Campbell
A median age of 28 sits 12 years below the national figure, and that single number explains much of how Campbell behaves. Household income reaches the 97.4th percentile nationally, and the suburb scores decile 10 on the IEO, IRSAD and IRSD SEIFA indexes, the top advantage tier on three of four measures. The young profile traces to its location beside ADFA and the Royal Military College, which pulls in transient residents and lifts the vacancy rate to 19.3%. University qualifications run at 57.8%, which is 27.7 points above national, and the population grew 42.7% over the past decade, far faster than most established areas.
Population
6,564
Median Age
28.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$3,052/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
10
Median House
$685K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The $685,000 median house price is modest for a suburb with incomes in the 97.4th percentile, which makes the buyer maths unusually comfortable here. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,400, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 18.2%, well below the 30% stress threshold and lower than most Canberra suburbs. The stock leans family-friendly: 50.9% are separate houses against 38.1% apartments, and 33.9% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms with another 31.5% at three bedrooms. Only 14.3% are one-bedroom or studio. Owner-occupiers split evenly between outright (30.6%) and mortgage (30.3%), so buyers are not competing against a wall of investor cash, though the 39.1% renter share signals strong rental demand for any purchase.
For Buyers
The $685,000 median house price is modest for a suburb with incomes in the 97.4th percentile, which makes the buyer maths unusually comfortable here. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,400, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 18.2%, well below the 30% stress threshold and lower than most Canberra suburbs. The stock leans family-friendly: 50.9% are separate houses against 38.1% apartments, and 33.9% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms with another 31.5% at three bedrooms. Only 14.3% are one-bedroom or studio. Owner-occupiers split evenly between outright (30.6%) and mortgage (30.3%), so buyers are not competing against a wall of investor cash, though the 39.1% renter share signals strong rental demand for any purchase.
For Investors
A 39.1% renter share gives landlords a deep tenant pool, and weekly rent of $500 against the $685,000 median implies a gross yield near 3.8%, healthier than premium inner-city markets. Rent grew 49.1% over the measured period, the strongest single signal for income investors. The catch is the 19.3% vacancy rate, high by any standard, because the military and student population beside ADFA turns over fast, with mobility at 40.6%. Demand fundamentals are firm: net internal migration adds 136 residents a year and overseas migration another 58, driving 2.57% annual population growth. Development is thin at 10 applications in 12 months, so new supply stays constrained relative to that growth, which supports both rents and capital values over time.
Development Activity
Total DAs
57
Last 12 Months
10
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-16.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Campbell iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Thomas More's Primary School
K-6 · 179 students
Campbell Primary School
K-6 · 267 students
Campbell High School
7-10 · 420 students
Demographics
The median age of 28 is 12 years below national, the defining demographic fact and a direct result of the ADFA and military college presence next door. Males make up 55.9% of residents, an unusual skew that reinforces the institutional driver. University qualifications reach 57.8%, which is 27.7 points above the national figure. Overseas-born residents sit at 22.4%, only 0.8 points above national, so the population is more Anglo-leaning than most high-income areas: English (2,426), Irish (938) and Scottish (779) lead ancestry. The top non-English language is Mandarin with 52 speakers, then French at 29. Average household size is 2.3, which is 0.2 below national, consistent with couples-without-children making up 36.2% of the 3,467 families.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
50.9%
Houses
11.0%
Townhouse
38.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure divides into near-thirds: 30.6% own outright, 30.3% carry a mortgage and 39.1% rent, a renter-heavy split for a high-income area driven by the transient military and student base. Separate houses are 50.9% of stock and apartments 38.1%, with semi-detached at 11.0%. Larger homes dominate, as 33.9% have four or more bedrooms and 31.5% have three, while one-bedroom dwellings are just 14.3%. The $685,000 median house price is low relative to the 97.4th-percentile household income, which keeps both the mortgage-to-income ratio at 18.2% and the rent-to-income ratio at 16.4% comfortably below stress levels. That affordability has been stable, moving only from 34.8% in 2011 to 34.5% in 2021.
Mortgage / mo
$2,400
Rent / wk
$500
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$1,292
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
19.3%
Unoccupied
474
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.2%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
36.2%
Couples, no children
3,467
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce is overwhelmingly public sector: Public Administration employs 54.3% of workers (1,444 people), far above any other industry, reflecting the defence and government institutions in and around the suburb. Professional/Technical follows at 12.3% (327) and Education at 8.3% (220), with Healthcare at 6.7%. By occupation, Managers (1,729) outnumber Professionals (1,195), an inversion that matches the senior defence and bureaucratic roles concentrated here. Unemployment is very low at 2.2% with a full-time rate of 77.6%. SEIFA confirms the strength: IEO and IRSAD both score decile 10, and IRSD reaches decile 10 too. One anomaly is the IER (economic resources) score at decile 8 rather than 10, because the 39.1% renter base lowers aggregate household wealth measures.
Unemployment
6.4%
Labour Force
13,805
Unemployed
889
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
77.6%
Part-time
20.2%
Participation
68.8%
Employed
3,946
Occupations
Top Industries
University
57.8%
Postgraduate
23.9%
Born Overseas
22.4%
Dwellings
1,983
Transport to Work
Active transport defines daily movement: 47.4% of residents walk or cycle to work, far above national, while only 43.8% drive and 4.5% take public transport, reflecting Campbell's compact 5.57 km2 footprint close to the city centre and lake. The suburb scores decile 10 on IRSAD, the top advantage tier nationally, and decile 10 on IRSD for relative disadvantage, so very few residents face deprivation, with only 2.6% (157 people) needing daily assistance. Volunteering runs at 26.9%, higher than most areas. No schools are recorded inside the boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a trade-off offset by the central location and the 57.8% university-qualified population that drives demand for nearby education.
Drive
43.8%
Public Transport
4.5%
Walk / Cycle
47.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+2.57%/yr
(+138 people/yr)
EstablishedCampbell is growing fast for an established suburb: annual population growth runs at 2.57% (about 138 people a year) and the 10-year change reached 42.7%, well above the flat trajectory typical of advantaged areas. Medium forecasts lift the population from 5,365 in 2025 toward 6,009 by 2031. The primary driver is internal migration at 136 net residents a year, with overseas migration adding 58, so the growth is domestic rather than international. The gentrification stage reads as early signs, scoring 44, supported by 49.1% rent growth and 22.0% real income growth over the decade. The young-share fell slightly by 1.3 points, but the overall picture is expansion rather than aging, unusual for a decile 10 suburb.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+58
Net Internal / yr
+136
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Net internal migration +136/yr, Accelerating: -0% → 62%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Campbell compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Campbell a good suburb to live in?
Campbell ranks in decile 10 on the IEO, IRSAD and IRSD SEIFA indexes, the top advantage tier nationally, with household income in the 97.4th percentile. It pairs that with an affordable $685,000 median house price and 47.4% of residents walking or cycling to work, helped by its central 5.57 km2 location.
What is the median house price in Campbell?
The median house price is $685,000, low relative to the suburb's 97.4th-percentile household income. Weekly rent averages $500 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,400, giving a comfortable mortgage-to-income ratio of just 18.2%, below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Campbell?
No schools are recorded inside the Campbell boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The local population is highly educated, with university qualifications at 57.8%, which is 27.7 points above the national figure.
Is Campbell safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Campbell in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 10 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, the highest tier, and only 2.6% of its 6,564 residents need daily assistance, both consistent with a low-disadvantage area.
Is Campbell good for property investment?
Rent of $500 a week against a $685,000 median gives a gross yield near 3.8%, stronger than premium inner-city markets, and rent grew 49.1% over the period. The trade-off is a high 19.3% vacancy rate driven by 40.6% resident turnover from the nearby military and student population.
How is Campbell's population changing?
Population growth runs at 2.57% a year, about 138 people, with a 42.7% rise over 10 years, fast for an established suburb. Medium forecasts lift the count from 5,365 in 2025 to 6,009 by 2031, driven mainly by net internal migration of 136 residents a year.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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