Kingston (ACT)
Statistical Area - sa2

Kingston lies within the top 10% of areas nationally in terms of population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of short and medium-term trends

Kingston (ACT) had a population of around 7,338 as of Aug 2025. This figure reflects an increase of 759 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 6,579 people. The change is inferred from ABS's estimated resident population of 7,338 in June 2024 and 13 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 5,241 persons per square kilometer, placing Kingston among the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Kingston's growth rate of 11.5% since the 2021 census exceeded both the state (5.7%) and SA4 region averages. Overseas migration contributed approximately 42.4% to overall population gains, with interstate migration and natural growth also being positive factors.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data or years post-2032, age group growth rates from the ACT Government's SA2 area projections are used, also based on 2022. Based on these projections, Kingston is forecast to increase its population by 3,168 persons to 2041, reflecting a total increase of 43.2% over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within Kingston when compared nationally

Kingston has averaged approximately 168 new dwelling approvals annually. Development approval data is produced by the ABS on a financial year basis, totalling 844 approvals across the past five financial years from FY20 to FY25, with no approvals yet recorded in FY26. On average, 7.9 new residents arrive per year for each dwelling constructed over these five years. This has resulted in demand significantly outpacing supply, putting upward pressure on prices and increasing competition among buyers.

Developers focus on the premium market, with an average construction value of $682,000 for new properties. There have been $10.1 million in commercial approvals this financial year, indicating moderate levels of commercial development. Compared to the Australian Capital Territory, Kingston has roughly two-thirds the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and falls within the 26th percentile of areas assessed nationally, suggesting limited buyer options while strengthening demand for established dwellings. Recent development has exclusively comprised townhouses or apartments, promoting higher-density living that creates more affordable entry points and caters to downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers.

Kingston currently has approximately 3779 people per dwelling approval, indicating an established market. Future projections anticipate Kingston adding 3168 residents by 2041. Based on current development patterns, new housing supply should readily meet demand, offering favourable conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating further population growth beyond current projections.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified one major project likely impacting this region: National Security Office Precinct at York Park, Cromwell Office Building Development on Dairy Rd, Fyshwick, and Ngurra Cultural Precinct.

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

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

Kingston ACT has a highly educated workforce with strong professional services representation. Its unemployment rate was 0.6% as of June 2025.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 1.8%. In June 2025, 5,623 residents were employed with an unemployment rate of 2.8%, below the ACT's rate of 3.4%. Workforce participation in Kingston was 75.3%, higher than the ACT average of 69.6%. Major employment industries among residents include public administration & safety, professional & technical services, and health care & social assistance.

Public administration & safety has a notable concentration with employment levels at 1.5 times the regional average. Construction is under-represented in Kingston, with only 2.8% of its workforce compared to 6.8% in ACT. Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census data. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 1.8% while labour force increased by 1.6%, reducing the unemployment rate by 0.2 percentage points. In comparison, ACT saw employment growth of 1.9%, labour force expansion of 1.6%, and a reduction in unemployment of 0.3 percentage points. As of Sep-25, ACT's employment contracted by 0.33% (losing 1,480 jobs), with an unemployment rate of 4.2%. National unemployment was 4.5% with national employment growth at 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia forecasts national employment to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Kingston's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.3% over five years and 12.9% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

Kingston's income level is among the top percentile nationally according to latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2022. Kingston's median income among taxpayers is $98,743 and average income stands at $121,767. These figures compare to Australian Capital Territory's of $68,678 and $83,634 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.78% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $109,387 (median) and $134,893 (average) as of March 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Kingston, between the 90th and 99th percentiles nationally. Distribution data shows the $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band captures 40.8% of the community (2,993 individuals), mirroring regional levels where 34.3% occupy this bracket. Higher earners represent a substantial presence with 43.1% exceeding $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power within the community. High housing costs consume 16.2% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 89th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

Kingston features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Kingston's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 3.0% houses and 96.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, the Australian Capital Territory had 40.7% houses and 59.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in Kingston was at 17.8%, with mortgaged dwellings at 30.8% and rented dwellings at 51.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,950, below the Australian Capital Territory average of $2,275. The median weekly rent figure was $510, compared to the Australian Capital Territory's $500. Nationally, Kingston's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Kingston features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 48.3% of all households, including 10.7% that are couples with children, 30.9% that are couples without children, and 6.1% that are single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 51.7%, with lone person households at 44.4% and group households comprising 7.2%. The median household size is 1.8 people, which is smaller than the Australian Capital Territory average of 2.2.

Kingston performs slightly above the national average for education, showing competitive qualification levels and steady academic outcomes

Kingston has a higher percentage of residents aged 15 and above with university qualifications compared to national and regional averages. Specifically, 71.5% of Kingston residents hold such qualifications, while the Australian average is 30.4%, and the SA4 region average is 46.8%. This indicates that Kingston has a significant educational advantage. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 38.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 25.2% and graduate diplomas at 8.1%.

Vocational pathways account for 15.1% of qualifications among those aged 15 and above, with advanced diplomas making up 8.0% and certificates 7.1%. Educational participation is notably high in Kingston, with 27.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 14.1% in tertiary education, 4.5% in primary education, and 3.5% pursuing secondary education. However, educational facilities appear to be located outside the immediate catchment boundaries, requiring families to access schools in neighboring areas.

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

The analysis of public transport in Kingston reveals that there are 24 active transport stops currently operating. These comprise a mix of train stations and bus stops. A total of 48 individual routes service these stops, collectively offering 1,753 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility of transport is rated as good, with residents typically located within 200 meters from the nearest stop. On average, there are 250 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 73 weekly trips per individual stop.

Kingston's residents are extremely healthy with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Analysis shows Kingston's health metrics are strong with low prevalence of common conditions across all ages. Private health cover is high at approximately 79% (5,826 people), compared to the national average of 55.3%.

Mental health issues and asthma are most common, affecting 9.8% and 8.6% respectively. 71.8% report no medical ailments, higher than Australian Capital Territory's 69.8%. The area has 13.9% seniors (1,019 people), lower than ACT's 19.9%. Seniors' health outcomes are strong and outperform the general population in metrics.

Kingston 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

Kingston has a higher cultural diversity than most other local markets, with 26.9% of its population born overseas and 18.6% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Kingston, accounting for 34.0% of the population. However, Judaism stands out as overrepresented, comprising 0.7% compared to the Australian Capital Territory's 0.6%.

The top three ancestry groups based on parental country of birth are English (25.8%), Australian (19.9%), and Irish (11.0%). Notably, French, Russian, and Welsh ethnicities are also overrepresented in Kingston at 1.2%, 0.6%, and 0.8% respectively, compared to regional figures of 0.9%, 0.4%, and 0.7%.

Kingston's population is younger than the national pattern

Kingston has a median age of 35, which matches that of the Australian Capital Territory and is slightly lower than Australia's median age of 38. Compared to the Australian Capital Territory, Kingston has a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (29.1%) but fewer residents aged 5-14 (3.8%). The concentration of residents aged 25-34 in Kingston is significantly higher than the national average of 14.5%. Between the 2021 Census and the present, the proportion of residents aged 75-84 has increased from 3.3% to 5.2%, while the proportion of those aged 35-44 has risen from 18.3% to 19.7%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 15-24 has decreased from 9.2% to 7.8%, and the proportion of those aged 25-34 has dropped from 30.4% to 29.1%. Population forecasts for Kingston indicate significant demographic shifts by 2041, with the strongest projected growth in the 35-44 age cohort, which is expected to increase by 43%, adding 613 residents to reach a total of 2,057.