Ainslie vs Dickson

Dickson is the younger of the two, with a median age of 30 against 42 in Ainslie. In Ainslie, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Dickson, about half of households rent, about half of homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Ainslie: a median of $1.38 million, against $1.17 million in Dickson, though rent is higher in Dickson. On these figures, Ainslie tends to suit older residents, while Dickson suits renters, young adults, and share households.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Ainslie

ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (8 vs 2)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (72% vs 30%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (51% vs 34%)
  • But Dickson has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Dickson

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($580,000 vs $1,144,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 25%)
  • has cheaper houses ($1,170,000 vs $1,375,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Ainslie

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 22%)
  • has cheaper rent ($367/wk vs $500/wk)
  • But Dickson has a bigger rental market to choose from (47% vs 35%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Dickson

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (8% vs 0%)
  • is more walkable (89/100 vs 72/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Ainslie has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 7%)
  • Dickson has more units and townhouses to downsize into (70% vs 28%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Dickson

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (53.2% vs 3.6%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.0% vs 3.2%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Ainslie and Dickson drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Ainslie Dickson
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Ainslie Dickson
Walkability 72 / 89
Ainslie — Walkability: 72/100 Dickson — Walkability: 89/100
Safety 27 / 8
Ainslie — Safety: 27/100 Dickson — Safety: 8/100
Low fire risk 35 / 100
Ainslie — Low fire risk: 35/100 Dickson — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 81 / 62
Ainslie — Low flood risk: 81/100 Dickson — Low flood risk: 62/100

Demographics

Ainslie has more residents (5,376 vs 3,292); Ainslie skews older (42 vs 30).

Ainslie Dickson
Population 5,376
+39% vs other
 3,292
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.6% +53.2%
Median age 42 30
Median household income $126,568/yr
+6% vs other
 $118,404/yr
Median weekly rent $367/wk $500/wk
+36% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ainslie Dickson
0-4 4.9% / 4.4%
Ainslie — 0-4: 4.9% Dickson — 0-4: 4.4%
5-14 11.8% / 8.4%
Ainslie — 5-14: 11.8% Dickson — 5-14: 8.4%
15-19 5.5% / 3.1%
Ainslie — 15-19: 5.5% Dickson — 15-19: 3.1%
20-24 7.3% / 15.3%
Ainslie — 20-24: 7.3% Dickson — 20-24: 15.3%
25-34 11.2% / 28.4%
Ainslie — 25-34: 11.2% Dickson — 25-34: 28.4%
35-44 12.9% / 14.7%
Ainslie — 35-44: 12.9% Dickson — 35-44: 14.7%
45-54 13.7% / 10.4%
Ainslie — 45-54: 13.7% Dickson — 45-54: 10.4%
55-64 12.8% / 7.6%
Ainslie — 55-64: 12.8% Dickson — 55-64: 7.6%
65-74 9.6% / 3.9%
Ainslie — 65-74: 9.6% Dickson — 65-74: 3.9%
75-84 5.8% / 2.4%
Ainslie — 75-84: 5.8% Dickson — 75-84: 2.4%
85+ 4.7% / 1.1%
Ainslie — 85+: 4.7% Dickson — 85+: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ainslie 39.0% lone person
Ainslie — Lone Person: 39.0% Ainslie — Couple Families: 39.0% Ainslie — Group Household: 8.8% Ainslie — One Parent Families: 12.2% Ainslie — Other Families: 1.0%
Dickson 45.7% lone person
Dickson — Lone Person: 45.7% Dickson — Couple Families: 24.3% Dickson — Group Household: 18.8% Dickson — One Parent Families: 9.4% Dickson — Other Families: 1.8%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ainslie 35.0% renting
Ainslie — Owned Outright: 32.9% Ainslie — Mortgage: 32.0% Ainslie — Renting: 35.0%
Dickson 46.6% renting
Dickson — Owned Outright: 19.8% Dickson — Mortgage: 33.7% Dickson — Renting: 46.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Ainslie Dickson
Bachelor Degree 22.7% / 28.4%
Ainslie — Bachelor Degree: 22.7% Dickson — Bachelor Degree: 28.4%
Postgraduate Degree 16.7% / 18.2%
Ainslie — Postgraduate Degree: 16.7% Dickson — Postgraduate Degree: 18.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.3% / 5.1%
Ainslie — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.3% Dickson — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.1%
Certificate III & IV 5.0% / 5.3%
Ainslie — Certificate III & IV: 5.0% Dickson — Certificate III & IV: 5.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 5.6% / 4.6%
Ainslie — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.6% Dickson — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.4%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Ainslie Dickson
England 4.4% / 2.6%
Ainslie — England: 4.4% Dickson — England: 2.6%
China 1.1% / 5.8%
Ainslie — China: 1.1% Dickson — China: 5.8%
Vietnam 1.1% / 1.3%
Ainslie — Vietnam: 1.1% Dickson — Vietnam: 1.3%
New Zealand 1.4% / 1.0%
Ainslie — New Zealand: 1.4% Dickson — New Zealand: 1.0%
India 0.6% / 1.2%
Ainslie — India: 0.6% Dickson — India: 1.2%
Nepal — / 1.2%
Ainslie — Nepal: not among its largest Dickson — Nepal: 1.2%
Germany 0.8% / —
Ainslie — Germany: 0.8% Dickson — Germany: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ainslie 72.5% houses
Ainslie — Houses: 72.5% Ainslie — Flats / Apartments: 10.7% Ainslie — Townhouses: 16.8%
Dickson 29.6% houses
Dickson — Houses: 29.6% Dickson — Flats / Apartments: 48.9% Dickson — Townhouses: 21.5%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Ainslie Dickson
Median house price $1,375,000 $1,170,000
Median unit price $1,144,000 $580,000
Median land price — $1,270,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 34 sales
 20 days
from 23 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Ainslie Dickson
2 bed $1.22M / $900K
Ainslie — 2 bed: $1.22M (5 sales) Dickson — 2 bed: $900K (5 sales)

5 vs 5 sales

3 bed $1.29M / $1.09M
Ainslie — 3 bed: $1.29M (28 sales) Dickson — 3 bed: $1.09M (19 sales)

28 vs 19 sales

4 bed $1.59M / $1.37M
Ainslie — 4 bed: $1.59M (17 sales) Dickson — 4 bed: $1.37M (14 sales)

17 vs 14 sales

Development activity

Ainslie Dickson
New dwellings approved 3,750
across Unincorporated ACT
same for both
Approvals change year on year -48%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Ainslie Dickson
Houses 3.2%
$840/wk on $1.35M
 4.0%
$850/wk on $1.1M
Units — 6.1%
$680/wk on $578K

Ranking within ACT

Ainslie Dickson
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 56% of ACT Higher than 38% of ACT
Schools — Higher than 5% of ACT
Walkability Higher than 70% of ACT Higher than 98% of ACT
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 87% of ACT Higher than 82% of ACT
NBN connectivity Higher than 34% of ACT Higher than 67% of ACT
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 10% of ACT Higher than 34% of ACT
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 56% of ACT

Liveability

Dickson is more walkable (89 vs 72).

Ainslie Dickson
Grade B
same for both
Score 57/100 59/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Ainslie carries more bushfire risk (65 vs 0); Dickson carries more flood risk (38 vs 19).

Ainslie Dickson
Bushfire Moderate
65/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
73/100
 High
92/100
Flood Low
19/100
 Low
38/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Ainslie Dickson
Inside the suburb 1 3
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian National University, 3.8 km
 3
Australian National University, 3.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.2% 7.0%

Schools in Ainslie

  • North Ainslie Primary School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in Dickson

  • Daramalan College Independent · Secondary
  • Dickson College Government · Secondary
  • Emmaus Christian School Independent · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Ainslie Dickson
Supermarkets 1 5
Cafes & restaurants 4 53
Parks & reserves 8 2
Childcare 3 7
GPs 2 3
Pharmacies 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 2
Fuel stations 0 2

Mobility

Ainslie Dickson
Walkability score 72/100 89/100
Distance to Canberra 4 km 4.4 km
+10% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 10 min
same for both
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 67.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 106.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 4.3%
postcode 2602
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 30
postcode 2602
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Ainslie Dickson
Car (driver) 55.1% / 49.9%
Ainslie — Car (driver): 55.1% Dickson — Car (driver): 49.9%
Worked from Home 17.2% / 13.7%
Ainslie — Worked from Home: 17.2% Dickson — Worked from Home: 13.7%
Bicycle 10.7% / 9.6%
Ainslie — Bicycle: 10.7% Dickson — Bicycle: 9.6%
Walked Only 6.6% / 6.1%
Ainslie — Walked Only: 6.6% Dickson — Walked Only: 6.1%
Bus 4.4% / 7.4%
Ainslie — Bus: 4.4% Dickson — Bus: 7.4%
Car (passenger) 5.6% / 5.8%
Ainslie — Car (passenger): 5.6% Dickson — Car (passenger): 5.8%
Tram / Light Rail 0.2% / 7.5%
Ainslie — Tram / Light Rail: 0.2% Dickson — Tram / Light Rail: 7.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (55.1%).

Setting

Ainslie Dickson
Elevation 601 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 578 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Ainslie Dickson
Connectivity score 48/100 70/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 6%
2,581 premises
 45%
2,496 premises

Climate

Ainslie Dickson
Annual rainfall 622 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 0.8°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Ainslie Dickson
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Ainslie Dickson
Average residential rate $3,105/yr
same for both
Council Unincorporated ACT
same for both

Federal electorate

Ainslie Dickson
Division Canberra
same for both
Member Alicia Payne
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ainslie Dickson
Grant amount Not offered
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility None
same for both

Tags

Ainslie

Inner Parks Premium Professionals

Dickson

Apartments Cafe Culture Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ainslie

Ainslie vs Campbell Ainslie vs Braddon Ainslie vs Hackett Ainslie vs Reid

Other comparisons with Dickson

Dickson vs Watson Dickson vs Braddon Dickson vs Lyneham Dickson vs Turner Dickson vs Downer Dickson vs Hackett
Full data on Ainslie Full data on Dickson
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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