Ngunnawal
Ngunnawal's standout trait is how strongly family and owner-purchaser its Gungahlin profile feels: 51.1% of homes are being bought with a mortgage, and 62.8% of dwellings have 3 bedrooms. The suburb holds 10,957 residents in 4.16 sq km, with density at 2,634.5 people per sq km. Median age is 34, which is 6 years below the national benchmark, while household income sits in the 84.3 percentile. Compared with Gungahlin town centre and Palmerston nearby, Ngunnawal reads as a lower-rise household suburb, with 67.4% separate houses and 32.6% semi-detached homes.
Population
10,957
Median Age
34.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,219/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
10
Median House
$592K
Estimated from rent (2025)
Homebuyers are mainly weighing family space and repayment comfort rather than a published median sale benchmark, because the recorded median house price is unavailable while the typical mortgage is $1,950 a month. Housing costs absorb 20.3% of income, below common stress territory, supported by household income of $2,219 a week. The stock is 67.4% separate houses and 32.6% semi-detached, with 62.8% 3-bedroom dwellings and 24.5% 4-plus bedrooms. Buyers wanting a compact block still get a suburban format, but choice is shaped by a 51.1% mortgage-holder market.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are mainly weighing family space and repayment comfort rather than a published median sale benchmark, because the recorded median house price is unavailable while the typical mortgage is $1,950 a month. Housing costs absorb 20.3% of income, below common stress territory, supported by household income of $2,219 a week. The stock is 67.4% separate houses and 32.6% semi-detached, with 62.8% 3-bedroom dwellings and 24.5% 4-plus bedrooms. Buyers wanting a compact block still get a suburban format, but choice is shaped by a 51.1% mortgage-holder market.
For Investors
Investors face a renter base of 27.1%, lower than the owner-purchaser share of 51.1%, so Ngunnawal is not a pure rental turnover market. Weekly rent is $450 and rent-to-income is 20.3%, which helps explain why rent stress is not flagged. Vacancy sits at 4.0%, above the tightest rental conditions, so pricing power may be more measured. Development activity is modest at 9 applications in 12 months, while forecast migration is led by overseas migration with 77 net overseas arrivals a year against -164 net internal movement.
Development Activity
Total DAs
34
Last 12 Months
10
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+233.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Ngunnawal iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Ngunnawal Primary School
K-6 · 620 students
Demographics
Ngunnawal is younger and more educated than the national baseline: median age is 34, 6 years below national, and 44.9% hold university qualifications, 14.8 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents make up 28.7%, also 7.1 points above national, but not a migrant-majority profile. English ancestry leads at 3,350 people, followed by Other at 2,067, Irish at 1,034 and Scottish at 970, with Indian ancestry at 550. Punjabi, Mandarin and Hindi appear in the language mix, so services benefit from multilingual reach while household size stays close to average at 2.6.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
67.4%
Houses
32.6%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
The housing structure is strongly tilted to owner-occupiers: 21.8% owned outright and 51.1% with a mortgage, compared with 27.1% renting. That matters because resale demand is likely to come from households seeking stability rather than short lets. The built form is 67.4% separate houses and 32.6% semi-detached, and bedrooms cluster in the middle, with 62.8% having 3 bedrooms and 24.5% having 4-plus. A $1,950 monthly mortgage equals 20.3% of income, below stress settings, but no median house price or price-to-income ratio is recorded.
Mortgage / mo
$1,950
Rent / wk
$450
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$1,124
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.0%
Unoccupied
169
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.3%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
22.2%
Couples, no children
8,954
Total families
Economy & Employment
Ngunnawal's workforce is tied closely to Canberra's public sector, with Public Admin at 29.8% and 1,292 workers, well above the next largest industries of Healthcare at 12.5% and Education at 11.6%. Professional/Tech adds 10.6% and Construction 8.0%. Professionals number 1,568, ahead of 986 clerical/admin workers and 883 managers. Labour force signals are steady because unemployment is 4.0% and participation is 68.8%. SEIFA is consistently above mid-range: IEO decile 8, IER 7, IRSD 8 and IRSAD 8, with the slightly lower IER suggesting resources are solid but not as high as education and occupation scores.
Unemployment
4.5%
Labour Force
6,555
Unemployed
298
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
69.9%
Part-time
26.1%
Participation
68.8%
Employed
5,672
Occupations
Top Industries
University
44.9%
Postgraduate
14.6%
Born Overseas
28.7%
Dwellings
4,049
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-oriented: 91.1% drive to work, while public transport is 1.5% and walking or cycling is 1.6%, both lower than the car-driver share. That pattern fits a suburban layout where commuting depends on road access rather than a station. Local schooling is centred on Ngunnawal Primary School, a Government primary with ICSEA 1049 and 620 enrolments; the suburb has 1 school and an ICSEA range of 1049. IRSAD decile 8 sits above the middle, supporting amenity and service demand. Crime-rate figures are not available, so safety should be checked against current ACT sources.
Drive
91.1%
Public Transport
1.5%
Walk / Cycle
1.6%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.98%/yr
(+110 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is steady rather than speculative. The trend path adds 0.98% a year, about 110 people annually, taking the medium population scenario from 11,478 in 2026 to 12,026 in 2031. The key migration driver is overseas migration, averaging 77 net overseas arrivals a year, while internal migration is -164 a year, below zero and signalling some households leave for other locations. The suburb is ageing: senior share is up 4.5 points and young share is down 2.5 points. Gentrification score is 7 and stage is Not gentrifying, so growth is more household-cycle churn than price-led reinvention.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+77
Net Internal / yr
-164
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +21% since 2011, Net internal outflow -164/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Ngunnawal compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ngunnawal a good suburb to live in?
Yes, especially for households wanting a Gungahlin setting with family-sized stock. Ngunnawal has 10,957 residents, a median age of 34, 51.1% mortgage ownership and 67.4% separate houses.
What is the median house price in Ngunnawal?
A median house price is not recorded for Ngunnawal. The available cost markers are a $1,950 monthly mortgage, $450 weekly rent and 20.3% mortgage-to-income ratio, so buyers should review recent sales before setting a budget.
What schools are in Ngunnawal?
Ngunnawal Primary School is the local listed school. It is a Government primary with ICSEA 1049 and 620 enrolments, giving the suburb 1 recorded school and an ICSEA range of 1049.
Is Ngunnawal safe?
A current crime rate is not recorded for Ngunnawal. For context, the suburb sits in IRSD decile 8 and IRSAD decile 8, while 4.7% of residents need assistance, but incident-level safety should be checked through current ACT updates.
Is Ngunnawal good for property investment?
Ngunnawal suits yield-focused investors more than high-churn rental plays. Renters are 27.1% of households, weekly rent is $450, vacancy is 4.0%, and development activity is modest at 9 applications in 12 months.
How is Ngunnawal's population changing?
Ngunnawal is growing slowly, with the trend adding 0.98% or about 110 people a year. The medium scenario reaches 12,026 people by 2031, while migration shows 77 net overseas arrivals a year and -164 net internal movement.
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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