Acton (ACT), ACT
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Acton occupies a leafy peninsula and hillside just west of Canberra's centre, wrapped by Lake Burley Griffin to the south and Black Mountain to the west. Aboriginal people lived in this country for thousands of years; the Ngunnawal name Ngamarawai, said to mean cave place, is recorded for limestone caves now lying beneath the lake. The suburb takes its name from an early homestead that stood near where the National Museum sits today. Most of its land is given over to the sprawling campus of the Australian National University, the country's national research university, while the striking National Museum of Australia occupies the tip of Acton Peninsula. Lakeside paths and the climb up Black Mountain frame the suburb.
Is Acton (ACT) a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Very strong on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 1 component we can score for Acton (ACT) from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Housing affordability
99/100More affordable than most suburbs
Median weekly rent was $9 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 99% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Socio-economic advantageNot scored — this suburb has no ABS SEIFA score.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Acton (ACT) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,848
- Median age
- 19
- Local government area
- Unincorporated ACT
- Coordinates
- -35.2886, 149.1107
Map of Acton (ACT)
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Acton (ACT)
What it costs to live in Acton (ACT) and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $9
- per week
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Acton (ACT) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Acton (ACT) using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is youth (15–24) at 88% and 32% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 5 | 0% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,510 | 88% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 318 | 11% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 7 | 0% |
| Seniors (65+) | 0 | 0% |
Share of the 2,840 people counted by age.
Housing and households
- Average household size
- 1 people
- Median weekly personal income
- $257
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 746 (32%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 572 (24%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 22 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,332 (82%)
- Labour-force participation
- 57.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 17.3%
- Employed full-time
- 66
- Employed part-time
- 1,150
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Acton (ACT)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Acton (ACT) is January (average daytime high around 27.8°C) and the coolest is July (around 10.6°C). The area receives roughly 800 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.8°C | 14.5°C | 76 mm |
| Feb | 26.1°C | 13.5°C | 59 mm |
| Mar | 23.2°C | 11.8°C | 73 mm |
| Apr | 19.1°C | 7.9°C | 54 mm |
| May | 14.4°C | 3.3°C | 46 mm |
| Jun | 11.2°C | 1.5°C | 62 mm |
| Jul | 10.6°C | 0.7°C | 43 mm |
| Aug | 11.9°C | 0.9°C | 67 mm |
| Sep | 15.6°C | 3.2°C | 63 mm |
| Oct | 19.4°C | 6.7°C | 76 mm |
| Nov | 22.2°C | 9.5°C | 94 mm |
| Dec | 25.4°C | 12.2°C | 87 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
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Common questions about Acton (ACT)
Is Acton (ACT) a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On housing affordability, Acton (ACT) rates 99/100 overall (Very strong on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Acton (ACT)?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Acton (ACT) was $9. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Acton (ACT)?
Acton (ACT) is a suburb of Australian Capital Territory, Australia, in the Unincorporated ACT local government area.
What is the population of Acton (ACT)?
At the 2021 Census, Acton (ACT) had a population of about 2,848.
What is the weather like in Acton (ACT)?
Acton (ACT) has average daytime highs of about 18.9°C and overnight lows of about 7.1°C, with roughly 800 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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