were “not religious”, an enormous 11 point jump from the previous census in 2016.

It means Catholicism is no longer the largest statistical group in the Toowoomba region, with its numbers dropping from 23 per cent to 20 per cent in five years.

While nearly 60 per cent still identify as Christian in some way in Toowoomba, University of Southern Queensland’s Professor of Pathways Education Marcus Harmes said the census result was still remarkable.

“It tells us that our identity is changing,” he said.

“We are still slightly below the state and national average, but it’s an extraordinary change of a city with lots of churches and is known as a conservative area.

“Toowoomba is already on a positive path of embracing multiculturalism, we now have sizeable Islamic and Hindu populations, but it’s also about rethinking our identity.

“Younger people might find religious organisations are out of step with what society wants, such as with marriage equality.”

Professor Harmes, who is active in research on modern religion, said the sharp spike in non-religious residents was not due to radically shifting demographics but rather an increase in honesty.

“It’s actually a case of honest answers — in 2021, there was a big emphasis and campaign to say that you shouldn’t put an answer based on your family’s history, you should answer honestly,” he said.

“It moved a lot of nominal picks for religion into the ‘no religion’ category.”

Anglican-aligned Christians now represent just under 15 per cent of the population in the Toowoomba region, down from 19 per cent in 2016.

Other Christians make up five per cent, down nearly a point in five years.

Mayor Paul Antonio said the new statistics posed a challenge for religious organisations to showcase the good work they did in Toowoomba.

“I see that and I feel it happening, it saddens me a little bit because I’m a churchgoer,” he said.

“This is a challenge for those who are Christians to continue doing the right thing by the community — many of them provide great help for people who are coming here.

“For me personally it’s a little sad it’s going that way, but maybe it’s a challenge for the Christian community to promote the good work they provide in our community.”