ABS Data · ACT Economy

Australian Capital Territory
Economy

Wages, jobs, earnings, and cost of living in Australian Capital Territory. Real ABS data — no spin.

454,464
Population (Census)
$1,192
Median Weekly Income
3.5%
Unemployment Rate
$439
Median Weekly Rent
Source: ABS Census 2021, WPI (6345.0), Labour Force (6202.0), AWE (6302.0)
Overview

Australian Capital Territory economy at a glance

The average full-time worker in ACT earns $2,285/week (above the national average of $2,129/week). The unemployment rate sits at 3.5% (below the national 4.3%). Wages grew +3.7% over the past year (nationally +3.4%).

The median weekly rent across ACT suburbs is $439, which is 36.8% of median weekly income — above the 30% affordability benchmark.

Wage Price Index

Wage growth in ACT

WPI tracks how fast wages are growing. ACT vs national. Hover for detail.

157.5
Latest WPI Index
+3.7%
ACT WPI YoY
+3.4%
National WPI YoY
ACT WPI
National (dashed)
Job Market

Employment in ACT

Unemployment rate and labour force participation for Australian Capital Territory.

3.5%
Unemployment Rate
4.3%
National Unemployment
71.5%
Participation Rate
ACT Unemployment
National (dashed)
Average Weekly Earnings

What ACT earns

Full-time adult average weekly earnings by industry. ABS Cat. 6302.0.

$2,285
Weekly (ACT)
$118,841
Annual (ACT)
$2,129
National Weekly
Cost of Living

Rent & income in ACT

Median rent and income from ABS Census 2021 suburb data across Australian Capital Territory.

$439
Median Weekly Rent
$1,192
Median Weekly Income
$61,958
Median Annual Income
36.8%
Rent as % of Income
Above 30% benchmark
Top Suburbs

Largest suburbs in ACT

Highest-population SA2 areas in Australian Capital Territory from ABS Census 2021.

Explore

Other state economies

Compare economic data across Australia's states and territories.

Data Sources
ABS Wage Price Index (6345.0)
Quarterly WPI by state. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses.
ABS WPI →
ABS Labour Force (6202.0)
Monthly unemployment rate and participation by state.
ABS Labour →
ABS Average Weekly Earnings (6302.0)
Half-yearly earnings by state, industry, and sex.
ABS AWE →
ABS Census of Population and Housing (2021)
Suburb-level population, income, and rent data from Census 2021.
ABS Census →