ACT · Unincorporated ACT Council

Jacka, 2914

Est. population · Jun 2025

534

Growth (1 yr)

+6.2%

Growth (5 yr)

-0.4%

Median age

30

Median income

$2,160/wk

Employment rate

77.6%

University qualified

40.4%

Work from home

8.7%

Median land value · 2026

$520,000

Languages at home

52.6%non-English

Most common: Punjabi, Hindi, Nepali

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

49.2/100
Average

82nd in ACT

Verified 91% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Heritage area
  • Multicultural
What Jacka is known for: Heritage area, Multicultural

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Jacka, ACT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “Jacka, ACT Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/act/jacka

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Suburb profile

Jacka is a middle-ring metropolitan suburb of Canberra, in Unincorporated ACT, characterised by heritage streetscapes alongside mixed commercial and residential development.

Employment is stronger than in comparable places, with employment 19% above the peer median. Open-space access is exceptionally strong, placing it among the highest-ranked middle-ring metropolitan suburbs, and school access is a very strong feature of the suburb, with school access 50% above the peer median. Green cover is an exceptional strength, with green cover 119% above the peer median. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. Everyday shops and services are sparse.

Overall, Jacka suits people prioritising open space and employment over local amenities.

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

  • Open-space access is exceptionally strong
  • Employment is a relative strength
  • Green cover is a relative strength
  • School access is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Everyday shops and services are sparse

What stands out

  • Heritage streetscapes
  • 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 Jacka compares

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

Median land value

$520k

0.0% unimproved value

Median rent (Census)

$450/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

534

+6.2% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

3.7%

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

#50

among Metro Canberra · Established

Crime rate

40th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

93rd

percentile in ACT

Rented dwellings

34%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

8/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

74th

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
49.2/100 — Average
National rank
2169th in Australia
State rank
82nd in ACT
Peer rank
#50 among Metro Canberra · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#82 among Metro Canberra suburbs
Data confidence
91%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

Median unimproved land value (2026)
$520,000
Land value change
0%
Valued parcels
507

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

534(June 2025)

+6.2% annual · -0.4% over 5 years · 93th percentile in ACT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+6.2%
5-year growth
-0.4%
Change in 1 year
+31
Change in 5 years
-2
Growth rank in ACT
93th 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 (~2,300), extrapolated at +33.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
712
Median age
30
Median household income / week
$2,160
Dwelling vacancy
3.7%
Unoccupied private dwellings
9 of 242
Median monthly mortgage
$1,772
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$450
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
4.7% / 61% / 34.3%
Employment rate
77.6%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
8.7% / 3.7% / 70.6%
Walked or cycled to work
0%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
106 / 129 / 3

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

40.4% of adults have a university degree, compared with 42.9% across Australian Capital Territory. 12.8% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified40.4% · 42.9% ACT
  • Diploma qualified10.2% · 9.3% ACT
  • Trade / vocational12.8% · 10.7% ACT
  • Year 12 or below36.6% · 37.1% ACT

Highest qualification field

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

  • Management and commerce32.5%
  • Society and culture14.4%
  • Health10.7%
  • Engineering and related technologies8.3%
  • Education8%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services8%
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)
$76,544

64th percentile in ACT · +30% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$81,851

52nd percentile in ACT · +26% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
19.0%

76th percentile in ACT · +38% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$71,282

32nd percentile in ACT · +13% vs Australia

Residents with business income
9.0%

88th percentile in ACT · -13% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2914 — 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
22,288
Taxpayers reporting net rent
4,208
Median net rent
-$5,618
Taxpayers reporting business income
2,041
Taxable income vs state median
+2%
Salary / wages vs state median
0%
Rental investment vs state median
+19%
Super vs state median
-32%
Business income vs state median
+29%

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

52.6% speak a language other than English at home; 46.5% born overseas

Language at home
324 English only · 360 other
Non-English at home
52.6%
Born overseas
321 (46.5%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
4 (0.6%)
Australian citizens
569
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
14

Top languages other than English

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

  • Punjabi21 · 17.1%
  • Hindi15 · 12.2%
  • Nepali13 · 10.6%
  • Urdu13 · 10.6%
  • Gujarati12 · 9.8%
  • Afrikaans9 · 7.3%
  • Mandarin9 · 7.3%
  • Korean7 · 5.7%

Religion

30.5%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 30.5%, while 29.9% reported no religion. Hinduism is more prevalent locally than across the state. Islam is more prevalent locally than across the state.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion29.9%43.5%
Christianity30.5%38.1%
Hinduism14.7%4.5%
Islam8.7%3.2%
Buddhism4.5%2.8%
Other / not stated11.7%7.9%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic15.7%19.3%
Anglican4.5%8.2%
Christian (not further defined)2%2.3%
Uniting Church2%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)
8
Against the person
2
Against property
4
Rate per 1,000 residents
15
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 356 residents
State crime-rate percentile
39.8th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-55.4%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
1
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
1.87

Most common offence types

  • Assault - Non-Fv1
  • Other Offences2
  • Theft (Excluding Motor Vehicles)3
  • Assault - Fv1
  • Burglary Other1

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
6
Median school ICSEA (6 schools)
1,064
Median ICSEA percentile
74th
School list
  • Taqwa SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1099 · 84th percentile · LBOTE 94% · 407 students · Top SEA quarter 39% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →
  • Margaret Hendry SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1054 · 70th percentile · LBOTE 61% · 626 students · Top SEA quarter 30% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →
  • Amaroo SchoolCombined · Government · ICSEA 1070 · 76th percentile · LBOTE 52% · 1,638 students · Top SEA quarter 31% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →
  • Neville Bonner Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1058 · 71th percentile · LBOTE 59% · 606 students · Top SEA quarter 28% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →
  • Aunty Agnes Shea High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1051 · 69th percentile · LBOTE 47% · 83 students · Top SEA quarter 30% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Good Shepherd Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1095 · 83th percentile · LBOTE 39% · 762 students · Top SEA quarter 35% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

42 mapped amenities

2 playgrounds

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life — 10 parks mapped in suburb, 2 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
3/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
14.04
Sport & outdoors(19)
  • CBR Cycle Route C1Cycling route
  • CBR Cycle Route C9Cycling route
  • Taylor Gungahlin Cycle RouteCycling route
  • Drinking water
  • ACT GovernmentNature reserve
  • Park (10)
  • Appleford Avenue Neighbourhood ParkPlayground
  • Playground
  • Sports field
  • Canberra Centenary Trail - HikingWalking trail
Transport(2)

2 bus stops

Other(4)
  • Bench
  • Garden (15)
  • Parking (3)
  • Shelter (2)

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

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Park or reserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
25.4%
Woodland / forest cover
15.9%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
16
Parks (OSM)
10
Typical summer maximum
27°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
University of Canberra Hospital (10.3 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)
23
Participants per 1,000 residents
43.1

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
27° / 12°
Rainfall
171 mm · ~21 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
21° / 7°
Rainfall
169 mm · ~21 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
12° / 1°
Rainfall
183 mm · ~23 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
19° / 6°
Rainfall
212 mm · ~26 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· 6 proposals
  • July 2026

  • DUAL
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • May 2026

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • April 2026

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • February 2026

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • January 2026

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
2025· 12 proposals
  • November 2025

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • October 2025

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • August 2025

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • July 2025

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • June 2025

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • April 2025

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINActive
  • February 2025

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
2024· 5 proposals
  • December 2024

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • November 2024

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • October 2024

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
  • September 2024

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
2023· 1 proposal
  • October 2023

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
2021· 1 proposal
  • March 2021

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted
2020· 1 proposal
  • February 2020

  • SUBC
    JACKA · GUNGAHLINCompleted

Data sources & freshness

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

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • Water Installation - Roden Cutler Drive JackaRoden Cutler Drive - (both directions): from Pattie Menzies Way to Wacando Street.04 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated

Heritage

95 heritage places

  • Aboriginal Places in the District of GungahlinHP83 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the District of GungahlinHP293 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the District of GungahlinHP53 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the District of GungahlinHP283 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the District of GungahlinHP253 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the District of GungahlinHP63 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the District of GungahlinHPIF23 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the District of GungahlinHPIF93 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the District of GungahlinHP23 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in the District of GungahlinHP13 - Registered Places or Objects

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on 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
Fenner
Member of Parliament
Andrew LEIGH (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
105,428
Turnout (2025)
92.0%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+6.4 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 27.9%Labor 72.1%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.2 km away).

Coalition 27.3%Labor 72.8%

0.7 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +10.5 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • BonnerLabor 71.0% · Coalition 29.0% TPP (2025)1.4 km away
  • AmarooLabor 74.3% · Coalition 25.7% TPP (2025)1.5 km away
  • TaylorLabor 73.0% · Coalition 27.0% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
  • NgunnawalLabor 76.4% · Coalition 23.6% TPP (2025)2.5 km away
  • Nicholls NorthLabor 69.6% · Coalition 30.4% TPP (2025)3.9 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)
8/10
IRSD decile (2021)
6/10

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.