Aranda

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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Aranda's population is around 2,584 as of Feb 2026. This reflects a decrease of 21 people (0.8%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 2,605 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 2,582 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 8 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 1,656 persons per square kilometer, which is above the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 77.9% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, and for years post-2032, age group growth rates from the ACT Government's SA2 area projections, with 2022 as a base, are adopted. Anticipating future population dynamics, projections indicate a decline in overall population, with the area's population expected to contract by 319 persons by 2041 according to this methodology. However, growth across specific age cohorts is anticipated, led by the 45 to 54 age group, which is projected to grow by 4 people. See the age section for more details.

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

Aranda has experienced around 9 dwellings receiving development approval each year, with 49 homes approved over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25) and 1 so far in FY-26. At an average of just 0.8 new residents per year arriving per new home over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), new construction is matching or outpacing demand, offering buyers more options and enabling population growth that could exceed current expectations, while new homes are being built at an average value of $314,000—slightly above the regional average—suggesting a focus on quality developments. Additionally, $1.2 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded this financial year, demonstrating the area's residential nature.

Compared to the Australian Capital Territory, Aranda has around two-thirds the rate of new dwelling approvals per person while it places among the 60th percentile of areas assessed nationally. New building activity shows 57.0% standalone homes and 43.0% townhouses or apartments, showing an expanding range of medium-density options creating a mix of opportunities across price brackets, from traditional family housing to more affordable compact alternatives. This represents a notable shift from the area's existing housing (currently 87.0% houses), indicating decreasing availability of developable sites and reflecting changing lifestyles and the need for more diverse, affordable housing options. With around 260 people per dwelling approval, Aranda shows characteristics of a low density area.

Given stable or declining population forecasts, Aranda may experience less housing pressure, creating favourable conditions for buyers.

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

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total 0 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include Bruce Precinct (Section 15), Bruce Residential Development Zone, Bruce Commercial Centre Expansion, and New Northside Hospital (North Canberra Hospital Redevelopment), with the list below detailing those likely to be of most relevance.

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

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

AreaSearch assessment positions Aranda ahead of most Australian regions for employment performance

Aranda has a highly educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation, an unemployment rate of just 2.9%, and 2.9% in estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 1,339 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 0.9% below the Australian Capital Territory's rate of 3.8%, and workforce participation lags significantly (66.4% compared to the Australian Capital Territory's 72.6%). Based on Census responses, a moderate 16.7% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

Leading employment industries among residents comprise public administration & safety, education & training, and professional & technical. The area has a particular employment specialization in education & training, with an employment share 1.6 times the regional level. In contrast, health care & social assistance employs just 9.5% of local workers, below the Australian Capital Territory's 11.7%. The predominantly residential area appears to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of the Census working population versus the resident population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, over the 12 months to December 2025, employment increased by 2.9% while the labour force increased by 1.1%, causing the unemployment rate to fall by 1.7 percentage points. This contrasts with the Australian Capital Territory, where employment rose by 0.9%, the labour force grew by 1.2%, and unemployment rose 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Aranda. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, have been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. While national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Aranda's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.6% over five years and 13.4% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

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

The Aranda SA2's income level is among the top percentile nationally according to the latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for FY-23. The Aranda SA2's median income among taxpayers is $81,229 and the average income stands at $99,921, which compares to figures for the Australian Capital Territory's of $72,206 and $85,981 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 9.26% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $88,751 (median) and $109,174 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 income data shows household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Aranda, between the 96th and 98th percentiles nationally. Income analysis reveals the $4000+ bracket dominates with 37.1% of residents (958 people), contrasting with the surrounding region where the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket leads at 34.3%. Higher earners represent a substantial presence with 52.6% exceeding $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power within the community. After housing costs, residents retain 90.2% of income, reflecting strong purchasing power and the area'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

Dwelling structure within Aranda, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 87.3% houses and 12.7% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), in comparison to the Australian Capital Territory's 63.3% houses and 36.7% other dwellings. Meanwhile, the level of home ownership within Aranda was well beyond that of the Australian Capital Territory, at 44.7%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (38.8%) or rented (16.4%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was well above the Australian Capital Territory average at $2,500, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $530, compared to the Australian Capital Territory's $2,080 and $450. Nationally, Aranda's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are 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 dominate at 78.7% of all households, comprising 39.6% couples with children, 30.2% couples without children, and 8.2% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 21.3%, with lone person households at 16.3% and group households comprising 4.9% of the total. The median household size of 2.8 people is 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 significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 62.5% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 30.4% in Australia and 43.8% in the SA3 area. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 30.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (24.5%) and graduate diplomas (7.3%). Vocational pathways account for 16.2% of qualifications among those aged 15+; advanced diplomas (8.1%) and certificates (8.1%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 31.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.3% in primary education, 9.0% in secondary education, and 7.8% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 13 active transport stops operating within Aranda, comprising a mix of light rail and buses. These stops are serviced by 52 individual routes, collectively providing 2,735 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located 232 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 79%, with 10% by bus and 7% cycling. Vehicle ownership averages 1.5 per dwelling, which is above the regional average. Some 16.7% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 390 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 210 weekly trips per individual stop.

Aranda's residents are extremely healthy with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Aranda, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Younger cohorts in particular see very low prevalence of common health conditions, and the rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 70% of the total population (1,819 people). This compares to 62.4% across the Australian Capital Territory. The national average is 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions in the area were found to be arthritis and mental health issues, impacting 8.7% and 7.9% of residents, respectively, while 70.1% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 70.2% across the Australian Capital Territory. Working-age residents are notably healthy with low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 19.7% of residents aged 65 and over (508 people), which is higher than the 14.3% in the Australian Capital Territory, though ranking lower nationally than the broader population.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Aranda was found to be slightly above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Aranda is more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets, with 15.8% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 26.5% born overseas. The main religion in Aranda is Christianity, which makes up 31.0% of people. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Judaism, which comprises 0.4% of the population, compared to 0.2% across the Australian Capital Territory.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Aranda are English, comprising 26.3% of the population, Australian, comprising 25.0% of the population, and Irish, comprising 10.0% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Polish is notably overrepresented at 1.1% of Aranda (vs 0.8% regionally), Welsh at 0.8% (vs 0.6%) and Hungarian at 0.4% (vs 0.3%).

Aranda's median age exceeds the national pattern

With a median age of 42, Aranda is considerably higher than the Australian Capital Territory figure of 35 and similarly significantly higher than Australia's 38 years. Compared to the Australian Capital Territory average, the 5 - 14 cohort is notably over-represented (15.0% locally), while 25 - 34 year-olds are under-represented (9.6%). In the period since 2021, the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 11.7% to 13.1% of the population, while the 45 to 54 cohort increased from 13.0% to 14.1%. Conversely, the 55 to 64 cohort has declined from 13.0% to 11.0%. Demographic modeling suggests Aranda's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041. The 45 to 54 age cohort is projected to see notable expansion, increasing by 5 people (2%) from 363 to 369. Conversely, both the 85+ and 0 to 4 age groups will see reduced numbers.