O'Connor ACT 2602
O'Connor sits 5 km from Canberra CBD in Australian Capital Territory, around 10 minutes by car. Census data records 5,917 residents with a median age of 35 and a median household income of $130,936 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. The suburb grew 8.0% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $451 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,500. 3 schools sit within the suburb boundary, and walkability is high.
Is O'Connor a good suburb?
O'Connor scores a B (55/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit and community, weaker on schools.
Trailing peer schools
3 schools
Walkable and central
Walkability 80/100 · 4.6 km · 10 min drive to Canberra
Median available
Median $1.51M
Moderate bushfire risk
Fire 56/100 · Crime 54/100 · Flood 35/100
Very advantaged
SEIFA decile 10/10 · median age 35 · 5,917 residents
Liveability Rating
55 / 100 · Ranked #45 in ACTEach bar is O'Connor's rank among ACT suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
How do you rate the liveability in O'Connor?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
55 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataO'Connor's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $1.51 million, about 2% below where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$1,510,000
32% above its 4 neighbours (median $1,145,000)
Based on 71 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 29 days — median across 49 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 31 sales $1.3M
- 4 bed 31 sales $1.7M
- 5 bed 6 sales $1.7M
Units
$570,000
15% above its 3 neighbours (median $495,000)
Based on 41 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 29 days — median across 20 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 17 sales $480K
- 2 bed 22 sales $625K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in O'Connor are currently listed at around $1.18 million on average. Based on 20 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$1.18M
20 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$470K
16 units listed in the last 6 months.
36 of the suburb's 2,253 dwellings (1.6%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in O'Connor rent for around $820 a week on average, based on 24 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$820/wk
15% above its 3 neighbours (median $715/wk)
24 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$540/wk
In line with its 3 neighbours (median $550/wk)
14 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
38 rentals advertised against an estimated 867 rented homes (4.4%) in the last 6 months.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025128 Acceptable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 23% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2602.
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$820/week ($43,000 a year) on a $1.18 million median
$540/week ($28,000 a year) on a $470,000 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 O'Connor safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in O'Connor sits in the moderate band, with 32 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 18% on the prior year.
32 offences
18.5% since 2024Crime Trend
Schools
Three schools serve O'Connor, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 502 students across 3 schools (avg 167)
- • Sectors: 2 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 1030-1141, median 1130 (well above the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: St Joseph's Primary School (334 students)
Primary
Secondary
Universities nearby
- 1.6 kmAustralian National UniversityAustralian National University · 420 courses
- 2.5 kmUC - Canberra, BruceUniversity of Canberra · 192 courses
- 6.0 kmUNSW CanberraUniversity of New South Wales · 52 courses
7.5% 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
O'Connor is very walkable on foot — at 80/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the suburb there are 1 supermarket, 9 parks and 3 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside O'Connor.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 58.8 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 51.6 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 24.4 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 16.8 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 O'Connor.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 17%
- Premises covered
- 2,700
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 13 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.
O'Connor is home to about 5,900 residents, with a median age of 35, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $131,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
5,917
Median Age
35
Median Household Income
$130,936/yr
Census Median Rent
$451/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,500/mo
Avg Household Size
2.5
Median Personal Income
$65,572/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.7%
Total Dwellings
2,253
Owner-Occupier Rate
61.5%
Houses
66.0%
Rental Stress
17.9%
Mortgage Stress
22.9%
Work From Home
16.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
204 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 30 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 849 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 72.5%
- English Spoken at Home
- 80.0%
- Employment Rate
- 67.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 69.3%
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.
309 residents (5.2%) 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 5,692 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
51% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (1,726 of 3,382), 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 787 people work here; 3,382 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.2 jobs per working resident. At least 77% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
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 5.4 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³).
PM10 averaged 14.1 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 3 · ozone 0.
From the Civic monitoring station, 3.5 km away. ACT Health publishes these readings unverified, so they may still be revised.
Climate & Setting
from Canberra Airport, 9.5 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, frosty winters.
- Elevation
- 585 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- 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
5 facilities within 5 km- 2.1 kmScientific Research ServicesTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 2.4 kmHospitals (Except Psychiatric Hospitals)Top reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
- 2.9 kmHigher EducationTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 3.0 kmHigher EducationTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 4.5 kmLaundry and Dry-Cleaning ServicesTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
EV adoption
In postcode 2602, 913 of 21,381 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 4.9% (1,042 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 9.1%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2602, 4,420 rooftop-solar systems totalling 32.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 14,775 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 340 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
11 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2602.
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:
- Andrew Barr ACT Labor
- Elizabeth Lee Canberra Liberals
- Rachel Stephen-Smith ACT Labor
- Shane Rattenbury The ACT Greens
- Thomas Emerson Independents for Canberra
Next election: 21 October 2028.
| Year | Seats won |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 ACT Labor · 1 Canberra Liberals · 1 The ACT Greens · 1 Independents for Canberra |
| 2020 | 2 Australian Labor Party · 2 ACT Greens · 1 Canberra Liberals |
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 O'Connor?
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 5,917 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
- #1 in Canberra suburbs where the most people cycle to work
- #1 in Sportiest Canberra suburbs
- #4 in Canberra's most educated suburbs
- #6 in Canberra suburbs with the largest non-religious population
- #14 in Highest-yielding Canberra suburbs (units)
- #15 in Best Canberra suburbs for first-home buyers (units)
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
Compare O'Connor to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other ACT suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about O'Connor
Is O'Connor a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in O'Connor is moderate (54/100, ranked against other ACT suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect O'Connor?
O'Connor has a moderate recorded bushfire history (56/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a low share of it (35/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is O'Connor a good place to live?
O'Connor has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (55/100), 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 O'Connor?
O'Connor, ACT had a population of 5,917 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for O'Connor, ACT?
The postcode for O'Connor, ACT is 2602.
How far is O'Connor from Canberra?
O'Connor is 5 km from Canberra CBD by road, about 10 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in O'Connor?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in O'Connor was $130,936 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 O'Connor?
The median advertised rent in O'Connor is $820 a week for houses (24 listings) and $540 a week for units (14 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in O'Connor?
The median age of residents in O'Connor was 35 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is O'Connor at risk of bushfire?
O'Connor has a moderate recorded bushfire history (56/100). 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 O'Connor?
There are 3 schools inside the O'Connor boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is O'Connor walkable?
O'Connor scores 80/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very 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 O'Connor?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to O'Connor (Civic) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.4 µg/m³ and PM10 of 14.1 µg/m³. That puts O'Connor 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 O'Connor?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to O'Connor, Canberra Airport (9.5 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 O'Connor?
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 O'Connor belong to?
O'Connor 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 O'Connor?
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 O'Connor?
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 O'Connor in?
O'Connor 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.