Oxley

Development Activity

Demographics

The median age of 39 is 1.0 year below the national figure, though the suburb's aging trajectory is the stronger signal: the senior share grew 9.0 points over the decade, substantially faster than national trends. University qualifications reach 39.8%, which is 9.7 points above the national figure, consistent with the ACT's public service and professional workforce profile. Only 19.2% were born overseas, 2.4 points below the national rate. Ancestry is predominantly Anglo-Celtic, led by English (620), Irish (223) and Scottish (179). Average household size of 2.7 is slightly above the national figure of 2.5, reflecting the family-oriented housing stock where couples with children make up 41.1% of all families.

Separate houses account for 92.5% of Oxley's 663 dwellings, one of the more detached-dominant profiles in the ACT, with semi-detached at 7.5% and no apartments recorded. The 4-bedroom-plus category leads at 47.1%, ahead of 3-bedroom at 42.6%, so the overwhelming majority of stock is designed for families of 3 or more. Tenure splits strongly toward ownership: 33.7% own outright, 43.0% carry a mortgage and 23.3% rent. At a $574,000 median with $2,393 average weekly household income, the price-to-income ratio is roughly 4.6 years of gross household income, below the ACT-wide average and favourable compared to most state capitals. Rent stress is not a concern, with rent-to-income at 16.7%, well below the 30% threshold.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Public administration dominates Oxley's workforce at 34.4% of employed residents, reflecting proximity to the federal government precinct and higher than the ACT average. Healthcare follows at 14.9% and Education at 9.2%, with Professional/Tech at 9.1% and Construction at 7.0%. By occupation, Professionals lead at 224 workers, followed by Clerical/Admin at 152 and Managers at 130. The unemployment rate is 5.4%, above the ACT average of roughly 3-4%, and participation sits at 60.8%, which is moderate. Real income grew 9.6% over the decade. The SEIFA IEO decile of 8 confirms above-average education and occupation status nationally, though the IRSAD decile of 7 is slightly lower, reflecting the presence of some households facing moderate disadvantage.

Transport to Work

Car dependency is high in Oxley: 86.1% of residents drive to work, compared to 73% nationally, while public transport accounts for just 3.0% and walking or cycling another 3.0%. This reflects the suburb's low-density residential layout where frequent bus connections to central Canberra exist but the car remains the practical default. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary, so families use nearby facilities in adjoining Tuggeranong suburbs. Crime data is not available at the suburb level. The IRSAD decile of 7 and IEO decile of 8 place Oxley above most of the national distribution, and housing stress is minimal: both rent-to-income at 16.7% and mortgage-to-income at 20.7% sit well below stress thresholds. Volunteering reaches 19.5% of residents, above the national average of around 17%.

Population Forecast

Oxley's population declined 4.5% over the past decade, from a higher base toward the current 1,703 residents, and the annual trend runs at minus 0.47%, equivalent to about 8 fewer residents per year. Medium projections show continued gradual decline to around 1,635 by 2031, a further 4% reduction. Net internal migration averages minus 9 per year while overseas arrivals add 5, so natural decrease is the key driver. The suburb is classified as established and not gentrifying, with a gentrification score of 0. Affordability improved from 41.7% of income in 2011 to 35.3% in 2021, an encouraging trend, though rent grew 14.3% over the period. Slow population decline combined with stable ownership suggests prices are likely to track income growth rather than surge.

National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs

How Oxley compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions