Dickson vs Downer

Dickson is the younger of the two, with a median age of 30 against 35 in Downer. In Dickson, about half of households rent, about half of homes are flats or apartments, and about half of households are people living alone. In Downer, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. Dickson is closer to the city centre: 4.4 km, against 5.5 km. On these figures, Dickson tends to suit young adults, people living alone, 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

Downer

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (67% vs 30%)
  • carries lower crime risk (55/100 vs 92/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (50% vs 34%)
  • But Dickson has more childcare (7 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Downer

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($492,500 vs $580,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Downer

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($420/wk vs $500/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Dickson

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (89/100 vs 77/100)

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

Downsizers and retirees

Dickson

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (70% vs 33%)
  • is more walkable (89/100 vs 77/100)
  • But Downer has more residents already 65 and over (13% vs 7%)

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

Investors

Dickson

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is growing faster (53.2% vs 17.3%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on units (6.1% vs 4.0%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.0% vs 3.3%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Dickson Downer
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.

Dickson Downer
Walkability 89 / 77
Dickson — Walkability: 89/100 Downer — Walkability: 77/100
Safety 8 / 45
Dickson — Safety: 8/100 Downer — Safety: 45/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Dickson — Low fire risk: 100/100 Downer — Low fire risk: 100/100
Low flood risk 62 / 83
Dickson — Low flood risk: 62/100 Downer — Low flood risk: 83/100

Demographics

Downer has more residents (4,296 vs 3,292); Dickson rents higher ($500/wk vs $420/wk).

Dickson Downer
Population 3,292 4,296
+30% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +53.2% +17.3%
Median age 30 35
Median household income $118,404/yr $117,884/yr
Median weekly rent $500/wk
+16% vs other
 $420/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Dickson Downer
0-4 4.4% / 6.3%
Dickson — 0-4: 4.4% Downer — 0-4: 6.3%
5-14 8.4% / 11.5%
Dickson — 5-14: 8.4% Downer — 5-14: 11.5%
15-19 3.1% / 4.5%
Dickson — 15-19: 3.1% Downer — 15-19: 4.5%
20-24 15.3% / 8.7%
Dickson — 20-24: 15.3% Downer — 20-24: 8.7%
25-34 28.4% / 17.5%
Dickson — 25-34: 28.4% Downer — 25-34: 17.5%
35-44 14.7% / 18.0%
Dickson — 35-44: 14.7% Downer — 35-44: 18.0%
45-54 10.4% / 12.1%
Dickson — 45-54: 10.4% Downer — 45-54: 12.1%
55-64 7.6% / 8.7%
Dickson — 55-64: 7.6% Downer — 55-64: 8.7%
65-74 3.9% / 6.8%
Dickson — 65-74: 3.9% Downer — 65-74: 6.8%
75-84 2.4% / 4.2%
Dickson — 75-84: 2.4% Downer — 75-84: 4.2%
85+ 1.1% / 1.7%
Dickson — 85+: 1.1% Downer — 85+: 1.7%

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

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

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%
Downer 35.5% lone person
Downer — Lone Person: 35.5% Downer — Couple Families: 38.1% Downer — Group Household: 12.2% Downer — One Parent Families: 12.3% Downer — Other Families: 1.9%
Lone Person Couple Families Group Household One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Dickson 46.6% renting
Dickson — Owned Outright: 19.8% Dickson — Mortgage: 33.7% Dickson — Renting: 46.6%
Downer 37.0% renting
Downer — Owned Outright: 27.6% Downer — Mortgage: 35.4% Downer — Renting: 37.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Dickson Downer
Bachelor Degree 28.4% / 22.8%
Dickson — Bachelor Degree: 28.4% Downer — Bachelor Degree: 22.8%
Postgraduate Degree 18.2% / 15.6%
Dickson — Postgraduate Degree: 18.2% Downer — Postgraduate Degree: 15.6%
Certificate III & IV 5.3% / 6.6%
Dickson — Certificate III & IV: 5.3% Downer — Certificate III & IV: 6.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.1% / 5.4%
Dickson — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.1% Downer — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.6% / 4.3%
Dickson — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.6% Downer — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.3%

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.

Dickson Downer
China 5.8% / 2.7%
Dickson — China: 5.8% Downer — China: 2.7%
England 2.6% / 3.0%
Dickson — England: 2.6% Downer — England: 3.0%
India 1.2% / 1.9%
Dickson — India: 1.2% Downer — India: 1.9%
Vietnam 1.3% / 1.5%
Dickson — Vietnam: 1.3% Downer — Vietnam: 1.5%
New Zealand 1.0% / 1.1%
Dickson — New Zealand: 1.0% Downer — New Zealand: 1.1%
Nepal 1.2% / 0.8%
Dickson — Nepal: 1.2% Downer — Nepal: 0.8%

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

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Dickson 29.6% houses
Dickson — Houses: 29.6% Dickson — Flats / Apartments: 48.9% Dickson — Townhouses: 21.5%
Downer 67.2% houses
Downer — Houses: 67.2% Downer — Flats / Apartments: 16.8% Downer — Townhouses: 16.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Dickson Downer
Median house price $1,170,000 $1,190,000
Median unit price $580,000 $492,500
Median land price $1,270,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 23 sales
 20 days
from 50 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.

Dickson Downer
3 bed $1.09M / $1.15M
Dickson — 3 bed: $1.09M (19 sales) Downer — 3 bed: $1.15M (52 sales)

19 vs 52 sales

4 bed $1.37M / $1.32M
Dickson — 4 bed: $1.37M (14 sales) Downer — 4 bed: $1.32M (20 sales)

14 vs 20 sales

Unit price by bedroom count

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

Dickson Downer
1 bed $447K / $453K
Dickson — 1 bed: $447K (49 sales) Downer — 1 bed: $453K (6 sales)

49 vs 6 sales

2 bed $614K / $632K
Dickson — 2 bed: $614K (76 sales) Downer — 2 bed: $632K (7 sales)

76 vs 7 sales

Development activity

Dickson Downer
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.

Dickson Downer
Houses 4.0%
$850/wk on $1.1M
 3.3%
$710/wk on $1.12M
Units 6.1%
$680/wk on $578K
 4.0%
$455/wk on $594K

Ranking within ACT

Dickson Downer
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 38% of ACT Higher than 35% of ACT
Schools Higher than 5% of ACT —
Walkability Higher than 98% of ACT Higher than 79% of ACT
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 82% of ACT Higher than 83% of ACT
NBN connectivity Higher than 67% of ACT Higher than 37% of ACT
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 34% of ACT Higher than 11% of ACT
Rental yield (units) Higher than 56% of ACT Higher than 7% of ACT

Liveability

Downer scores higher overall (72 vs 59); Dickson is more walkable (89 vs 77).

Dickson Downer
Grade B A
Score 59/100 72/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Dickson carries more flood risk (38 vs 17); Dickson carries more crime risk (92 vs 55).

Dickson Downer
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
92/100
 Moderate
55/100
Flood Low
38/100
 Low
17/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 6
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Dickson Downer
Inside the suburb 3 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian National University, 3.6 km
 3
Australian National University, 4.4 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 7.0% 4.2%

Schools in Dickson

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

Schools in Downer

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

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

Mobility

Dickson Downer
Walkability score 89/100 77/100
Distance to Canberra 4.4 km 5.5 km
+25% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 10 min 12 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 106.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
 51.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 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.

Dickson Downer
Car (driver) 49.9% / 60.2%
Dickson — Car (driver): 49.9% Downer — Car (driver): 60.2%
Worked from Home 13.7% / 13.9%
Dickson — Worked from Home: 13.7% Downer — Worked from Home: 13.9%
Bicycle 9.6% / 8.4%
Dickson — Bicycle: 9.6% Downer — Bicycle: 8.4%
Tram / Light Rail 7.5% / 5.4%
Dickson — Tram / Light Rail: 7.5% Downer — Tram / Light Rail: 5.4%
Bus 7.4% / 4.8%
Dickson — Bus: 7.4% Downer — Bus: 4.8%
Car (passenger) 5.8% / 5.4%
Dickson — Car (passenger): 5.8% Downer — Car (passenger): 5.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (60.2%).

Setting

Dickson Downer
Elevation 578 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 588 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Dickson Downer
Connectivity score 70/100 50/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 45%
2,496 premises
 10%
1,880 premises

Climate

Dickson Downer
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)

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

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

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

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Dickson

Apartments Cafe Culture Inner Parks Professionals Townhouses

Downer

Inner Professionals

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Dickson

Dickson vs Watson Dickson vs Braddon Dickson vs Lyneham Dickson vs Ainslie Dickson vs Turner Dickson vs Hackett

Other comparisons with Downer

Downer vs Watson Downer vs Lyneham Downer vs Hackett
Full data on Dickson Full data on Downer
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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