Chisholm
A $565,000 median house price inside Canberra puts Chisholm among the territory's more reachable markets, and the affordability shows in how people hold their homes: 50.6% carry a mortgage, well above the 29.3% who own outright. Household income sits in the 87.8th percentile nationally at $2,292 a week, yet mortgage repayments consume only 20.2% of it, comfortably below the 30% stress line. The population of 5,268 skews young at a median age of 37, which is 3.0 years below the national figure, and the housing stock is almost entirely detached at 95.9% separate houses. With public administration employing 31.8% of workers, this is a public-servant family suburb rather than a high-turnover rental market.
Population
5,268
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,292/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
5
Median House
$565K
Estimated from rent (2025)
At a $565,000 median, Chisholm is one of the cheaper entry points into Canberra's house market, and the stock matches family buyers rather than downsizers: 51.0% of dwellings have three bedrooms and 42.4% have four or more, leaving almost nothing smaller. Separate houses make up 95.9% of dwellings against just 1.0% apartments, so buyers are choosing standalone homes on standard blocks. Affordability is the real draw here, because monthly mortgage repayments average $2,000 and absorb only 20.2% of the 87.8th-percentile household income, far below the 30% mortgage-stress threshold. That cushion explains why 50.6% of residents hold a mortgage rather than rent, a higher owner-occupier lean than most Canberra suburbs and a sign families buy here to settle.
For Buyers
At a $565,000 median, Chisholm is one of the cheaper entry points into Canberra's house market, and the stock matches family buyers rather than downsizers: 51.0% of dwellings have three bedrooms and 42.4% have four or more, leaving almost nothing smaller. Separate houses make up 95.9% of dwellings against just 1.0% apartments, so buyers are choosing standalone homes on standard blocks. Affordability is the real draw here, because monthly mortgage repayments average $2,000 and absorb only 20.2% of the 87.8th-percentile household income, far below the 30% mortgage-stress threshold. That cushion explains why 50.6% of residents hold a mortgage rather than rent, a higher owner-occupier lean than most Canberra suburbs and a sign families buy here to settle.
For Investors
The investment case in Chisholm is thin on yield. Weekly rent of $410 against a $565,000 median implies a gross yield near 3.8%, and only 20.1% of residents rent, a small tenant pool compared with the 50.6% who carry a mortgage. The vacancy rate of 4.1% sits slightly above the tight end of the market, pointing to steady but not scarce demand. Forward demand is weak: the population is forecast to shrink 0.28% a year, with net internal migration of minus 54 outweighing overseas migration of plus 24. Development is almost dormant at five applications in 12 months, so there is little new supply to compete with. With an owner-occupier-dominated, slow-growth profile, returns here lean on rent growth, which ran 13.9% over the period, rather than capital appreciation or tenant volume.
Development Activity
Total DAs
40
Last 12 Months
5
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-28.6%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Chisholm iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Caroline Chisholm School
K-10 · 571 students
Demographics
Chisholm's median age of 37 runs 3.0 years below the national figure, and the household profile is family-heavy: average household size is 2.7, which is 0.2 above national, and couples with children (1,966 families) outnumber couples without children (1,056) by nearly two to one. University qualifications reach 32.0%, modestly above national by 1.9 points, while the overseas-born share of 19.0% sits 2.6 points below national, marking this as a more Australian-born suburb than the average. Ancestry leans Anglo-Celtic, led by English (1,962), Irish (607) and Scottish (587). The most common non-English languages are Arabic (57 speakers) and Malayalam (25), a small multicultural minority. Christianity (2,491 residents) dominates religious affiliation, with Islam (119) and Buddhism (114) far behind.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
95.9%
Houses
3.2%
Townhouse
1.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts firmly toward buyers paying off loans: 50.6% hold a mortgage, 29.3% own outright and only 20.1% rent, an owner-occupier weighting well above the national norm. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 95.9% separate houses, with apartments at just 1.0% and semi-detached at 3.2%, and it is sized for families, with 51.0% three-bedroom and 42.4% four-or-more-bedroom homes. The $565,000 median is affordable by Canberra standards, and the affordability is improving, with the affordability ratio easing from 42.3% in 2011 to 37.7% in 2021. Both housing-cost measures stay below stress: mortgage-to-income is 20.2% and rent-to-income is 17.9%, each comfortably under the 30% threshold, which reflects how the 87.8th-percentile household income outpaces the modest median price.
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wk
$410
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$1,088
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.1%
Unoccupied
80
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.2%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
24.0%
Couples, no children
4,405
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce is anchored to government, as expected for an ACT suburb: public administration employs 31.8% (586 workers), followed by healthcare at 14.2% (262), construction at 11.1% (204), education at 9.4% and professional and technical services at 8.4%. By occupation, professionals (566) and clerical and administrative workers (488) lead, with managers third at 393, a stable white-collar mix. Unemployment is low at 3.9% and the full-time employment rate is 69.8%, while participation reads 65.1%. The SEIFA scores cluster in the upper-middle tier: IEO and IRSD both at decile 7, IRSAD at decile 7 and IER highest at decile 8. The IER edge above the other indexes reflects strong economic resources, because high mortgage-holding household incomes lift the wealth measure faster than the education and occupation scores.
Unemployment
4.9%
Labour Force
2,955
Unemployed
144
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
69.8%
Part-time
26.3%
Participation
65.1%
Employed
2,610
Occupations
Top Industries
University
32.0%
Postgraduate
9.1%
Born Overseas
19.0%
Dwellings
1,861
Transport to Work
Chisholm is built around the car, with 89.2% of residents driving to work and only 3.0% using public transport and 1.0% walking or cycling, a reliance well above the national average that reflects its suburban Tuggeranong setting at 1,696.8 residents per km2. The suburb scores decile 7 on IRSD for relative disadvantage and decile 7 on IRSAD overall, an upper-middle advantage tier where few residents face deprivation, and only 6.2% (313 people) need daily assistance. Volunteering runs at 14.5%, and housing costs stay low, with rent-to-income at 17.9%, below the stress line. No schools are recorded inside the 3.1 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring Tuggeranong suburbs, a practical trade-off in an otherwise affordable, family-oriented area.
Drive
89.2%
Public Transport
3.0%
Walk / Cycle
1.0%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
-0.28%/yr
(-15 people/yr)
EstablishedChisholm is an established suburb in slow decline rather than expansion. Annual population change runs at minus 0.28%, around 15 fewer residents a year, and the medium forecast trims the population from roughly 5,277 in 2025 to 5,101 by 2031. The 10-year change of just 0.7% confirms a flat, mature settlement. The trajectory is aging: the senior share rose 7.1 points while the working-age share fell 1.4 points and the young share dipped 0.3 points over the decade. Overseas migration of plus 24 a year is the only positive demographic driver, offset by net internal migration of minus 54. The gentrification stage reads not gentrifying, consistent with a decile 7 suburb whose real income grew a modest 3.9% over the period, so neither rapid renewal nor displacement is in play.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+24
Net Internal / yr
-54
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Chisholm compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chisholm a good suburb to live in?
Chisholm suits families seeking affordable detached housing in Canberra. The $565,000 median is below most ACT suburbs, household income sits in the 87.8th percentile, and mortgage costs absorb only 20.2% of income, below the 30% stress line. SEIFA scores cluster at decile 7, an upper-middle advantage tier.
What is the median house price in Chisholm?
The median house price in Chisholm is $565,000, affordable by Canberra standards. Weekly rent averages $410 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,000, which is 20.2% of the 87.8th-percentile household income, comfortably below the 30% mortgage-stress threshold.
What schools are in Chisholm?
No schools are recorded inside the 3.1 km2 Chisholm boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring Tuggeranong suburbs. The local population is well educated, with university qualifications at 32.0%, which is 1.9 points above the national figure.
Is Chisholm safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Chisholm in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 7 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, an upper-middle tier, and only 6.2% of its 5,268 residents need daily assistance, both consistent with a low-disadvantage area.
Is Chisholm good for property investment?
Rent of $410 a week against a $565,000 median gives a gross yield near 3.8%, and only 20.1% of residents rent, a small tenant pool versus the 50.6% who hold a mortgage. With population forecast to fall 0.28% a year, returns lean on rent growth, which ran 13.9%, rather than capital gains.
How is Chisholm's population changing?
Chisholm's population is slowly declining, with annual change at minus 0.28%, about 15 fewer residents a year, and a forecast easing from 5,277 in 2025 to 5,101 by 2031. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 7.1 points and the working-age share down 1.4 points over the decade.
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.
Explore Chisholm on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map