ACT · Unincorporated ACT Council

Fadden, 2904

Est. population · Jun 2025

3,016

Growth (1 yr)

+0.6%

Growth (5 yr)

+0.9%

Median age

43

Median income

$3,302/wk

Employment rate

65.9%

University qualified

44.9%

Work from home

13%

Median land value · 2026

$625,000

Languages at home

15.3%non-English

Most common: Arabic, Mandarin, Italian

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

61.6/100
Good

Top 18% of Australian Capital Territory's suburbs

Verified 89% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
What Fadden is known for: Green suburb

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Fadden, ACT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Fadden, ACT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “Fadden, ACT Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/act/fadden

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Suburb profile

Fadden is a middle-ring metropolitan suburb of Canberra, in Unincorporated ACT. It is mainly residential, with little in the way of a distinct commercial centre or landmark identity.

Reported crime is exceptionally low against comparable places. Reported offences have fallen 55% year on year, and household incomes are a relative strength, with household incomes 37% above the peer median, and green cover is an exceptional strength, placing it among the highest-ranked middle-ring metropolitan suburbs. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. The main trade-offs are thinner dining and café options and lower school ICSEA scores, with dining and cafés 100% below the peer median.

Fadden's appeal is better explained by housing, access and location than by a strong standalone precinct or destination.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Middle-ring metropolitan suburb · compared with middle-ring metropolitan suburbs in Australian Capital Territory (49)

Strengths

  • Reported crime is exceptionally low against comparable places
  • Household incomes are a relative strength
  • Green cover is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Dining and café options are thinner than in comparable places
  • School ICSEA scores are a relative weakness

What stands out

  • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • StudentsInsufficient data
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Fadden compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median land value

$625k

+5.9% unimproved value

Median rent (Census)

$620/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

3,016

+0.6% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

5.0%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#13

among Metro Canberra · Established

Crime rate

6th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

55th

percentile in ACT

Rented dwellings

7%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

10/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

65th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
61.6/100 — Good
State standing
Top 18% of Australian Capital Territory's suburbs
National rank
374th in Australia
State rank
19th in ACT
Peer rank
#13 among Metro Canberra · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#19 among Metro Canberra suburbs
Data confidence
89%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

Median unimproved land value (2026)
$625,000
Land value change
+5.9%
Valued parcels
1,120

Median unimproved land value is the statutory land valuation, not a house or unit sale price. ACT does not publish open suburb-level median sales.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

  • ACT unimproved land values (no open suburb-level rent or sales) — ACT Government — dataACT / Valuation · 2026 · Updated · Annual unimproved land values by parcel, median by suburb

Population

Estimated resident population

3,016(June 2025)

+0.6% annual · +0.9% over 5 years · 55th percentile in ACT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.6%
5-year growth
+0.9%
Change in 1 year
+18
Change in 5 years
+27
Growth rank in ACT
55th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~2,950), extrapolated at -0.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
3,006
Median age
43
Median household income / week
$3,302
Dwelling vacancy
5%
Unoccupied private dwellings
55 of 1,093
Median monthly mortgage
$2,383
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$620
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
45.3% / 48.1% / 6.7%
Employment rate
65.9%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
13% / 2.1% / 70.8%
Walked or cycled to work
0.7%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,005 / 19 / 14

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

44.9% of adults have a university degree, compared with 42.9% across Australian Capital Territory. 10.4% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified44.9% · 42.9% ACT
  • Diploma qualified11.1% · 9.3% ACT
  • Trade / vocational10.4% · 10.7% ACT
  • Year 12 or below33.6% · 37.1% ACT

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Management and commerce22.7%
  • Society and culture21.1%
  • Health10.2%
  • Engineering and related technologies9.8%
  • Education9.6%
  • Information technology7.8%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$75,307

56th percentile in ACT · +28% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$85,045

72nd percentile in ACT · +31% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
16.0%

56th percentile in ACT · +16% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$154,069

84th percentile in ACT · +143% vs Australia

Residents with business income
6.0%

16th percentile in ACT · -42% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2904 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
8,605
Taxpayers reporting net rent
1,397
Median net rent
-$2,008
Taxpayers reporting business income
504
Taxable income vs state median
0%
Salary / wages vs state median
+4%
Rental investment vs state median
0%
Super vs state median
+48%
Business income vs state median
-14%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in ACT, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

15.3% speak a language other than English at home; 23.8% born overseas

Language at home
2,501 English only · 452 other
Non-English at home
15.3%
Born overseas
707 (23.8%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
31 (1%)
Australian citizens
2,856
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
23

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Arabic29 · 14.8%
  • Mandarin19 · 9.7%
  • Italian15 · 7.7%
  • Malayalam15 · 7.7%
  • Croatian12 · 6.1%
  • French10 · 5.1%
  • Persian10 · 5.1%
  • Cantonese9 · 4.6%

Religion

50.1%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 50.1%, while 41.6% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion41.6%43.5%
Christianity50.1%38.1%
Other / not stated8.4%18.4%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic25.8%19.3%
Anglican11.8%8.2%
Eastern Orthodox2.7%1.5%
Christian (not further defined)2.3%2.3%
Uniting Church2.1%1.8%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
24
Against the person
1
Against property
14
Rate per 1,000 residents
8
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 3,006 residents
State crime-rate percentile
6.2th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-54.6%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
1
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
0.33

Most common offence types

  • Burglary Dwellings2
  • Motor Vehicle Theft4
  • Other Offences9
  • Property Damage6
  • Theft (Excluding Motor Vehicles)2

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

  • ACT road crash data — ACT Government / AFP crash reports · 2020–latest · Updated · Reported crash points from 2020 onward
  • ACT crime statistics by suburb (quarterly) — ACT Policing / dataACT · Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated · Quarterly XLSX release

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
5
Median school ICSEA (5 schools)
1,043
Median ICSEA percentile
65th
School list
  • Fadden Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1076 · 77th percentile · LBOTE 13% · 229 students · Top SEA quarter 34% · 0.3 km awayView on My School →
  • Holy Family Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1076 · 77th percentile · LBOTE 9% · 641 students · Top SEA quarter 28% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
  • Gowrie Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1043 · 65th percentile · LBOTE 10% · 228 students · Top SEA quarter 22% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
  • Caroline Chisholm SchoolCombined · Government · ICSEA 989 · 42th percentile · LBOTE 19% · 571 students · Top SEA quarter 11% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Erindale CollegeSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1041 · 65th percentile · LBOTE 12% · 871 students · Top SEA quarter 21% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

224 mapped amenities

5 playgrounds · 1 sports centres · 155 swimming pools

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • A car helps for daily needs
  • Great for outdoor family life — 12 parks mapped in suburb, 5 playgrounds nearby
  • Well connected by public transport — 26 public transport stops
  • Strong local sport and recreation — 162 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
30/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
3.99
Community(1)
  • Fadden PrimarySchool
Health & services(1)
  • Tuggeranong Veterinary HospitalVeterinary

    Unit 5 2 Hanlon Crescent

Sport & outdoors(184)
  • BBQ (4)
  • CBR Cycle Route C4Cycling route
  • Drinking water (3)
  • Wanniassa Hills Nature ReserveNature reserve
  • Fadden PinesPark
  • Fadden Pines ParkPark
  • Park (9)
  • Picnic area
  • Bertram Street Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
  • Mcphail Place Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
  • Nicklin Crescent Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
  • Parnell Place Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
  • Playground
  • Public toilets
  • mPowerdomeSports centre
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool (155)
Transport(26)

26 bus stops

Other(3)
  • Bench (2)
  • Parking (6)
  • Picnic Table (4)

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

3 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Fadden PinesPark
  • Fadden Pines ParkPark
  • Wanniassa Hills Nature ReserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
35.8%
Woodland / forest cover
25.8%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
28
Parks (OSM)
12
Typical summer maximum
25°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
Canberra Hospital (6.3 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
63
Participants per 1,000 residents
20.9

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
25° / 10°
Rainfall
168 mm · ~21 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
19° / 5°
Rainfall
142 mm · ~18 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
11° / -2°
Rainfall
105 mm · ~13 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
18° / 4°
Rainfall
161 mm · ~20 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from ACT planning register.

2026· 3 proposals
  • June 2026

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • March 2026

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
2025· 5 proposals
  • September 2025

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • August 2025

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • July 2025

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • March 2025

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGActive
2024· 2 proposals
  • July 2024

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • February 2024

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
2023· 2 proposals
  • April 2023

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • February 2023

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
2022· 7 proposals
  • December 2022

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • October 2022

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • June 2022

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • May 2022

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • March 2022

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
2021· 8 proposals
  • December 2021

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • November 2021

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • September 2021

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • May 2021

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • January 2021

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
2020· 5 proposals
  • December 2020

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • October 2020

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted
  • September 2020

  • SUBC
    FADDEN · TUGGERANONGCompleted

Data sources & freshness

  • Active & completed development applications — ACT Planning · 2026 · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
Flood / inundation overlay
0.9% of suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via ACT Bushfire Prone Area (SBMP 2026) mapping. Flood cover uses the 1% AEP flood extent against the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Bean
Member of Parliament
David SMITH (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
113,876
Turnout (2025)
92.5%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+6.3 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 30.7%Labor 69.3%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 2.9 km away).

Coalition 31.0%Labor 69.0%

0.3 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +6.5 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • FaddenLabor 69.0% · Coalition 31.0% TPP (2025)0.2 km away
  • GowrieLabor 70.1% · Coalition 29.9% TPP (2025)1.2 km away
  • ChisholmLabor 67.5% · Coalition 32.5% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
  • Wanniassa HillsLabor 71.4% · Coalition 28.6% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
  • GilmoreLabor 65.0% · Coalition 35.0% TPP (2025)2.4 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
10/10
IRSD decile (2021)
10/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

This suburb ranks highly for

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Unincorporated ACT Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile elsewhere in Australian Capital Territory or interstate.