ACT · Unincorporated ACT Council
Est. population · Jun 2025
5,675
Growth (1 yr)
+0.2%
Growth (5 yr)
-1.1%
Median age
36
Median income
$2,316/wk
Employment rate
67.5%
University qualified
38.3%
Work from home
10.4%
Median land value · 2026
$472,000
Languages at home
32.2%non-English
Most common: Mandarin, Vietnamese, Punjabi
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
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Suburb profile
Palmerston is an inner metropolitan suburb of Canberra, in Unincorporated ACT. It is mainly residential, with little in the way of a distinct commercial centre or landmark identity.
Employment is slightly stronger than in comparable places. Mapped flood cover is an exceptional strength, with mapped flood cover 100% below the peer median. The main trade-offs are thinner park access and thinner local amenities, with park access 85% below the peer median.
Palmerston'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
Inner metropolitan suburb · compared with inner metropolitan suburbs in Australian Capital Territory (45)
Who it suits
Housing, growth and risk
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median land value
$472k
+4.9% unimproved value
Median rent (Census)
$450/wk
2021 Census median weekly rent
Population (ERP)
5,675
+0.2% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
3.8%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#59
among Metro Canberra · Established
Crime rate
57th
percentile in state (higher = more crime)
Pop. growth
46th
percentile in ACT
Rented dwellings
29%
2021 Census tenure
Advantage (IRSAD)
9/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
78th
percentile among schools with ICSEA
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Data sources & freshness
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
Estimated resident population
5,675(June 2025)
+0.2% annual · -1.1% over 5 years · 46th percentile in ACT
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
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 (~5,600), extrapolated at -0.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census
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
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
38.3% of adults have a university degree, compared with 42.9% across Australian Capital Territory. 12.8% have a trade or vocational qualification.
Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).
| Measure | Definition |
|---|---|
| University qualified | Bachelor degree or higher |
| Diploma qualified | Advanced Diploma / Diploma |
| Trade / vocational | Certificate III + IV |
| Year 12 | Year 12 as highest attainment |
| Below Year 12 | Year 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
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
32nd percentile in ACT · +24% vs Australia
24th percentile in ACT · +22% vs Australia
48th percentile in ACT · +16% vs Australia
28th percentile in ACT · +12% vs Australia
84th percentile in ACT · -13% vs Australia
Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2913 — 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.
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
32.2% speak a language other than English at home; 32.2% born overseas
Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).
40.4%Most common religion · Christianity
Christianity is the most common response at 40.4%, while 39.8% reported no religion.
| Measure | Suburb | State |
|---|---|---|
| No religion | 39.8% | 43.5% |
| Christianity | 40.4% | 38.1% |
| Hinduism | 3.5% | 4.5% |
| Islam | 4.6% | 3.2% |
| Buddhism | 4.6% | 2.8% |
| Other / not stated | 7.2% | 7.9% |
| Denomination | Suburb | State |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 18.1% | 19.3% |
| Anglican | 8.8% | 8.2% |
| Christian (not further defined) | 3.1% | 2.3% |
| Eastern Orthodox | 2.4% | 1.5% |
2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.
Data sources & freshness
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates
Data sources & freshness
Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)
Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts
Data sources & freshness
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)
Childcare centres per 1,000 residents
Data sources & freshness
60 mapped amenities
1 supermarkets · 1 fast food · 6 playgrounds
26 bus stops
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
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
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
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
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.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
Development applications from ACT planning register.
January 2026
July 2025
May 2025
January 2025
August 2024
February 2024
November 2023
May 2023
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
August 2021
April 2021
October 2020
February 2020
Data sources & freshness
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
Two-party preferred (2025)
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 3.1 km away).
1.6 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +9.8 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
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
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).
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
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Similar population and socio-economic profile elsewhere in Australian Capital Territory or interstate.