Holder
Household income in the 89.1st percentile nationally makes Holder one of Canberra's quietly prosperous established suburbs, yet the median house price of $629,000 remains well below what such an income rank would imply in Sydney or Melbourne. With 53.9% of residents holding university qualifications, 23.8 percentage points above the national figure, and 38.2% of workers employed in Public Admin, the suburb reflects the ACT's distinct, government-driven economy. The population of 2,816 across 1.87 square kilometres is stable rather than expanding, growing just 3.9% over a decade, and 78.5% of residents stayed at the same address over the five-year Census period.
Population
2,816
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,338/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
3
Median House
$629K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The $629,000 median house price sits below many comparable high-income Canberra suburbs, making Holder a relative value play for buyers priced out of Deakin or Griffith. The stock skews heavily detached: 74.6% are separate houses and 19.4% semi-detached, with apartments at just 6.0%. Four-plus bedroom dwellings account for 40.2% of the stock and three-bedroom homes 45.3%, so most buyers enter with room to grow. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. Ownership is strong: 38.6% own outright and 42.6% carry a mortgage, with only 18.8% renting. The vacancy rate of 4.4% is moderate, signalling modest investor activity relative to owner-occupiers.
For Buyers
The $629,000 median house price sits below many comparable high-income Canberra suburbs, making Holder a relative value play for buyers priced out of Deakin or Griffith. The stock skews heavily detached: 74.6% are separate houses and 19.4% semi-detached, with apartments at just 6.0%. Four-plus bedroom dwellings account for 40.2% of the stock and three-bedroom homes 45.3%, so most buyers enter with room to grow. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold. Ownership is strong: 38.6% own outright and 42.6% carry a mortgage, with only 18.8% renting. The vacancy rate of 4.4% is moderate, signalling modest investor activity relative to owner-occupiers.
For Investors
With only 18.8% of dwellings rented and weekly rent at $465, the investor base is limited compared to higher-turnover ACT suburbs. The vacancy rate of 4.4% is elevated for a suburb of this size, suggesting the rental pool is thin and periods between tenancies can stretch. Overseas migration adds a net 26 residents per year while internal migration removes 23, leaving near-neutral population dynamics through 2031. Development activity is minimal at 3 applications in the past 12 months, all alterations or lease variations rather than new supply, which protects existing owners from dilution. Annual population growth is 0.35%, adding roughly 10 persons per year. Returns depend on ACT public sector stability driving sustained owner-occupier demand rather than rental yield or volume growth.
Development Activity
Total DAs
23
Last 12 Months
3
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-25.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Holder iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Jude's Primary School
K-6 · 425 students
Canberra Montessori School
K-6 · 96 students
Demographics
The median age of 41 matches the national figure, but the demographic composition differs sharply. University qualifications at 53.9% run 23.8 percentage points above national, reflecting the ACT's concentration of professionals and public servants. Overseas-born residents reach 23.6%, broadly in line with national averages. Ancestry is strongly Anglo-Celtic: English (1,043), Irish (444) and Scottish (362) are the top three groups. The average household size of 2.5 matches the national average. Family structure tilts toward couples, with 984 couple-with-children families and 657 couples without children, while one-parent families are negligible. Volunteering is high at 23.4%, above typical suburban rates. Only 4.7% of residents need daily assistance, consistent with a healthy, working-age population.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
74.6%
Houses
19.4%
Townhouse
6.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Holder is firmly owner-occupier territory: 38.6% own outright, 42.6% carry a mortgage and 18.8% rent, well below the national renter share. The 4.4% vacancy rate reflects a shallow rental market. Detached houses dominate at 74.6%, with semi-detached at 19.4% and apartments just 6.0%. The bedroom profile is large-family oriented: 40.2% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 45.3% have three, meaning smaller dwellings are scarce. Weekly rent of $465 and monthly mortgage repayments of $2,167 both sit at affordable levels relative to household incomes in the 89.1st percentile nationally. The mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.4% and rent-to-income ratio of 19.9% both fall below stress thresholds, indicating financially comfortable households across all tenure types.
Mortgage / mo
$2,167
Rent / wk
$465
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$1,273
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.4%
Unoccupied
51
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.4%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
29.0%
Couples, no children
2,262
Total families
Economy & Employment
Public administration dominates at 38.2% of local workers (429 people), a share that far exceeds the national average and anchors the suburb's income stability. Professional and technical services follows at 12.7% (143 workers), Healthcare at 10.8% (121) and Education at 10.7% (120). By occupation, Professionals (483) and Managers (291) lead, consistent with SEIFA scores that rank Holder at decile 10 for education and occupation (IEO score 1,131) and decile 10 on IRSD. The unemployment rate is low at 3.7% with a full-time employment rate of 70.0%. Real incomes grew 13.0% over the decade. One nuance: the IER (economic resources) score sits at decile 8 rather than 10, as the relatively high renter-vacancy combination lowers aggregate household wealth measures.
Unemployment
2.8%
Labour Force
1,596
Unemployed
45
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
70.0%
Part-time
26.3%
Participation
61.9%
Employed
1,362
Occupations
Top Industries
University
53.9%
Postgraduate
17.8%
Born Overseas
23.6%
Dwellings
1,093
Transport to Work
Car reliance is high at 83.4% of commuters driving, above the national urban norm, with only 5.7% using public transport and 4.3% walking or cycling. This reflects Holder's suburban layout within the Weston Creek district, where the ACT bus network connects but does not dominate. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary, so families rely on schools in adjacent suburbs such as Duffy and Weston. SEIFA scores place Holder at decile 10 on both IRSAD and IRSD, the top advantage tier nationally, meaning very few residents face deprivation. Housing stress is absent: mortgage-to-income of 21.4% and rent-to-income of 19.9% both sit well below the 30% threshold. Volunteering at 23.4% and only 4.7% needing daily assistance reinforce a cohesive, low-disadvantage community profile.
Drive
83.4%
Public Transport
5.7%
Walk / Cycle
4.3%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.35%/yr
(+10 people/yr)
EstablishedHolder's growth trajectory is slow and stable, consistent with an established ACT suburb well past its development peak. Annual population growth is 0.35%, adding approximately 10 residents per year, and the 10-year change is 3.9%. The medium forecast holds the population near 2,919 by 2031. Migration is near-balanced: overseas arrivals add 26 residents annually while internal net outflow removes 23, leaving thin organic growth. The gentrification score registers zero, reflecting a suburb already well-positioned at SEIFA decile 9 to 10 across all indexes with no further advantage trajectory. Affordability improved from 41.5% in 2011 to 36.5% in 2021, a trend suggesting housing costs have become more manageable relative to incomes over time.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+26
Net Internal / yr
-23
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Holder compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Holder a good suburb to live in?
Holder ranks at decile 10 on IRSAD and IRSD, the top national advantage tier, with household income in the 89.1st percentile. University qualifications reach 53.9%, which is 23.8 percentage points above the national figure. Housing stress is minimal, with mortgage-to-income at 21.4% and rent-to-income at 19.9%.
What is the median house price in Holder?
The median house price is approximately $629,000, estimated from 2025 rental data. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167 at a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.4%. Weekly rent runs $465, and vacancy sits at 4.4%.
What schools are in Holder?
No schools are recorded inside the Holder suburb boundary in this dataset. Families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs within the Weston Creek district. Despite no local schools, 53.9% of residents hold university qualifications, 23.8 percentage points above the national average.
Is Holder safe?
Detailed crime statistics for Holder are not available in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, Holder scores decile 10 on the IRSD index of relative socioeconomic disadvantage, the highest advantage tier nationally, and only 4.7% of its 2,816 residents require daily assistance, both consistent with a low-disadvantage, stable community.
Is Holder good for property investment?
Rental demand is limited with only 18.8% of dwellings rented and a 4.4% vacancy rate. Weekly rent of $465 against a $629,000 median implies a gross yield near 3.8%. Annual population growth is just 0.35%, adding around 10 persons per year, so the investment case relies on ACT public sector stability and capital growth rather than rental yield.
How is Holder's population changing?
Population growth is slow at 0.35% annually, adding roughly 10 residents per year. Over 10 years the suburb grew 3.9%, reaching 2,816. The medium forecast holds it near 2,919 by 2031. Net overseas migration adds 26 residents yearly, offset by an internal net outflow of 23, leaving near-neutral dynamics.
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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