Cook

Queensland · Queensland - Outback · 5,365 people · 19 suburbs · 4 postcodes

Cook at a glance

5,365
Population
#40 of 69 in QLD
95,614
km² area
0/km² density
40.4
Median age
+1.1 vs QLD
$1,123
Median HH income/wk
#56 of 69 in QLD
877
SEIFA IRSAD
#55 of 69 in QLD
8
Schools
6 gov, 1 Cath, 1 indep
12.0%
Born overseas
47.3%
Renting

Map shows the Cook LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.

Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: 1-2 (most disadvantaged), 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 (most advantaged).

Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.

Cook is a Local Government Area in Queensland, in the Brisbane region. It covers 19 suburbs across 4 postcodes and an area of 95,614 km². Cook has a population of 5,365 , ranking #40 most populous in QLD. The most populous suburb is Cooktown (2,746 residents), and the highest median household income is in Archer River at $1,749/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,123/week and median age is 40.4. About 12.0% of residents were born overseas and 19.0% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (19.9%) 15–24 (10.3%) 25–44 (25.9%) 45–64 (27.8%) 65+ (16.1%)
Show counts
0–14 years1,058 (19.9%)
15–24 years550 (10.3%)
25–44 years1,376 (25.9%)
45–64 years1,481 (27.8%)
65+ years855 (16.1%)
12.0%
Born overseas
19.0%
Speak a language other than English at home
33.7%
First Nations
2.4
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (34.2%) Mortgaged (18.5%) Renting (47.3%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (95.3%) Semi/townhouse (4.0%) Flat/apartment (0.7%)
$188
Median weekly rent
$1,208
Median monthly mortgage
53.7%
Households with 0-1 cars
46.3%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

8.7%
Unemployment rate
1,265
In full-time work
540
In part-time work

Schools in Cook

8 schools across Cook: 75.0% Government, 12.5% Catholic, 12.5% Independent. The QLD average is 69.8% / 17.1% / 13.1%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 824 (range 623 to 991). QLD median is 985; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

QLD average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (62.5%) Secondary (0%) Combined (25.0%) Special (12.5%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 824 QLD median 985LGA range 623 to 991

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.

All 8 schools in Cook, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Cooktown State School Government Combined Cooktown 376 838
Endeavour Christian College Independent Combined Cooktown 166 991
Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy Government Primary Hope Vale 146 707
Holy Spirit College Catholic Special Cooktown 122 811
Bloomfield River State School Government Primary Bloomfield 67 661
Rossville State School Government Primary Rossville 25 893
Laura State School Government Primary Laura 19 623
Lakeland State School Government Primary Lakeland 12 949

Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Cook. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

877
Ranked #55 of 69 QLD LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

861

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

839

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

914

Suburbs in Cook

Cook contains 19 suburbs and 4 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Cooktown 4895 2,746 $1,215/wk 44
Hope Vale 4895 1,004 $827/wk 29
Lakeland 4871 333 $1,640/wk 34
Coen 4871 320 $1,237/wk 31
Rossville 4895 253 $762/wk 49
Bloomfield 4895 228 $855/wk 53
Laura 4871 133 $1,666/wk 39
Lizard 4892 65 31
Yarraden 4892 53 $1,437/wk 46
Palmer 4892 46 $1,062/wk 50
Shelburne 4874 44 $833/wk 57
Dixie 4892 43 $575/wk 33
Iron Range 4892 30 $1,062/wk 56
Archer River 4892 27 $1,749/wk 53
Lakefield 4892 21 $1,156/wk 56
Wenlock 4874 9 $900/wk 57
Holroyd River 4892 4 $1,625/wk 40
Edward River 4871 3 19
Starcke 4895 3 $1,125/wk 63

Postcodes covered

4871, 4874, 4892, 4895

Compare Cook with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Cook and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Cook (QLD) 5,365 40.4 $1,123/wk 877 47.3% 12.0%
Douglas 12,146 45.5 $1,332/wk 943 32.2% 21.5%
Carpentaria 2,087 36.1 $1,545/wk 863 58.2% 6.5%
Mareeba 22,866 43.2 $1,337/wk 923 26.8% 16.9%
Weipa 4,103 29.9 $2,963/wk 1035 63.8% 9.9%
Aurukun 1,101 29.0 $1,069/wk 700 100.0% 1.5%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Cook

What is the population of Cook?

The 2021 Census recorded 5,365 people living in Cook, across 19 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Cook?

Cook contains 19 suburbs. The most populous are Cooktown, Hope Vale, Lakeland, Coen, Rossville.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Cook?

Cook covers 4 postcodes: 4871, 4874, 4892, 4895.

What is the median household income in Cook?

The population-weighted median household income across Cook is $1,123 per week (2021 Census), ranking #56 of 69 QLD LGAs.

How many schools are in Cook?

Cook has 8 schools, including 6 government, 1 Catholic, and 1 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Cook?

Cook has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 877, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.