Nicholls
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Nicholls' population was 6,680 as of August 2021. By June 2024, it had decreased to 6,517, a drop of 163 people or 2.4%. This decrease is inferred from ABS data and address validation since the Census date in 2021. The population density as of June 2024 was 972 persons per square kilometer. Overseas migration contributed approximately 72.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

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 and years post-2032, age group growth rates from the ACT Government's SA2 area projections are adopted, also using 2022 as the base year. According to these projections, Nicholls' population is expected to contract by 507 persons by 2041. However, the 65 to 74 age group is projected to increase by 112 people during this period.

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

Nicholls has averaged approximately two new dwelling approvals annually. Development approval data, produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on a financial year basis, shows 14 approvals in total across the past five financial years from FY20 to FY25, with no approvals recorded so far in FY26. The population decline in recent years suggests that new supply has likely been meeting demand, offering buyers good choice.

Additionally, $1.4 million in commercial approvals have been registered this financial year, indicating minimal commercial development activity compared to the Australian Capital Territory and nationally. This limited new supply generally supports stronger demand and values for established homes due to market maturity and possible development constraints. Recent development has consisted entirely of detached dwellings, maintaining Nicholls' traditional suburban character with a focus on family homes appealing to those seeking space, at around 0 people per dwelling approval. With population expected to remain stable or decline, Nicholls should see reduced pressure on housing, potentially creating opportunities for buyers.

With population expected to remain stable or decline, Nicholls should see reduced pressure on housing, potentially creating opportunities for buyers.

Nicholls has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 30thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified nine projects likely influencing the region. Notable ones are Second Gungahlin College (Nicholls), Gold Creek Homestead Precinct, Gold Creek School Senior Campus expansion, and Gungahlin Community Facilities Upgrades. Below is a list of most relevant projects.

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

Nicholls ranks among the top 25% of areas assessed nationally for overall employment performance

Nicholls has a highly educated workforce with strong professional services representation. Its unemployment rate was 1.9% in the past year, with estimated employment growth of 1.6%.

As of June 2025, 3,872 residents are employed, and the unemployment rate is 1.5% lower than the Australian Capital Territory's (ACT) rate of 3.4%. Workforce participation is on par with ACT at 69.6%. Leading employment industries include public administration & safety, professional & technical, and education & training.

However, health care & social assistance is under-represented at 8.8%, compared to ACT's 11.7%. Local employment opportunities appear limited based on Census data analysis. Over the year to June 2025, employment increased by 1.6% while labour force grew by 1.6%, keeping unemployment stable. In contrast, ACT saw employment grow by 1.9%, labour force expand by 1.6%, and unemployment fall by 0.3 percentage points. As of Sep-25, ACT employment contracted by 0.33% (losing 1,480 jobs), with an unemployment rate of 4.2%, compared to the national rate of 4.5%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 project growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Nicholls' employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.4% over five years and 13.0% 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

Nicholls shows a median taxpayer income of $70,045 and an average of $81,112 according to latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2022. This is extremely high 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 $77,596 (median) and $89,856 (average) as of March 2025. From the 2021 Census, household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Nicholls, between the 94th and 98th percentiles nationally. The largest income segment comprises 36.3% earning $4000+ weekly (2,365 residents), contrasting with the surrounding region where the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket leads at 34.3%. Economic strength emerges through 52.0% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000. After housing costs, residents retain 90.2% of income, reflecting strong purchasing power and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

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

Nicholls' dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 89.6% houses and 10.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), contrasting with Australian Capital Territory's 66.3% houses and 33.7% other dwellings. Home ownership in Nicholls stood at 41.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 43.7% and rented ones at 14.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,300, surpassing the Australian Capital Territory average of $2,123. Median weekly rent in Nicholls was $502, higher than the Australian Capital Territory figure of $462. Nationally, Nicholls' mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,300 compared to the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Nicholls features high concentrations of family households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 84.5% of all households, including 45.0% couples with children, 30.9% couples without children, and 7.7% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 15.5%, with lone person households at 13.7% and group households making up 1.8%. The median household size is 2.9 people, which aligns with the Australian Capital Territory average.

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

In Nicholls, a higher proportion of residents aged 15 and over have university qualifications compared to the national average. Specifically, 42.7% of Nicholls' residents hold such qualifications, surpassing the Australian benchmark of 30.4%. This educational advantage is evident in various levels of attainment: Bachelor degrees are held by 24.1%, postgraduate qualifications by 13.6%, and graduate diplomas by 5.0% of residents aged 15 and over. Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 25.3% of residents in this age group holding them, including advanced diplomas (11.4%) and certificates (13.9%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 29.5% of Nicholls' residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes primary education (9.1%), secondary education (8.5%), and tertiary education (6.8%). The three schools in Nicholls have a combined enrollment of 2,906 students. The area has above-average socio-educational conditions, with an ICSEA score of 1073. The educational mix includes one primary school, one secondary school, and one K-12 school. As an education hub, Nicholls offers significantly more school places per resident than the regional average, with 44.6 places per 100 residents compared to 14.9. This attracts students from surrounding communities.

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

Nicholls has 51 active public transport stops operating within its boundaries. These stops serve a mix of bus routes, totaling 18 individual routes. Combined, these routes facilitate 1,308 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility of transport in Nicholls is rated as excellent, with residents located an average of 182 meters from the nearest transport stop. On average, there are 186 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 25 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Nicholls demonstrates above-average health outcomes with both young and old age cohorts experiencing low prevalence of common health conditions. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 61% of the total population (3,962 people), compared to 58.6% across Australian Capital Territory. Nationally, this figure stands at 55.3%.

The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, impacting 7.7% and 7.2% of residents respectively. A total of 70.2% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 76.4% across Australian Capital Territory. The area has 18.9% of residents aged 65 and over (1,231 people), which is higher than the 8.3% in Australian Capital Territory. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, performing even better than the general population in health metrics.

Nicholls 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

Nicholls' population showed high diversity with 29.8% born overseas and 25.2% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 52.6%. Buddhism's representation was higher than average in Nicholls at 3.2%, compared to the Australian Capital Territory's 3.9%.

The top ancestry groups were English (23.7%), Australian (22.3%), and Other (9.9%). Notably, Croatian (1.6% vs regional 1.3%), Polish (1.0% vs 0.6%), and Sri Lankan (0.6%) ethnicities showed higher representation in Nicholls compared to regional averages.

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

The median age in Nicholls is 44 years, which is significantly higher than the Australian Capital Territory's average of 35 years and Australia's average of 38 years. The 55-64 age group makes up 16.5% of Nicholls' population, compared to the Australian Capital Territory's rate, whereas the 25-34 age group is less prevalent at 8.5%. This concentration of the 55-64 age group is well above the national average of 11.2%. Post-2021 Census data shows that the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 5.1% to 6.4%, while the 55 to 64 cohort increased from 15.4% to 16.5%. Conversely, the 45 to 54 age group has declined from 17.2% to 14.5%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Nicholls. Leading this shift is the 85+ age group, which is expected to grow by 96%, reaching 166 people from 84. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 100% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 0 to 4 and 15 to 24 age groups are expected to experience population declines.