Aranda
Statistical Area - sa2

An assessment of population growth drivers in Aranda reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

Aranda's population is around 2,584 as of Aug 2025. This reflects a decrease since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 2,605 people. The change is inferred from ABS data showing an estimated resident population of 2,582 in June 2024 and validated new addresses since the Census date. Population density stands at 1,656 persons per square kilometer, above national averages assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration contributed approximately 77.9% of overall population gains recently.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered and years post-2032, ACT Government's SA2 area projections are used, also with a 2022 base. Future population dynamics indicate an overall decline by 2041, with the area's population expected to contract by 319 persons. However, specific age cohorts are projected to grow, notably the 45 to 54 age group by 4 people.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Aranda according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Aranda has received approximately 10 dwelling approvals annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that between financial years 2020 to 2025, 53 dwellings were approved, with none recorded so far in the current financial year 2026. Over these five years, an average of 0.8 people moved to Aranda per dwelling built, suggesting supply meets or exceeds demand. The average construction cost of new dwellings is $399,000, slightly above the regional average.

This year has seen $1.2 million in commercial approvals, indicating minimal commercial development activity compared to residential. Aranda records around 65% of building activity per person compared to the Australian Capital Territory and ranks among the 61st percentile nationally. Recent construction comprises 57.0% detached houses and 43.0% medium and high-density housing, reflecting a shift from the existing 87.0% houses. With around 260 people per approval, Aranda is considered a low density area.

Population projections indicating stability or decline suggest reduced housing demand pressures in the future.

Aranda has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 25thth percentile nationally

No infrastructure changes in the area will influence performance more than local developments. AreaSearch has identified zero projects that could impact this region. Notable initiatives include Bruce Residential Development Zone, Bruce Commercial Centre Expansion, CIT Yurauna Building, and Onderra. Below is a list of those considered most relevant.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

Employment performance in Aranda has been broadly consistent with national averages

Aranda has an educated workforce with professional services well-represented. Its unemployment rate is 3.2%, lower than the Australian Capital Territory's (ACT) 3.4%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 2.6%. As of June 2025, 1,361 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 0.2% below ACT's. Workforce participation is lower at 64.2%, compared to ACT's 69.6%. Employment is concentrated in public administration & safety, education & training, and professional & technical services.

Education & training has a particularly high share of employment, at 1.6 times the regional level. Health care & social assistance, however, has limited presence with 9.5% compared to the regional 11.7%. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities. In the 12 months prior, employment increased by 2.6%, while labour force grew by 1.6%, reducing unemployment by 1.0 percentage points. This contrasts with ACT, where employment rose by 1.9% and unemployment fell by 0.3%. State-level data to Sep-25 shows ACT employment contracted by 0.33%, losing 1,480 jobs, with an unemployment rate of 4.2%. National figures show an unemployment rate of 4.5% and employment growth of 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Aranda's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.6%% over five years and 13.4% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

The economic profile demonstrates exceptional strength, placing the area among the top 10% nationally based on comprehensive AreaSearch income analysis

AreaSearch's data for financial year 2022 shows Aranda's median income is $76,660 and average income is $96,204. This contrasts with ACT's median of $68,678 and average of $83,634. By March 2025, estimated incomes would be approximately $84,924 (median) and $106,575 (average), based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.78%. The 2021 Census ranks Aranda's incomes highly nationally, between the 96th and 98th percentiles for households, families, and individuals. Income distribution shows 37.1% earn over $4,000 weekly, with 52.6% earning above $3,000 weekly. After housing costs, residents retain 90.2% of income. Aranda's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

Aranda is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

The dwelling structure in Aranda, as evaluated at the latest Census, consisted of 87.3% houses and 12.7% other dwellings such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This compares to the Australian Capital Territory's figures of 69.4% houses and 30.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Aranda stood at 44.7%, with mortgaged dwellings at 38.8% and rented properties at 16.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,500, higher than the Australian Capital Territory average of $2,000. The median weekly rent figure for Aranda was recorded at $530, compared to the Australian Capital Territory's $430. Nationally, Aranda's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Aranda features high concentrations of group households and family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 78.7% of all households, including 39.6% couples with children, 30.2% couples without children, and 8.2% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 21.3%, with lone person households at 16.3% and group households making up 4.9%. The median household size is 2.8 people, larger than the Australian Capital Territory average of 2.5.

Educational achievement in Aranda places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

Educational attainment in Aranda is notably high with 62.5% of residents aged 15 and above holding university qualifications. This compares to 30.4% nationally and 43.8% in the SA3 area. Bachelor degrees are most common at 30.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (24.5%) and graduate diplomas (7.3%). Vocational pathways account for 16.2%, with advanced diplomas at 8.1% and certificates also at 8.1%.

Educational participation is high, with 31.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.3% in primary, 9.0% in secondary, and 7.8% in tertiary education. Aranda Primary School and St Vincent's Primary School serve a total of 695 students. These schools focus exclusively on primary education, with secondary options available nearby. The area functions as an educational hub with 26.9 school places per 100 residents, significantly higher than the regional average of 15.1. This attracts students from surrounding communities.

Transport servicing is low compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility

The analysis of public transport in Aranda shows that there are 13 active transport stops currently operating. These stops primarily service buses, with a total of 4 individual routes providing passenger trips. Each week, these routes collectively offer 211 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility of the transport system is rated as good, with residents typically residing approximately 228 meters away from their nearest transport stop. On average, across all routes, there are about 30 trips per day, which equates to around 16 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Aranda is notably higher than the national average with prevalence of common health conditions low among the general population though higher than the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Aranda demonstrates above-average health outcomes with prevalence of common health conditions low among its general population but higher than the national average across older, at-risk cohorts. Approximately 69% of Aranda's total population (1,790 people) has private health cover, compared to 57.1% in Australian Capital Territory and a national average of 55.3%. The most common medical conditions are arthritis and mental health issues, affecting 8.7 and 7.9% of residents respectively, while 70.1% report being completely clear of medical ailments compared to 68.1% in Australian Capital Territory.

Aranda has a higher percentage of residents aged 65 and over at 19.6% (505 people), compared to the 15.3% in Australian Capital Territory, indicating that this cohort may require more attention than the broader population.

Aranda was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Aranda's population had a higher cultural diversity than most local markets, with 15.8% speaking a language other than English at home and 26.5% born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion in Aranda, accounting for 31.0% of its population. Notably, Judaism was overrepresented compared to the Australian Capital Territory, comprising 0.4% of Aranda's population versus 0.1%.

The top three ancestry groups were English at 26.3%, Australian at 25.0%, and Irish at 10.0%. Certain ethnic groups showed notable differences: Polish was overrepresented at 1.1% compared to the regional average of 0.8%, Welsh at 0.8% versus 0.6%, and Hungarian at 0.4% against 0.3%.

Aranda hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

Aranda's median age is 42, which is higher than the Australian Capital Territory figure of 35 and significantly higher than Australia's overall median age of 38. Compared to the ACT average, Aranda has a notably over-represented 5-14 cohort (15.1% locally) while under-representing those aged 25-34 (10.0%). From 2021 onwards, the population aged 15 to 24 increased from 11.7% to 12.9%, and the 45 to 54 cohort grew from 13.0% to 14.1%. Conversely, the 55 to 64 age group declined from 13.0% to 10.9%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests Aranda's age profile will evolve significantly with notable expansion in the 45 to 54 cohort, projected to increase by 5 people (2%) from 363 to 369. Conversely, both 85+ and 65 to 74 age groups are expected to see reduced numbers.