Fadden
Statistical Area - sa2

Fadden has shown very soft population growth performance across periods assessed by AreaSearch

Fadden's population is around 2,965 as of Aug 2025. This reflects a decrease of 41 people since the Census in 2021, which reported a population of 3,006 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 2,967 from ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 1 validated new address since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 953 persons per square kilometer. While Fadden experienced a 1.4% decline since census, the SA3 area achieved 0.2% growth, highlighting divergent population trends. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by natural growth contributing approximately 52.1% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, 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 ACT Government's SA2 area projections are adopted, using 2022 as a base. Considering projected demographic shifts, lower quartile growth of national areas is anticipated. The area is expected to increase by 17 persons to 2041 based on the latest population numbers, recording a gain of 0.6% in total over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Fadden is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Fadden has recorded approximately zero residential properties granted approval annually. Development approval data is produced by the ABS on a financial year basis, with two homes approved over the past five financial years (between FY20 and FY25), and zero approvals so far in FY26. Given the population decline during this period, new supply has likely kept pace with demand, offering good choice to buyers.

New properties are constructed at an average value of $500,000, indicating a focus on the premium segment by developers. Compared to the Australian Capital Territory, Fadden shows substantially reduced construction activity (89.0% below regional average per person). This constrained new construction typically reinforces demand and pricing for existing properties. The area's construction level is also below national average, reflecting its maturity and suggesting possible planning constraints. All approved new constructions have been detached houses, preserving the area's suburban nature and attracting space-seeking buyers. With approximately zero people per dwelling approval, Fadden exhibits characteristics of a low-density area.

Fadden has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

No infrastructure projects were identified by AreaSearch that could impact the area. Key planned initiatives include Light Rail Stage 4 to Tuggeranong, Monaro Highway Safety Upgrades, Canberra Hospital Master Plan, and The Centenary Hospital for Women and Children Expansion Project.

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

AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Fadden performing better than 90% of local markets assessed across Australia

Fadden has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. The unemployment rate was 1.1% as of June 2025, with an estimated employment growth of 1.3% over the past year.

In June 2025, 1662 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.3%, lower than the Australian Capital Territory's (ACT) rate of 3.4%. Workforce participation was similar to ACT's 69.6%. Key industries for employment among residents are public administration & safety, health care & social assistance, and professional & technical services.

Accommodation & food services had limited presence with 4.8% employment compared to the regional average of 6.5%. Employment opportunities may be limited locally based on Census data comparison between working population and resident population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 1.3%, labour force increased by 1.6%, causing unemployment rate to rise by 0.3 percentage points in Fadden. In contrast, ACT experienced employment growth of 1.9% and a drop in unemployment rate by 0.3 percentage points. By Sep-25, ACT employment contracted by 0.33% (losing 1480 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.2%, favourably comparing to the national unemployment rate of 4.5%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 estimate growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Fadden's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.6%% over five years and 13.5% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

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

Fadden has a median taxpayer income of $80,083 and an average of $93,514, according to the latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2022. This is among the top percentile nationally, contrasting with Australian Capital Territory's median income of $68,678 and average income of $83,634. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.78% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $88,716 (median) and $103,595 (average) as of March 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Fadden, between the 97th and 99th percentiles nationally. The data shows the $4000+ bracket dominates with 38.1% of residents (1,129 people), unlike trends the region where 34.3% fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 range. The substantial proportion of high earners (55.8% above $3,000/week) indicates strong economic capacity throughout Fadden. After housing costs, residents retain 90.8% of income, reflecting strong purchasing power and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

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

Dwelling structure in Fadden, as per the latest Census, consisted of 96.8% houses and 3.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Australian Capital Territory's 79.6% houses and 20.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Fadden was at 45.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 48.4% and rented ones at 6.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,383, higher than the Australian Capital Territory average of $2,000. Median weekly rent was recorded at $620, compared to Australian Capital Territory's $425. Nationally, Fadden's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 86.0% of all households, including 44.0% couples with children, 33.1% couples without children, and 8.1% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 14.0%, with lone person households at 12.7% and group households comprising 1.2% of the total. The median household size is 2.9 people, larger than the Australian Capital Territory average of 2.6.

Fadden shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Educational attainment in Fadden is notably high, with 47.1% of residents aged 15 and above holding university qualifications, compared to the national average of 30.4% and the SA3 area average of 31.1%. This educational advantage indicates strong potential for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 26.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (14.5%) and graduate diplomas (6.6%). Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 25.6% of residents aged 15 and above holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (11.6%) and certificates (14.0%).

Educational participation is high, with 28.4% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, comprising 10.1% in primary, 8.6% in secondary, and 5.4% pursuing tertiary education. Fadden Primary School serves the local area, with an enrollment of 233 students as of a recent report. The school focuses exclusively on primary education, with secondary options available in nearby areas. School places per 100 residents stand at 7.8, below the regional average of 14.9, suggesting some students may attend schools outside Fadden.

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

Transport analysis indicates 23 active stops operating within Fadden. These are served by buses along five routes, offering 531 weekly passenger trips in total. Transport accessibility is rated excellent, with residents typically located 184 meters from the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 75 trips daily across all routes, equating to approximately 23 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Fadden is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Fadden shows superior health outcomes with both younger and older age groups having low prevalence of common health conditions. The rate of private health cover stands at approximately 68% of the total population (2022 people), higher than the Australian Capital Territory's 57.2% and the national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis and asthma, affecting 8.7 and 8.0% of residents respectively, while 69.6% report no medical ailments, compared to 66.1% in Australian Capital Territory.

19.8% of residents are aged 65 and over (587 people), higher than the Australian Capital Territory's 17.6%. Health outcomes among seniors are notably strong, outperforming the general population in health metrics.

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

Fadden's cultural diversity was above average, with 23.8% of its population born overseas and 15.3% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Fadden, comprising 52.0%. However, Islam showed an overrepresentation compared to regional averages, making up 2.0% of Fadden's population against the Australian Capital Territory's average of 2.4%.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups were English (26.4%), Australian (24.0%), and Irish (9.4%). Notably, Serbian (0.7%) and Croatian (1.1%) ethnicities were overrepresented in Fadden compared to regional averages of 0.4% and 0.8%, respectively. Welsh ethnicity also showed a notable divergence at 0.8%.

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

Fadden's median age is 42, which is considerably higher than the Australian Capital Territory figure of 35 and significantly higher than Australia's 38 years. Compared to the ACT average, Fadden has an over-representation of the 65-74 cohort (12.9% locally) and an under-representation of the 25-34 age group (6.0%). From 2021 to present, the 15-24 age group has grown from 10.9% to 13.3%, while the 75-84 cohort increased from 4.1% to 5.5%. Conversely, the 55-64 cohort declined from 15.5% to 13.5%, and the 25-34 group dropped from 7.8% to 6.0%. Demographic modeling suggests that by 2041, Fadden's age profile will evolve significantly. The 45-54 age cohort is projected to expand by 80 people (21%), growing from 386 to 467. Conversely, both the 25-34 and 0-4 age groups are projected to see reduced numbers.