CAIRNS is one of Queensland's  
fastest growing regions, despite the impact of the economic downturn, new figures show.

Nearly 5200 people moved to Cairns in the year to July 2009, bringing the city's population to 164,356, the Population Growth Highlights and Trends Queensland 2010 report revealed.

The 3.2 per cent growth puts Cairns among the top-10 fastest growing regions in the state, after Ipswich (5 per cent), Moreton Bay (3.7 per cent) and the Fraser Coast (3.6 per cent).

Townsville grew by 5600 people in the same period, also a growth of 3.2 per cent on the previous year.

Population on the Tableland grew by 2 per cent to 46,366, while the number of residents on the Cassowary Coast rose by 1.8 per cent to 30,992.

Cairns economist Bill Cummings said he was "pleasantly surprised" with the growth rate, which exceeded the 3 per cent average for Cairns but was still lower than the more than 4 per cent population growth experienced before the global financial crisis.

"In the first half of 2009, the growth rate would have started to drop off," he said.

Mr Cummings said he expected a "sharp reduction" in population growth until 2011 as the region’s economy recovers.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland Far North Queensland chairman Brett Moller was also pleased by the better-than-expected population growth.

"It's indicative Cairns is still an attractive place for its lifestyle," he said.

But he said the Government needed to focus on improving work opportunities and services if growth was to continue.

Kelly Backhouse, 29, moved to Cairns in February from Noosa with her children Sophie, 4, Tara, 6, and husband Allen, 33, who is in the navy.

"I prefer up here the fact that everything is a 15-minute drive," she said.

"It's a lot better than where we were from."

About 70 per cent of Queensland's population growth happened in the southeast corner, which saw 1600 new residents move there each week, compared with 700 people relocating to regional areas.

Statewide population growth was 2.4 per cent, down from 2.8 per cent the previous year, but ahead of the national average of 1.8 per cent.

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