Turner

Population growth drivers in Turner are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Turner's population is approximately 4,754 as of February 2026. This represents an increase of 284 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 4,470. The change is inferred from an estimated resident population of 4,734 in June 2024 and an additional 149 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 3,087 persons per square kilometer, placing Turner in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Over the past decade, Turner has shown resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 1.7%, outperforming the national average. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 79.7% of overall population gains during recent periods.

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, age group growth rates from the ACT Government's SA2 area projections are adopted, using 2022 as the base year. Looking ahead, Turner is projected to experience above median population growth among statistical areas nationally, with an expected increase of 988 persons by 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a total increase of 20.4% over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential approval activity sees Turner among the top 30% of areas assessed nationwide

Turner has recorded approximately 55 residential properties granted approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, around 278 homes were approved, with a further 480 approved in FY26 so far. On average, about 1.2 people have moved to the area for each dwelling built over these five years, indicating a balanced supply and demand market that supports stable conditions.

New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $286,000. This year, around $1.2 million in commercial approvals have been registered, suggesting minimal commercial development activity. Comparatively, Turner shows 12.0% lower construction activity per person than the Australian Capital Territory. However, it ranks among the 92nd percentile of areas assessed nationally, reflecting strong developer confidence in the area despite the recent acceleration in building activity. The new building activity comprises approximately 4.0% detached dwellings and 96.0% attached dwellings, focusing on higher-density living that creates more affordable entry points for downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers.

With around 491 people per approval, Turner indicates a mature market with current population forecasts estimating an increase of 968 residents by 2041 (based on the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Given current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Turner has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 31stth percentile nationally

The performance of an area is significantly influenced by changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified a total of thirty projects that are expected to impact the area. Notable projects include Zarah, Ikon Place - Section 19 Braddon, Lonsdale & Girrahween - Braddon (Section 34), and Botanical Turner. The following list details those projects likely to be most relevant.

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.

Employment performance in Turner exceeds national averages across key labour market indicators

Turner has an educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate is 3.1%, lower than the Australian Capital Territory's (ACT) 3.6%. Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 1.2%.

As of September 2025, Turner had 3,380 residents employed, with an unemployment rate of 0.4% below ACT's rate and workforce participation at 78.5%, higher than ACT's 72.5%. Only 13.1% of residents work from home, though Covid-19 impacts may affect this figure. Dominant employment sectors include public administration & safety, professional & technical services, and education & training. Public administration & safety has a notable concentration with employment levels at 1.3 times the regional average.

Health care & social assistance is under-represented, at 7.5% compared to ACT's 11.7%. The area offers limited local employment opportunities, indicated by the working population vs resident population count. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment increased by 1.2%, while labour force grew by 1.2%, keeping unemployment broadly flat. In contrast, ACT recorded employment growth of 1.4% and a fall in unemployment of 0.2 percentage points. National employment forecasts from May-25 project national employment to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Turner's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.5% over five years and 13.1% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localised population projections.

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

The median taxpayer income in Turner SA2, based on AreaSearch's aggregation of postcode level ATO data for financial year 2023, is $78,070. The average income for the same period is $94,704. These figures are significantly higher than the national averages for median and average incomes in the Australian Capital Territory, which stand at $72,206 and $85,981 respectively. By September 2025, taking into account a Wage Price Index growth of 9.26% since financial year 2023, the estimated median income would be approximately $85,299 and the average income around $103,474. Income data from the 2021 Census places Turner SA2 in the top percentiles nationally for household, family, and personal incomes, ranging between the 84th and 97th percentiles. The income distribution shows that 38.6% of individuals earn within the $1,500 - 2,999 range, which is consistent with broader regional trends at 34.3%. Notably, 36.8% of residents have incomes above $3,000 per week, indicating strong economic capacity in the suburb. Despite high housing costs consuming 16.4% of income, disposable income remains at the 83rd percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it within the 10th decile.

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

In Turner, as evaluated in the latest Census, 12.6% were houses while 87.4% consisted of other dwellings such as semi-detached units, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This contrasts with the Australian Capital Territory's figures of 63.3% houses and 36.7% other dwellings. Home ownership in Turner stood at 18.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 26.6% and rented ones at 55.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $1,901, lower than the Australian Capital Territory average of $2,080. Meanwhile, the median weekly rent figure in Turner was $480, compared to the Australian Capital Territory's $450. Nationally, Turner's mortgage repayments were higher at $1,901 versus the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households constitute 46.9% of all households, including 11.5% couples with children, 29.6% couples without children, and 4.2% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 53.1%, with lone person households at 38.6% and group households comprising 14.8%. The median household size is 2.0 people, which is smaller than the Australian Capital Territory average of 2.5.

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

Turner has a notably high educational attainment compared to broader benchmarks. Specifically, 69.4% of its residents aged 15 and above hold university qualifications, surpassing the national average of 30.4% and the SA4 region's 46.8%. This significant educational advantage positions Turner strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 37.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (25.6%) and graduate diplomas (6.0%).

Technical qualifications make up 10.9% of educational achievements, with advanced diplomas accounting for 5.4% and certificates for 5.5%. Educational participation is notably high in Turner, with 31.8% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 20.7% in tertiary education, 3.8% in primary education, and 3.1% pursuing secondary education.

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

Turner has 25 operational public transport stops offering a mix of lightrail and bus services. These stops are served by 63 unique routes, facilitating 4,635 weekly passenger trips in total. The area's transport accessibility is rated excellent, with residents' average proximity to the nearest stop being 148 meters. Primarily residential, Turner sees most commuters traveling outward. Cars remain the prevalent mode of transport at 48%, followed by walking (22%) and bus use (12%). Vehicle ownership stands at 0.7 per dwelling, lower than the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, only 13.1% of residents work from home, potentially influenced by COVID-19 conditions. Across all routes, service frequency averages 662 trips daily, equating to around 185 weekly trips per individual stop.

Turner's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Turner based on AreaSearch's assessment conducted on 07-05-2021. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence were both low across young and old age cohorts. The rate of private health cover was exceptionally high at approximately 69% of the total population, which numbered 3,265 people.

This compares to 62.4% in Australian Capital Territory and a national average of 55.7%. The most common medical conditions were mental health issues affecting 12.3% of residents and asthma impacting 8.2%, with 70.1% declaring themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 70.2% across Australian Capital Territory. Health outcomes among the working-age population are broadly typical. The area has 10.1% of residents aged 65 and over, numbering 482 people, which is lower than the 14.3% in Australian Capital Territory. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, with national rankings even higher than those for the general population.

Turner 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

Turner was found to have a higher cultural diversity than most local markets, with 32.7% of its population born overseas and 25.8% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Turner, comprising 26.7% of people. However, Judaism is overrepresented compared to the Australian Capital Territory, making up 0.4% of Turner's population versus 0.2%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (22.4%), Australian (19.4%), and Other (11.6%). Notably, Polish (1.1%) French (0.8%), and Korean (0.8%) ethnicities have higher representation in Turner compared to regional averages of 0.8%, 0.5%, and 0.6% respectively.

Turner hosts a very young demographic, ranking in the bottom 10% of areas nationwide

Turner's median age is 31, which is younger than the Australian Capital Territory figure of 35 and substantially under the Australian median of 38. Compared to the Australian Capital Territory, Turner has a higher concentration of 25-34 year-olds (32.7%) but fewer 5-14 year-olds (3.8%). This 25-34 concentration is well above the national figure of 14.4%. Between 2021 and the present, the 35 to 44 age group has grown from 14.6% to 16.3%, while the 25 to 34 cohort increased from 31.7% to 32.7%. Conversely, the 15 to 24 cohort declined from 19.1% to 16.9%, and the 5 to 14 group dropped from 5.2% to 3.8%. Looking ahead to 2041, demographic projections reveal significant shifts in Turner's age structure. The 45 to 54 age cohort is projected to increase solidly by 173 people (37%), from 465 to 639. The 5 to 14 group displays more modest growth at 1%, adding only 0 residents.