Ipswich, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Ipswich lies on the Bremer River about 40 km west of Brisbane, and serves as the central business district of the wider City of Ipswich. The area is associated with the Ugarapul and Yuggera peoples, whose languages are recorded among those of the region. European exploration began in 1826, when limestone deposits were noted along the river, and a settlement followed in 1827. First called Limestone, the town was renamed in 1843 after Ipswich in England, and was proclaimed a city in 1904. It grew into an important inland port and became known as the cradle of coal mining in Queensland, the industry helping drive the spread of railways; remarkably, dinosaur footprints were later found in some of the underground coal workings nearby. Ipswich is noted for its wealth of heritage buildings, and Ipswich Grammar School, opened in 1863, was the first high school in Queensland. The city has produced notable figures including tennis world number one Ashleigh Barty and the jurist Sir Samuel Griffith.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Ipswich is more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 873, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Ipswich at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,468
- Median age
- 45
- Median weekly household income
- $1,134
- SEIFA score
- 873
- Coordinates
- -27.6233, 152.7600
Ipswich demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Ipswich using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 27%, 55% of homes are rented, and 18% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 308 | 12% |
| Youth (15–24) | 311 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 605 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 682 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 575 | 23% |
Share of the 2,481 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 161 | 18% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 210 | 24% |
| Rented | 490 | 55% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 598 | 67% |
| Townhouses & semis | 143 | 16% |
| Flats & apartments | 134 | 15% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 891 occupied private dwellings in Ipswich.
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,500
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,837
- Median weekly personal income
- $593
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 389 (18%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 196 (9%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 189 (8%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 937 (45%)
- Labour-force participation
- 46.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 12%
- Employed full-time
- 494
- Employed part-time
- 280
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Ipswich
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Ipswich is January (average daytime high around 30.1°C) and the coolest is July (around 20.6°C). The area receives roughly 907 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30.1°C | 20.3°C | 101 mm |
| Feb | 29.7°C | 20.3°C | 143 mm |
| Mar | 28.5°C | 19.6°C | 129 mm |
| Apr | 25.9°C | 16.2°C | 41 mm |
| May | 23.1°C | 13.2°C | 68 mm |
| Jun | 20.7°C | 10.8°C | 40 mm |
| Jul | 20.6°C | 9.7°C | 33 mm |
| Aug | 22.2°C | 10.2°C | 32 mm |
| Sep | 24.9°C | 12.6°C | 33 mm |
| Oct | 27°C | 15.3°C | 101 mm |
| Nov | 28.9°C | 17.5°C | 80 mm |
| Dec | 30°C | 19.3°C | 106 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Ipswich
Where is Ipswich?
Ipswich is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Ipswich?
At the 2021 Census, Ipswich had a population of about 2,468.
Is Ipswich an advantaged area?
Ipswich has an ABS SEIFA score of 873, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 7 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Ipswich?
Ipswich has average daytime highs of about 26°C and overnight lows of about 15.4°C, with roughly 907 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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