Amaroo vs Forde
In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Forde: a median of $1.13 million, against $1 million in Amaroo, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Forde tends to suit families with children.
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
Amaroo
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 91/100)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Amaroo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,000,000 vs $1,130,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Amaroo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($460/wk vs $590/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Amaroo
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (71/100 vs 54/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Amaroo
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 91/100)
- is more walkable (71/100 vs 54/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Amaroo and Forde drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Amaroo has more residents (6,129 vs 4,435); Forde has higher household incomes ($184,756 vs $143,988).
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,129 +28% vs other | 4,435 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +7.3% | +2.9% |
| Median age | 35 same for both | |
| Median household income | $143,988/yr | $184,756/yr +28% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $460/wk | $590/wk +28% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,000,000 | $1,130,000 |
| Median unit price | $750,000 | — |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 22 days from 61 sales | 21 days from 45 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.
30 vs 24 sales
56 vs 46 sales
11 vs 9 sales
Development activity
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 3,750 across Unincorporated ACT same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -48% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.3% $725/wk on $872K | 4.5% $840/wk on $974K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within ACT
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 80% of ACT | Higher than 97% of ACT |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 67% of ACT | Higher than 37% of ACT |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 56% of ACT | Higher than 55% of ACT |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 91% of ACT | Higher than 88% of ACT |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 52% of ACT | Higher than 68% of ACT |
Liveability
Amaroo is more walkable (71 vs 54); Forde scores higher overall (45 vs 37).
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C same for both | |
| Score | 37/100 | 45/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Amaroo carries more flood risk (58 vs 0); Forde carries more crime risk (91 vs 41).
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 93/100 | High 94/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 41/100 | High 91/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 58/100 | None 0/100 |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 UC - Canberra, Bruce, 9.1 km | 1 UC - Canberra, Bruce, 9.9 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 2.5% | 2.7% |
Schools in Amaroo
- Good Shepherd Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
- Amaroo School Government · Combined
Schools in Forde
- Burgmann Anglican School - Forde Campus Independent · Combined
Amenities in the suburb
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 3 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 7 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Childcare | 4 | 3 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 71/100 | 54/100 |
| Distance to Canberra | 15.8 km +3% vs other | 15.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 24 min | 26 min |
| Public transport score | 78/100 Bus same for both | |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 42.2 7-9am + 5-7pm | 29.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 3.7% postcode 2914 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2914 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.6%).
Setting
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 626 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 647 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 100/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 100% 2,214 premises | 100% 1,502 premises |
Climate
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| 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)
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.6 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 11.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.41 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $3,105/yr same for both | |
| Council | Unincorporated ACT same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Fenner same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Leigh same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Amaroo | Forde | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | Not offered same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | None same for both | |
Tags
Amaroo
Forde
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Amaroo
Other comparisons with Forde
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.