Barton, ACT
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Barton sits just south of Canberra's city centre, tucked against Capital Hill and looking onto the East Basin of Lake Burley Griffin. Laid out in 1928 and named after Sir Edmund Barton, Australia's first prime minister, it is one of the capital's government quarters: the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Attorney-General's Department, and Foreign Affairs and Trade all sit here, alongside the heritage-listed Edmund Barton Building. The suburb also keeps a quieter, older character in landmarks such as the 1920s Hotel Kurrajong and Brassey Hotel and the leafy Telopea Park. Days here run to the rhythm of the public service, with national institutions and Parliament House only a short walk away.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Barton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1185, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Barton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,946
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $2,462
- SEIFA score
- 1185
- Coordinates
- -35.3079, 149.1371
Barton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Barton 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 young adults (25–44) at 41%, 47% of homes are rented, and 29% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 143 | 7% |
| Youth (15–24) | 167 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 810 | 41% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 503 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 332 | 17% |
Share of the 1,955 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 217 | 23% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 270 | 28% |
| Rented | 449 | 47% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 59 | 6% |
| Townhouses & semis | 28 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 857 | 91% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 944 occupied private dwellings in Barton.
- Median weekly rent
- $525
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,015
- Average household size
- 1.7 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,524
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,775
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 503 (29%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 326 (19%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 20 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,448 (81%)
- Labour-force participation
- 69.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 1.7%
- Employed full-time
- 985
- Employed part-time
- 191
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 Barton
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Barton is January (average daytime high around 27°C) and the coolest is July (around 10.1°C). The area receives roughly 742 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27°C | 14.5°C | 71 mm |
| Feb | 25.4°C | 13.6°C | 50 mm |
| Mar | 22.5°C | 12.2°C | 67 mm |
| Apr | 18.6°C | 8.7°C | 54 mm |
| May | 13.8°C | 4.4°C | 42 mm |
| Jun | 10.8°C | 2.7°C | 61 mm |
| Jul | 10.1°C | 1.7°C | 37 mm |
| Aug | 11.3°C | 1.9°C | 69 mm |
| Sep | 15°C | 4.3°C | 57 mm |
| Oct | 18.9°C | 7.4°C | 75 mm |
| Nov | 21.7°C | 9.8°C | 85 mm |
| Dec | 24.8°C | 12.4°C | 74 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Barton
Where is Barton?
Barton is a suburb of Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
What is the population of Barton?
At the 2021 Census, Barton had a population of about 1,946.
Is Barton an advantaged area?
Barton has an ABS SEIFA score of 1185, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 99 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Barton?
Barton has average daytime highs of about 18.3°C and overnight lows of about 7.8°C, with roughly 742 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
Where Barton ranks
Barton appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
Nearby suburbs in Australian Capital Territory
More suburb guides in Australian Capital Territory
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.