City, ACT
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Known to almost everyone as Civic, the City district is the central business district of Canberra and the busy heart of the national capital. It grew from Walter Burley Griffin's prize-winning plan for Canberra, centred on the gentle rise of City Hill, and still carries early landmarks such as the curved Sydney and Melbourne Buildings of the 1920s and 30s. Today Civic is where Canberrans come to shop, eat and gather: the Canberra Centre and the open cafes of Garema Place sit at its core, with theatres, bars and offices all around. Lake Burley Griffin and the line of national institutions along its shores are only a short walk to the south.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
City is more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1165, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
City at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 4,835
- Median age
- 27
- Median weekly household income
- $2,232
- SEIFA score
- 1165
- Coordinates
- -35.2813, 149.1288
City demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile City using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 41%, 62% of homes are rented, and 50% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 146 | 3% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,809 | 37% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,977 | 41% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 626 | 13% |
| Seniors (65+) | 278 | 6% |
Share of the 4,836 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 277 | 15% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 375 | 21% |
| Rented | 1,107 | 62% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 0 | 0% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,788 | 100% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,794 occupied private dwellings in City.
- Median weekly rent
- $550
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,950
- Average household size
- 1.7 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,895
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,076
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,144 (50%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,834 (43%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 50 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 3,903 (84%)
- Labour-force participation
- 67.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 7.4%
- Employed full-time
- 1,808
- Employed part-time
- 940
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in City
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in City is January (average daytime high around 27°C) and the coolest is July (around 10.1°C). The area receives roughly 742 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27°C | 14.5°C | 71 mm |
| Feb | 25.4°C | 13.6°C | 50 mm |
| Mar | 22.5°C | 12.2°C | 67 mm |
| Apr | 18.6°C | 8.7°C | 54 mm |
| May | 13.8°C | 4.4°C | 42 mm |
| Jun | 10.8°C | 2.7°C | 61 mm |
| Jul | 10.1°C | 1.7°C | 37 mm |
| Aug | 11.3°C | 1.9°C | 69 mm |
| Sep | 15°C | 4.3°C | 57 mm |
| Oct | 18.9°C | 7.4°C | 75 mm |
| Nov | 21.7°C | 9.8°C | 85 mm |
| Dec | 24.8°C | 12.4°C | 74 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about City
Where is City?
City is a suburb of Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
What is the population of City?
At the 2021 Census, City had a population of about 4,835.
Is City an advantaged area?
City has an ABS SEIFA score of 1165, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 99 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in City?
City has average daytime highs of about 18.3°C and overnight lows of about 7.8°C, with roughly 742 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
Where City ranks
City appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
Nearby suburbs in Australian Capital Territory
More suburb guides in Australian Capital Territory
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.