Monto, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Monto is a rural town in the North Burnett region of Queensland, roughly 484km northwest of Brisbane. The name is believed to come from a local railway station and is sometimes explained as an Aboriginal term for a 'ridgy plain', though accounts vary. Pastoralists first settled the district in the late 1840s, gold was worked nearby from the 1870s, and the township itself was formally laid out in 1924 once the railway pushed through. Dairying and cattle have long underpinned the local economy. Visitors come for nearby Cania Gorge National Park, with its sandstone cliffs and walking tracks, and for the 'Three Moons' silo art that celebrates the area's farming and natural heritage.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Monto is more socio-economically advantaged than about 4% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 853, 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.
Monto at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,156
- Median age
- 55
- Median weekly household income
- $853
- SEIFA score
- 853
- Coordinates
- -24.8397, 151.1114
Monto demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Monto 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 seniors (65+) at 34%, 31% of homes are rented, and 10% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 142 | 12% |
| Youth (15–24) | 121 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 173 | 15% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 319 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 391 | 34% |
Share of the 1,146 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 221 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 108 | 21% |
| Rented | 160 | 31% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 488 | 96% |
| Townhouses & semis | 3 | 1% |
| Flats & apartments | 8 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 510 occupied private dwellings in Monto.
- Median weekly rent
- $170
- Median monthly mortgage
- $800
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,148
- Median weekly personal income
- $491
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 100 (10%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 46 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 40 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 297 (30%)
- Labour-force participation
- 46.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 7.4%
- Employed full-time
- 243
- Employed part-time
- 156
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.
Common questions about Monto
Where is Monto?
Monto is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Monto?
At the 2021 Census, Monto had a population of about 1,156.
Is Monto an advantaged area?
Monto has an ABS SEIFA score of 853, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 4 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 4% of Australian suburbs.
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