ACT · Unincorporated ACT Council

Stirling, 2611

Est. population · Jun 2025

2,189

Growth (1 yr)

-0.1%

Growth (5 yr)

+0.1%

Median age

Median income

$2,206/wk

Employment rate

52.2%

University qualified

36.6%

Work from home

12.6%

Median land value · 2026

$623,000

Languages at home

18.7%non-English

Most common: Malayalam, Italian, Urdu

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

52.6/100

Average

67th in ACT

Verified 89% confidence

How this score is calculated

Using this data? Cite or embed. Publishers

Suburb profile

Stirling 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.

Local school ICSEA scores are among the highest in the peer group, placing it among the highest-ranked middle-ring metropolitan suburbs, and park access is a very strong feature of the suburb, with park access 53% above the peer median. Green cover is an exceptional strength, with green cover 112% above the peer median, and working from home is more common than in comparable places, with working from home 24% above the peer median. The clearer weaknesses are weaker employment and higher crime.

Stirling'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

Local school ICSEA scores are among the highest in the peer group
Green cover is a relative strength
Working from home is more common than in comparable places
Park access is a relative strength

Weaknesses

Employment is a relative weakness
Reported crime is elevated relative to comparable places

What stands out

Nothing distinctive beyond the usual profile.

Who it suits

Families
Professionals
Retirees
StudentsInsufficient data
Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Stirling compares

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

Median land value

$623k

-2.2% unimproved value

Median rent (Census)

$460/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

2,189

-0.1% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

5.3%

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

among Metro Canberra · Mature

Crime rate

68th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

24th

percentile in ACT

Rented dwellings

24%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

9/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

87th

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: 52.6/100 — Average
National rank: 1529th in Australia
State rank: 67th in ACT
Peer rank: #6 among Metro Canberra · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank: #67 among Metro Canberra suburbs
Data confidence: 89%

Data sources & freshness

Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated 1 October 2026 at 2:32 am AEST

Housing

Median unimproved land value (2026): $623,000
Land value change: -2.2%
Valued parcels: 794

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 31 August 2026 at 11:40 am AEST · Annual unimproved land values by parcel, median by suburb

Population

Estimated resident population

2,189(June 2025)

-0.1% annual · +0.1% over 5 years · 24th percentile in ACT

Growth figures & methodology

Annual growth: -0.1%
5-year growth: +0.1%
Change in 1 year: -2
Change in 5 years: +3
Growth rank in ACT: 24th 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 (~2,200), extrapolated at +0.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population: 2,191
Median age: 46
Median household income / week: $2,206
Dwelling vacancy: 5.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings: 43 of 808
Median monthly mortgage: $2,258
Median weekly rent (2021 Census): $460
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented): 45.3% / 31.2% / 23.5%
Employment rate: 52.2%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car): 12.6% / 4.4% / 67.5%
Walked or cycled to work: 2.9%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats): 634 / 128 / 7

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 13 September 2026 at 1:40 pm AEST
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 20 July 2026 at 11:17 am AEST · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

36.6% of adults have a university degree, compared with 42.9% across Australian Capital Territory. 9.8% have a trade or vocational qualification.

University qualified36.6% · 42.9% ACT
Diploma qualified9.3% · 9.3% ACT
Trade / vocational9.8% · 10.7% ACT
Year 12 or below44.2% · 37.1% ACT

Highest qualification field

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

Society and culture21.3%
Management and commerce21.2%
Health10.3%
Education9.9%
Engineering and related technologies8.7%
Natural and physical sciences7.1%

How these groups are defined

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

2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated 12 September 2026 at 9:47 pm AEST
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24): $82,176
Median salary / wages (2023–24): $88,824
Residents with rental investments: 18.0%
Median super balance (2023–24): $106,328
Residents with business income: 7.0%

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2611 — 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: 27,544
Taxpayers reporting net rent: 4,909
Median net rent: -$4,219
Taxpayers reporting business income: 2,047
Taxable income vs state median: +9%
Salary / wages vs state median: +9%
Rental investment vs state median: +13%
Super vs state median: +2%
Business income vs state median: 0%

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 15 September 2026 at 2:49 pm AEST · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

18.7% speak a language other than English at home; 26% born overseas

Language at home: 1,718 English only · 396 other
Non-English at home: 18.7%
Born overseas: 553 (26%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: 42 (1.9%)
Australian citizens: 1,991
Languages spoken at home (other than English): 20

Top languages other than English

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

Malayalam14 · 9.9%
Italian13 · 9.2%
Urdu13 · 9.2%
German11 · 7.8%
Samoan11 · 7.8%
Croatian10 · 7.1%
Cantonese9 · 6.4%
Mandarin8 · 5.7%

Religion

47.4%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 47.4%, while 41.4% reported no religion.

Measure	Suburb	State
No religion	41.4%	43.5%
Christianity	47.4%	38.1%
Hinduism	2.4%	4.5%
Other / not stated	8.8%	13.9%

Christian denominations

Denomination	Suburb	State
Catholic	24%	19.3%
Anglican	11%	8.2%
Uniting Church	3.8%	1.8%
Christian (not further defined)	2.5%	2.3%

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 13 September 2026 at 1:40 pm AEST
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates

Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025): 54
Against the person: 5
Against property: 2
Rate per 1,000 residents: 24.7
Person-crime prevalence: About 1 in 438 residents
State crime-rate percentile: 68.1th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate): +0.3%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb): 0
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank): 0

Most common offence types

Assault - Fv1
Assault - Non-Fv4
Other Offences47
Theft (Excluding Motor Vehicles)1
Property Damage1

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 15 September 2026 at 2:29 am AEST · 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 29 July 2026 at 2:17 am AEST · Quarterly XLSX release

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km: 6
Median school ICSEA (6 schools): 1,109.5
Median ICSEA percentile: 87th

School list

St John Vianney's Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1094 · 83th percentile · LBOTE 16% · 159 students · Top SEA quarter 40% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
Mount Stromlo High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1085 · 80th percentile · LBOTE 19% · 846 students · Top SEA quarter 39% · 0.7 km awayView on My School →
Chapman Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1106 · 86th percentile · LBOTE 18% · 502 students · Top SEA quarter 46% · 1.0 km awayView on My School →
Arawang Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1113 · 88th percentile · LBOTE 17% · 469 students · Top SEA quarter 48% · 1.1 km awayView on My School →
St Jude's Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1131 · 91th percentile · LBOTE 28% · 425 students · Top SEA quarter 52% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
Canberra Montessori SchoolPrimary · Independent · ICSEA 1128 · 91th percentile · LBOTE 26% · 96 students · Top SEA quarter 56% · 2.0 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated 13 July 2026 at 4:36 pm AEST · Annual release
School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated 13 July 2026 at 4:36 pm AEST · Annual release

Amenities

51 mapped amenities

1 pubs · 2 playgrounds

Local character & venue list

Local character

A car helps for daily needs
Great for outdoor family life — 7 parks mapped in suburb, 2 playgrounds nearby
Well connected by public transport — 24 public transport stops

Walkability proxy: 32/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents: 0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents: 0.46
Parks per 1,000 residents: 3.19

Food & drink(1)

Labor ClubPub

Sport & outdoors(16)

CBR Cycle Route C5Cycling route
Signposted route to TuggeranongCycling route
Park (7)
Barlee Place Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
Bunbury Street Central Community PlaygroundPlayground
Danny Serena BallparkSports field
Sports field
Stirling Ground ThreeSports field
alternate Centenary trailWalking trail
Murrumbidgee Discovery TrackWalking trail

Transport(24)

24 bus stops

Other(4)

Parking (7)
Post Box
Bupa StirlingSocial Facility
41 Freemantle Drive
Weston Creek Labor ClubSocial Facility

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 5 September 2026 at 7:20 pm AEST
OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated 5 September 2026 at 1:12 pm AEST

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area: 24.6%
Woodland / forest cover: 1.3%
Parks & woodland features (OSM): 9
Parks (OSM): 7
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 7 September 2026 at 6:18 pm AEST · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital: Tresillian Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Family Centre (4.0 km)
Nearest hospital type: Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency: Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb: 0
Aged-care services: 2
Residential aged-care places: 186

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

Aged-care services

Adria Village LtdSTIRLINGResidential
Warrigal Care StirlingSTIRLINGResidential

Australian Government–subsidised services from the AIHW GEN list (30 June 2025), assigned to this suburb by location.

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

Hospitals, GPs and aged care — OpenStreetMap + AIHW GEN aged care service list · 2025-06-30; current · Updated 7 September 2026 at 6:18 pm AEST

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026): 69
Participants per 1,000 residents: 31.5

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

NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated 20 July 2026 at 11:30 am AEST · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries

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 4 July 2026 at 8:32 pm AEST

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from ACT planning register.

2026· 2 proposals

June 2026
SUBC26 Jun 2026
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted
SUBC25 Jun 2026
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted

2025· 2 proposals

December 2025
SUBC10 Dec 2025
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted
June 2025
SUBC16 Jun 2025
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted

2024· 4 proposals

November 2024
SUBC26 Nov 2024
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted
SUBC15 Nov 2024
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted
June 2024
SUBC22 Jun 2024
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted
SUBC19 Jun 2024
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted

2023· 3 proposals

October 2023
SUBC05 Oct 2023
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted
June 2023
SUBC29 Jun 2023
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted
February 2023
SUBC02 Feb 2023
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted

2022· 3 proposals

August 2022
SUBC31 Aug 2022
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted
SUBC02 Aug 2022
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted
July 2022
SUBC11 Jul 2022
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted

2021· 1 proposal

September 2021
SUBC06 Sep 2021
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted

2020· 2 proposals

November 2020
SUBC23 Nov 2020
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted
March 2020
SUBC30 Mar 2020
STIRLING · WESTON CREEKCompleted

Data sources & freshness

Active & completed development applications — ACT Planning · 2026 · Updated 31 July 2026 at 1:41 am AEST

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone: No overlay at centroid
Flood / inundation overlay: 1.1% 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 7 September 2026 at 6:35 pm AEST

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 3.3 km away).

Coalition 25.7%Labor 74.3%

5.0 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +6.9 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

Waramanga WestLabor 74.5% · Coalition 25.5% TPP (2025)0.7 km away
WestonLabor 72.8% · Coalition 27.2% TPP (2025)0.9 km away
ChapmanLabor 73.0% · Coalition 27.0% TPP (2025)1.0 km away
WaramangaLabor 78.4% · Coalition 21.6% TPP (2025)1.0 km away
HolderLabor 67.2% · Coalition 32.8% TPP (2025)1.7 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

Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated 11 July 2026 at 5:59 pm AEST · 2025 election with by-election overlays

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021): 9/10
IRSD decile (2021): 8/10

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

SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated 1 July 2026 at 4:17 pm AEST

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.

Last updated 1 October 2026 at 2:32 am AEST