Best-performing Queensland councils by dimension, 2024-25

Queensland publishes council data for two of the four Council Scorer dimensions, so there is no overall Queensland score. These councils lead on Sustainability, ranked within their official Queensland peer group.

Last updated: September 2026 · How these rankings are calculated

Ranked by Sustainability

  1. Western Downs Regional Council — QLD · medium · Sustainability: 96/100 · Medium
  2. Burdekin Shire Council — QLD · small · Sustainability: 90/100 · Small
  3. Blackall-Tambo Regional Council — QLD · very-small · Sustainability: 88/100 · Very small
  4. McKinlay Shire Council — QLD · very-small · Sustainability: 86/100 · Very small
  5. Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Shire Council — QLD · indigenous · Sustainability: 84/100 · Indigenous
  6. Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council — QLD · indigenous · Sustainability: 76/100 · Indigenous
  7. Lockyer Valley Regional Council — QLD · medium · Sustainability: 76/100 · Medium
  8. Fraser Coast Regional Council — QLD · minimum-grant · Sustainability: 75/100 · Largest
  9. Mackay Regional Council — QLD · minimum-grant · Sustainability: 74/100 · Largest
  10. Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council — QLD · indigenous · Sustainability: 73/100 · Indigenous
  11. Paroo Shire Council — QLD · very-small · Sustainability: 72/100 · Very small
  12. Redland City Council — QLD · minimum-grant · Sustainability: 72/100 · Largest
  13. Quilpie Shire Council — QLD · very-small · Sustainability: 70/100 · Very small
  14. Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council — QLD · indigenous · Sustainability: 69/100 · Indigenous
  15. Mareeba Shire Council — QLD · small · Sustainability: 68/100 · Small

How we rank

Rankings are calculated from Council Scorer's four performance dimensions (Sustainability, Community Services, Lifestyle & Amenity, Core Operations), each derived from statutory data submitted to state and federal regulators. We compare within state and peer group so that metro, regional and rural councils are judged like-for-like. Read the full methodology.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a council score well?

Councils score well when they combine sound financial health with reliable service delivery — strong sustainability indicators, well-used community services, good lifestyle and amenity provision, and dependable core operations like roads, waste and planning. Every dimension is weighted and normalised so metro, regional and rural councils are compared like-for-like. How these rankings are calculated.

How often is this updated?

Scores are refreshed whenever new statutory reporting is released by state and federal regulators, and the page is rebuilt with each data update. The 'last updated' date above reflects the current data build. How these rankings are calculated.

Where does the data come from?

All inputs come from official public sources — state local-government performance reporting, audited council financial statements and ABS datasets. We do not use survey data, and councils cannot pay to change a score. How these rankings are calculated.