Bruce ACT 2617
Bruce sits 7 km from Canberra CBD in Australian Capital Territory, around 12 minutes by car. Census data records 7,520 residents with a median age of 29 and a median household income of $117,832 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. The suburb grew 7.5% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $430 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,733. Bruce is characterised by high crime risk and no recorded flood exposure. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is moderate.
Is Bruce a good suburb?
Bruce scores a B (64/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and community.
Mixed results
1 school
Walkable and central
Walkability 65/100 · 7.3 km · 12 min drive to Canberra
Median available
Median $1.17M
Moderate bushfire risk
Fire 47/100 · Crime 70/100 · Flood 0/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 29 · 7,520 residents
Liveability Rating
64 / 100 · Ranked #23 in ACTEach bar is Bruce's rank among ACT suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
How do you rate the liveability in Bruce?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
64 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataBruce's unit market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $418,000, about 9% below where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$417,500
12% below its 5 neighbours (median $472,000)
Based on 164 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 35 days — median across 92 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 83 sales $369K
- 2 bed 47 sales $482K
- 3 bed 27 sales $610K
Houses
$1,165,000
13% above its 7 neighbours (median $1,030,000)
Based on 33 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 44 days — median across 28 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 9 sales $797K
- 4 bed 14 sales $1.28M
- 5 bed 5 sales $1.5M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Bruce are currently listed at around $760,000 on average. Based on 29 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$760K
29 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$412K
62 units listed in the last 6 months.
91 of the suburb's 2,679 dwellings (3.4%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Bruce rent for around $780 a week on average, based on 37 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$780/wk
8% above its 7 neighbours (median $720/wk)
37 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$500/wk
9% below its 3 neighbours (median $550/wk)
51 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
88 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,382 rented homes (6.4%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025139 Acceptable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 22% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2617.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$780/week ($41,000 a year) on a $760,000 median
$500/week ($26,000 a year) on a $412,000 median
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Bruce safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Bruce sits in the high band, with 79 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 108% on the prior year.
79 offences
107.9% since 2024Crime Trend
Schools
One school serves Bruce, but none have published comparable ratings yet.
- • 2,091 students in one school (avg 2,091)
Combined
Universities nearby
- 0.0 kmUC - Canberra, BruceUniversity of Canberra · 192 courses
- 3.0 kmAustralian National UniversityAustralian National University · 420 courses
- 8.1 kmUNSW CanberraUniversity of New South Wales · 52 courses
14.6% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Bruce is somewhat walkable on foot — at 65/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car. Within the suburb there are 1 supermarket, 3 parks and 7 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Bruce.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 356.8 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 319.3 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 177.0 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 18.6 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Bruce.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 24%
- Premises covered
- 3,868
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 16 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 3 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.
Bruce is home to about 7,500 residents, and skews young, with a median age of 29 against the national 38. Median household income runs at $118,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.6%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
7,520
Median Age
29
Median Household Income
$117,832/yr
Census Median Rent
$430/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,733/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$53,404/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.6%
Unoccupied Dwellings
8.1%
Total Dwellings
2,679
Owner-Occupier Rate
48.4%
Houses
20.7%
Rental Stress
19.0%
Mortgage Stress
17.6%
Work From Home
10.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
18 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 14 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 1,330 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 58.1%
- English Spoken at Home
- 62.7%
- Employment Rate
- 69.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 77.0%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
1,088 residents (14.5%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 7,228 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
29% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (1,377 of 4,694), an area that takes in all or part of this suburb, so many of them work close to home.
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 7,789 people work here; 4,694 employed residents live here.
A jobs hub: 1.7 jobs for every working resident. At least 40% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $3,105 a year through Unincorporated ACT based on 2026 figures.
Building Approvals: Unincorporated ACT
In the year to August 2026, 3,750 new dwellings were approved across Unincorporated ACT. That mix is 813 houses and 2,937 units. Approvals are down 47.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6.6 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 11 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.41 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 2 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Florey monitoring station, 5.2 km away. ACT Health publishes these readings unverified, so they may still be revised.
Climate & Setting
from Canberra Airport, 12.0 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, frosty winters.
- Elevation
- 620 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Near high-voltage lines
- 9.6% of addresses
- 345 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 622 mm
- 69 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 28.5°C
- 10 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 0.8°C
- 61 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
4 facilities within 5 km- 0.5 kmHigher EducationTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 0.8 kmHospitals (Except Psychiatric Hospitals)Top reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
- 3.8 kmScientific Research ServicesTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 4.8 kmHigher EducationTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
EV adoption
In postcode 2617, 683 of 25,575 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 4.9% (1,244 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 7.5%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2617, 4,510 rooftop-solar systems totalling 33.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 15,564 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 303 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27No First Home Owner Grant is available in this state — the scheme has been replaced with a separate stamp-duty concession.
The Home Buyer Concession Scheme (HBCS) instead provides a stamp-duty reduction of up to ~$34,000 for eligible buyers under the income threshold.
Mortgage repayments
2 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 12 across postcode 2617.
Conveyance duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with ACT Revenue Office
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-26 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Alicia Payne Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alicia Payne | 76.4% | 23.6% | +4.0 |
| 2022 | Alicia Payne | 72.5% | 27.5% | -5.4 |
| 2019 | Alicia Payne | 67.1% | 32.9% | -4.1 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Elected at the 2024 election:
- Tara Cheyne ACT Labor
- Yvette Berry ACT Labor
- Peter Cain Canberra Liberals
- Jo Clay The ACT Greens
- Chiaka Barry Canberra Liberals
Next election: 21 October 2028.
| Year | Seats won |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 ACT Labor · 2 Canberra Liberals · 1 The ACT Greens |
| 2020 | 2 Australian Labor Party · 2 Canberra Liberals · 1 ACT Greens |
A vacancy here is filled by a recount of the original votes, not a by-election, so a member listed may since have been replaced. Boundaries were last redrawn in 2023. Results: Elections ACT.
Looking at a specific address in Bruce?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 7,520 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Featured in
- #4 in Best Canberra suburbs for first-home buyers (units)
- #4 in Highest-yielding Canberra suburbs (houses)
- #5 in Best Canberra suburbs for first-home buyers (houses)
- #5 in Sportiest Canberra suburbs
- #6 in Highest-yielding Canberra suburbs (units)
- #8 in Canberra suburbs where the most Cantonese is spoken at home
- #9 in Canberra suburbs with the best public transport
- #10 in Where the Nepali community lives in Canberra
- #10 in Canberra suburbs where the most Nepali is spoken at home
- #11 in Canberra suburbs with the deepest rental markets
- #11 in Where the Sri Lankan community lives in Canberra
- #12 in Where the Chinese community lives in Canberra
- #12 in Canberra suburbs where the most Mandarin is spoken at home
- #13 in Where the Vietnamese community lives in Canberra
- #14 in Canberra suburbs where the most Malayalam is spoken at home
- #14 in Where the Pakistani community lives in Canberra
- #14 in Canberra suburbs where the most Tamil is spoken at home
- #15 in Canberra suburbs where the most Korean is spoken at home
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Canberra There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Canberra suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Belconnen ACT 2617
Kaleen ACT 2617
O'Connor ACT 2602
Lyneham ACT 2602
Macquarie ACT 2614
Lawson ACT 2617
Compare Bruce to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other ACT suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Bruce
Is Bruce a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Bruce is high (70/100, ranked against other ACT suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Bruce?
Bruce has a moderate recorded bushfire history (47/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). No mapped flood overlay applies. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Bruce a good place to live?
Bruce has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (64/100), ranked against other ACT suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Bruce?
Bruce, ACT had a population of 7,520 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Bruce, ACT?
The postcode for Bruce, ACT is 2617.
How far is Bruce from Canberra?
Bruce is 7 km from Canberra CBD by road, about 12 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Bruce?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Bruce was $117,832 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Bruce?
The median advertised rent in Bruce is $780 a week for houses (37 listings) and $500 a week for units (51 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Bruce?
The median age of residents in Bruce was 29 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Bruce at risk of bushfire?
Bruce has a moderate recorded bushfire history (47/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in Bruce?
There is 1 school inside the Bruce boundary, none of which has enough NAPLAN and ICSEA data for a quality band.
Is Bruce walkable?
Bruce scores 65/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Bruce?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Bruce (Florey) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.6 µg/m³ and PM10 of 11.0 µg/m³. That puts Bruce below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Bruce?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Bruce, Canberra Airport (12 km away), summer days average 28.5°C, winter nights 0.8°C, 622 mm of rain a year over 69 rainy days, and 10 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
What first-home buyer assistance is available in Bruce?
ACT does not have a First Home Owner Grant — the scheme was replaced with the Home Buyer Concession Scheme, a stamp-duty reduction for eligible first-home buyers under the income threshold. Confirm eligibility with the ACT Revenue Office before signing a contract.
What council does Bruce belong to?
Bruce sits within the Unincorporated ACT local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Bruce?
The average residential rates bill through Unincorporated ACT is $3,105 a year (2026). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Bruce?
Across Unincorporated ACT, 3,750 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 47.7% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Bruce in?
Bruce sits within the federal Division of Canberra, currently held by Alicia Payne (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2026–27
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2024
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.