Macarthur
Household income in Macarthur sits at the 97.3rd percentile nationally, yet the median house price is estimated at $679,000, a combination that keeps mortgage stress unusually low at 16.7% of income. The suburb covers just 1.3 km2 with 1,405 residents and a density of 1,080 people per km2. Housing is overwhelmingly detached: 97.1% of dwellings are separate houses, and 71.2% have four or more bedrooms, well above typical ACT suburban averages. SEIFA scores reach decile 10 across IRSD, IRSAD and IER, placing Macarthur in the top advantage tier nationally on every economic and educational index.
Population
1,405
Median Age
39.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$3,037/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$679K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The estimated median house price of $679,000 in 2025 is supported by weekly rent of $520, giving buyers context on local market floor values. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,200, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 16.7%, well below the 30% stress threshold. By comparison, national mortgage stress benchmarks often sit above 25% for most capital-city suburbs. Stock is dominated by large detached houses: 97.1% are separate dwellings, and 71.2% carry four or more bedrooms, with only 26.5% at three bedrooms. Outright owners account for 42.9% of households and mortgage holders 47.1%, a split that suggests an established, asset-holding community rather than a high-turnover buyer market. Only 10.0% rent, among the lowest renter shares in the ACT.
For Buyers
The estimated median house price of $679,000 in 2025 is supported by weekly rent of $520, giving buyers context on local market floor values. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,200, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 16.7%, well below the 30% stress threshold. By comparison, national mortgage stress benchmarks often sit above 25% for most capital-city suburbs. Stock is dominated by large detached houses: 97.1% are separate dwellings, and 71.2% carry four or more bedrooms, with only 26.5% at three bedrooms. Outright owners account for 42.9% of households and mortgage holders 47.1%, a split that suggests an established, asset-holding community rather than a high-turnover buyer market. Only 10.0% rent, among the lowest renter shares in the ACT.
For Investors
Macarthur's 10.0% renter share is thin by investment standards, meaning tenant demand is structurally limited. Weekly rent of $520 against an estimated median of $679,000 implies a gross yield around 4.0%, modest but higher than many premium ACT suburbs. The vacancy rate is 1.8%, below the 3.0% threshold that typically signals oversupply. Population is declining at 0.79% annually, and net internal migration runs at minus 20 residents per year, with only 6 net overseas arrivals offsetting that outflow. Medium forecasts project population falling from 1,387 in 2025 to around 1,305 by 2031. Zero development applications in the past 12 months confirms this is a supply-stable, slow-growth suburb where capital preservation rather than yield or volume drives the investment case.
Development Activity
Total DAs
2
Last 12 Months
0
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
Demographics
The median age of 39 is 1.0 year below the national figure, but the trajectory is clearly aging: the senior share rose 10.2 points over the decade while the working-age share fell 4.0 points. University qualifications reach 44.6%, which is 14.5 percentage points above the national average, consistent with the ACT's government and professional workforce base. Overseas-born residents are 17.0%, which is 4.6 points below national. Ancestry is strongly Anglo-Celtic, led by English (556), Irish (234) and Scottish (201). Average household size of 2.9 is 0.4 above the national figure, reflecting the prevalence of couples with children: 599 couple-with-children families compared to 302 couples without. The volunteering rate of 19.7% is high, indicative of a community with established social networks.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
97.1%
Houses
2.9%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
With 97.1% of dwellings being separate houses and 71.2% having four or more bedrooms, Macarthur is one of the most uniformly detached suburbs in the ACT. Only 2.9% are semi-detached and apartments are negligible. Ownership rates are high: 42.9% own outright and 47.1% hold mortgages, with just 10.0% renting. This tenure profile indicates an entrenched, long-hold ownership base. Mortgage-to-income at 16.7% and rent-to-income at 17.1% are both well below stress levels, compared to national benchmarks where mortgage-to-income often exceeds 25% in major cities. The estimated median house price of $679,000 reflects a market where high incomes, low supply pressure and minimal renting activity combine to produce stable rather than speculative pricing.
Mortgage / mo
$2,200
Rent / wk
$520
HH Size
2.9
Personal Income / wk
$1,334
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
1.8%
Unoccupied
9
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.7%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
23.3%
Couples, no children
1,294
Total families
Economy & Employment
Public Administration dominates at 34.3% of employed residents (195 workers), typical of ACT suburbs close to Canberra's government precinct, and far above the national industry share of around 6%. Healthcare employs 11.6% (66 workers) and Education 11.4% (65), with Professional/Tech at 9.9% and Construction at 8.6% rounding out the top five. By occupation, Professionals number 221 and Managers 145, together accounting for the majority of the workforce. The unemployment rate is just 2.9% against 21 unemployed residents, and the full-time employment rate is 67.0%. SEIFA scores reach decile 10 across IRSD, IRSAD and IER, and decile 9 on IEO, placing the suburb in the top 10% nationally across all economic measures. Real income grew 4.8% over the decade.
Unemployment
2.2%
Labour Force
762
Unemployed
17
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
67.0%
Part-time
30.1%
Participation
65.4%
Employed
702
Occupations
Top Industries
University
44.6%
Postgraduate
12.0%
Born Overseas
17.0%
Dwellings
489
Transport to Work
Car dependency is near total: 90.2% of employed residents drive to work, while only 1.6% use public transport and 1.3% walk or cycle, reflecting the suburb's low-density residential character and limited transit connectivity compared to inner-Canberra suburbs. Macarthur earns decile 10 on IRSAD, the highest national tier for socioeconomic advantage, and decile 10 on IRSD, meaning almost no measurable deprivation. Only 3.2% of residents (44 people) require daily assistance. Mortgage stress at 16.7% and rent stress at 17.1% of income are both well below national thresholds, meaning financial pressure on households is low compared to most Australian suburbs. No schools are recorded within the 1.3 km2 boundary, so families rely on schools in adjacent ACT suburbs. Turnover is low at 17.3%, with 82.7% of residents staying put over five years.
Drive
90.2%
Public Transport
1.6%
Walk / Cycle
1.3%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
-0.79%/yr
(-11 people/yr)
EstablishedPopulation in Macarthur declined 3.8% over the 10-year period, with annual trend growth at minus 0.79%, equating to a loss of roughly 11 residents per year. The medium forecast projects a further fall from 1,387 in 2025 to approximately 1,305 by 2031. Internal migration is the primary drag, averaging minus 20 residents annually, with only 6 net overseas arrivals to partially offset it. The affordability trend is improving, with mortgage-to-income falling from 42.3% in 2011 to 39.0% in 2021, suggesting that relative to income, buying has become more accessible over the decade. The suburb is classified as established with no gentrification underway, because it already sits at the top decile of advantage nationally with no remaining upward reclassification to achieve. Rent growth of 18.7% over the period shows landlords have captured income gains even as the population contracts.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+6
Net Internal / yr
-20
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Macarthur compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Macarthur a good suburb to live in?
Macarthur ranks in the top decile nationally on IRSAD, IRSD and IER, three of the four SEIFA indexes. Household income sits at the 97.3rd percentile nationally and mortgage stress is only 16.7% of income. The main trade-off is limited public transport, with 90.2% of residents driving to work, and no recorded schools within the suburb boundary.
What is the median house price in Macarthur?
The median house price is estimated at $679,000 based on 2025 rent data. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,200, and the mortgage-to-income ratio is 16.7%, well below the 30% stress threshold. Weekly rent averages $520 and the vacancy rate is 1.8%.
What schools are in Macarthur?
No schools are recorded within the 1.3 km2 Macarthur boundary in this dataset. Families rely on schools in neighbouring ACT suburbs. The local adult population is highly educated, with 44.6% holding university qualifications, which is 14.5 percentage points above the national average.
Is Macarthur safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Macarthur in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 10 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage nationally, the highest tier, and only 3.2% of residents (44 people) need daily assistance, both consistent with a low-disadvantage, stable residential area.
Is Macarthur good for property investment?
Weekly rent of $520 against an estimated median of $679,000 implies a gross yield near 4.0%, with a vacancy rate of 1.8% below oversupply thresholds. However, the renter share is only 10.0% and population is forecast to fall from 1,387 to around 1,305 by 2031, so the investment case depends on capital stability rather than yield growth or tenant demand expansion.
How is Macarthur's population changing?
Population declined 3.8% over the decade and is falling at 0.79% per year, losing roughly 11 residents annually. Medium forecasts project the population dropping from 1,387 in 2025 to approximately 1,305 by 2031. Net internal migration averages minus 20 per year, with only 6 net overseas arrivals annually to partially offset the outflow.
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 Macarthur on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map