Watson, ACT
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Watson is more socio-economically advantaged than about 96% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1110, 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.
Watson at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 6,727
- Median age
- 34
- Median weekly household income
- $2,414
- SEIFA score
- 1110
- Coordinates
- -35.2348, 149.1573
Watson demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Watson 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 37%, 33% of homes are rented, and 27% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,344 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 763 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,517 | 37% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,467 | 22% |
| Seniors (65+) | 648 | 10% |
Share of the 6,739 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 601 | 23% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,128 | 42% |
| Rented | 887 | 33% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,539 | 58% |
| Townhouses & semis | 784 | 30% |
| Flats & apartments | 327 | 12% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,657 occupied private dwellings in Watson.
- Median weekly rent
- $437
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,067
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,066
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,354
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,762 (27%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,323 (20%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 124 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,334 (84%)
- Labour-force participation
- 75.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.8%
- Employed full-time
- 2,525
- Employed part-time
- 1,192
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 Watson
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Watson 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 Watson
Where is Watson?
Watson is a suburb of Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
What is the population of Watson?
At the 2021 Census, Watson had a population of about 6,727.
Is Watson an advantaged area?
Watson has an ABS SEIFA score of 1110, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 96 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 96% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Watson?
Watson 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).
How big is Watson?
Watson is one of the most populous suburbs in Australian Capital Territory — the 14th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 6,727 usual residents).
Where Watson ranks
Watson 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.