Palmerston · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
How well-off the area is, how fast its population is growing, and the businesses and new homes here.
A typical score of 8 for overall advantage means Palmerston is a well-off place for most people. Residents generally have better access to money, resources and education than about 80% of similar areas. This high level of advantage is a standout feature of the local economy.
All statistical area 2 (sa2) areas, 2021. The marker is Palmerston — higher than 71% of areas.
| Palmerston | 8 |
|---|---|
| 2913, ACT | 9 |
SEIFA indexes ranking relative advantage and disadvantage.
The area ranks highly for education and job skills, scoring 8 out of 10. This helps explain why the overall advantage score of 1,063 is higher than about 76% of similar areas.
8
Higher than 71% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% most disadvantaged areas in Australia, 10 = among the 10% most advantaged. IRSAD summarises both advantage and disadvantage, so a high score reflects relatively many high-income, well-educated households and few low-income, low-skill ones.
8
Higher than 71% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% most disadvantaged areas in Australia, 10 = among the least disadvantaged. IRSD focuses on disadvantage alone (low income, low education, unemployment, unskilled occupations), so a higher decile means relatively less disadvantage.
7
Higher than 64% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Economic Resources, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% lowest areas for economic resources in Australia, 10 = among the highest. IER reflects the income, housing costs, dwelling size and assets of households, so a higher decile means relatively greater economic resources.
8
Higher than 71% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Education and Occupation, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% lowest areas for education and occupation in Australia, 10 = among the highest. IEO reflects residents' qualifications and the skill level of their jobs, so a higher decile means a more highly educated and skilled workforce.
1,063
Higher than 76% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, 2021, as a raw index score (standardised so the Australian average is about 1000). Higher scores indicate relatively greater advantage; lower scores greater disadvantage.
Annual population estimates and change since the census.
Population growth has essentially stalled here, falling by 0.2% since 2021. This is well below the ACT's growth rate of 7.1%.
5,537
Lower than 77% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Estimated resident population (ABS), 2025.
-0.2%
Lower than 89% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Population growth since the 2021 Census, from ABS annual estimates.
Operating businesses and dwellings approved.
Commercial activity is low in this part of the territory, with only 303 businesses operating here.
303
Lower than 87% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Operating businesses (ABS Counts of Australian Businesses), June 2025.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Economy & Advantage in Palmerston [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/801041048/palmerston/topic/economy-advantage
